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Category: Asia

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News in Brief: U.S., Indonesian Navies Commence Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Indonesia 2025

    Source: United States Navy

    The United States Navy, the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL) and the Indonesian Marine Corps commenced Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia 2025, June 23, at TNI-AL Second Fleet Command in Surabaya.

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: China foreign relations session held

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Civil Service College, with the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commissioner (OCMFA) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, held a thematic briefing session today on the “International Landscape and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025”.

    The briefing was delivered by Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR Cui Jianchun, and attended by Chief Executive John Lee along with over 400 senior officials.

    Delivering his opening remarks, Mr Lee thanked Mr Cui for attending the session to share insights on the current international environment and national foreign strategies, and providing an analysis on the evolving global dynamics and the country’s response strategies.

    The session could provide support for the Hong Kong SAR Government in promoting Hong Kong’s deepening of international exchanges and co-operation, better integration into the overall national development, and co-ordination of high-level security and high-quality development, the Chief Executive remarked.

    Mr Lee pointed out that the complex and fast-changing international environment as well as the groundbreaking developments of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, profoundly affect the trajectory of world order and highlight the close connection between security and development. He also said China’s diplomatic work plays a vital role in the effective co-ordination of security and development, and provides opportunities for Hong Kong to better fulfil its role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”.

    He also thanked the central government for its strong support for Hong Kong to become the headquarters of the International Organization for Mediation, adding that the establishment of its headquarters in the city reflects the trust and recognition of the international community in Hong Kong, which not only demonstrates the success of the National Security Law in creating a stable environment, but also serves as a vivid manifestation of the country’s diplomatic soft power.

    Mr Lee further stated that Hong Kong SAR Government officials should have a deep understanding of the country’s foreign policies, accurately grasp changes in the international landscape, and better co-ordinate the relationship between and the opportunities from security and development.

    Separately, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said today’s session is of great significance because it not only heralds this year’s series of talks on China’s foreign affairs but is also a highlight event of the seminar series for civil servants on the fifth anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the National Security Law.

    She stressed that the Civil Service College will continue to enhance training to strengthen civil servants’ patriotism and awareness of national security, and encourage everyone to consciously safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.

    Training programmes organised by the college could also deepen civil servants’ understanding of the country’s history, culture and contemporary development, equipping them to better fulfil Hong Kong’s role as a bridge connecting the country with the world in their respective fields, effectively utilising the city’s international platform to tell good stories of China and Hong Kong, Mrs Yeung added.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: Philly psychology students map out local landmarks and hidden destinations where they feel happiest

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Eric Zillmer, Professor of Neuropsychology, Drexel University

    Rittenhouse Square Park in Center City made it onto the Philly Happiness Map. Matthew Lovette/Jumping Rocks/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    What makes you happy? Perhaps a good night’s sleep, or a wonderful meal with friends?

    I am the director of the Happiness Lab at Drexel University, where I also teach a course on happiness. The Happiness Lab is a think tank that investigates the ingredients that contribute to people’s happiness.

    Often, my students ask me something along the lines of, “Dr. Z, tell us one thing that will make us happier.”

    As a first step, I advise them to spend more time outside.

    Achieving lasting and sustainable happiness is more complicated. Research on the happiest countries in the world and the places where people live the longest, known as Blue Zones, shows a common thread: Residents feel they are part of something larger than themselves, such as a community or a city.

    So if you’re living in a metropolis like Philadelphia, where, incidentally, the iconic pursuit of happiness charge was ratified in the Declaration of Independence, I believe urban citizenship – that is, forming an identity with your urban surroundings – should also be on your list.

    The Greek island of Ikaria in the Aegean Sea is a Blue Zone famous for its residents’ longevity.
    Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Safety, social connection, beauty

    Carl Jung, the renowned Swiss psychoanalyst, wrote extensively about the relationship between our internal world and our external environment.

    He believed that this relationship was crucial to our psychological well-being.

    More recent research in neuroscience and functional imaging has revealed a vast, intricate and complex neurological architecture underlying our psychological perception of a place. Numerous neurological pathways and functional loops transform a complex neuropsychological process into a simple realization: I am happy here!

    For example, a happy place should feel safe.

    The country of Croatia, a tourist haven for its beauty and culinary delights, is also one of the top 20 safest countries globally, according to the 2025 Global Peace Index.

    The U.S. ranks 128th.

    The availability of good food and drink can also be a significant factor in creating a happy place.

    However, according to American psychologist Abraham Maslow, a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, the opportunity for social connectivity, experiencing something meaningful and having a sense of belonging is more crucial.

    Furthermore, research on happy places suggests that they are beautiful. It should not come as a surprise that the happiest places in the world are also drop-dead gorgeous, such as the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mauritius, which is the happiest country in Africa, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report from the University of Oxford and others.

    Happy places often provide access to nature and promote active lifestyles, which can help relieve stress. The residents of the island of Ikaria in Greece, for example, one of the original Blue Zones, demonstrate high levels of physical activity and social interaction.

    A map of 28 happy places in Philadelphia, based on 243 survey responses from Drexel students.
    The Happiness Lab at Drexel University

    Philly Happiness Map

    I asked my undergraduate psychology students at Drexel, many of whom come from other cities, states and countries, to pick one place in Philadelphia where they feel happy.

    From the 243 student responses, the Happiness Lab curated 28 Philly happy places, based on how frequently the places were endorsed and their accessibility.

    Philadelphia’s founder, William Penn, would likely approve that Rittenhouse Square Park and three other public squares – Logan, Franklin and Washington – were included. These squares were vital to Penn’s vision of landscaped public parks to promote the health of the mind and body by providing “salubrious spaces similar to the private garden.” They are beautiful and approachable, serving as “places to rest, take a pause, work, or read a book,” one student told us.

    Places such as the Philadelphia Zoo, Penn’s Landing and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are “joyful spots that are fun to explore, and one can also take your parents along if need be,” as another student described.

    The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, a historic library with eclectic programming, feels to one student like “coming home, a perfect third place.”

    Some students mentioned happy places that are less known. These include tucked-away gardens such as the John F. Collings Park at 1707 Chestnut St., the rooftop Cira Green at 129 S. 30th St. and the James G. Kaskey Memorial Park and BioPond at 433 S. University Ave.

    The James G. Kaskey Memorial Park and BioPond in West Philadelphia is an urban oasis.
    M. Fischetti for Visit Philadelphia

    My students said these are small, unexpected spots that provide an excellent opportunity for a quiet, peaceful break, to be present, whether enjoyed alone or with a friend. I checked them out and I agree.

    The students also mentioned places I had never heard of even though I’ve lived in the city for over 30 years.

    The “cat park” at 526 N. Natrona St. in Mantua is a quiet little park with an eclectic personality and lots of friendly cats.

    Mango Mango Dessert at 1013 Cherry St. in Chinatown, which is a frequently endorsed happiness spot among the students because of its “bustling streets, lively atmosphere and delicious food,” is a perfect pit stop for mango lovers. And Maison Sweet, at 2930 Chestnut St. in University City, is a casual bakery and cafe “where you may end up staying longer than planned,” one student shared.

    I find that Philly’s happy places, as seen through the eyes of college students, tend to offer a space for residents to take time out from their day to pause, reset, relax and feel more connected and in touch with the city.

    Happiness principals are universal, yet our own journeys are very personal. Philadelphians across the city may have their own list of happy places. There are really no right or wrong answers. If you don’t have a personal happy space, just start exploring and you may be surprised what you will find, including a new sense of happiness.

    See the full Philly Happiness Map list here, and visit the exhibit at the W.W. Hagerty Library at Drexel University to learn more.

    Read more of our stories about Philadelphia.

    Eric Zillmer 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. Philly psychology students map out local landmarks and hidden destinations where they feel happiest – https://theconversation.com/philly-psychology-students-map-out-local-landmarks-and-hidden-destinations-where-they-feel-happiest-258790

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: How do scientists calculate the probability that an asteroid could hit Earth?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Toshi Hirabayashi, Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

    NASA’s Webb telescope captured a photo of the asteroid 2024 YR4 from afar. European Space Agency via AP

    I was preparing for my early morning class back in January 2025 when I received a notice regarding an asteroid called 2024 YR4. It said the probability it could hit Earth was unusually high.

    As defending Earth from unexpected intruders such as asteroids is part of my expertise, I immediately started receiving questions from my students and colleagues about what was happening.

    When scientists spot an asteroid whose trajectory might take it close to Earth, they monitor it frequently and calculate the probability that it might collide with our planet. As they receive more observational data, they get a better picture of what could happen.

    Just having more data points early doesn’t make scientists’ predictions better. They need to keep following the asteroid as it moves through space to better understand its trajectory.

    Reflecting on the incident a few months later, I wondered whether there might have been a better way for scientists to communicate about the risk with the public. We got accurate information, but as the questions I heard indicated, it wasn’t always enough to understand what it actually means.

    Numbers change every day

    The 2024 YR24 asteroid has a diameter of about 196 feet (60 meters) – equivalent to approximately a 15-story building in length.

    At the time of the announcement in January, the asteroid’s impact probability was reported to exceed 1%. The impact probability describes how likely a hazardous asteroid is to hit Earth. For example, if the impact probability is 1%, it means that in 1 of 100 cases, it hits Earth. One in 100 is kind of rare, but still too close for comfort if you’re talking about the odds of a collision that could devastate Earth.

    Over time, though, further observations and analyses revealed an almost-zero chance of this asteroid colliding with Earth.

    After the initial notice in January, the impact probability continuously increased up to 3.1% on Feb. 18, but dropped to 1.5% on Feb. 19. Then, the impact probability continuously went down, until it hit 0.004% on Feb. 24. As of June 15, it now has an impact probability of less than 0.0000081%.

    The orbit of 2024 YR4 will take it close to Earth, but scientists have found the chance of a collision to be exceedingly low.
    NASA/JPL

    But while the probability of hitting Earth went down, the probability of the asteroid hitting the Moon started increasing. It went up to 1.7% on Feb. 24. As of April 2, it is 3.8%.

    If it hits the Moon, some ejected materials from this collision could reach the Earth. However, these materials would burn away when they enter the Earth’s thick atmosphere.

    Impact probability

    To see whether an approaching object could hit Earth, researchers find out what an asteroid’s orbit looks like using a technique called astrometry. This technique can accurately determine an object’s orbit, down to only a few kilometers of uncertainty. But astrometry needs accurate observational data taken for a long time.

    If an asteroid might get close to Earth, astronomers take observational data to better track the object’s path and eliminate uncertainty.

    Any uncertainty in the calculation of the object’s orbit causes variations in the predicted solution. Instead of one precise orbit, the calculation usually gives scientists a cloud of its possible orbits. The ellipse enclosing these locations is called an error ellipse.

    The impact probability describes how many orbital predictions in this ellipse hit the Earth.

    Without enough observational data, the orbital uncertainty is high, so the ellipse tends to be large. In a large ellipse, there’s a higher chance that the ellipse “accidentally” includes Earth – even if the center is off the planet. So, even if an asteroid ultimately won’t hit Earth, its error ellipse might still include the planet before scientists collect enough data to narrow down the uncertainty.

    As the level of uncertainty goes down, the ellipse shrinks. So, when Earth is inside a small error ellipse, the impact probability may become higher than when it’s inside a large error ellipse. Once the error ellipse shrinks enough that it no longer includes Earth, the impact probability goes down significantly. That’s what happened to 2024 YR4.

    As the error ellipse shrinks, the chance of the asteroid hitting Earth either goes down or goes way up, if it ends up overlapping with the Earth.
    Toshi Hirabayashi

    The impact probability is a single, practical value offering meaningful insight into an impact threat. However, just using the impact probability without any context may not provide meaningful guidelines to the public, as we saw with 2024 YR4.

    Holding on and waiting for more data to refine a collision prediction, or introducing new metrics for assessing impacts on Earth, are alternative courses of action to provide people with better guidelines for future threats before adding confusion and fear.

    I have been studying planetary defense, particularly being part of past, ongoing, and future small body missions. I was part of the NASA/DART mission. I am currently part of the NASA/Lucy mission and the ESA/Hera mission. I am also on the Hayabusa2# team, led by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), as part of an international collaboration. I have no affiliation with JAXA.

