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  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Jun 4, 2025 0600 UTC Day 2 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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    Jun 4, 2025 0600 UTC Day 2 Convective Outlook

    Updated: Wed Jun 4 05:47:19 UTC 2025 (Print Version |   |  )

    Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table

     Forecast Discussion

    SPC AC 040547

    Day 2 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    1247 AM CDT Wed Jun 04 2025

    Valid 051200Z – 061200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE SOUTHERN
    HIGH PLAINS AND OK TO SOUTH KS…

    …SUMMARY…
    Scattered severe thunderstorms are anticipated, mainly from late
    afternoon Thursday into Thursday night from the southern High Plains
    across southern Kansas and Oklahoma. A few tornadoes, large to
    isolated very large hail, and severe gusts are possible.

    …Southern High Plains to southern KS and OK…
    A cluster of thunderstorms will likely be ongoing at 12Z Thursday
    across a portion of northwest TX within a low-level warm theta-e
    advection regime. As the low-level jet diurnally subsides, this
    activity is expected to diminish. The intensity and areal extent of
    this convection will likely impact later-day frontal location and
    the degree of destabilization to its northeast. The 00Z NAM is much
    more aggressive than guidance consensus at limiting diurnal
    destabilization across KS/OK. To the west of this morning activity,
    robust destabilization is expected across the southern High Plains
    from both increased boundary-layer moisture combined with an
    expansion of steep mid-level lapse rates. A plume of large buoyancy
    with MLCAPE of 2000-3000 J/kg is expected by afternoon.

    With generally neutral mid-level height change, isolated to
    scattered convective development is most likely to focus off the
    higher terrain of the Trans-Pecos and the Raton Mesa during the late
    afternoon to early evening. A few storms are possible in between
    these corridors along the eastern NM dryline, but confidence is low.
    Deep-layer shear profiles will favor discrete supercells where
    convection is sustained. Large hail and damaging winds are possible,
    with tornado potential increasing into early evening as the
    low-level jet strengthens. Long-track supercell potential is evident
    off the Raton Mesa, near the surface warm front, where greater
    hodograph elongation is anticipated. This could support a swath of
    very large hail. Widespread convection is expected within this
    similar zone later into the evening through Thursday night amid
    strengthening warm advection. This should result in a
    forward-propagating MCS to the east-southeast from parts of the TX
    Panhandle to southern KS and OK through early morning Friday. The
    amplitude of severe wind potential will likely be modulated by the
    degree of surface-based instability. Given the likelihood of
    below-normal temperatures Thursday, low confidence exists to warrant
    greater probabilities.

    …Mid-South to New England…
    A weak cold front will aid in isolated to scattered afternoon
    thunderstorms across a broad swath of the central to northeastern
    states. Large buoyancy will likely be confined to the Mid-South,
    with weak to moderate MLCAPE extending northeastward. This front
    will remain on the periphery of modest mid-level southwesterlies.
    Multicell clusters are expected to dominate in this setup with
    sporadic damaging winds as the primary hazard. Slightly greater
    effective bulk shear in the Mid-South and Northeast should also
    offer a threat for isolated severe hail.

    ..Grams.. 06/04/2025

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Jun 4, 2025 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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    Jun 4, 2025 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Click to see valid 1Z – 12Z Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Updated: Wed Jun 4 05:35:15 UTC 2025 (Print Version |   |  )

    Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table

     Forecast Discussion

    SPC AC 040535

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    1235 AM CDT Wed Jun 04 2025

    Valid 041200Z – 051200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF
    THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS…

    …SUMMARY…
    Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible later this afternoon into
    the evening across portions of the southern High Plains. Hail and
    wind are the primary concerns. Locally damaging winds may accompany
    convection that develops from the lower Great Lakes into eastern
    Texas.

    …Southern High Plains…

    Mid-level height falls across the lower CO River Valley are
    beginning to dislodge an upper low off the northern Baja Peninsula.
    This feature is forecast to advance to near the AZ/NM border by 18z,
    then into the southern Rockies by 05/00z. Latest model guidance
    suggests 500 mb flow in excess of 40kt will translate across
    southern NM into the TX Panhandle by peak heating. Some pressure
    reduction is expected across the southern High Plains ahead of this
    feature, and a LLJ should develop after sunset from west TX into
    southeast NM. This large-scale evolution favors low-level moisture
    being drawn into the higher terrain of northern NM. Strongest
    boundary-layer heating is forecast across southwestern NM, but
    modest heating will contribute to destabilization across much of
    eastern NM by late afternoon. Current thinking is scattered robust
    convection, including supercells, should generate across the higher
    terrain of the Sangre de Cristo range, then spread east ahead of the
    short wave. Forecast soundings favor hail, and perhaps a few severe
    wind gusts. A brief tornado or two can also not be ruled out as this
    activity spreads toward the southern TX Panhandle.

    …Elsewhere…

    A narrow corridor of high PW air mass (1.75-2 inches) will extend
    across eastern TX-AR-southern MO-IL-southern lower MI. Poor lapse
    rates will be noted along this corridor, but modest instability and
    adequate 0-6km shear suggest a few robust storms could evolve that
    would pose at least some risk for gusty winds. Greatest risk for
    damaging winds will be during the afternoon when buoyancy will be
    its greatest.

    ..Darrow/Wendt.. 06/04/2025

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  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No watches are valid as of Wed Jun 4 08:13:01 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Convective Watches (View What is a Watch? clip)Updated:  Wed Jun 4 08:16:05 UTC 2025 No watches are currently valid

    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Regulator issues Official Warning to charity and disqualifies trustee over inflammatory social media activity

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments

    Press release

    Regulator issues Official Warning to charity and disqualifies trustee over inflammatory social media activity

    A charity set up to support Palestinian refugees, particularly in Lebanon, has been issued with an Official Warning after posting “divisive and inflammatory” political material on social media.

    The Commission has also issued an Order disqualifying one of the charity’s trustees from being a trustee and from holding a position with senior management functions, for a period of eight years.

    Palestinian Refugee Project was registered in 2021, with objects to benefit the Palestinian diaspora in refugee camps through poverty relief, advancing education, relieving sickness and providing social welfare and leisure facilities.

    The Charity Commission, the regulator of charities in England and Wales, began examining the charity in December 2023, after concerns were raised about its social media activity. The regulator also identified that all of the charity’s then trustees appeared to be related, with one serving as CEO, giving rise to concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

    The trustees’ responses to the Commission’s questions raised further concerns, for example, that they lacked an understanding of their legal duties and responsibilities, including the importance of trustees acting and making decisions collectively.

    The regulator established that, as a result of governance failings, Mrs Taghrid Al-Mawed-Layton – who was also acting as the charity’s voluntary CEO – had sole responsibility for the charity’s social media activity and used the charity’s platforms to promote political material, which was not in furtherance of the charity’s aims, and / or was divisive and inflammatory.

    This included posts that could be interpreted as downplaying acts of terrorism, and which tried to raise support for a change to Israel’s recognition as a state. The charity failed to implement a formal social media policy and the remaining trustees lacked oversight in relation to its social media activity.

    The Commission has disqualified Mrs Al-Mawed-Layton for eight years due to her role in mismanagement and / or misconduct of the charity, including social media activity on behalf of the charity. The Order disqualifies Mrs Al-Mawed-Layton from being a trustee and holding a senior management position in any charity.

    Joshua Farbridge, Head of Compliance Visits and Inspections at the Charity Commission said:

    We found a number of serious failings at Palestinian Refugee Project, which put the charity’s finances and reputation at risk. The charity, in effect, was being run by a single trustee who either did not understand, or failed to adhere to, basic trustee duties.

    It’s important to stress that the Commission does not seek to encroach on any individual’s right to freedom of speech, expression, or beliefs. And we recognise that events in the Middle East over recent months and years have been deeply emotive and distressing.

    However, trustees have clear legal obligations, including to act in line with the charity’s purpose and best interests, and act reasonably and prudently. Sadly, the good aims this charity set out to achieve was seriously undermined by the conduct and failings of its trustees.

    As part of its case, the regulator also established that a failure to implement financial controls meant that funds were spent without proper authorisation or controls. The charity is overdue in filing its accounts for the years ending April 2023 and 2024.

    The Charity Commission’s case involving the charity will remain ongoing allowing the regulator to follow up on the remedial actions set out in the Official Warning.

    Ends

    Notes to editors:

    1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society.

    2. The Official Warning and disqualification order were issued as part of a regulatory compliance case into the charity, which remains ongoing. These cases allow us to gather evidence and make findings, and to help trustees address any failures or weaknesses that we might identify.

    3. The Charity Commission maintains a searchable register of removed trustees.

    Press office

    Email pressenquiries@charitycommission.gov.uk

    Out of hours press office contact number: 07785 748787

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: RAEX 2025: Polytechnic University ranks 8th among the top 100 universities in Russia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The RAEX-Analytics agency presented the results of the rating of the hundred best universities in Russia at the forum of universities “The Future of Higher Education”, where the speakers were the rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy and the vice-rector for personnel policy Maria Vrublevskaya. Among the hundred best universities in the country, Polytechnic took 8th place.