    – ref. How do scientists calculate the probability that an asteroid could hit Earth? – https://theconversation.com/how-do-scientists-calculate-the-probability-that-an-asteroid-could-hit-earth-249834

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Ignis Energy Announces Final Close of $13.6M Series A Round To Advance Global Geothermal Exploration Portfolio

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ignis H2 Energy Inc. (“Ignis Energy”), a geothermal exploration and development company, today announced the final close of its Series A funding round, securing $13.6 million from a global consortium of investors. This milestone builds on the initial close announced in February, which was led by sustainable energy investor alfa8 and included drilling contractor Nabors Industries, climate technology investor The Twynam Group, GEOLOG, and several private investors and family offices.

    Ignis Energy is building a globally diversified, risk-balanced geothermal portfolio focused on near-term viability and long-term growth. The company specializes in locating, de-risking, and delivering commercially viable geothermal power. The capital secured in this round enables key projects to reach technical maturity and prepare for capital-intensive development phases.

    “In a market chasing breakthrough headlines, Ignis Energy brings the spotlight back to the geology,” said Richard Calleri, CEO, Ignis Energy. “Without proven heat in the ground, there’s nothing to scale. Ignis finds it, proves it, and produces it.”

    “Ignis has demonstrated strong execution on its strategy and is already moving rapidly onto the next milestones,” said Guillermo Sierra, VP, Strategic Initiatives, Nabors Industries. “Their commercial focus and speed stand out, and we look forward to continued collaboration on near-term projects and beyond.”

    Building a Global, Fit-for-Resource Geothermal Platform

    Leveraging decades of oil and gas expertise, Ignis applies proven technologies and exploration workflows to de-risk geothermal projects across high-enthalpy regions. Rather than betting on a single breakthrough, Ignis uses a ‘fit-for-resource’ strategy—tailoring each project to the best commercial technology for its reservoir and market. This includes conventional hydrothermal systems as well as emerging approaches like Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS), where appropriate.

    Platform Momentum & Outlook

    Ignis is rapidly advancing high-priority assets in Türkiye and the U.S.:

    • Türkiye: In Eastern Anatolia, Ignis drilled its first temperature gradient well in Q4 2024, confirming reservoir temperatures and artesian flow. Two deep wells will follow this summer to fully de-risk the Kaynarpınar field and position it as Ignis’ first commercial project—and a model for underexplored geothermal basins.
    • Western U.S.: Ignis is advancing surface exploration across five Nevada and one Utah lease, supported by its proprietary AI targeting engine. Drilling in Nevada is expected in 2026, with development of a data center-aligned power plant targeted for 2027.
    • Alaska: The Alaska Railbelt grid—supplying two-thirds of the state’s population—faces urgent pressure to replace aging gas-fired capacity and reduce high electricity prices. GeoAlaska, Ignis’ regional partner, plans to drill its first well by mid-2026, backed by three Letters of Intent from major offtakers in the utility, mining, and data center sectors.

    “Our vision is pragmatic and region-first,” said Marcus Oesterberg, COO, Ignis Energy. “We don’t chase speculative breakthroughs—we match the right technology to the right resource and build local momentum. Ignis is a geothermal opportunity engine, unlocking real heat under real projects.”

    AI-Driven Exploration for a Cleaner Future

    Ignis applies AI not as a gimmick, but as a precision tool. Its hybrid system—combining machine learning and computer vision—has already improved lease targeting and accelerated early-stage decision-making. This allows Ignis to move confidently and cost-effectively into underexplored geothermal basins.

    About Ignis Energy

    Ignis Energy develops commercially viable geothermal projects in the U.S., Türkiye, Indonesia, and Italy. Its region-first, technology-flexible model enables early de-risking and smarter development. The company is targeting 1 GW of producible geothermal reserves by 2030. https://ignisenergy.com/

    About alfa8
    alfa8 is an entrepreneurial family office that backs builders and technologies driving the energy transition, with a passion for geothermal energy. https://alfa8.co/

    About Nabors Industries
    Nabors Industries is a global drilling and energy technology leader advancing low-carbon solutions, including geothermal. https://www.nabors.com/

    About Twynam
    Twynam is a climate-focused investment firm supporting bold, scalable technologies for deep decarbonization. https://www.twynam.com/

    About GEOLOG
    GEOLOG delivers advanced formation evaluation and real-time geoscience services for energy operators worldwide.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/358150ec-2d98-480e-a9d8-c3360087b896

    The MIL Network –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Bazaarvoice launches the new Intelligent Trust Mark for authentic ratings and reviews

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bazaarvoice, Inc., the leading platform for full-funnel authentic user-generated content (UGC) and social commerce solutions, today released the Intelligent Trust Mark, an updated, smarter version of the original Trust Mark, launched in 2013. The Intelligent Trust Mark, a visual indicator of review authenticity, has been modernized for today’s threats facing brand authenticity, including AI-generated content, fake reviews, and deceptive practices. 

    “As AI-generated content and misinformation continue to pervade the internet, shoppers today are more discerning and less trusting than ever,” said Ananda Chakravarty, VP Research, Retail at IDC. “Consumers are actively looking for reassurance that what they see is real, making trust signals and content verification key parts of the shopping experience. Brands who adopt trust marks will be paid back with customer loyalty, conversions, and engagement.”

    According to Bazaarvoice research, 75% of consumers report they are concerned about fake reviews, as fewer than a third (31%) are confident in their ability to differentiate if a product or service review was written by an AI or an actual human being. That’s where the Intelligent Trust Mark fits in. When asked if they would have confidence in a ‘trust signal’ that shows that if an independent third party verified each rating and review, 73% said they’d trust it. That trust drives purchase intent, as 81% of consumers said they would be more likely to ‘purchase from a website that has review content badged with a trust mark than a website that does not.’

    Along with a new design, the improved Intelligent Trust Mark:

    • Signals stronger protection, including the new shield design and full Bazaarvoice name, based on Bazaarvoice’s research findings around consumers’ trust in third-party validation.
    • Evaluates both hosted and syndicated reviews, offering a more comprehensive view of authentic content. This means consumers can feel confident that all reviews within a product display page (PDP) meet Bazaarvoice’s authenticity standards, not just those submitted directly on the site.
    • Is available to clients across more than 100 million qualifying PDPs supported by Bazaarvoice at launch.
    • Automatically detects and dynamically displays on brand and retailer PDPs to streamline Intelligent Trust Mark enablement, eliminating the need for manual review, saving time, and ensuring faster and more consistent application.
    • Builds on Bazaarvoice’s robust fraud detection capabilities bolstered by the breadth of our unparalleled retail network that supports 2.3 billion shopping sessions per month, allowing for faster pattern recognition and continuous optimization across the entire UGC ecosystem. 

    “The Intelligent Trust Mark isn’t just about protecting consumer trust – it also safeguards businesses and the future of e-commerce itself,” said Marissa Jones, SVP of Product at Bazaarvoice. “When bad actors use AI to create and spread fake content, it is then ingested by large language models and search engines and served back to consumers. The Intelligent Trust Mark combats this misinformation loop by giving brands a powerful, visible signal that their UGC is real and reliable.”

    To learn more about Bazaarvoice’s work on Authenticity and the Intelligent Trust Mark, visit https://www.bazaarvoice.com/Authenticity/ 

    About Bazaarvoice
    Bazaarvoice is reshaping how brands and retailers connect with consumers by putting the authentic consumer voice first. With an end-to-end, commerce-empowered omni-channel content solutions and analytics platform, Bazaarvoice helps 14,000+ brands and retailers inform consumer decisions consistently and at scale at every stage of the shopper journey, on every platform where shoppers live. 2.5B shoppers use the Bazaarvoice Network on a monthly basis.

    Founded in 2005, Bazaarvoice is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in North America, Europe, Australia, and India. For more information, visit www.bazaarvoice.com

    Media Contact
    Lauren Venticinque
    Lauren.venticinque@bazaarvoice.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Bazaarvoice launches the new Intelligent Trust Mark for authentic ratings and reviews

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bazaarvoice, Inc., the leading platform for full-funnel authentic user-generated content (UGC) and social commerce solutions, today released the Intelligent Trust Mark, an updated, smarter version of the original Trust Mark, launched in 2013. The Intelligent Trust Mark, a visual indicator of review authenticity, has been modernized for today’s threats facing brand authenticity, including AI-generated content, fake reviews, and deceptive practices. 

    “As AI-generated content and misinformation continue to pervade the internet, shoppers today are more discerning and less trusting than ever,” said Ananda Chakravarty, VP Research, Retail at IDC. “Consumers are actively looking for reassurance that what they see is real, making trust signals and content verification key parts of the shopping experience. Brands who adopt trust marks will be paid back with customer loyalty, conversions, and engagement.”

    According to Bazaarvoice research, 75% of consumers report they are concerned about fake reviews, as fewer than a third (31%) are confident in their ability to differentiate if a product or service review was written by an AI or an actual human being. That’s where the Intelligent Trust Mark fits in. When asked if they would have confidence in a ‘trust signal’ that shows that if an independent third party verified each rating and review, 73% said they’d trust it. That trust drives purchase intent, as 81% of consumers said they would be more likely to ‘purchase from a website that has review content badged with a trust mark than a website that does not.’

    Along with a new design, the improved Intelligent Trust Mark:

    • Signals stronger protection, including the new shield design and full Bazaarvoice name, based on Bazaarvoice’s research findings around consumers’ trust in third-party validation.
    • Evaluates both hosted and syndicated reviews, offering a more comprehensive view of authentic content. This means consumers can feel confident that all reviews within a product display page (PDP) meet Bazaarvoice’s authenticity standards, not just those submitted directly on the site.
    • Is available to clients across more than 100 million qualifying PDPs supported by Bazaarvoice at launch.
    • Automatically detects and dynamically displays on brand and retailer PDPs to streamline Intelligent Trust Mark enablement, eliminating the need for manual review, saving time, and ensuring faster and more consistent application.
    • Builds on Bazaarvoice’s robust fraud detection capabilities bolstered by the breadth of our unparalleled retail network that supports 2.3 billion shopping sessions per month, allowing for faster pattern recognition and continuous optimization across the entire UGC ecosystem. 

    “The Intelligent Trust Mark isn’t just about protecting consumer trust – it also safeguards businesses and the future of e-commerce itself,” said Marissa Jones, SVP of Product at Bazaarvoice. “When bad actors use AI to create and spread fake content, it is then ingested by large language models and search engines and served back to consumers. The Intelligent Trust Mark combats this misinformation loop by giving brands a powerful, visible signal that their UGC is real and reliable.”

    To learn more about Bazaarvoice’s work on Authenticity and the Intelligent Trust Mark, visit https://www.bazaarvoice.com/Authenticity/ 

    About Bazaarvoice
    Bazaarvoice is reshaping how brands and retailers connect with consumers by putting the authentic consumer voice first. With an end-to-end, commerce-empowered omni-channel content solutions and analytics platform, Bazaarvoice helps 14,000+ brands and retailers inform consumer decisions consistently and at scale at every stage of the shopper journey, on every platform where shoppers live. 2.5B shoppers use the Bazaarvoice Network on a monthly basis.

    Founded in 2005, Bazaarvoice is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in North America, Europe, Australia, and India. For more information, visit www.bazaarvoice.com

    Media Contact
    Lauren Venticinque
    Lauren.venticinque@bazaarvoice.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Trident and Democratic Republic of Congo Sign Final Digital Identity Partnership and Launch Nationwide “DRCPass” Deployment

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE and KINSHASA, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trident Digital Tech Holdings Ltd. (“Trident” or the “Company,” NASDAQ: TDTH), a Singapore-based catalyst for digital transformation and Web 3.0 activation, today announced that it has signed the definitive public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC” or “Republic”). The contract paves the way for nationwide deployment of “DRCPass,” the Republic’s robust national digital identification system, to be rolled out in phases with an accompanying public-education campaign.

    The agreement represents the capstone of the collaboration framework established in December 2024 between Trident and the Office of the President, forming the cornerstone of the DRC’s e-government and digital-identity initiative. Under the accord, Trident is the Republic’s exclusive provider of electronic Know Your Customer (“e-KYC”) services, delivering the Web 3.0-based national digital identity.

    Soon Huat Lim, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Trident, and H.E. Augustin Kibassa Maliba, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the signing event.

    e-KYC technology streamlines identity verification for organizations while enhancing security. Trident’s deployment will focus on four core use cases:

    1.  SIM-card registration: biometric-blockchain binding of the SIM to a verified citizen record, eradicating “ghost” lines and cutting operator-fraud losses and regulatory fines in real time.

    2.  Seamless access to e-government and business portals: with single-sign-on (SSO), Congolese can access and conduct transactions easily with public and private institutions through one log-in.

    3.  Digital payments enablement: one-click e-KYC that auto-scores risk and unlocks instant credit, driving formal financial access beyond the siloed, branch-first systems in use today.

    4.  Digital Citizen Identity: centralized and secure identity record that complements physical IDs, giving Congolese a verifiable digital credential for public and private-sector transactions.

    After registering for their national ID, citizens will be able to download the “Tridentity” mobile application and enroll their DRCPass, which uses secure single-sign-on (SSO) to access authorized applications and websites.

    “Over the past several months our teams have worked hand-in-hand with the DRC government to prepare for this moment. We commend the Republic’s leadership for embracing a digital future and look forward to supporting a nationwide rollout that others in Africa will surely emulate,” said Soon Huat Lim, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trident.

    “Today marks more than the signing of a partnership contract with Trident Digital Tech; it marks a defining chapter in the digital rebirth of our nation. By launching the national digital identification system, we lay a cornerstone for a Democratic Republic of Congo that is digitally sovereign, financially inclusive, and resilient to tomorrow’s challenges. As we begin phased deployment of DRCPass, we are not merely adopting innovation; we are shaping the future of governance in Africa,” said H.E. Augustin Kibassa Maliba, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs of the DRC.

    According to GSMA Intelligence, the DRC has more than 80 million mobile subscribers and an expanding base of banked citizens populations that will directly benefit from secure e-KYC services.

    About Trident
    Trident is a leading catalyst for digital transformation in technology optimization and Web 3.0 activation. Its flagship product, Tridentity, is a blockchain-based identity platform that is designed to deliver secure single-sign-on authentication across diverse industries. Trident’s mission is to become a global leader in Web 3.0 enablement, connecting organizations to reliable and secure digital infrastructure with optimized user experiences, with a strong focus on Southern Africa and other high-growth markets.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This announcement contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to,” and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in announcements and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors, or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that the national digital identification system and the e-KYC process will not materialize as contemplated under the PPP agreement. A number of factors could also cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the risk and uncertainties as to the timing of the implementation of the agreement; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships; adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; and actions by third parties, including government agencies; the Company’s strategies, future business development, and financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the digital solutions market; the political, economic, social and legal developments in the jurisdictions that the Company operates in or in which the Company intends to expand its business and operations; the Company’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

    Investor & Media Contacts
    Investor Relations
    Robin Yang, Partner – ICR LLC
    investor@tridentity.me | +1 (212) 321-0602

    Media Relations
    Brad Burgess, SVP – ICR LLC
    brad.burgess@icrinc.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8672d8e2-07e1-4248-9dc8-3cae467061a5

    The MIL Network –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Trident and Democratic Republic of Congo Sign Final Digital Identity Partnership and Launch Nationwide “DRCPass” Deployment

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE and KINSHASA, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trident Digital Tech Holdings Ltd. (“Trident” or the “Company,” NASDAQ: TDTH), a Singapore-based catalyst for digital transformation and Web 3.0 activation, today announced that it has signed the definitive public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC” or “Republic”). The contract paves the way for nationwide deployment of “DRCPass,” the Republic’s robust national digital identification system, to be rolled out in phases with an accompanying public-education campaign.

    The agreement represents the capstone of the collaboration framework established in December 2024 between Trident and the Office of the President, forming the cornerstone of the DRC’s e-government and digital-identity initiative. Under the accord, Trident is the Republic’s exclusive provider of electronic Know Your Customer (“e-KYC”) services, delivering the Web 3.0-based national digital identity.

    Soon Huat Lim, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Trident, and H.E. Augustin Kibassa Maliba, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the signing event.

    e-KYC technology streamlines identity verification for organizations while enhancing security. Trident’s deployment will focus on four core use cases:

    1.  SIM-card registration: biometric-blockchain binding of the SIM to a verified citizen record, eradicating “ghost” lines and cutting operator-fraud losses and regulatory fines in real time.

    2.  Seamless access to e-government and business portals: with single-sign-on (SSO), Congolese can access and conduct transactions easily with public and private institutions through one log-in.

    3.  Digital payments enablement: one-click e-KYC that auto-scores risk and unlocks instant credit, driving formal financial access beyond the siloed, branch-first systems in use today.

    4.  Digital Citizen Identity: centralized and secure identity record that complements physical IDs, giving Congolese a verifiable digital credential for public and private-sector transactions.

    After registering for their national ID, citizens will be able to download the “Tridentity” mobile application and enroll their DRCPass, which uses secure single-sign-on (SSO) to access authorized applications and websites.

    “Over the past several months our teams have worked hand-in-hand with the DRC government to prepare for this moment. We commend the Republic’s leadership for embracing a digital future and look forward to supporting a nationwide rollout that others in Africa will surely emulate,” said Soon Huat Lim, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trident.

    “Today marks more than the signing of a partnership contract with Trident Digital Tech; it marks a defining chapter in the digital rebirth of our nation. By launching the national digital identification system, we lay a cornerstone for a Democratic Republic of Congo that is digitally sovereign, financially inclusive, and resilient to tomorrow’s challenges. As we begin phased deployment of DRCPass, we are not merely adopting innovation; we are shaping the future of governance in Africa,” said H.E. Augustin Kibassa Maliba, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs of the DRC.

    According to GSMA Intelligence, the DRC has more than 80 million mobile subscribers and an expanding base of banked citizens populations that will directly benefit from secure e-KYC services.

    About Trident
    Trident is a leading catalyst for digital transformation in technology optimization and Web 3.0 activation. Its flagship product, Tridentity, is a blockchain-based identity platform that is designed to deliver secure single-sign-on authentication across diverse industries. Trident’s mission is to become a global leader in Web 3.0 enablement, connecting organizations to reliable and secure digital infrastructure with optimized user experiences, with a strong focus on Southern Africa and other high-growth markets.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This announcement contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to,” and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in announcements and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors, or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that the national digital identification system and the e-KYC process will not materialize as contemplated under the PPP agreement. A number of factors could also cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the risk and uncertainties as to the timing of the implementation of the agreement; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships; adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; and actions by third parties, including government agencies; the Company’s strategies, future business development, and financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the digital solutions market; the political, economic, social and legal developments in the jurisdictions that the Company operates in or in which the Company intends to expand its business and operations; the Company’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

    Investor & Media Contacts
    Investor Relations
    Robin Yang, Partner – ICR LLC
    investor@tridentity.me | +1 (212) 321-0602

    Media Relations
    Brad Burgess, SVP – ICR LLC
    brad.burgess@icrinc.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8672d8e2-07e1-4248-9dc8-3cae467061a5

    The MIL Network –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Sprout Social Wins Top Industry Awards for Product Excellence, Customer Satisfaction and Global Impact

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Sprout earns 164 leader badges in G2’s 2025 Summer Reports across all business segments and regions while ranking #1 in 33 reports including the Enterprise Grid® Report for Social Media Suites and the Grid® Report for Social Customer Service
    • Sprout earns #1 in 17 region-specific G2 reports, including the Enterprise EMEA Regional Grid® Report for Social Customer Service and the Southeast Asia Regional Grid® Report for Social Media Suites
    • TrustRadius recognizes Sprout with eight awards in the 2025 Top Rated Awards across categories including Social Media Marketing, Social Media Customer Service and Competitive Intelligence

    CHICAGO, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sprout Social (Nasdaq: SPT), an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, has been recognized in G2’s 2025 Summer Reports with 164 leader badges across all business segments—from small business to mid-market and enterprise—and spanning every global region including EMEA, APAC, and the Middle East.

    Sprout Social ranked #1 in 33 individual G2 reports, including the Enterprise Grid® Report for Social Media Suites, the Enterprise Results Index for Social Media Analytics, and the Grid® Report for Social Customer Service. Demonstrating its continued international growth and customer impact, Sprout also earned the top spot in 17 region-specific reports, such as the Enterprise EMEA Regional Grid® Report for Social Customer Service and the Southeast Asia Regional Grid® Report for Social Media Suites.

    Sprout Social was also honored in the TrustRadius 2025 Top Rated Awards, recognized in eight categories: Social Media Customer Service, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Analytics, Social Media Monitoring, Competitive Intelligence, Audience Intelligence, Social Media Management andOnline Reputation Management.

    “These recognitions from G2 and TrustRadius are a testament to the meaningful results our customers are achieving with Sprout,” said Scott Morris, CMO of Sprout Social. “As the global leader in our space, we continue to invest in AI and product innovation focused on helping brands unlock the full power of social to drive smarter decisions, deeper engagement and lasting business impact.”

    The company’s strong performance in these awards follow a wave of product innovations and advanced AI capabilities across Sprout’s platform, including recent launches within Care by Sprout Social and Sprout Social Influencer Marketing. The company recently celebrated 15 years of helping brands harness the ever-evolving power of social to build stronger connections and drive business-wide impact. Sprout Social earned its place on these lists because of customer feedback, including:

    “Sprout Social has become an essential part of our marketing toolkit. The reporting features are especially strong—clear, customizable, and easy to share with stakeholders. We also rely heavily on the listening tools, which help us stay ahead of conversations and understand our audience more deeply. The interface is intuitive, and the collaboration features help our team stay aligned.”

    “I use Sprout all day every day and love having everything in one platform – scheduling, analytics, advocacy, monitoring, and more. A lot of social media professionals wear many hats and Sprout gives you a space to manage it all.”

    “Our executive team has recently been asking for more detailed data on our digital marketing efforts, especially social media. Sprout Social has been a lifesaver, providing easy access to clear, actionable data that simplifies showcasing the ROI and impact of social media to executives. It’s made navigating these conversations far more efficient and impactful!”

    “I am a big fan of the collaboration Sprout offers. From the Smart inbox to the publishing calendar, my team is able to seamlessly work together to create, manage, and respond to social content. It’s easy to bring our customer service and social teams together.”

    For more information about Sprout Social and its award-winning platform, visit www.sproutsocial.com.

    Social Media Profiles:
    www.x.com/SproutSocial
    www.x.com/SproutSocialIR
    www.facebook.com/SproutSocialInc
    www.linkedin.com/company/sprout-social-inc-/
    www.instagram.com/sproutsocial

    Contact
    Media:
    Kaitlyn Gronek
    Email: pr@sproutsocial.com
    Phone: (773) 904-9674

    Investors:
    Lexi Johnson
    Email: lexi.johnson@sproutsocial.com
    Phone: (312) 528-9166

    About Sprout Social

    Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software, built on the belief that All Business is Social℠. Sprout’s intuitive platform puts powerful social data into the hands of approximately 30,000 brands so they can deliver smarter, faster business impact. Named the #1 Best Software Product by G2’s 2024 Best Software Award, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.

    The MIL Network –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Economics: REPORT: Energy Storage Market Continues Strong Growth in Q1 2025

    Source: American Clean Power Association (ACP)

    Headline: REPORT: Energy Storage Market Continues Strong Growth in Q1 2025

    HOUSTON/WASHINGTON, D.C. June 25, 2025 — According to the new U.S. Energy Storage Monitor developed by Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association (ACP), the American energy storage market experienced record growth in Q1 2025—amidst current policy uncertainty.
    The U.S. energy storage market added more than 2 GW across all segments in Q1 2025, marking the highest Q1 on record. The utility-scale segment led the way with more than 1.5 GW of new capacity, representing a significant 57% increase compared to Q1 2024.
    “Surging energy demand is putting the electric grid under strain. The energy storage market is responding to help keep the lights on and support this unprecedented growth in an affordable and reliable way,” said John Hensley, ACP SVP of Markets and Policy Analysis. “Policy uncertainty is now one of the most significant risks that remains on the horizon as we tackle a balanced approach to allowing our economy to expand while maintaining the energy reliability that Americans deserve.”
    New horizons in the market
    The report shows there is a growing appetite across the country for deployment of grid-scale energy storage, as utilities, regulators, and communities further integrate the technology into their resource planning. In Q1 of 2025, states such as Indiana highlighted the geographic diversification that continues to take place as the market expands beyond early adopters such as Texas and California.
    The growing market in Indiana is made possible due to factors such as land availability and clear state permitting guidelines.