    The rating included 166 universities from 40 regions of Russia. The most widespread category of universities in RAEX-100 are technical universities. The best included 37 such educational organizations, while a year earlier there were 35. Universities of engineering and technical profile not only expanded their presence in the rating, but also showed the best dynamics among all categories of participants. 54% of technical universities grew in the rating compared to last year.

    The high assessment of our university by the RAEX rating agency is not just an achievement, but a confirmation of our commitment to technological leadership and innovation in education. We actively cooperate with industry, introducing modern technologies and approaches into the educational process. This allows our students not only to gain theoretical knowledge, but also to develop practical skills necessary for a successful career in a rapidly changing world. We are confident that it is through partnership with industry that we will be able to prepare a new generation of specialists capable of solving complex problems and contributing to the development of the economy and society, – commented the rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy.

    The number of students in the RAEX-100 universities is growing. In 2025, the number of students exceeded 1.5 million people for the first time. In the 2024-2025 academic year, the total number of students at the Polytechnic increased from 29,622 to 30,870 people. The 2024 admissions campaign showed record numbers – more than 130,000 applications.

    The rating agency also noted a change in the age structure of the teaching staff at universities included in the top 100. Thus, at SPbPU, the share of young specialists in the total number of scientific and pedagogical workers has increased by 5% over the past three years.

    At Polytechnic University, we pay special attention to the development of human capital, because we are confident that it is people who have the enormous potential for comprehensive growth and strengthening the university’s competitiveness. We strive to create conditions that contribute to the development of talents, skills and knowledge of our students and teachers, which, in turn, allows us to adapt to the rapidly changing requirements of the industry and ensure high quality education, – noted Vice-Rector for HR Policy at SPbPU Maria Vrublevskaya.

    When preparing the rating in 2025, statistical indicators were used in the questionnaire, as well as the results of online surveys of over 150,000 respondents: representatives of academic and scientific circles, students and graduates, employers. The rating functionality is determined based on the analysis of the following integral factors: conditions for obtaining a quality education (50%), the level of demand for graduates by employers (30%), the level of research activity (20%). In 2025, a new criterion appeared in the rating – “The number of graduates holding leadership positions in regional executive bodies.” It refers to the sub-rating for assessing the quality of graduates’ careers.

    More details on the rating results can be found aton the RAEX website.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: The capital’s parks were decorated in a floral theme as part of the “Summer in Moscow” project

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Parks of the capital, subordinate to Department of Culture, decorated for the start of the “Summer in Moscow” project.

    “Our task is to create an atmosphere in which every visitor to the park can feel part of the cultural life of the capital. Thematic design with elements of boho style was prepared for 26 park territories. New picturesque flower arrangements were created in these territories – themed photo zones in the form of gazebos with swings and modern modular gardens,” said the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Culture

    Alexey Fursin.

    The chosen design theme is conducive to leisurely walks, picnics, reading books or simply contemplation. Bright, textured and unusual combinations are the perfect background for memorable photos. The abundance of flowers and ornamental plants not only provides visual pleasure, but also fills the air with pleasant aromas.

    Music, theatre and sports: the large-scale project “Summer in Moscow” begins in the capitalWhat souvenirs will museums and parks present at the events of the Summer in Moscow project

    Among the recreation areas where you can see elements of boho style are the N.E. Bauman Garden, the Tagansky, Moskvoretsky, Lianozovsky, Izmailovsky, Krasnaya Presnya, Fili, Severnoye Tushino, Mitino, Sokolniki, Khodynskoye Pole, 50th Anniversary of October, Olympic Village, Yuri Luzhkov Parks, the Krasnogvardeyskie Ponds and Pokrovsky Bereg recreation areas, the Hermitage Garden, Gorky Park, the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve, the Muzeon Arts Park, Kuzminki Park, the Vorontsovo Estate, and beaches No. 2 and 3 in Serebryany Bor.

    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.

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/154786073/

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Fathers and Sons.” How to View the Exhibition at the Museum of Russian Lubok and Naive Art

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Museum of Russian Lubok and Naïve Art is hosting an exhibition called “Fathers and Sons,” dedicated to professional dynasties among naïve artists.

    “The idea of the exhibition was born in the same way that a TV viewer has a question after watching the last episode of their favorite series: will there be a sequel? And here, too, this cinematic technique was used to answer the question: did the works of famous classics of naive art have a sequel? Did the pictorial language of naive artists influence their own children and what came of it?” Alexander Klenchev, curator of the exhibition, art critic, and head of the cultural and educational activities sector of the Ilya Glazunov Gallery, shared with “Culture of Moscow”.

    Dynasties of masters are an important part of the history of our country, starting from Ancient Rus: jewelers, potters, furniture makers, toy makers and many others passed on their experience and skills to their descendants. The initiative to decorate everyday life “for oneself” — to paint the walls of the house, a spinning wheel, household utensils — also has a long tradition. This is how self-taught people appeared who dared to paint pictures “for the soul”.

    With rare exceptions, they began to engage in creativity only when all the work had been done, the children had grown up, the cattle had been sold, and free time, which had been practically absent before, appeared. For example, this is how Lyubov Mikhailovna Maikova, Aunt Lyuba from the village of Selishchi in the Tver region, explained her desire to start drawing.

    “We chose three life lines for the exhibition,” continues Alexander Klenchev. “The first two are naive artists, famous classics of the late 20th century – Pavel Leonov and Lyubov Maikova, included in the World Encyclopedia of Naive Art. And the third is the artist Valentina Cherepnina from the famous family of naive art collectors Sergei Tarabarov and Evgenia Cherepnina. We gave viewers the opportunity to feel the common and different in their works, to find in them the answer to the question of mutual influence and the presence of “common DNA.”

    The World of Naive Artists

    Aunt Lyuba’s son, tractor driver Anatoly Maikov, once said: “I can draw a hundred times better. A mother paints worse than a child, and these weirdos buy them and even pay money – nothing compared to my salary.” This is how the works of Anatoly Maikov ended up in the collection of the Museum of Russian Folk Art. He was born in 1939, began drawing when he was over fifty, and managed to paint no more than 30 hardboards.

    “The main feature of naive art is the author’s special original view, and this view, of course, is largely influenced by his life. Often, a representative of naive art is a person who has lived for a long time in one city or small town and through his special original prism of the creator tells us stories in paintings,” explains Alexander Klenchev. Thanks to the exhibition, one can understand how life and everyday life are seen in the Tver and Ivanovo regions, as well as in Moscow.

    Life, notes the curator of the exhibition “Fathers and Sons”, of course, is changing – globalization is penetrating the most remote corners of the world, and some experts say that modern naive artists are not as “naive” as the authors of the late 20th century. This is partly true, but nevertheless, naive artists continue to appear, create, surprise with creative energy and unusual plots of their paintings.

    “Naive art is a term that has not yet been fully formulated. But all experts agree that it is not a type, not a genre, not a trend, but a special artistic phenomenon. There are no conditions for the emergence of these creators – no one knows why an original artist suddenly appears. One can definitely say: these paintings convey some kind of original energy that attracts thousands of visitors and leaves no one indifferent,” says Alexander Klenchev.

    “Naive Artists in the 20th Century.” We are looking at the exhibition at the Museum of Russian Lubok and Naive Art

    The exhibition “Fathers and Sons” will last until August 31. Purchase tickets You can find it on mos.ru.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Active Citizens” will select the most popular topics and events of “Summer in Moscow”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    It has begun in Active Citizen vote, dedicated to a large-scale project “Summer in Moscow”. It will be held from June 1 to September 7 and will unite over 400 sites throughout the city. Residents of the capital will have to choose the most interesting topics and formats of events. This was reported by Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.

    “The survey participants will determine the most popular areas of the event program from 14 options. Among them are history, music, cinema, sports, charity, ecology,” said Natalia Sergunina.

    In each category, city residents will be able to mark the events they plan to attend. For example, literature lovers are invited to listen to lectures on Sretensky Boulevard and art readings at the Vorontsovo estate, Fili Park and other venues, visit book fairs and meetings with famous writers.

    Among the charity events is the campaign “Moscow helps”at district sites and the festival “City of the Caring” in the N.E. Bauman Garden. There, guests will be able to purchase designer toys, dishes, candles and other goods from non-profit organizations to support their wards, as well as adopt a pet from a shelter.

    History buffs will be offered to evaluate excursions of the project “Heritage Around Us”, festivals “Times and Epochs” And “Moscow Estates”.

    Survey participants will also select events in categories such as gastronomy, fashion and beauty, family and children, dance and others.

    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 take place in all areas of the city, most of which are free.

    “Active Citizen” has been operating in the capital since 2014. During this time, more than seven million people have joined it. In total, over seven thousand votes have been held. Every month, 30-40 decisions of residents are implemented in the city.

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

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/154793073/

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Performances based on classics and book presentations: what awaits guests at the Red Square book festival

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The annual book festival will be held in Moscow from June 4 to 7 “Red Square”. This year it is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. The event traditionally takes place on Red Square at the beginning of summer and is timed to coincide with the birthday of Alexander Pushkin and the Day of the Russian Language.

    “Moscow libraries under the Department of Culture have prepared more than 100 events for guests of the Red Square book festival. They will be able to attend walking lectures, an interactive performance and other events. In addition, they have prepared fresh new books from publishers,” said the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the Moscow Department of Culture

    Alexey Fursin.