    Indiana added 256 MW of new storage to the grid in Q1 2025, effectively quadrupling its operational storage capacity.
    Indiana has more than 10 GW of new storage active in the interconnection queue—the fifth largest storage queue in the country.

    “We’re now seeing significant deployment of energy storage resources in emerging markets like Indiana, while states across the Southwest like Nevada and Arizona continue to expand their energy storage portfolio,” said ACP Vice President of Energy Storage, Noah Roberts. “Energy storage was the second most deployed resource in Q1 2025, demonstrating its unique ability to be quickly built to address critical reliability needs.”
    The residential storage market also saw significant year-over-year (YoY) growth, installing a record-breaking 458 MW in Q1. California and Puerto Rico accounted for 74% of this growth, while new markets like Illinois are beginning to emerge.
    A moment of policy uncertaintyThe total 5-year utility-scale capacity forecast remains strong. However, the segment is at risk for a potential 29% contraction in 2026 due to policy uncertainty.
    The community-scale, commercial, and industrial (CCI) segment has seen a 42% reduction in its five-year outlook, struggling with tariff uncertainty and slower-than-anticipated transition to NEM 3.0 projects in California.
    The report cautions that potential changes to current tax credits could significantly impact the industry’s overall growth. If access to the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is severely reduced as proposed in the reconciliation bill passed by the House, it could lead to a 27% reduction in buildout over the forecast period. (Note: this report was developed before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released its version of the reconciliation bill on June 16.)
    Distributed storage would be the most impacted segment, with a potential 46% drop from the base case over the next 5 years. Utility-scale installations would decrease by 16 GW over the next 5 years if the tax provisions are changed.
    In the near term, the report projects that 15 GW/49 GWh of energy storage capacity will be installed across all segments in 2025. The utility-scale segment is expected to grow 22% YoY in 2025.
    As the market evolves, continued innovation, supportive policies, and strategic planning will be crucial to navigate the changing landscape and capitalize on the immense potential of energy storage in the U.S. energy transformation.
    “The Q1 2025 results demonstrate the demand for energy storage in the US to serve a grid with both growing renewables and growing load. However, the industry stands at a crossroads, with potential policy changes threatening to disrupt this momentum,” said Allison Weis, Global Head of Energy Storage at Wood Mackenzie. “It’s crucial that policymakers understand the importance of stable, supportive policies for the continued expansion of energy storage.”
    Purchase the full report at ACP’s website.
    ###
    Wood Mackenzie’s media relations team
    Mark Thomton
    +1 630 881 6885
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    About Wood Mackenzie
    Wood Mackenzie is the global insight business for renewables, energy and natural resources. Driven by data. Powered by people. In the middle of an energy revolution, businesses and governments need reliable and actionable insight to lead the transition to a sustainable future. That’s why we cover the entire supply chain with unparalleled breadth and depth, backed by over 50 years’ experience in natural resources. Today, our team of over 2,000 experts operate across 30 global locations, inspiring customers’ decisions through real-time analytics, consultancy, events and thought leadership. Together, we deliver the insight they need to separate risk from opportunity and make bold decisions when it matters most. For more information, visit woodmac.com.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    June 26, 2025
  • India’s economy resilient amid global uncertainties: RBI

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India’s economy remains resilient despite heightened global uncertainties, with high-frequency indicators for May pointing to sustained growth across industrial and services sectors, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Wednesday in its monthly bulletin.

    The report noted broad-based growth in agricultural output for 2024-25, with most major crops seeing an uptick in production. Retail inflation remained subdued, staying below the target for the fourth consecutive month in May.

    “Financial conditions remained conducive to efficient transmission of rate cuts,” the bulletin said.

    The RBI observed that the global economy is in flux due to trade policy uncertainties and geopolitical tensions. However, India’s provisional GDP estimates for 2024-25 reaffirm growth at 6.5%, with a significant sequential pickup in the fourth quarter.

    Among countries surveyed for the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), India posted the highest overall activity and was an outlier for new export orders in May amid contractions elsewhere. Capacity utilisation by manufacturing firms stayed above its long-term average.

    High-frequency demand indicators also signalled a pickup in rural demand, driven by strong agricultural output. Consumer confidence remained stable, with optimism about future prospects improving.

     

     

    Retail inflation stayed benign as food prices eased on the back of record crop production. Core inflation also remained stable, with some softening evident after excluding the impact of volatile gold and silver prices.

    Equity markets posted modest gains through May and June despite volatility on global cues, the report added. Markets rebounded on June 20 after a sharp dip driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

    Although credit growth moderated in April — notably in agriculture and services — non-bank sources of credit, including external commercial borrowings, remained robust. Financial conditions were supportive of rate cut transmission to the credit market, the report said.

    The RBI also noted that the external sector was resilient, with adequate foreign exchange reserves to cover imports and debt.

    IANS

    June 26, 2025
  • India’s economy resilient amid global uncertainties: RBI

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India’s economy remains resilient despite heightened global uncertainties, with high-frequency indicators for May pointing to sustained growth across industrial and services sectors, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Wednesday in its monthly bulletin.

    The report noted broad-based growth in agricultural output for 2024-25, with most major crops seeing an uptick in production. Retail inflation remained subdued, staying below the target for the fourth consecutive month in May.

    “Financial conditions remained conducive to efficient transmission of rate cuts,” the bulletin said.

    The RBI observed that the global economy is in flux due to trade policy uncertainties and geopolitical tensions. However, India’s provisional GDP estimates for 2024-25 reaffirm growth at 6.5%, with a significant sequential pickup in the fourth quarter.

    Among countries surveyed for the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), India posted the highest overall activity and was an outlier for new export orders in May amid contractions elsewhere. Capacity utilisation by manufacturing firms stayed above its long-term average.

    High-frequency demand indicators also signalled a pickup in rural demand, driven by strong agricultural output. Consumer confidence remained stable, with optimism about future prospects improving.

     

     

    Retail inflation stayed benign as food prices eased on the back of record crop production. Core inflation also remained stable, with some softening evident after excluding the impact of volatile gold and silver prices.

    Equity markets posted modest gains through May and June despite volatility on global cues, the report added. Markets rebounded on June 20 after a sharp dip driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

    Although credit growth moderated in April — notably in agriculture and services — non-bank sources of credit, including external commercial borrowings, remained robust. Financial conditions were supportive of rate cut transmission to the credit market, the report said.

    The RBI also noted that the external sector was resilient, with adequate foreign exchange reserves to cover imports and debt.

    IANS

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Russia: The first students of the Kazakhstan branch of the North-West Polytechnic University have completed their master’s degree

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) — The first students of the Kazakhstan branch of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) have successfully completed their master’s degree program, according to a statement on the official website of the university.

    The graduation ceremony took place recently at SZPU. The event was conducted by the head of the Kazakh department of the university, Kun Jie.

    Vice-Rector of SZPU Yue Xiaokui warmly congratulated the eight Kazakhstanis on the successful completion of their studies and called on them to show courage in overcoming various difficulties in a promising scientific career.

    The Kazakh branch of SZPU plans to intensify cooperation in order to set an example of cooperation between the two countries in the field of higher education, he said.

    In October 2023, eight Kazakhstani students received admission letters and became the first master’s students of the Kazakhstan branch of SZPU. Eight months later, they moved from Almaty to Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, and continued their studies at the Institutes of Electronic Information, Computer Science, and Materials Science of SZPU.

    With the help of their academic supervisors, at the end of June last year they successfully substantiated their choice of the topic for their diploma thesis and in June of this year they defended their final theses and received their academic degrees.

    Let us recall that in May 2023, within the framework of the China-Central Asia summit, an agreement was signed between SZPU and the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi /KazNU/ to open a Kazakhstan branch of SZUIU. Already in October of the same year, the branch accepted the first batch of students.

    Earlier this year, an agreement was signed between SZIU and KazNU to establish the China-Kazakhstan Elite Engineering Institute in Almaty. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Green maritime fuel supply chain set

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan today attended the Mainland-Hong Kong Green Energy Matchmaking Event, which aims to provide a collaborative platform for relevant suppliers and companies with demand, to catalyse a comprehensive green maritime fuel supply chain and trade.

    The event was organised by the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and co-organised by the Transport & Logistics Bureau (TLB) and the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province.

    It was held simultaneously in Hong Kong and Shenzhen today. 

    More than 200 representatives from various enterprises gathered to exchange views and discuss collaborations in relation to fuel off-take and to sign relevant Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).

    Speaking at the Hong Kong venue, Ms Chan said Hong Kong and the Mainland have strong complementarity in the development of green maritime fuels.

    “The Mainland’s core strength lies in the production of green fuels, while Hong Kong, as the southern gate of Mainland China and an international financial, trading and maritime centre, is not only home to a large number of international shipping enterprises, but also enjoys advantages such as free flow of capital, a financial and legal system that is in line with the rest of the world, and a trade settlement mechanism that allows immediate payment settlements.”

    She added that Hong Kong is the top bunkering centre in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the second largest in the whole of China and ranks seventh globally.

    “By adopting the ‘north-to-south sales’ model, under which the high-quality green maritime fuels produced on the Mainland can be exported to the world through Hong Kong’s international trading gateway, we will open up new ‘blue ocean’ opportunities for enterprises from the two places.”

    The transport chief also pointed out the event materialised the target of the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering promulgated by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in November last year, which said the Government will develop Hong Kong into the preferred green maritime fuel bunkering and trading centre in the region. 

    Furthermore, Ms Chan witnessed the signing of MoUs between the TLB and various parties to collaborate on promoting the development of green maritime fuel-related businesses and establishing a market for the trade of green maritime fuels.

    Meanwhile, Commissioner for Maritime & Port Development Amy Chan attended the event at the Shenzhen venue, where she announced that the Marine Department will gazette the Code of Practice for Methanol Bunkering within this month, and launch the Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering Incentive Scheme.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: The mystery of Mercury’s missing meteorites – and how we may have finally found some

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ben Rider-Stokes, Post Doctoral Researcher in Achondrite Meteorites, The Open University

    Mercury seen by Nasa’s Messenger spacecraft on the left. On the right, there’s an approximation of Mercury’s true colour as might be seen by the human eye. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

    Most meteorites that have reached Earth come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But we have 1,000 or so meteorites that come from the Moon and Mars. This is probably a result of asteroids hitting their surfaces and ejecting material towards our planet.

    It should also be physically possible for such debris to reach the Earth from Mercury, another nearby rocky body. But so far, none have been confirmed to come from there – presenting a longstanding mystery.

    A new study my colleagues and I conducted has discovered two meteorites that could have a Mercurian origin. If confirmed, they would offer a rare window into Mercury’s formation and evolution, potentially reshaping our understanding of the planet nearest the Sun.

    Because Mercury is so close to the Sun, any space mission to retrieve a sample from there would be complex and costly. A naturally delivered fragment, therefore, may be the only practical way to study its surface directly – making such a discovery scientifically invaluable.


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


    Observations from Nasa’s Messenger mission have inferred the surface composition of Mercury. This suggests the presence of minerals known as such as sodium-rich plagioclase (such as albite), iron-poor pyroxene (for example enstatite), iron-poor olivine (such as forsterite) and sulfide minerals such as oldhamite.

    The meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7325 was initially proposed as a possible fragment of Mercury. However, its mineralogy includes chromium-rich pyroxene containing approximately 1% iron. This poorly matches Mercury’s estimated surface composition. As a result of this, and other factors, this link has been challenged.