    Guests can expect theatrical performances, poetry readings, concerts, lectures and book presentations. In addition, everyone will be able to apply for a single library card.

    This year, the program for the Small Stage and Library venues is being prepared by the Moscow Directorate for the Development of Cultural Centers (State Budgetary Cultural Institution of the City of Moscow Mosrazvitie), subordinate to the capital’s To the Department of Culture.

    Performances and creative meetings

    On the first day of the festival, June 4, at 12:00, actors from the youth theater “Chekhov’s Attic” will show a play based on Anton Chekhov’s stories “Two Jokes”. In honor of the 165th anniversary of the author’s birth, they will perform two plays based on humorous stories – “The Bear” and “The Proposal”.

    At 13:00, the theatre studio “Theatre named after Menya” will show the stage production “Manifestation”, which tells about the invention of the camera and photographic film.

    The performance based on Alexander Pushkin’s poem “Gypsies” will be shown by the youth project “Open Theater” at 14:00. The director and performer is Ekaterina Buyanova, winner of the festivals “Yursky’s Butterfly – 2024”, “Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030” in Zaryadye Park and “Red Square – 2024”.

    At 15:00, the artists of the Satire Theatre, accompanied by an orchestra, will perform popular songs for the festival guests, including “Good evening, my city”, “In the city of happy people”, “Moscow windows” and “The best city on earth”.

    A lecture dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the publication of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel “The White Guard” will take place at 16:00. It will discuss the history of the creation of the work, as well as the events that formed the basis of the novel.

    At 6:00 p.m., photographer, local historian and author of books about the capital Elena Krizhevskaya will hold a presentation entitled “Moscow Mansions, Their Owners and Architects in Stories and Photographs.” Visitors to the event will also be treated to a screening of the new book “Behind the Front Doors.”

    The creative interactive meeting “A Neskuchny Gorod — Other Local History” will take place at 19:00. Guests will learn popular names of Russian streets, interesting facts about manhole covers and other attributes of cities. The meeting will be hosted by Helga Pataki — writer, director, local historian, tour guide, traveler and polar explorer, deputy director for development of the publishing house “Nastya and Nikita”.

    Concerts, presentations, lectures and more

    On June 5 at 10:00 a.m. the dance and poetry performance “Images. Dedication” of the creative project will begin

    The artistic and literary program in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory will begin at 11:00. Actors of the “Modern” theater will show an excerpt from Olga Berggolts’s “Leningrad Speaks.” The theme of the program will be the words: “Nobody is forgotten and nothing is forgotten.”

    At 13:00 you can attend a lecture-concert “Female archetypes in literature: Turgenev’s modern girl – who is she?” At the same time, Master of Philology, research fellow of the A.S. Pushkin Library Valentina Molotkova will give a lecture dedicated to the 165th anniversary of Anton Chekhov’s birth “I am forever a Muscovite”.

    At 2:00 pm, poet, playwright, show host, member of the Union of Russian Writers Mikhail Slutsky will hold a presentation of the books “Hurry to Share Kindness!”. Editions for children of different ages will be presented, including “Merry ABC”, “Journey from One to Zero”, “Puzzled Tales”, “In Search of the Seven Hills”, “Flight of the Turtle” and “Antique – Ironic”.

    The concert “Commanders and Muses”, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, will begin at 16:00. The performance will feature soloists of the “Young Opera of Russia” project and Lyubov Kazarnovskaya.

    At 17:00 there will be a lecture “Ivan Vasilyevich: Leonid Gaidai vs. Mikhail Bulgakov”. Listeners will learn about Bulgakov’s comedy and Leonid Gaidai’s film.

    The creative meeting “Russian victories in Antarctica” will take place at 19:00. 205 years ago, the first Russian Antarctic expedition took place. On the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny” under the leadership of Faddey Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, the sixth continent was discovered.

    The Pushkin Coats of Arms, Bulgakov’s Moscow and Fantasy for Children

    On June 6 at 11:00 the musical and drama theatre “Prince on the Lighthouse” will show the play “The Nose of Varvara Sidorova”.

    At 13:00 the concert “Different People” will begin. The inclusive studio “Colorit” will perform vocal and dance numbers, including “The World is Not Simple”, “Districts-Quarters”, and “My Dear Muscovites”. At 13:00 there will be a lecture “Coats of Arms of the Noble Family of Pushkin-Gannibals”. Participants of the program will be introduced to the drawings of coats of arms made by the grandson of Alexander Pushkin – Nikolai.

    Illustrator and children’s writer Maria Kolker will present a new fantasy book, The Last Refuge of the Fairies, at 2:00 p.m. The work is intended for children over six years old. At the same time, contemporary Russian authors will hold a round table on teenage literature, Prose for Teens: How to Find Your Book?

    At 15:00, the head of the excursion bureau of the Museum of Moscow, Andrey Klyuev, will hold a lecture entitled “The Architecture of Moscow through the Eyes of Bulgakov.” The participants will discuss the architectural image of the capital in the 1920s and 1930s — the Palace of Soviets, train stations, embankments, and former apartment buildings.

    Poetry, music and storytelling: the festival finale

    On June 7 at 11:00 the creative salon “Zakruzhilas slivtva zolotaya” (Golden Leaves Spun) will start its work. The meeting will be dedicated to the 130th anniversary of Sergei Yesenin’s birth. The hosts will be directors of the Sofit theater studio Tatyana Argunova and Nikolai Zozulin. The speakers will talk about the author’s childhood in the Ryazan outback and his first poetic experiences.

    At the same time, a creative meeting with Andrey Osipov, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, will begin. The event is dedicated to his film “Koktebel Stones”. The author will talk about an important episode of the film – the defense of Koktebel and Voloshin’s house from the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War.

    The performance “The Little Prince” based on the fairy tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry will begin at 12:00. Young artists will play flutes, violins, guitar and sing arias.

    At 20:00, the interactive storytelling performance “Notes of a Young Doctor” will begin. Theater and film actor Konstantin Kozhevnikov will tell the story of how the young doctor Mikhail Bulgakov fought for the lives of patients at the Nikolskaya Zemstvo Hospital in 1916-1917.

    At the same time, there will be a lecture entitled “Boris Pasternak – Poet and Translator”. The event is dedicated to the 135th anniversary of the birth of the Russian writer. The speaker is Vitaly Poplavsky, director-teacher, art critic, translator, playwright, member of the Shakespeare Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    The full program of events can be viewed atofficial websiteEntrance to Red Square during the festival is free.

    Last year, more than 300,000 people visited the Red Square festival. Over 400 publishers from 58 regions of the country presented new fiction, children’s, educational and popular science literature. The event is aimed at achieving the indicators and results of the national project “Family” in the city of Moscow.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial 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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Roadway repairs have begun on a section of Kievskoye Highway

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Road surface repairs have begun on a section of the Kyiv Highway. City services specialists have begun replacing the asphalt concrete pavement. Work is underway from the intersection with the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD) to the 41st kilometer of the Kyiv Highway in both directions.

    It is planned to lay over 900 thousand square meters of asphalt on the 21-kilometer-long roadway. Repairs are necessary due to wear of the top layer and the appearance of ruts, which reduces traffic safety. The last time the surface was changed here was in 2021.

    The work is carried out in several stages. First, specialists cut off the layer of old asphalt, then repair inspection wells and rainwater intake grates. After that, they lay a new asphalt concrete surface and apply road markings.

    Repairs are carried out at night, when there are fewer cars. Traffic is partially blocked.

    Kievskoye Shosse is a federal highway M-3, which is part of the European route E-101. The highway starts from the MKAD interchange with Leninsky Prospekt and passes through Kaluga and Bryansk. In the capital, the highway runs through TiNAO and is one of the main transport arteries connecting these administrative districts with other areas of Moscow and the Moscow region. In addition, you can get to Vnukovo Airport along it.

    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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Residential buildings for the implementation of the renovation program will be built in Kapotnya according to the KRT project

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    In the south-east of the capital, three areas will be reorganized within the framework of the integrated development of territories (IDT) program. The corresponding draft decision has been posted on the websiteMoscow Government. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.

    “The three sites subject to reorganization are located in Kapotnya and are part of one integrated territorial development project. The total area of the sites located near the Moscow Ring Road in an area with well-developed social and related infrastructure is 2.89 hectares. On each territory allocated for redevelopment, residential buildings will be built to implement the renovation program with an area of about 100 thousand square meters. Shops, pharmacies, cafes, and consumer services will be able to open on the first non-residential floors of the new buildings. Thus, the implementation of the project will create about 200 more jobs,” said Vladimir Efimov.

    The KRT project is being implemented on sites located near the banks of the Moskva River. Not far from the future new buildings is the nature reserve “Bank of the Moskva River in Kapotnya”, where recreation areas and places for walking are arranged.