    Aubrite meteorites have also been proposed as potential Mercurian fragments. Recent modelling of their formation suggests an origin from a large planetary body approximately 5,000km in diameter (similar to Mercury), potentially supporting this hypothesis.

    Although aubrites do not exhibit chemical or spectral (the study of how light is broken up by wavelength) similarities with Mercury’s surface, it has been hypothesised that they may derive from the planet’s shallow mantle (the layer beneath the surface). Despite ongoing research, the existence of a definitive meteorite from Mercury remains unproven.

    Our latest study investigated the properties of two unusual meteorites, Ksar Ghilane 022 and Northwest Africa 15915. We found that the two samples appear to be related, probably originating from the same parent body. Their mineralogy and surface composition also exhibit intriguing similarities to Mercury’s crust. So this has prompted us to speculate about a possible Mercurian origin.

    Both meteorites contain olivine and pyroxene, minor albitic plagioclase and oldhamite. Such features are consistent with predictions for Mercury’s surface composition. Additionally, their oxygen compositions match those of aubrites.
    These shared characteristics make the samples compelling candidates for being Mercurian material.

    However, notable differences exist. Both meteorites contain only trace amounts of plagioclase, in contrast to Mercury’s surface, which is estimated to contain over 37%. Furthermore, our study suggests that the age of the samples is about 4,528 million years old. This is significantly older than Mercury’s oldest recognised surface units, which are predicted (based on crater counting) to be approximately 4,000 million years.

    If these meteorites do originate from Mercury, they may represent early material that is no longer preserved in the planet’s current surface geology.

    Will we ever know?

    To link any meteorite to a specific asteroid type, moon or planet is extremely challenging. For example, laboratory analysis of Apollo samples allowed meteorites found in desert collection expeditions to be matched with the lunar materials. Martian meteorites have been identified through similarities between the composition of gases trapped in the meteorites with measurements of the martian atmosphere by spacecraft.

    Until we visit Mercury and bring back material, it will be extremely difficult to assess a meteorite-planet link.

    The BepiColombo space mission, by the European and Japanese space agencies, is now in orbit around Mercury and is about to send back high-resolution data. This may help us determine the ultimate origin body for Ksar Ghilane 022 and Northwest Africa 15915.

    If meteorites from Mercury were discovered, they could help resolve a variety of long-standing scientific questions. For example, they could reveal the age and evolution of Mercury’s crust, its mineralogical and geochemical composition and the nature of its gases.

    The origin of these samples is likely to remain a subject of continuing debate within the scientific community. Several presentations have already been scheduled for the upcoming Meteoritical Society Meeting 2025 in Australia. We look forward to future discussions that will further explore and refine our understanding of their potential origin.

    For now, all we can do is make educated guesses. What do you think?

    Ben Rider-Stokes receives funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

    – ref. The mystery of Mercury’s missing meteorites – and how we may have finally found some – https://theconversation.com/the-mystery-of-mercurys-missing-meteorites-and-how-we-may-have-finally-found-some-259596

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Jackson Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill, The Marshall “Major” Taylor Congressional Gold Medal Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jonathan Jackson – Illinois (1st District)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL-01) and Jim Baird (R-IN-04) led 43 of their colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan Marshall “Major” Taylor Congressional Gold Medal Act. This legislation would posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor — America’s first Black sports star, recognizing his significance to the nation as a trailblazing athlete. 

    Taylor managed to become the first African American world champion in any sport and earned the title of “world’s fastest man” despite the extraordinary challenges of the Jim Crow era. He endured attempts by white promoters in both the North and South to exclude him from races. White riders, too, subjected Taylor to curses, insults, and even physical harm during competitions. Despite these adversities, Taylor’s exceptional talent and tenacity turned him into a sensation, drawing tens of thousands at races across the United States, Europe, and Australia.

    “It is without question that Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor was a man before his time, a stellar athlete, a leader in the field of cycling, and a trailblazer,” said Rep. Jackson. “I believe it is fitting that Congress award the ‘world’s fastest man’ one of our nation’s most prestigious honors.”

    “Even when compared to today’s athletes, Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor is among the greatest cyclists of all time,” said Rep. Baird. “His accomplishments are especially impressive considering the challenges he faced on his climb to cycling greatness. Marshall Taylor is one of the greatest athletes in Indiana history, and I can think of no one better suited to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.”

    “Marshall W. ‘Major’ Taylor challenged both the odds and the adversity of his time with dignity and determination, and he went on to ultimately triumph,” said Karen Brown Donovan, the great-granddaughter of Major Taylor. “The awarding of a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal would be a significant achievement towards honoring his life and legacy.”

    Supporting Individuals and Groups

    119th Congress

    Co-lead: Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

    Original Cosponsors (44 total): Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Stacey Plaskett (D-VI-AL), Marc Veasey (D-TX-33), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07), David Scott (D-GA-13), Sanford Bishop (D-GA-02),  Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24), Sharice Davis (D-KS-03),  Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09),  Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04),  Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC),  Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Danny Davis (D-IL-07),  Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12),  Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13), Cleo Fields (D-LA-06),  Jim McGovern (D-MA-02), Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), John Garamendi (D-CA-08), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Becca Balint (D-VT-AL), Timothy Kennedy (D-NY-26), Nanette Barragan (D-CA-44), Troy Carter (D-LA-02),  Terri Sewell (D-AL-07), Brad Sherman (D-CA-32), Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Shomari Figures (D-AL-02).

    Supporting Organizations: Washington Area Bicyclist Association, The League of American Bicyclists, Major Taylor Association, Bike to the Beach, and Black Girls Do Bike, Inc.

    118th Congress

    Co-lead: Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

    Original Cosponsors (32 total): Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), André Carson (D-IN-07), Henry “Hank” Johnson (D-GA-04), Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Earl Blumenauer (D-WA-03), James McGovern (D-MA-02), David Scott (D-GA-13), Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX-18), Mike Thompson (D-CA-04), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-07), Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Al Green (D-TX-09), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20), Chuy Garcia (D-IL-04), David Trone (D-MD-06), Ann Kuster (D-NH-02), John Duarte (R-CA-13), Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24), Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10), Joe Wilson (R-SC-02). 

    Supporting Organizations: Bronzeville Trail Task Force, Inc., Major Taylor Association, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, League of American Bicyclists, ADD Impact Network & Bike to the Beach, and Black Girls Do Bike, Inc. 

    About Major Taylor

    Taylor, the son of a veteran who fought in the Civil War, was born in 1878. Despite racial tension, Taylor was educated and viewed as an adopted son by an affluent white family from Indianapolis, Indiana, who also employed his father, Gilbert Taylor. Due to his relationship with the family, Taylor received gifts, including his first bicycle. Upon receiving the bicycle, Taylor displayed natural talent. 

    Taylor received the nickname “Major” as a child while performing bicycle tricks outside of his workplace at Hay & Willits Manufacturing, Indiana Bicycle Co., in Indianapolis. His employer was so impressed with his abilities that the company enrolled him in his first race, which he won at the age of eleven. Taylor moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, with his employer, mentor, and racing manager, Louis D. “Birdie” Munger, in 1895, because Munger was forced out of his Indianapolis-based firm due to his mentorship of Taylor. 

    In 1896, at the age of eighteen, Taylor received a professional racing license from the League of American Wheelmen, despite the league’s 1894 “white only” rule for amateur membership. This membership led to his eventual professional debut.  

    Later that year, Taylor gained notoriety in his first professional contest by competing in the “Six Day Race” at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This race was considered a test of endurance, where cyclists would test both their mental and physical ability in front of a packed house at the Garden. At the conclusion of day six, Taylor finished eighth out of twenty-six and cycled roughly 1,732 miles. 

    In 1899, Taylor would win the world one-mile sprint championship in Montréal, becoming the first Black American and the second Black athlete to win a world title. Taylor would go on to set seven cycling records and become the first Black world champion, which led to his being considered the first international superstar. Taylor would even revolutionize the sport by creating an innovative adjustable handlebar stem, which to date is called the “Major Taylor Stem.”

    While experiencing racial prejudice throughout his career, Taylor became one of the first Black athletes to secure corporate sponsorships. He represented bicycle brands such as Iver Johnson, Sager, Stearns, and Orient, eventually becoming one of the wealthiest Black men in America. Due to his devout commitment to his faith, Taylor refused to race on Sundays, which led to him turning down a significant number of lucrative offers to race in Europe. However, once he achieved international superstardom, Taylor was able to negotiate “no Sundays” provisions in his European racing contracts. 

    Taylor retired from racing in 1910 and started many business ventures. In 1928, he published his autobiography “The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World” with the intent of impacting justice, equal rights, and the ‘square deal’ for African Americans in sports. 

    About the Congressional Gold Medal

    Since the late 1700s, Congress has expressed public gratitude to individuals and groups by awarding medals and other similar decorations. The Continental Congress awarded the first Congressional Gold Medals. Since that time, Congress has awarded gold medals to express public gratitude for distinguished contributions, dramatize the virtues of patriotism, and perpetuate the remembrance of great events. Two-thirds of both the House and Senate must cosponsor the legislation to advance it.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Banking: Growing Retail Digital Payments: The Value of Interoperability

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    Preview Citation

    Format: Chicago

    Alexander Copestake, Divya Kirti, and Maria Soledad Martinez Peria. “Growing Retail Digital Payments: The Value of Interoperability”, Fintech Notes 2025, 004 (2025), accessed June 25, 2025, https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229014250.063

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    Summary

    Policymakers in many countries aim to increase the uptake of retail digital payment systems. This Note examines whether interoperability can help achieve this goal. We provide a conceptual framework that explains how interoperability can support the adoption of digital payments by increasing users’ freedom to choose their favorite app. We present evidence consistent with this framework using granular data covering the universe of transactions on India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), an interoperable platform that has become the world’s largest retail fast payment system by volume. We find that interoperability has indeed supported adoption, suggesting that promoting interoperability could be a promising policy lever for countries seeking to transition away from cash.

    Subject: Digital financial services, Financial markets, Financial regulation and supervision, Financial services, Fintech, Monetary policy, Money, Payment systems, Technology

    Keywords: Digital financial services, Fintech, Fintech, Interoperability, Networks, Payment systems, Payments, UPI

    Publication Details

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 25 June 2025 Joint News Release Energy Access Has Improved, Yet International Financial Support Still Needed to Boost Progress and Address Disparities

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025 finds that almost 92% of the world’s population now has basic access to electricity Although this is an improvement since 2022, which saw the number of people without basic access decrease for the first time in a decade, over 666 million people remain without access, indicating that the current rate is insufficient to reach universal access by 2030. Clean cooking access is progressing but below the rates of progress seen in the 2010s, as efforts remain hobbled by setbacks during the Covid-19 pandemic, following energy price shocks, and debt crises.

    Released today, the latest edition of the annual report that tracks progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 highlights the role of distributed renewable energy (a combination of mini-grid and off-grid solar systems) to accelerate access, since the population remaining unconnected lives mostly in remote, lower-income, and fragile areas. Cost-effective and rapidly scalable, decentralised solutions are able to reach communities in such rural areas.

    Decentralised solutions are also needed to increase access to clean cooking. With an estimated 1.5 billion people residing in rural areas still lacking access to clean cooking, the use of off-grid clean technologies, such as household biogas plants and mini-grids that facilitate electric cooking, can provide solutions that reduce health impacts caused by household air pollution. Over 670 million people remain without electricity access, and over 2 billion people remain dependent on polluting and hazardous fuels such as firewood and charcoal for their cooking needs.

    Notable progress was made in different indicators. The international financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy grew for the third year in a row to reach USD 21.6 billion in 2023.  Installed renewables capacity per capita continued to increase year-on-year to reach a new high of 341 watts per capita in developing countries, up from 155 watts in 2015.

    Yet regional disparities persist, indicating that particular support is needed for developing regions. In sub-Saharan Africa – which lags behind across most indicators – renewables deployment has rapidly expanded but remains limited to 40 watts of installed capacity per capita on average which is only one-eighth of the average of other developing countries. Eighty-five percent of the global population without electricity access reside in the region, while four in five families are without access to clean cooking. And the number of people without clean cooking access in the region continues to grow at a rate of 14 million people yearly.