    “In new buildings for the implementation of the renovation program, the total area of apartments will be approximately 61 thousand square meters. About 2.2 thousand Muscovites will move to the new housing. Children’s and sports playgrounds with safe surfaces will be arranged in the courtyards. The area near the houses will be improved: landscaping will be carried out, modern outdoor street lighting systems will be installed, convenient access roads to the houses will be organized, intra-block roads and sidewalks will be built. Thus, Muscovites will not only improve their living conditions, but will also receive a comfortable urban environment,” noted the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Urban Development Policy

    Vladislav Ovchinsky.

    According to the KRT program, multifunctional city blocks are being created, where roads, comfortable housing and all the necessary infrastructure are being designed on the site of former industrial zones and inefficiently used areas. Currently, 302 integrated development projects with a total area of about 4.2 thousand hectares are at various stages of development and implementation in the capital. This work is being carried out on behalf of Sergei Sobyanin.

    The renovation program was approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses. Sergei Sobyanin ordered to increase the pace of implementation of the program in twice.

    Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction volumes. High rates of housing construction correspond to the goals and initiatives of the national project “Infrastructure for life”.

    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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: The EU steps up support for Myanmar in response to mounting post-quake needs

    Source: World Food Programme

    MANDALAY – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a EUR 5 million contribution from the European Union (EU) to address the food security of communities devastated by the deadly earthquake in Myanmar.

    Through this funding from the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), WFP will provide food or cash for food to those most impacted by the earthquake, as well as specialized nutrition support for children and mothers. WFP will deliver the assistance directly to people in need, working with local partners and non-governmental organisations.

    The contribution follows a recent joint EU and WFP field visit to earthquake-hit Mandalay, where officials observed the ongoing struggle of affected communities.Nearly 2.8 million food insecure people were affected by the earthquake in the hardest hit townships.

    “Even before the devastating earthquake struck Myanmar, humanitarian aid was a lifeline for its people amid ongoing conflict. In the face of this tragedy, the EU remains steadfast in its commitment. Together with trusted partners like the World Food Programme, we are delivering life-saving assistance, and we will continue to do so,” said Mr. Luc Verna, who oversees EU humanitarian programmes in Myanmar.

    WFP reached 400,000 people with emergency food, cash for food, and nutrition support in the worst affected regions including Mandalay, Sagaing, southern Shan and Nay Pyi Taw, during its initial response. Starting from early June, WFP will provide two months of targeted support and recovery initiatives for 150,000 people. 

    “The earthquake was a disaster on top of an ongoing crisis that has existed since 2021,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Representative and Country Director in Myanmar. “The monsoon will make things even tougher, and this crucial humanitarian funding from the EU will allow WFP to meet the needs of the people who find themselves in a desperate situation.”

    While addressing needs in earthquake-hit areas, the EU and WFP urge the international community to act on the immense needs of millions affected by conflict across the country. Due to severe funding gaps, WFP was forced to cut lifesaving assistance to more than one million people in Myanmar since April. Before the earthquake, 20 million people already needed humanitarian assistance. 

    This latest contribution brings EU support for WFP Myanmar to EUR 8.9 million (USD 10 million) in 2025; the largest contributor to WFP’s efforts to address hunger in the crisis hit country.

    Photos are available here. 

    #                    #                   #

    About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid: 

    The European Union and its Member States are among the leading donors of humanitarian aid in the world. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by disasters and crises. 

    Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

    About WFP:

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_media and @WFPAsiaPacific

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: School meals take centre in Pakistan with multi-stakeholder consultation

    Source: World Food Programme

    ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) jointly convened a high-level, two-day national consultation in Islamabad to advance coordinated efforts to implement school meal programmes across provinces.

    This consultation was attended by Ms. Wajiha Qamar, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training along with representatives from various federal and provincial departments including education, health, planning and development & social protection. Representatives from development agencies, private sector, academia and non-governmental organisations also participated in the event, unified by a shared goal: to ensure every child in Pakistan has access to healthy, nutritious food at school.

     “With 25 million children out of school and many enrolled students struggling to learn due to hunger and malnutrition, the reality demands urgent action,” said Mr. Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan. “By alleviating poverty-related barriers to education, the provision of meals encourages parents to send their children to school, reducing dropout rates and promoting gender equality.”

    The consultation concluded with a clear demonstration of political will from federal and provincial government representatives to expand school meals across Pakistan. The discussions were substantive and action-oriented, reflecting a growing national consensus that school meals are not standalone initiatives, but a strategic, multisectoral investment central to the country’s development agenda.

    The Government of Balochistan committed significant multiyear budget to be confirmed shortly and presented a detailed action plan, including support for children with special needs. Punjab pledged to expand school meals to more districts, while Sindh reaffirmed plans to launch a new school meals programme. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa committed to strengthening its cash-based model and exploring a school meals programme. Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan Administered Kashmir are also working to expand, exploring innovative financing solutions.

    Ms. Wajiha Qamar, Minister of State, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, also addressed the consultation, affirming the government’s commitment to institutionalising school meals as part of the broader education agenda. “We must scale up programmes nationwide, learn from each other’s experiences and good practises to ensure that every child in Pakistan has access to a daily meal at school. This is not just a programme or a project, it is an investment in our children, our communities and our country’s prosperous future,” she added.

     “Not only did this consultation reaffirm that school meals are a powerful, transformative tool to bring children to school, keep them there, and give them a fair chance to learn, grow, and succeed – it also helped secure concrete commitments from provincial and federal representatives for the next five years” said Coco Ushiyama, WFP Representative and Country Director in Pakistan.

    Investing in school meals is especially critical in the context of Pakistan. School meals offer a powerful, multi-sectoral solution, improving children’s nutrition and health, increasing school attendance, enhancing learning outcomes and easing the financial burden on low-income families. These efforts align closely with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s declaration of an education emergency last year and the urgent national priority to bring every out-of-school child into the classroom.

    This event builds on the first national consultation held in 2022, which followed Pakistan’s signing of the Global School Meals Coalition in 2021. It also serves as a key preparatory milestone ahead of the Global School Meals Summit in Brazil this September. 

    #                #            #

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @WFPPakistan

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ9: Complaints and medical incident claims handled by Hospital Authority

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):

    Question:

         It has been reported that the Hospital Authority (HA) will handle cases of medical incident claims by such means as compensation and mediation, including the handling of compensation matters through the medical incidents insurance scheme of HA (the scheme). Regarding the complaints and medical incident claims handled by HA, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

    (1) the administrative expenses (including insurance and legal costs, etc.) incurred by HA in respect of the scheme in each of the past five years;

    (2) the number of cases of medical incident claims received by HA in each of the past five years; the total amount of compensation paid in such cases and, among them, the respective amounts of compensation borne by insurance companies and HA;

    (3) the number of cases of medical incident claims in the past five years in which HA had reached settlements with the complainants before proceeding to legal proceedings; the total amount of compensation paid in such settled cases and, among them, the highest and lowest amounts of compensation paid;

    (4) the number of medical complaints or cases of medical incident claims in the past five years in which HA had taken the initiative to pay compensation without going through legal proceedings because the responsibility was clearly established; the amounts of compensation paid in such cases; and

    (5) in respect of the medical service-related complaints received by HA in each of the past five years, the average time taken from the receipt of a complaint to the completion of its handling; given that according to HA’s complaint handling mechanism, the target response time for first-time complaint cases is six weeks (three months for complex cases), the number of first-time complaint cases which could not be responded to within the target time in the past five years?

    Reply:

    President,

         In consultation with the Hospital Authority (HA), the reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan is as follows:

         Upon receipt of a case of claim arising from a medical incident, it is the usual practice of the HA to conduct an investigation, consider medical opinions and seek legal advice before responding and explaining its stance on the claim to the patient or his/her lawyer. The nature of healthcare services involves various known and unknown risks that reflect the actual situations of medical practice. Depending on the circumstances of individual cases, the HA will appoint a loss adjuster or lawyer to conduct negotiation for settlement of the case. In the event that court proceedings have been commenced, the HA will appoint a lawyer to file a defence, collect medical and factual evidence, conduct mediation and negotiate a settlement, etc in light of the circumstances and development of individual cases. For cases of claims received by the HA, some of the claimants may, after learning the explanation from the HA or considering various factors, stop pursuing their claims further.

         The HA attaches great importance to service quality and patient safety. It has put in place mechanisms and guidelines for management and monitoring of medical incidents in public hospitals. Subject to the circumstances of individual cases, the HA will appoint an expert group (such as Root Cause Analysis Panel or Clinical Co-ordinating Committee/Central Committee) as necessary to conduct detailed analysis, identify the possible causes of the incident, study and formulate improvement measures or optimise clinical practice standards and guidelines to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future. Each year, the HA Head Office will submit to the HA Board a report of sentinel and serious untoward events, which will also be released to the public. The HA will continue to review the relevant mechanisms and arrangements from time to time and make suitable adjustments when necessary. 

         In addition, in response to systemic issues and the need for reform in the management of public hospitals, the HA set up a review committee on July 2, 2024, to conduct an in-depth review on various fronts. The scope of the review was comprehensive, covering areas of governance, appraisal, accountability, operations, risk control, and procedural compliance, etc and touching upon various levels, including the HA Head Office, hospital clusters, hospitals, service units/teams and staff. After detailed deliberations, the review committee consolidated its observations and made a total of 31 improvement recommendations in five areas, namely governance and accountability, safety culture, compliance and monitoring, incident management and enabling factors of the HA. The HA announced the review committee’s report on November 22, 2024. The HA is implementing various improvement measures in an orderly manner and monitoring the implementation progress and effectiveness on an ongoing basis, while submitting progress reports to the Health Bureau on a regular basis.