    The report identified the lack of sufficient and affordable financing as a key reason for regional inequalities and slow progress. To build on the achievements to date and avoid any further regressions on access to electricity and clean cooking due to looming risks in global markets, the report calls for strengthened international cooperation of public and private sectors, to scale up financial support for developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Urgent actions include reforms in multilateral and bilateral lending to expand the availability of public capital; more concessional finance mobilisation, grants, and risk mitigation instruments; improvement in risk tolerance among donors; as well as appropriate national energy planning and regulations.

    Key findings across primary indicators

    • Almost 92% of the world’s population now has access to electricity, leaving over 666 million people without electricity in 2023, with around 310 million people gaining access since 2015. Eighteen of the 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits in 2023 were in sub-Saharan Africa. The greatest growth in access between 2020 and 2023 occurred in Central and Southern Asia, with both regions making significant strides towards universal electricity access, reducing their basic access gap from 414 million in 2010 to just 27 million in 2023.
    • Little to no change was observed in access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking between 2022 and 2023. Although the number of the world’s population with access to clean cooking fuels and technologies increased from 64% in 2015 to 74% in 2023, around 2.1 billion people remain dependent on polluting fuels and technologies. If current trends continue, only 78% of the global population will have access to clean cooking by 2030.
    • In 2022, the global share of renewable energy sources in total final energy consumption (TFEC) was 17.9% as TFEC continued to increase gradually, while installed renewable energy capacity reached 478 watts per capita in 2023, indicating almost 13% growth from 2022. But progress is not sufficient to meet international climate and sustainable development goals. In addition, global efforts must address significant disparities. Despite progress in expanding renewable capacity, least developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa had only 40 watts per capita in installed renewables capacity, compared to developed countries which had over 1,100 watts installed.
    • Global energy efficiency experienced sluggish progress in recent years. The global trend shows that primary energy intensity, defined as the ratio of total energy supply to gross domestic product, declined by 2.1% in 2022. Although it is an improvement of more than four times the weak 0.5% improvement rate of 2021, it is insufficient to meet the original SDG 7.3 target. Going forward, energy intensity needs to improve by 4% per year on average. 
    • International public financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy increased by 27% from 2022, reaching USD 21.6 billion in 2023.  However, the report reveals that the developing world received fewer flows in 2023 than in 2016, when commitments peaked at USD 28.4 billion. Despite gradual diversification, funding remained concentrated, with only two sub-Saharan African countries in the top five recipients. Debt-based instruments drove most of the increase in international public flows in 2023, accounting for 83% in 2023, while grants made up only 9.8% of flows.

    The report will be presented to decision-makers at a special launch event on 16 July 2025 at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, which oversees progress on the SDGs.

    Quotes

    Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency

    “Despite progress in some parts of the world, the expansion of electricity and clean cooking access remains disappointingly slow, especially in Africa. This is contributing to millions of premature deaths each year linked to smoke inhalation, and is holding back development and education opportunities. Greater investment in clean cooking and electricity supply is urgently required, including support to reduce the cost of capital for projects.”

    Francesco La Camera, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency

    “Renewables have seen record growth in recent years, reminding the world of its affordability, scalability, and its role in further reducing energy poverty. But we must accelerate progress at this crunch time. This means overcoming challenges, which include infrastructure gaps. The lack of progress, especially on infrastructure, is a reflection of limited access to financing. Although international financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy grew to USD 21.6 billion in 2023, only two regions in the world have seen real progress in the financial flows. To close the access and infrastructure gaps, we need strengthened international cooperation to scale up affordable financing and impact–driven capital for the least developed and developing countries.”

    Stefan Schweinfest, Director, United Nations Statistics Division

    “This year’s report shows that now is the time to come together to build on existing achievements and scale up our efforts. Despite advancements in increasing renewables-based electricity, which now makes up almost 30 percent of global electricity consumption, the use of renewables for other energy-related purposes remains stagnant. While energy intensity improved in 2022, overall progress remains weak, threatening economic growth and the energy efficiency goals agreed upon at COP28. The clock is ticking. The findings of this year’s report should serve as a rallying point, to rapidly mobilize efforts and investments, so that together, we ensure sustainable energy for all by 2030.”

    Guangzhe Chen, Vice President for Infrastructure, World Bank

    “As we approach the five-year mark to achieve the SDG7 targets, it is imperative to accelerate the deployment of electricity connections, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where half of the 666 million people lacking access reside. As part of the Mission 300 movement, 12 African nations have launched national energy compacts, in which they commit to substantial reforms to lower costs of generation and transmission, and scale up distributed renewable energy solutions. Initiatives such as this unite governments, the private sector, and development partners in a collaborative effort.

    Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, World Health Organization

    “The same pollutants that are poisoning our planet are also poisoning people, contributing to millions of deaths each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, particularly among the most vulnerable, including women and children,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We urgently need scaled-up action and investment in clean cooking solutions to protect the health of both people and planet—now and in the future.”

    About the report

    This report is published by the SDG 7 custodian agencies, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO) and aims to provide the international community with a global dashboard to register progress on energy access, energy efficiency, renewable energy and international cooperation to advance SDG 7.

    This year’s edition was chaired by IRENA.  

    The report can be downloaded at https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/

    Funding for the report was provided by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CHP investigates two epidemiologically linked measles infection cases

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    CHP investigates two epidemiologically linked measles infection cases 
    The two cases are family members living together. The first case involves a six-month-old baby boy. He presented with fever on June 21, and developed cough, runny nose and skin rash the following day. He was brought to the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital on June 23 and was admitted for treatment. His respiratory specimen sample tested positive for the measles virus upon nucleic acid testing.

    During contact tracing, the CHP found that the boy’s 29-year-old father also presented symptoms of measles, including fever and cough, on June 20 and developed skin rash on June 23. The CHP arranged the patient to attend the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital for isolation and testing on June 24. His respiratory specimen sample tested positive for the measles virus upon nucleic acid testing. 
    An epidemiological investigation revealed that the baby boy has not yet reach the age to receive the first dose of the measles vaccine, while his father was uncertain whether he had received measles vaccination. One of their household contacts also presented relevant symptoms earlier and has recovered now. Testing is being arranged for this household contact.
     
    The CHP continues to investigate the cases to identify potential sources of infection and high-risk exposure. Initial investigation revealed that no epidemiological linkages have been established between these two cases and other confirmed cases previously recorded in Hong Kong. 
    The number of measles cases in some overseas countries remains at a high level this year. The outbreaks in North America (including the United States and Canada), Europe and neighbouring areas (including Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines) are ongoing due to the relatively low vaccination rate. Furthermore, an increasing number of measles cases have also been recorded in Japan and Australia this year. For those who plan to travel to measles-endemic areas, they should check their vaccination records and medical history as early as possible. If they have not been diagnosed with measles through laboratory tests and have never received two doses of measles vaccine or are not sure if they have received a measles vaccine, they should consult a doctor at least two weeks prior to their trip for vaccination.
    ???
    Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
     For more information on measles, the public may visit the CHP’s measles thematic pageIssued at HKT 20:37

    NNNN

    CategoriesMIL-OSI

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS continues visit to Tianjin (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    ​The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit to Tianjin today (June 25) to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025 (also known as the Summer Davos). In the evening, he travelled to Beijing to attend the Host Member Gala Dinner for the 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

    In the morning, Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony of the Summer Davos and delivered a speech. In addition to attending the opening ceremony, Mr Chan participated in a discussion session in the afternoon titled, “Is the Asian Century at Risk?”. Other regional leaders in attendance included the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr Pham Minh Chinh; the Deputy Chairperson of Indonesia’s Gerindra Party, Ms Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo; and the Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Mr Sunil Handunneththi. The discussion focused on how Asia could address local development and external challenges amid the current geopolitical tensions, trade barriers and technological transformation.

    During the session, Mr Chan remarked that the Asian region is developing rapidly, with Hong Kong benefitting from its unique position under “one country, two systems”. He highlighted Hong Kong’s dual advantages of priority access to the Mainland’s market and its connectivity to the global economy, serving as a gateway between the Mainland and the world. As an international financial centre, Hong Kong facilitates efficient two-way capital flows and cross-border financial co-operation within Asia and between Asia and other regions. In the current international geopolitical and economic environment, Hong Kong is actively supporting Mainland enterprises in expanding internationally and building global industry chains and supply chains.

    In response to questions, Mr Chan emphasised that since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Hong Kong has provided a more stable and secure business environment that allows society to focus on economic development. He pointed out that the performance of Hong Kong’s capital markets over the past year, along with surveys conducted by various foreign chambers of commerce, demonstrates that international investors are showing confidence in Hong Kong with their capital and actions. Mr Chan further noted that Hong Kong’s openness, diversity and international outlook under “two systems”, along with its common law system, remain key advantages in attracting international businesses and talent.

    Mr Chan also met with the Chairman ad interim of the World Economic Forum, Mr Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, during which he briefed him on Hong Kong’s latest economic developments, including progress in the financial and innovation and technology (I&T) sectors. The two sides also explored opportunities to strengthen co-operation in technological innovation and personnel exchanges. Mr Chan expressed gratitude to the World Economic Forum for offering secondment opportunities to Hong Kong SAR Government personnel, enabling them to gain more international exposure.

    During his time in Tianjin, Mr Chan participated in the following activities:

    (1) A thematic session titled “Funding China’s Next Tech Breakthrough” hosted by the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, where he shared with representatives from investment banks, funds, asset management firms, I&T companies and think tanks how Hong Kong provides a full range of fundraising options – from start-up investments to stock market listings – to provide financial support to the accelerated development of I&T enterprises;

    (2) An exchange session between technology enterprises from Tianjin and Hong Kong organised by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, where Mr Chan introduced the dual advantages of Hong Kong’s financial and I&T synergy to I&T enterprises from Tianjin and Hong Kong, and accelerating the development of I&T through financial empowerment. Some members of the I&T delegation on the visit also participated in the session, where they explored collaboration opportunities with Tianjin’s I&T companies; and

    (3) A gathering hosted by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Tianjin, where Mr Chan shared updates on Hong Kong’s economy, future development directions, and opportunities for further strengthening co-operation between Tianjin and Hong Kong in finance, trade and I&T.

    After concluding his visit to Tianjin, Mr Chan proceeded to Beijing to attend the Host Member Gala Dinner for the 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB.

    Mr Chan will attend the 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB tomorrow (June 26).

                                 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Christopher Hui attends AIIB meeting

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said today Hong Kong shares the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) mission of providing high-quality financial disclosures as a reliable player that builds trust with stakeholders.

    He made the statement during a side event at the AIIB’s 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors on “Implementing the International Financial Reporting Standards – Sustainability Disclosure Standards (ISSB Standards) from the Ground Up: The AIIB Journey”.

    Mr Hui noted that while the AIIB is one of the first multilateral development banks to adopt the ISSB Standards, Hong Kong was also confirmed by the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation earlier this month as among the initial set of jurisdictions having set a target of fully adopting the ISSB Standards.

    He said: “By aligning with a global standard, we ensure international comparability of our data. This not only boosts investor confidence but also creates a strong foundation for new opportunities.”

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to work in collaboration with financial regulators and stakeholders to support the pragmatic implementation of the ISSB Standards through enhancing capacity building and promoting the use of technological solutions, Mr Hui added.

    In addition, Mr Hui also spoke on “Fostering Development and Infrastructure Connectivity” at the Governors’ Business Roundtable in the afternoon.

    He shared with delegations from other member states Hong Kong’s efforts in fostering development in sustainable finance as well as developing diverse and innovative financial products.

    The latter includes the roll-out of the Infrastructure Bond Programme and the issuance of infrastructure loan-backed securities by the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation (HKMC) with the AIIB as an anchor investor. He told the delegations that a third issuance by the HKMC can be expected this year.

    At the AIIB President’s Reception and the Special Session of the Board of Governors’ meeting held yesterday, Mr Hui met AIIB President Jin Liqun and AIIB President-elect Zou Jiayi.

    He also met financial officials of other member states to update them on Hong Kong’s latest developments in green and sustainable finance, and the recent vibrant financial market situation.

    Additionally, Mr Hui held bilateral meetings separately with delegations from Egypt, Germany and Poland on the sidelines of the annual meeting to explore opportunities for further co-operation.

    During his stay in Beijing, Mr Hui met Industrial & Commercial Bank of China President Liu Jun and China Construction Bank Chief Financial Officer Sheng Liurong.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: How your gut bacteria could help detect pancreatic cancer early

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Falk Hildebrand, Researcher in Bioinformatician, Quadram Institute

    SewCreamStudio/Shutterstock

    Whether you had breakfast this morning or not, your pancreas is working quietly behind the scenes. This vital organ produces the enzymes that help digest your food and the hormones that regulate your metabolism. But when something goes wrong with your pancreas, the consequences can be devastating.

    Pancreatic cancer has earned the grim nickname “the silent killer” for good reason. By the time most patients experience symptoms, the disease has often progressed to an advanced stage where treatment options become severely limited. In the UK alone, over 10,700 new cases and 9,500 deaths from pancreatic cancer were recorded between 2017 and 2019, with incidence rates continuing to rise.

    The most common form, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), develops in the pancreatic duct – a tube connecting the pancreas to the small intestine. When tumours form here, they can block the flow of digestive enzymes, causing energy metabolism problems that leave patients feeling chronically tired and unwell. Yet these symptoms are often so subtle that they’re easily dismissed or attributed to other causes.


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


    Now researchers are turning to an unexpected source for early PDAC detection: faecal samples. While analysing poo might seem an unlikely approach to cancer diagnosis, scientists are discovering that our waste contains a treasure trove of information about our health.

    This is because your gut is home to trillions of bacteria – in fact, bacterial cells in your body outnumber human cells by roughly 40 trillion to 30 trillion. These microscopic residents form complex communities that can reflect the state of your health, including the presence of disease.

    Since PDAC typically develops in the part of the pancreas that connects to the gut, and most people have regular bowel movements, stool samples provide a practical, non-invasive window into what is happening inside the body.

    Pancreatic cancer explained,

    Global evidence builds

    This innovative approach has been validated in studies across several countries, including Japan, China and Spain. The latest breakthrough comes from a 2025 international study involving researchers in Finland and Iran, which set out to examine the relationship between gut bacteria and pancreatic cancer onset across different populations.

    The researchers collected stool samples and analysed bacterial DNA using a technique called 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Despite the complex name, the principle is straightforward: scientists sequence and compare a genetic region found in every bacterium’s genome, allowing them to both identify and count different bacterial species simultaneously.

    The findings from the Finnish-Iranian study were striking. Patients with PDAC exhibited reduced bacterial diversity in their gut, with certain species either enriched or depleted compared with healthy people. More importantly, the team developed an artificial intelligence model that could accurately distinguish between cancer patients and healthy people based solely on their gut bacterial profiles.

    The field of microbiome research is evolving rapidly. While this study used amplicon sequencing, newer methods like “shotgun metagenomic sequencing” are providing even more detailed insights. This advanced technique captures the entire bacterial genome content rather than focusing on a single gene, offering an unprecedented resolution that can even detect whether bacteria have recently transferred between individuals.

    These technological advances are driving a fundamental shift in how we think about health and disease. We’re moving from a purely human-centred view to understanding ourselves as “human plus microbiome” – complex ecosystems where our bacterial partners play crucial roles in our wellbeing.

    Beyond pancreatic cancer

    The possibilities go well beyond pancreatic cancer. At Quadram, we’re applying similar methods to study colorectal cancer. We’ve already analysed over a thousand stool samples using advanced computational tools that piece together bacterial genomes and their functions from fragmented DNA. This ongoing work aims to reveal how gut microbes behave in colorectal cancer, much like other scientists have done for PDAC.

    The bidirectional interactions between cancer and bacteria are particularly fascinating – not only can certain bacterial profiles indicate disease presence, but the disease itself can alter the gut microbiome, as we previously showed in Parkinson’s disease, creating a complex web of cause and effect that researchers are still unravelling.

    Nonetheless, by understanding how our microbial partners respond to and influence disease, we’re gaining insights that could revolutionise both diagnosis and treatment. Our past research has shown this to be incredibly complex and sometimes difficult to understand, but developments in biotechnology and artificial intelligence are increasingly helping us to make sense of this microscopic world.

    For cancer patients and their families, this and other advancements in microbiome research offer hope for earlier detection. While we’re still in the early stages of translating these findings into clinical practice, the potential to catch this silent killer before it becomes deadly could transform outcomes for thousands of patients, but will require more careful and fundamental research.

    The microbial perspective on health is no longer a distant scientific curiosity – it’s rapidly becoming a practical reality that could save lives. As researchers continue to explore this inner frontier, we’re learning that the answer to some of our most challenging medical questions might be hiding in plain sight – in the waste we flush away each day.

    Falk Hildebrand receives funding from the UKRI, BBSRC, NERC and ERC.

    Daisuke Suzuki receives funding from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

    – ref. How your gut bacteria could help detect pancreatic cancer early – https://theconversation.com/how-your-gut-bacteria-could-help-detect-pancreatic-cancer-early-259220

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI China: Xinhua Commentary: Taiwan leader’s distorted view of history destined for dustbin

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

    Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te has once again exposed his separatist intentions — this time by twisting history to fit a narrative divorced from fact and steeped in distortion and deceit.

    In the first of a planned series of speeches, Lai delivered not a reflection of historical truth but a calculated mix of falsehoods and misinterpretations crafted to advance his political agenda to seek “Taiwan independence.”

    The historical record is clear: the island’s bond with the Chinese mainland are deeply rooted and amply evidenced. Most of the island’s population, including its ethnic minorities, are descendants of migrants from the Chinese mainland over successive periods.

    Numerous historical records and documents have chronicled the development of Taiwan by the Chinese people, with the earliest accounts tracing back to the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). Starting from the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368), the central governments of China all set up administrative bodies to exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan.

    In 1624, Dutch colonialists invaded and occupied the southern part of Taiwan. In 1662, Zheng Chenggong, a general of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), led an expedition and expelled the Dutch colonizers from Taiwan.

    The subsequent Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) also set up administrative bodies in Taiwan. In 1684, a Taiwan prefecture administration was set up under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province. In 1885, Taiwan’s status was upgraded to a province of China.

    While Taiwan has its own historical trajectory, it has never existed as a country separate from China. Lai, however, went so far as to claim that China only began its relationship with Taiwan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, falsely equating Zheng Chenggong’s reclaiming of Taiwan and the Qing Dynasty’s governance with foreign occupations by the Dutch and Spanish colonists.

    One must not forget that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have long stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of foreign aggression. For instance, after the outbreak of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in the 1930s, at least 50,000 people from Taiwan joined their mainland compatriots in fighting the Japanese invasion, driven by the belief that “to save Taiwan, one must first save the motherland.”

    The courage and sacrifices of the people in Taiwan in resisting foreign aggression are part of the shared memory of the Chinese nation. Yet Lai has sought to reframe this legacy as “Taiwanese defending their own country,” distorting historical truth to advance his “Taiwan independence” narrative.

    As many in Taiwan have noted, Lai’s remarks were riddled with hollow slogans, fragmented history, and a worldview increasingly detached from reality. By distorting historical truth and repackaging it into a fabricated narrative, Lai sought to stir confrontation, deepen social rifts, and deploy historical distortion as political propaganda to mobilize public sentiment and tighten his grip on power.

    But fabricated claims that run counter to history, reality and legal principles will never stand the test of time. Lai’s separatist remarks are destined to be swept into the dustbin of history.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI China: SpaceX launches Axiom-4 astronaut mission to Int’l Space Station

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

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 a.m. local time (0631 GMT) Wednesday, beginning Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

    About eight minutes later, the reusable first-stage booster touched down at Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral, completing its descent at 200 meters per second in a pinpoint landing, according to SpaceX.

    The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS around 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) Thursday after a 30-hour orbital chase. The four-person crew will spend up to 14 days in orbit conducting science, outreach and commercial demonstrations, NASA said.

    Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has spent 675 days in space, commands the mission. She is joined by pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), European Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

    “With a culturally diverse crew, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration,” Whitson said in a statement released by Houston-based Axiom Space.

    The flight marks the first government-backed orbital mission for India, Poland and Hungary in more than four decades. NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro said the launch underscored the “long history of cooperation” between NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos on the ISS, following recent repairs to the station’s Russian segment, according to a NASA media advisory.

    Axiom Space said the astronauts will conduct about 60 experiments representing 31 countries — the most attempted on any Axiom mission. Projects include radiation-tolerant electronics and student-designed physics demonstrations streamed live to classrooms worldwide.

    After the mission, the Dragon spacecraft will undock and aim for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast, returning scientific samples to Earth.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – Day of Prayer for peace in Korea: “Everyone must strive for reconciliation and unity”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Archdiocese of Seoul

    Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – The plea for “authentic peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula” is at the heart of the initiative of the Korean Catholic Church, which annually celebrates June 25, the anniversary of the Korean War, as a “Day of Prayer for National Reconciliation and Unity.” At Myeongdong Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Seoul, Msgr. Chung Soon-Taick, Archbishop of Seoul and Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang, and President of the “Committee for reconciliation” in the Archdiocese, presided over a Mass attended by over a thousand priests, consecrated persons, and faithful, who prayed together for peace on the Korean peninsula.In his homily, the Archbishop recalled that “this year marks the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War and 80 years since the division of the country. North and South have lived in a state of division, nurturing hatred and hostility in a context of constant tension and confrontation.” He added: “North and South Korea have previously lived as one country, one nation, and one culture for centuries. To overcome conflict and division, we must first reach out, as Jesus told us: ‘Give them something to eat.’” Archbishop Chung also emphasized in this context that “a small but significant change has begun in inter-Korean relations.” He pointed out that “as soon as our government stopped broadcasting messages to North Korea over loudspeakers, North Korea immediately stopped broadcasting its messages over loudspeakers,” which he considers a reduction in tensions. “Peace on the Korean Peninsula and a new relationship between the two Koreas begins with the renunciation of hostility and hatred. Let us pray that each of us can be the one to bring about small changes.”Following the Mass, a symposium commemorating the 30th anniversary of the founding of the “Committee for Reconciliation in Korea” in the Archdiocese of Seoul was held at the Spirituality Center of Myeongdong Cathedral. Archbishop Chung Soon-Taick recalled the committee’s objectives and working methods: “The committee, established on March 1, 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, is intended to be the Church’s executive arm for national reconciliation and unity on the Korean peninsula and is committed to working on the basis of three main pillars: prayer, sharing and formation. “Since the first Mass for Reconciliation and Unity in Korea, celebrated on March 7, 1995, the Mass for Reconciliation has been celebrated every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. The foundation of every pastoral activity of the committee is prayer,” the Archbishop added. He recalled Pope Francis’s call in the ncyclical “Fratelli Tutti” to be “peacemakers” and the appeal of Pope Leo XIV, who “calls for peace and denounces all violence and horror in the world.” “Every single member of our Church,” the Archbishop hoped, “must remember and pray for our brothers and sisters in North Korea and feel part of the efforts toward reconciliation and unity by reinventing the sense of solidarity based on fraternity.” He concluded with the hope that “our Church will take the initiative to overcome hostilities and promote mutual respect and understanding.” The committee’s vice-chairman, Fr. Chung Soo-yong, said: “Over the past 30 years, we have taken two steps forward and one step back: With the Gospel in mind, we must therefore find the strength to overcome divisions and conflicts and work for peace on the Korean Peninsula.” He added: “In the international context, given the armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and between Israel and Iran, it is fundamental that the Korean Peninsula, which has been divided for more than half a century, lays the foundations for peace.” Father Chung concluded with an appeal to the new generations: “Young people must now take the initiative, with discussions and activities on the practice of peace, also with regard to World Youth Day 2027.” In this spirit, the Archdiocese of Seoul organizes an annual youth pilgrimage to the demilitarized zone on the border between the two Koreas, entitled “The Wind of Peace.” Launched in 2012, the initiative, aimed at young people around the world, will take place next month as part of the Jubilee Year. Participants will walk along the border, also dedicating themselves to meditation and prayer. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 25/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Join the Future Combat Air System programme at Dstl

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Join the Future Combat Air System programme at Dstl

    Play a pivotal role in safeguarding the UK’s future and shape the next generation of combat air technology, by joining the FCAS programme.