    (1) to (4) During the process of mediation and settlement negotiation on medical incident claims, the HA takes into account the litigation risk apart from considering whether medical error and legal liability are involved. The agreement of out-of-court settlement without adjudication by court comes as a result of settlement negotiation between two parties after weighing various considerations and negotiation. The table below sets out the statistics on claims received by the HA in respect of medical incidents from 2022 to 2024 (as at early March 2025):
     

    Year in which claims were reported (Note 1) 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
    Number of claims 97 105 94 105 81
    Number of claims for which compensation was paid (Note 2)
    (Among them, number of claims settled before commencement of court proceedings)    		 25
    (16)    		 18
    (15)    		 12
    (10)    		 15
    (15)    		 4
    (3)
    Total amount of compensation paid in respect of claims settled out of court (Note 3)
    (Among them, total amount of compensation for claims settled before commencement of court proceedings)    		 Figures in million dollars
    23.75
    (7.28)    		 10.38
    (8.22)    		 5.94
    (4.38)    		 10.09
    (10.09)    		 3.21
    (0.21)

    Note 1: Claims reported refer to those reported under the medical incidents insurance scheme of the HA.

    Note 2: All cases were out-of-court settlement cases.

    Note 3: A claim may only be received by the HA after a period of time following the medical incident. Moreover, the duration taken for reaching an out-of-court settlement depends on the nature and complexity of each claim. For example, out of the claims reported in 2024, only four claims were settled out of court as at March 6, 2025. On the other hand, according to the information available, the HA, in 2024, reached out-of-court settlements for 28 claims, covering reporting years from 2016 to 2024.

         Compensation for the above claims was paid by the HA. As the HA is required to keep the settlement details of each claim confidential, the maximum and minimum compensation amount cannot be provided. The amount of compensation for such cases ranged from a few thousand dollars to several million dollars. Apart from the premiums paid to the insurance companies, there are no other administrative expenses for the medical incidents insurance scheme of the HA. As premiums involve commercially sensitive information, they cannot be disclosed.

    (5) The HA attaches great importance to the opinion and enquiries of the public and has in place a two-tier system to handle complaints from patients and the public. All the initial complaints regarding services of public hospitals (including HA’s clinics) will be referred to the relevant hospitals for follow-up and reply. The HA has set the target response time for initial complaints at six weeks, while complex cases may take up to three months. The HA is actively implementing measures, including setting up Cluster Patient Relations Offices, standardising the complaint handling workflow with a view to shortening the response time for complaints. The statistics on the handling of healthcare service complaints by the HA in the past five years are as follows.
     

    Year 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
    Number of complaints related to healthcare services 1 133 920 968 1 242 1 135
    Among them, number of complaints completed beyond target response time (Note 4) 128 92 136 51 3
    Average response time of cases
         		 60 days 56 days 64 days 38 days 31 days

    Note 4: As each complaint case varies in complexity, the time required for handling individual cases will be different. For some of the complaint cases that cannot be concluded within the target response time, it may be due to the case involving several hospitals or several departments within a hospital, necessitating repeated clarification or collection of evidence during the handling process; or involving complex clinical management requiring advices from independent medical experts. In addition, with the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic from 2020 to early 2023, healthcare staff needed to focus the manpower on clinical duties and patient care; other staff including Patient Relation Officers might be temporarily deployed to support the logistic work in the fight against the epidemic; and some of the staff members who were confirmed cases were not able to return to the hospitals to work, resulting in handling of some of the healthcare service complaints not being completed within the target response time.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 74 handguns and automatic rifles seized, 11 firearms traffickers arrested

    Source: Europol

    On the action day, 50 handguns of one specific make, 13 further handguns, 4 machine guns, 4 rifles, 1 revolver, 2 alarm pistols, 4 large-capacity magazines for automatic weapons, 16 other magazines and 2 homemade clubs were seized. In one location, law enforcement officers found a drug laboratory and over 450 kilos of a novel synthetic drug. Furthermore, the site…

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung R&D Institute Noida Ignites India’s Tech Future with 3rd Startup Summit

    Source: Samsung

    Startup Summit 2025 at SRI Noida
     
    Samsung R&D Institute, Noida (SRI-Noida) successfully hosted its third Startup Summit, a dynamic event designed to showcase disruptive technologies, foster meaningful collaborations, and spark conversations on the future of innovation.
     
    The latest edition brought together AI-first startups and global tech leaders, focusing on cutting-edge advancements in healthcare, language models, audio deepfake detection, and extended reality (XR), among others.
     
    The Summit highlighted the critical need for ethical AI, digital trust, and next-generation innovation through cross-functional collaboration. It served as a testament to Samsung’s unwavering commitment to strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem by leveraging robust technology partnerships, cross-industry collaboration, and talent acceleration.
     
    This year’s event featured eight pioneering startups, including Sarvam AI, Jivi AI, HealthifyMe, ValidSoft, KOGO AI, NeoDocs, EnableX and Magnimus working at the intersection of AI, immersive technologies, healthcare, and natural language processing. These startups showcased their breakthrough products and explored potential pilot collaborations with teams from Samsung’s R&D centers, business units, and Samsung Ventures. The participating startups were carefully selected based on their innovation potential, strategic alignment with Samsung’s vision, and capacity to scale globally.
     
    “As SRI-Noida continues to drive the research and innovation agenda, the success of the third Startup Summit underscores our mission to empower next-generation technology leaders through meaningful upskilling, sustained collaboration, and deep ecosystem engagement. This year’s edition was bigger, bolder, and more impact-driven—addressing contemporary challenges while enabling entrepreneurs to create solutions that are globally competitive and locally relevant,” said Kyungyun Roo, Managing Director of SRI-Noida.
     
    List of participating startups included:

    Sarvam AI: A multilingual single model audio LLM platform
    Jivi AI: A large-language-model-based healthcare platform delivering AI doctor and analytics.
    HealthifyMe: An AI-driven nutrition intelligence engine for personalized dietary recommendations.
    ValidSoft: A cutting-edge audio liveness detection system designed to combat deepfake call threats.
    KOGO AI: Large Action Model (LAM) powering voice-driven applications.
    NeoDocs: Mobile-based diagnostics for real-time, point-of-care health assessments.
    EnableX: Real-time facial expression and feature-detection capabilities for enhanced user interaction.
    Magnimus: Gamified XR-based fitness experiences driving engagement and well-being.

     
    A standout moment of the event was a dynamic panel discussion featuring startup founders and SRI-Noida leadership. The conversation explored the rise of AI agents, the need for personalized engagement in digital health platforms, and the imperative of transparent data governance. Panellists also emphasized the ethical deployment of AI and the critical role of trust in shaping user adoption.
     
    Discussions reinforced the growing importance of tailored user experiences and personalized feedback in motivating behaviour change and improving health outcomes. The Summit’s immersive format offered a 360-degree view of Samsung’s innovation network in India, fostering cross-functional collaborations, unlocking new synergies, and aligning startups with global technology trends. Participants praised the platform for facilitating deep-dive conversations with Samsung experts and accelerating product development and market readiness.
     
    By spotlighting emerging technologies in healthcare AI, language processing, deepfake detection, visual AI, and XR, the Startup Summit reaffirmed SRI-Noida’s pivotal role in driving transformational innovation. The event exemplified Samsung’s larger vision—co-creating a future-ready startup ecosystem that delivers meaningful, human-centered impact at scale.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Group CEO Yuki Kusumi on the True Meaning of Structural Reform—Determination to Change and Grow

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Group CEO Yuki Kusumi on the True Meaning of Structural Reform—Determination to Change and Grow

    On May 9, 2025, Panasonic Holdings (PHD) announced its financial results for FY3/2025. On this occasion, Group CEO Yuki Kusumi communicated the progress being made on group management reforms, including planned optimization of 10,000 personnel, and expressed his firm resolve to undertake necessary initiatives to break free from 30 years of stagnation and position the Panasonic Group for strong and renewed growth for the future. We spoke with him to learn more about his intentions, his message to employees, and his determination for the future of the Panasonic Group.