    The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) encompasses a series of highly integrated and aligned programmes and military capabilities.

    This system will have a crewed aircraft at its heart. It will network and collaborate with a range of wider air and broader domain capabilities, including F-35, and use information systems, weapons and uncrewed collaborative combat air platforms to complete the capability.

    Be part of a joint international programme

    The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) is a trilateral acquisition programme launched with Japan and Italy to develop the core platform (aircraft) which will be at the heart of the UK’s and our partners’ future Combat Air systems. This joint international programme is a jointly funded and delivered international programme to develop and deliver a new fighter aircraft.

    To put this challenge into context, when the current UK constructed fast jet, the Eurofighter (a fourth generation type) was being designed in the 1980s, the European car of the year was the Ford Escort. Our other current fast jet, the US-Built F-35 Lightning II (a fifth generation type) was designed in the 1990s, when the Fordo Mondeo was car of the year. The F-35 though has been described as a ‘Flying Software Testbed’ with significant PE and approximately 8 million lines of code.

    What’s at the core of FCAS and GCAP

    Programmable Elements (PE), especially software, are at the heart of FCAS and GCAP. The ability to perform frequent, sometimes rapid, software updates is also a critical part of achieving and sustaining operational effectiveness.

    What the MOD PE team do

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) PE team has wide ranging responsibility, covering:

    • artificial intelligence (AI) and data
    • applications
    • operating systems
    • virtualisation
    • complex electronic hardware

    Working with industry and international partner governments, they also strive to create and promote the environment in which quality PE are effectively delivered at pace.

    Be part of building the sixth generation fast jet

    GCAP will be a sixth generation fast jet, which will build on fifth generation properties, such as, low observability and systems integration, adding autonomy, but the key will be fast adaptability. And the only way to achieve this is through its PE quality to do so.

    If you are interested in a challenging opportunity to use your PE skills to benefit one of the MOD’s highest priority acquisition programs and help get the UK’s next manned and unmanned fast jets flying safely and securely, we want to hear from you.

    As part of the FCAS team, you’ll contribute to one of the most complex and fast-paced acquisition defence programmes to date. With the groundbreaking GCAP collaboration between the UK, Japan, and Italy, this initiative is set to deliver the state-of-the-art fighter jet, Tempest, by 2035.

    This is an unparalleled opportunity to be part of a programme that is revolutionizing the UK’s combat air industry, supporting national security and economic growth. You’ll work at the cutting edge of technology, surrounded by a passionate team committed to excellence.

    Apply to work for the (FCAS) programme

    We will keep this page updated and add links when roles are available to apply for.

    Sensing, Communications and Non-Kinetic Effects

    1 x Positioning & Timing Scientists & Engineers, L6

    Software

    1 x Deputy Chief Technologist, L7

    1 x Complex Electronic Hardware Lead, L7

    1 x Software Delivery Pipelines Lead, L6

    1 x Complex Electronic Hardware (CEH) Specialist L6

    2 x Software Engineers, L5

    Mission Systems (inc. Cockpit)

    1 x Aircrews Systems Engineer, L6

    Benefits of working at Dstl

    As well as a rewarding career in defence science and technology, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) offers a wide range of benefits and training opportunities in a supportive, encouraging and flexible environment.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 25 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Civil Service College holds thematic briefing session on “International Landscape and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025” (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Civil Service College holds thematic briefing session on “International Landscape and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025”  
    Mr Lee delivered the opening remarks at the session. He expressed gratitude for Mr Cui’s attendance at the session to share insights on the current international environment and national foreign strategies, and provided an analysis in an easy-to-understand manner on the evolving global dynamics and the country’s response strategies to provide support for the HKSAR Government in promoting Hong Kong’s deepening of international exchanges and co-operation, better integration into the overall national development, and co-ordination of high-level security and high-quality development.
     
    Mr Lee pointed out that the complex and fast-changing international environment and the groundbreaking developments of AI and biotechnology profoundly affect the trajectory of the world order and highlight the close connection between security and development. Mr Lee said the country’s diplomatic work plays a vital role in effective co-ordination of security and development, and provides opportunities for Hong Kong to better fulfil its role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”. He thanked the Central Government for its strong support for Hong Kong to become the headquarters of the International Organization for Mediation, and pointed out that the establishment of its headquarters in Hong Kong reflects the trust and recognition of the international community in Hong Kong, which not only demonstrates the success of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) in creating a stable environment but also serves as a vivid manifestation of the country’s diplomatic soft power. Mr Lee stated that the HKSAR Government officials should have a deep understanding of the country’s foreign policies, accurately grasp changes in the international landscape, and better co-ordinate the relationship between and the opportunities from security and development.
     
    The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said during the session that this event is of great significance. It not only heralds this year’s series of talks on the country’s foreign affairs but is also a highlight event of the seminar series for civil servants on the fifth anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the NSL. The CSC will continue to enhance training to strengthen civil servants’ patriotism and awareness of national security, and encourage everyone to consciously safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. The various training programmes organised by the CSC also deepen civil servants’ understanding of the country’s history and culture, and contemporary development, equipping them to better fulfil Hong Kong’s role as a bridge connecting the country with the world in their respective fields, effectively utilising Hong Kong’s international platform to tell good stories of China and Hong Kong.
     
    The CSC will continue to collaborate with the OCMFA to run a series of talks on the country’s foreign affairs in 2025, including today’s thematic briefing session as well as subsequent talks on topics such as participation in international organisations and multilateral affairs, major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, China-United States relations, and civil diplomacy.  Since the launch of this series at the end of 2021, it has been well received by colleagues. To date, 20 talks have been held, with a total attendance of nearly 5 000 directorate and senior-level civil servants.
    Issued at HKT 20:25

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Russia: Yoga, Bollywood films and cooking master classes: what awaits guests at the India Day festival in Moscow

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Moscow will host the Day of India festival for the 10th time. It will be held from August 14 to 17 in the Dream Island landscape park. More than 25 thematic zones and 150 participants of the traditional fair, over 40 gastronomic points are planned. At the large-scale festival, you can get acquainted with Indian culture – from cinema to chess, from yoga to the Holi festival.

    This year’s themes are Indian Heritage in the Heart of Russia and the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

    Festival program

    Professional teachers will hold seminars on yoga and Ayurveda at thematic sites, and will teach how to cook traditional Indian dishes at culinary master classes. A Holi color zone will be open all four days.

    In addition, guests will enjoy dance and vocal performances. Children and adults will try their hand at a chess championship. Every day there will be screenings of Bollywood masterpieces and new releases.

    Janmashtami is scheduled for Saturday and the Rathayatra chariot festival will conclude the programme on Sunday.

    An obligatory part of the festival is gastronomy and a fair of goods, including handicrafts. More than 150 participants will offer visitors to the festival spices, decorations, fabrics, cosmetics. The wealth of national dishes will be presented in 40 restaurant zones. A special item on the menu is ripe mango straight from India.

    Distinguished guests and competitions

    The anniversary will be marked with a symbolic ceremony of cutting a huge cake with the participation of honored guests, diplomats and cultural figures of both countries. For the first time, the Day of India will feature a ceremony to present special awards in 10 nominations. Among the invited members of the jury are Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov and Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The Chairman of the Board is Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the International Information Agency “Russia Today”, Deputy Director General of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.

    The opening of the Maha Kumbh Mela zone in Moscow will be a major event: guests will have a unique opportunity to learn more about the history and rituals of one of the largest religious holidays in India, during which millions of pilgrims bathe in the waters of the Ganges River.

    Schoolchildren from first to 11th grade will be able to take part in the all-Russian drawing competition “Maha Kumbh Mela in Moscow: a child’s view”. Applications are open from June 1 to July 31. The winners will receive memorable prizes.

    “India Day 2025 marks 10 years of Indo-Russian cultural relations. This year, as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of India Day and the 80th anniversary of Russia’s historic victory in the Great Patriotic War, we honour our shared values of peace, friendship and mutual respect. This festival is a living bridge between countries, uniting communities through culture, heritage and dialogue,” said Sammy Kotwani, founder of the India Day festival and president of the Indian Cultural and National Centre Sita.

    The organizer of the 10th India Day festival is the Indian Cultural and National Center Sita. Guests who registered for festival website, will receive a gift.

    All events are free, admission to the festival is free.

    Project “Summer in Moscow” — the main event of the season. It brings together the most vibrant events of the capital. Every day, charity, cultural and sports events are held in all districts of the city, most of which are free. The Summer in Moscow project is being held for the second time, and the new season will be more eventful: new, original and colorful festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones.

    Get the latest news quickly official telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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

    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/155826073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Russia: Yuri Trutnev: A military-historical memorial complex dedicated to the Kuril landing operation is being created on Shumshu

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On behalf of Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev, the progress of work on the creation of a camp and memorial complex on Shumshu was inspected. The Kuril Island was visited by Deputy Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Denis Andreyev and First Deputy Governor of the Sakhalin Region Sergei Baidakov.

    “Shumshu is a significant page in our history. In fact, World War II ended on this island. Our soldiers defeated superior enemy forces and demonstrated mass heroism. At the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a military-historical memorial complex dedicated to the Kuril landing operation is being created on the island. It will perpetuate the feat of the Red Army soldiers who, in August 1945, at the cost of their lives, snatched victory from a superior enemy – the Imperial Japanese Army,” said Yuri Trutnev.

    A search expedition will be launched on July 1st. About 100 patriots from different regions of Russia will take part in it. An expedition of such a scale has never been conducted on the island. Thanks to this, many fallen heroes will find a name and will be buried with military honors.

    “We have assessed the readiness to open the search camp and memorial complex. The work is proceeding at a good pace. Shumshu Island is a heroic place where one of the most important battles took place, which put an end to World War II. Here you can literally touch history, and thanks to the implementation of the project on the instructions of the President, young people from different regions of Russia will soon have such an opportunity. A large-scale search expedition is also ready to begin work, which, I am sure, will open many heroic pages in the history of our country,” Denis Andreev noted.

    “The camp is now almost 100% deployed. On June 30 and July 1, the participants of the search expedition will arrive. The reenactors’ camp will be deployed in the area of Mys Kurbatov. Sappers from the Eastern Military District and specialists from the Pacific Fleet are currently working there, and the military is also tidying up the lighthouse. We assess the readiness as high. Everything is on schedule, but the task is very ambitious. Every day we solve many issues related to equipment, materials, and logistics. But we will do everything to ensure that the order of the head of state Vladimir Putin to perpetuate the feat of the participants of the Kuril landing operation is fulfilled. Our governor Valery Limarenko also puts this task as a priority,” said Sergey Baidakov.

    Sakhalin searchers have already begun reconnaissance work on the island.

    “Spring came early this year, the weather is good, and the mood is fighting. The goal of the reconnaissance is to find the supposed places of death of the soldiers, mark the points on the ground. And when all the searchers arrive, we will conduct targeted excavations. We have already managed to find buttons from military uniforms, personal belongings of soldiers. We are studying all the finds and working with them,” said Artem Bandura, head of the regional branch of the Search Movement of Russia.

    Shumshu is also currently preparing to welcome youth tourist groups. Participants in patriotic movements from different parts of Russia will see with their own eyes the places where history unfolded and will become ambassadors of this Far Eastern victory in their regions.

    The first group is expected to arrive on July 15. Each day the children will have a schedule – lectures, meetings with historians, writers and SVO members, walks along tourist trails, search work.

    “We are developing four tourist routes called “Roads of Shumshu Island”. The longest one is a ring route – 50 km. It goes through the entire island and through the most iconic battle sites. There are also three radial routes from 5 to 8.5 km long, so that groups can comfortably move around the island and touch history,” said Artem Lazarev, Minister of Tourism of the Sakhalin Region.

    Let us recall that the key events dedicated to the opening of the memorial complex – the competition in sports triathlon “Height 171” and military-historical reconstruction – will take place in the second half of August, on the day of the beginning of the Kuril landing operation. About 150 people from two dozen regions of Russia and friendly countries will take part in the reconstruction.

    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 –

    June 26, 2025
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