    Why have you decided to carry out such large-scale structural reforms now, when the company is still profitable? Can you explain the background and need for these reforms?
    If we look at the current performance for fiscal 2025, particularly operating profit margin, it may not seem that bad relative to our past performance. However, compared to other companies in the same industry, our profitability remains low, and the Medium-Term Strategy for FY3/23 through FY3/25 fell far short of its goals.
    The biggest challenge facing the Panasonic Group is that we have not achieved any real growth over the last 30 years. While the Group has decisively implemented structural reforms many times in the past, a vicious cycle has repeated itself: adjusted operating profit margin would reach 5 percent, fixed costs would immediately rise to support growth strategies, and then operating profit margin would stagnate again.
    Lower profitability relative to our competitors means that we lag behind them in terms of returning value to shareholders and employees, and in investing for the future. If this continues, achieving growth in the face of stiff competition will be impossible. It is imperative that we get ourselves out of this situation.
    Our selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses ratio, in particular, is extremely high when compared to competitors who have already implemented reforms. Unless we immediately address this issue, we will not be able to return to growth. For this reason, profitability improvement has to be the top priority, and this includes reforming our fixed-cost structure. We cannot afford to waste any more time.
    The high SG&A ratio means that we have major issues with labor productivity, particularly in sales and indirect departments. I believe that this situation has emerged because many departments have continued to use business processes that were introduced more than 20 years ago. Basically, as long as a business achieved an operating profit margin of 5 percent, it was considered “good” and there was little interest in conducting operational reforms to achieve higher profits. So if you wanted to increase sales without making changes to the operation, then the only resort was to hire more people—and the result was an increase in fixed costs.
    Even if sales increase, fixed costs, including labor costs, should not increase; marginal profits should be increased by certain percentage each year, while fixed costs should be contained by a certain amount. This should be the basis of our management cycle Groupwide, and it is important that we follow this principle. Now, I would like to make it clear that we are going back to these fundamentals not just to reduce labor costs, but to modernize our business processes and workstyles.

    A major decision has been made to reduce the workforce by 10,000 people Groupwide. Can you explain the thinking behind this decision?
    Based on my direct experience with personnel optimization when I was in charge of loss-making businesses in the past, I thought that I would never again carry out employment structural reforms. This time, however, recognizing the critical need for change, this was an unavoidable decision. I felt that if we did not conduct reforms and change our management foundation now, then it would be impossible for us to grow sustainably over the next 10 to 20 years. After much deliberation, and discussions across the Group, including the presidents of our operating companies, we made the decision to proceed with these reforms.
    This figure of 10,000 employees is the aggregate result of careful consideration of the kind of fixed-cost structure that each operating company should have to achieve their respective profitability targets, and how they should address areas where labor productivity lags behind other companies. We would like every employee to understand that we do not intend to increase this figure.

    Panasonic Group’s history includes an episode when Founder Konosuke Matsushita ordered that “not a single employee be laid off” during the Great Depression, and some see employment structural reforms as the antithesis of this ideal. Please share your thoughts about protecting human resources and employment?
    Human resources are extremely important. The founder’s statement has significant meaning for all of us in the Panasonic Group. For that reason, there is a great deal of resistance within the Group toward optimization of personnel when we are profitable. However, the current business environment is very different from our founder’s era. Back then, there were great expectations for economic growth ahead, but the market we live in today is much more complex, and includes areas with growth potential, areas with no such potential, and areas we must move into. Under these circumstances, and with an eye on the future, we decided that optimizing our workforce was unavoidable.
    As Group CEO, I acknowledge the impact of the decision to carry out these reforms, especially personnel optimization on such a large scale. However, taking no action today would inevitably place a heavier burden on future employees. To put the Panasonic Group back on track for growth, I believe that instead of placing the burden on the next generation, the current senior management team, myself included, must pool their wisdom, make decisions, and take responsibility to get this done.

    Some employees are probably feeling anxious, so how do you intend to explain the reforms and seek their understanding?
    I understand that these changes may cause uncertainty, and it is a difficult period. We wanted to ensure that all employees correctly understood the situation, so the day the reforms were announced externally, I sent a video message to all employees, explaining the background of the reform and its goals. In addition, we provided a detailed explanation of the current situation to approximately 300 management executives, including division directors and business unit managers, asking for their understanding. However, I believe that employees and their families, especially those who have only been with the company for a short time, have serious concerns. I will continue to carefully explain the true meaning of the reforms and continue to communicate positive messages so that employees will not feel anxious. I truly want to help them find opportunities for their own growth and success as part of this transformation.

    Following the structural reform, what kind of future will Panasonic Group be aiming for?
    First and foremost, this structural reform is an initiative that must be carried out in order to rebuild the management foundation of the Panasonic Group and ensure strong growth for the future. We are determined to achieve a profitability improvement effect of 150 billion yen by FY3/27.
    Next, as I mentioned in my February 4 announcement, Panasonic Group will focus on the Solutions area while increasing the profitability of the Devices area and the Smart Life area centering on home appliances. The essence of the value that we provide to customers, including comfort and peace of mind, will not change, but by making full use of data and AI, the methods and substance of our offerings will become more sophisticated, thereby strengthening our competitiveness.
    The Solutions area has two main pillars: supply chain management solutions, and energy management. As for supply chain management solutions, at the ICON event in early May, Blue Yonder, our subsidiary with growth potential, announced its Cognitive Series—a suite of SaaS solutions for planning systems that deploy generative AI-based agents, which we expect to be a major strength in various supply chains where issues are becoming increasingly more complex.
    In energy management, in addition to energy storage solutions for data centers and AI-based home energy management systems (HEMS) for households, which already have a proven track record, we will develop Panasonic HX—a future-oriented decarbonization solution for factories, offices, and public facilities that controls pure hydrogen fuel cells, solar cells, and storage batteries by means of an AI-based energy management system.

    Will Panasonic Go, announced at CES this year, play an important role?
    Panasonic Go will play a role in accelerating these efforts. Blue Yonder’s Cognitive Series, which I mentioned earlier, is one such example. In addition, we are considering expanding the data platform that forms the basis of the AI agent service Umi, also announced at CES, into a variety of fields while considering privacy, security, and ethics. We are also actively promoting the use of generative AI within the Group, with a bottom-up approach, to thoroughly improve labor productivity as we move forward with the current management reforms.

    Following these reforms, what kind of company will the Panasonic Group become?
    We are now discussing this internally, but basically, we believe that the fundamental values we provide to customers can be summed up as “comfort,” “peace of mind,” and “reliability.” We cherish the long-standing trust of our customers—“You can count on Panasonic”—and no matter what business we develop in the future, we will continue to pursue contributions based on these values.
    As we look towards the future, 10 or 20 years from now, these structural reforms are merely the first step in our journey to break away from the stagnation of the past 30 years. Going forward, we will seek to achieve high labor productivity in every Group business and turnarounds in both new and existing areas. To further improve productivity and strengthen the competitiveness in our Solutions business, we must also be unrivaled in the use of AI.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI China: Announcement on Open Market Operations No.104 [2025]

    Source: Peoples Bank of China

    Announcement on Open Market Operations No.104 [2025]

    (Open Market Operations Office, June 4, 2025)

    The People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB214.9 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on June 4, 2025.

    Details of the Reverse Repo Operations

    Maturity

    Rate

    Bidding Volume

    Winning Bid Volume

    7 days

    1.40%

    RMB214.9 billion

    RMB214.9 billion

    Date of last update Nov. 29 2018

    2025年06月04日

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi congratulates Lee Jae-myung on election as president of South Korea

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

    Xi congratulates Lee Jae-myung on election as president of South Korea

    Updated: June 4, 2025 15:58 Xinhua

    BEIJING, June 4 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday extended congratulations to Lee Jae-myung on election as the president of South Korea.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: OECD projects slower growth of Britain’s economy

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

    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday projected a slowdown in Britain’s economic growth, citing heightened trade tensions, tighter financial conditions, and rising uncertainty.

    According to the OECD’s latest economic outlook, Britain’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 1.3 percent in 2025, before slowing to 1 percent in 2026.

    “Inflationary pressures will initially linger, due to higher import prices and robust wage growth in 2025,” the report noted. However, these pressures are expected to ease in 2026 as spare capacity increases and the labour market softens, it added.

    The OECD also warned that high interest payments on public debt will continue to strain Britain’s fiscal balance and contribute to a rising debt burden.

    The report identified public finances as a key downside risk to Britain’s outlook, cautioning that limited fiscal buffers may prove inadequate in the face of renewed economic shocks — especially if fiscal rules are to be upheld.

    Rising services price inflation was also flagged as a potential risk.

    Globally, the OECD expects GDP growth to slow from 3.3 percent in 2024 to 2.9 percent in both 2025 and 2026. This projection assumes that tariff rates as of mid-May remain in place, despite ongoing legal disputes. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Euro area bank interest rate statistics: April 2025

    Source: European Central Bank

    4 June 2025

    Bank interest rates for corporations

    Chart 1

    Bank interest rates on new loans to, and deposits from, euro area corporations

    (percentages per annum)

    Data for cost of borrowing and deposit interest rates for corporations (Chart 1)

    The composite cost-of-borrowing indicator, which combines interest rates on all loans to corporations, decreased in April 2025. The interest rate on new loans of over €1 million with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to three months decreased by 13 basis points to 3.54%. The rate on new loans of the same size with an initial rate fixation period of over three months and up to one year fell by 27 basis points to 3.51%. The interest rate on new loans of over €1 million with an initial rate fixation period of over ten years remained broadly unchanged at 3.54%. In the case of new loans of up to €250,000 with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to three months, the average rate charged fell by 12 basis points to 3.90%.
    As regards new deposit agreements, the interest rate on deposits from corporations with an agreed maturity of up to one year fell by 17 basis points to 2.15% in April 2025. The interest rate on overnight deposits from corporations fell by 7 basis points to 0.60%.
    The interest rate on new loans to sole proprietors and unincorporated partnerships with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to one year decreased by 5 basis points to 4.31%, driven by both the interest rate and the weight effects.

    Table 1

    Bank interest rates for corporations

    i.r.f. = initial rate fixation
    * For this instrument category, the concept of new business is extended to the whole outstanding amounts and therefore the business volumes are not comparable with those of the other categories. Outstanding amounts data are derived from the ECB’s monetary financial institutions balance sheet statistics.

    Data for bank interest rates for corporations (Table 1)

    Bank interest rates for households

    Chart 2

    Bank interest rates on new loans to, and deposits from, euro area households

    Data for cost of borrowing and deposit interest rate for households (Chart 2)

    The composite cost-of-borrowing indicator, which combines interest rates on all loans to households for house purchase, decreased in April 2025. The interest rate on loans for house purchase with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to one year decreased by 8 basis points to 3.84%. The rate on housing loans with an initial rate fixation period of over one and up to five years stayed almost constant at 3.48%. The interest rate on loans for house purchase with an initial rate fixation period of over five and up to ten years decreased by 4 basis points to 3.32%, driven by both the interest rate and the weight effects. The rate on housing loans with an initial rate fixation period of over ten years fell by 7 basis points to 3.03%, mainly driven by the weight effect. In the same period the interest rate on new loans to households for consumption showed no change at 7.52%.
    As regards new deposits from households, the interest rate on deposits with an agreed maturity of up to one year decreased by 13 basis points to 1.96%. The rate on deposits redeemable at three months’ notice stayed almost constant at 1.50%. The interest rate on overnight deposits from households remained broadly unchanged at 0.29%.

    Table 2

    Bank interest rates for households

    i.r.f. = initial rate fixation
    * For this instrument category, the concept of new business is extended to the whole outstanding amounts and therefore the business volumes are not comparable with those of the other categories; deposits placed by households and corporations are allocated to the household sector. Outstanding amounts data are derived from the ECB’s monetary financial institutions balance sheet statistics.
    ** For this instrument category, the concept of new business is extended to the whole outstanding amounts and therefore the business volumes are not comparable with those of the other categories. Outstanding amounts data are derived from the ECB’s monetary financial institutions balance sheet statistics.

    Data for bank interest rates for households (Table 2)

    Further information

    The data in Tables 1 and 2 can be visualised for individual euro area countries on the bank interest rate statistics dashboard. Additionally, tables containing further breakdowns of bank interest rate statistics, including the composite cost-of-borrowing indicators for all euro area countries, are available from the ECB Data Portal. The full set of bank interest rate statistics for both the euro area and individual countries can be downloaded from ECB Data Portal. More information, including the release calendar, is available under “Bank interest rates” in the statistics section of the ECB’s website.

    For media queries, please contact Nicos Keranis, tel.: +49 69 1344 7806

    Notes:

    • In this press release “corporations” refers to non-financial corporations (sector S.11 in the European System of Accounts 2010, or ESA 2010), “households” refers to households and non-profit institutions serving households (ESA 2010 sectors S.14 and S.15) and “banks” refers to monetary financial institutions except central banks and money market funds (ESA 2010 sector S.122).
    • The composite cost-of-borrowing indicators are described in the article entitled “Assessing the retail bank interest rate pass-through in the euro area at times of financial fragmentation” in the August 2013 issue of the ECB’s Monthly Bulletin (see Box 1). For these indicators, a weighting scheme based on the 24-month moving averages of new business volumes has been applied, in order to filter out excessive monthly volatility. For this reason the developments in the composite cost of borrowing indicators in both tables cannot be explained by the month-on-month changes in the displayed subcomponents. Furthermore, the table on bank interest rates for corporations presents a subset of the series used in the calculation of the cost of borrowing indicator.
    • Interest rates on new business are weighted by the size of the individual agreements. This is done both by the reporting agents and when the national and euro area averages are computed. Thus changes in average euro area interest rates for new business reflect, in addition to changes in interest rates, changes in the weights of individual countries’ new business for the instrument categories concerned. The “interest rate effect” and the “weight effect” presented in this press release are derived from the Bennet index, which allows month-on-month developments in euro area aggregate rates resulting from changes in individual country rates (the “interest rate effect”) to be disentangled from those caused by changes in the weights of individual countries’ contributions (the “weight effect”). Owing to rounding, the combined “interest rate effect” and the “weight effect” may not add up to the month-on-month developments in euro area aggregate rates.
    • In addition to monthly euro area bank interest rate statistics for April 2025, this press release incorporates revisions to data for previous periods. Hyperlinks in the main body of the press release lead to data that may change with subsequent releases as a result of revisions. Unless otherwise indicated, these euro area statistics cover the EU Member States that had adopted the euro at the time to which the data relate.
    • As of reference period December 2014, the sector classification applied to bank interest rates statistics is based on the European System of Accounts 2010 (ESA 2010). In accordance with the ESA 2010 classification and as opposed to ESA 95, the non-financial corporations sector (S.11) now excludes holding companies not engaged in management and similar captive financial institutions.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Recruitment of new members to the Veterinary Products Committee

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Recruitment of new members to the Veterinary Products Committee

    The Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) is seeking applicants for 6 vacancies.

    The Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) is looking to appoint six new members:

    • Pharmacist
    • Pharmacologist
    • Epidemiologist/statistician
    • Clinical microbiologist
    • Veterinary surgeon (food safety)
    • Veterinary surgeon (pigs)

    Members receive £148 for each meeting attended and an additional £76 for preparation time.

    Meetings are held at the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) offices in Surrey or online.

    The VPC schedules three regular meetings a year, typically February, May/June and October. It may occasionally be necessary to hold ad hoc meetings.

    Further information on the VPC is available on Gov.uk www.gov.uk/vpc.

    For details on how to apply and for more information about the VPC, please contact VPC secretariat Chris Abbott c.abbott@vmd.gov.uk or 01932 338353.

     The closing date for applications is noon on Wednesday 25 June.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • Sanjay Jha-led delegation reaches Delhi after concluding India’s outreach against terrorism

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    An all-party Indian Parliamentary delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha returned to Delhi from Malaysia on Tuesday, concluding its outreach campaign aimed at strengthening international support against terrorism and building a shared understanding of security threats.

    During their visit, the delegation met with YB Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) Johari bin Abdul, Speaker of the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat), and members of the Parliamentary Special Committee on International Relations and International Trade, chaired by YB Wong Chen.

    The Speaker reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to peace and appreciated India’s briefing on its counter-terrorism efforts. The delegation also engaged with representatives of the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT), led by Director General Datin Paduka Nur Ashikin Mohd Taib.

    In discussions with SEARCCT, the Indian side highlighted the Centre’s role in the India-Malaysia Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism and stressed the need for greater regional synergy, especially in legal frameworks, counter-terror financing, community resilience, and research on cross-border terrorism.

    The engagements in Malaysia reinforced the India–Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and underscored a shared commitment to regional peace and security.

    Speaking to IANS upon returning to Delhi, Sanjay Jha reflected on the outcomes of the multi-nation tour, which included Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

    “Four or five key messages emerged from the visit,” he said. “First, the delegation delivered a strong, united message—that all parties in India stand together in the fight against terrorism. Second, countries across the region unequivocally condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and expressed condolences for the 26 victims.”

    He added, “Third, India’s response—targeting only terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir—was marked by restraint and precision. Fourth, flights have resumed in Jammu and Kashmir, and a Cabinet meeting was held in Pahalgam to assess the situation. We urged that action should be taken against Pakistan by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force).”

    The delegation’s visit, which included stops in Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, aimed to deepen India’s diplomatic and security cooperation, while reaffirming its commitment to regional peace, counter-terrorism, and sustainable development.

    Apart from Jha, the delegation included BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, Pradan Baruah, and Hemang Joshi; TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee; CPI(M) MP John Brittas; Congress leader Salman Khurshid; and former diplomat Ambassador Mohan Kumar.

    (With inputs from IANS)

  • US: Higher metals tariffs kick in as deadline for ‘best’ offers arrives

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The U.S. tariff rate on most imported steel and aluminum doubled on Wednesday as President Donald Trump ratchets up a global trade war on the same day he expects trading partners to deliver their “best offer” in bids to avoid punishing import tax rates on other goods from taking effect in early July.

    Late on Tuesday, Trump signed an executive proclamation that puts into effect from Wednesday his surprise announcement last week that he was taking the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that had been in place since March to 50% from 25%.

    “We started at 25 and then after studying the data more, realized that it was a big help, but more help is needed. And so that is why the 50 is starting tomorrow,” White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in explaining the move at a steel industry conference in Washington on Tuesday. The increase came into effect at 12:01 am (0401 GMT).

    The increase applies to all trading partners except Britain, the only country so far that has struck a preliminary trade agreement with the U.S. during a 90-day pause on a wider array of Trump tariffs. The rate for steel and aluminum imports from the UK – which does not rank among the top exporters of either metal to the U.S. – will remain at 25% until at least July 9.

    About a quarter of all steel used in the U.S. is imported, and Census Bureau data shows the increased levies will hit the closest U.S. trading partners – Canada and Mexico – especially hard. They rank No. 1 and 3, respectively, in steel shipment volumes to the U.S.

    Canada is even more exposed to the aluminum levies as the top exporter to the U.S. by far at roughly twice the rest of the top 10 exporters’ volumes combined. The U.S. gets about half of its aluminum from foreign sources.

    Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said Canada was “engaged in intensive and live negotiations to have these and other tariffs removed.”

    Mexico Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard reiterated that the tariffs were unsustainable and unfair, especially given that Mexico imports more steel from the U.S. than it exports there.

    “It makes no sense for the United States to levy a tariff on a product in which you have a surplus,” he said, adding that Mexico would on Friday seek an exemption from the increase.

    The unexpected increase in the levies jolted the market for both metals this week, especially for aluminum, which has seen price premiums more than double so far this year. With little current capacity to increase domestic production, import volumes are likely to be unaffected unless the price increases undercut demand.

    ‘BEST OFFER’ DUE DATE

    Wednesday is also when the White House would like trading partners to submit their proposals for deals that might help them avoid Trump’s hefty “Liberation Day” tariffs from taking effect in five weeks.

    Administration officials have been in active talks with a number of countries since Trump announced a pause on those tariffs on April 9, but to date only the UK deal has come to fruition. Even that agreement, which provided the basis for the carve out from the metals tariffs, is more of a preliminary framework for more talks.

    With just weeks remaining, the Trump team is eager to bring more deals over the line.

    Reuters reported on Monday that the U.S. Trade Representative was asking countries to list their best proposals in a number of key areas, including tariff and quota offers for purchase of U.S. industrial and agricultural products and plans to remedy any non-tariff barriers.

    In turn, the letter promises answers “within days” with an indication of a “landing zone,” including what tariff rates countries can be expected to be saddled with after a 90-day pause on the tariffs expires on July 8. At issue for most trading partners is whether they retain the current baseline rate of 10% on most exports to the U.S. after that date, or something sharply higher in many cases.

    White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed the report on Tuesday, saying: “USTR sent this letter to all of our trading partners just to give them a friendly reminder that the deadline is coming up.”

    Other items requested by the Trump administration include any commitments on digital trade and economic security, along with country-specific commitments, according to the letter.

    Japan, a major U.S. trading partner, has not received such letter, top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular press conference.

    “Regarding U.S. tariff measures, negotiations are underway between Japan and the United States,” Hayashi said. “The government will keep on tackling them, doing our utmost and giving them a top priority.”

    The U.S. embassy in Tokyo did not immediately comment.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Capybara and first place in Russia: NSU graduates became the best in the All-Russian Cybersecurity Championship

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    T-Bank held the annual computer security competition T-Bank Capture the Flag* (T-CTF). Information security specialists, developers, SRE and QA engineers, analysts and other IT specialists could participate. The event was held online and offline in six Russian cities where T-Bank IT hubs are located.

    Three teams from NSU were in the top 20 of the competition. The team “Big Hamster Weekend Point PAS” took 1st place, the team “tralalero tralala” took 3rd place, and the team “CYBERSQD” entered the top twenty.

    The T-CTF competition has been running since 2023 and is based on web security, application and infrastructure security, cryptography, and general intelligence challenges.

    — These are classic “task” (i.e., with tasks, not attack-defense) CTF competitions. Within the framework of such competitions, participants solve various tasks from the world of information security and receive points for them. In particular, they hack programs, websites, codes, do computer forensics and much more, — said Roman Lebedev, a graduate Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) NSU and senior lecturer of the Department of Computer Systems (KafKS) FIT NSU, member of the winning team.

    The Big Hamster Weekend Dot PAS team also included Vladimir Sitnov, a graduate of the NSU FIT and assistant of the KAFKS FIT NSU, Roman Fedoseyev, a graduate Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSUThe team has participated in these offline competitions every year, and this year was no exception.

    — The impressions are excellent, these competitions delight us with the quality and spirit of the tasks year after year. Their authors are the SPbCTF community, which manages to offer tasks that usually have a simple and elegant solution, but at the same time it is difficult to find. In most other competitions there are fewer original ideas, and more monotonous work.

    There was a strict limit on the number of participants for each team – 3 people, the competition was quite serious, nevertheless, the NSU representatives managed to show excellent results.

    “We come to these competitions to spend time, like in the old days, and solve interesting problems. There was no goal to take prize places, it just happens,” Roman Lebedev shared his impressions.

    The team “tralalero tralala”, which took 3rd place, included Ivan Baksheev and Dmitry Makogon, both second-year master’s students at the NSU Institute of Information Technologies, and Dmitry Baryshev, a second-year master’s student at ITMO, St. Petersburg. The team “CYBERSQD”, which entered the top 20, included Alexey Vishnevsky, a first-year student at the NSU Institute of Information Technologies, Danis Ivanchenko and Ivan Dudnik, first-year students at PSUTI and SSAU.

    — We connected online from home, although it was possible to participate offline at the sites provided by the organizer. CTF is traditionally well organized thanks to the SpbCTF team. The tasks were quite complex, but interesting, ideological, and did not require monotonous work.

    In T-CTF, the traditional mascot is a capybara. This year, the capybara theme was presented to the maximum: a separate city of Kapibarovsk was created, and the scenarios of all tasks were dedicated to capybaras. All teams that entered the top 20 were presented with a toy capybara. And cash prizes were provided for 1, 2, 3 places.

    — I would like to note how well Novosibirsk has shown itself this year — the Siberians took 1st and 3rd place in the security league and 3rd place in the development league. Thus, the prize places were shared with Moscow 50 to 50, — Ivan Baksheev shared.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ14: Curbing youth gambling participation

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    ​Following is a question by Dr the Hon Starry Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):
     
    Question:
     
    In April this year, the Government published a consultation paper on the regulatory regime on basketball betting. There are views pointing out that while the regime aims to combat illegal gambling activities, the community is generally concerned about possible intensification of the gambling craze upon regulation of basketball betting, particularly the negative impact on youths. In addition, it has been reported that the average age of participants in basketball betting is younger than the corresponding figures in horse racing and football betting, and statistical data from gambling counselling organizations also indicate a deteriorating trend in the gambling problem among young people. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) as the aforesaid consultation paper has pointed out that the regulation of football betting since 2003 has generally been effective in channelising illegal betting demand to the legal channel, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the changes in betting turnovers of legal and illegal gambling, as well as the number of help-seeking cases from pathological gamblers and the age distribution trend of those help-seekers, since the regulation of football betting; whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the existing betting regulatory regime in reducing youth gambling participation;
     
    (2) of the following information on the assistance provided by the Ping Wo Fund to help youths quit gambling in the past five years: the number of youths assisted, the expenditure on the relevant publicity and education activities and the number of people covered, and the percentage of help-seeking cases from youths involving basketball betting;
     
    (3) whether it will, upon implementation of the regulatory regime on basketball betting, require basketball betting operators to submit data on young bettors on a regular basis; whether it has assessed the adequacy of the existing measures to curb underage betting, including whether it will further restrict advertising targeted at youths;
     
    (4) as there are views in the community that the authorities should consider setting up a dedicated committee to monitor the impact of basketball betting on youths, and strengthening the use of the Ping Wo Fund to take forward anti-gambling education (especially publicity efforts targeting young groups), whether the authorities will study the relevant proposals; and
     
    (5) whether it has studied if implementation of the regulatory regime on basketball betting will result in a lower age range of gamblers; whether it will make use of technology to enhance the monitoring of gambling activities (such as using artificial intelligence to identify abnormal betting patterns), so as to prevent youth gambling addiction?

    Reply:
     
    President,

    As a matter of policy, the Government does not encourage gambling. To address the possible problems brought by gambling, the Government adopts a multi-pronged strategy including law enforcement against illegal gambling activities, public education on the harms of gambling addiction, provision of counselling and support services to people in need and regulation over gambling activities through legislation.
     
    The Government’s consolidated reply to Dr the Hon Starry Lee’s question is as follows:

    Combatting illegal gambling activities
     
    On law enforcement against illegal gambling activities, the existing Gambling Ordinance explicitly stipulates that all unauthorised gambling activities, apart from those situations stated in the ordinance, constitute an offence. The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) has put in place strategies to combat illegal gambling activities, especially those involving triad-related or organised crimes, in four aspects, namely prevention, education, intelligence gathering and law enforcement. The HKPF will continue to closely monitor the illegal gambling trend, take appropriate intelligence-led law enforcement actions and strengthen the promotion against these illegal gambling activities. It is worth noting that according to the Gambling Ordinance, participating in illegal gambling (such as betting with an illegal bookmaker) is also an offence. Upon conviction, an offender is liable to a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine and imprisonment for nine months.
     
    Public education and provision of counselling and support services
     
    The Government attaches great importance to preventing gambling-related problems, particularly among youth. The Government established the Ping Wo Fund (PWF) in 2003 to finance both preventive and remedial measures to address the gambling-related problems. The Ping Wo Fund Advisory Committee (PWFAC) was also established to provide advice to the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs on the use and application of the PWF.
     
    The PWF provides appropriate counselling, treatment and other support services to individuals affected by gambling as well as their family members. The PWF will also launch targeted public education and publicity campaigns to raise public awareness (particularly among young people) on the harms of gambling addiction, thereby mitigating its associated negative consequences.
     
    The PWF has consistently prioritised public education and awareness campaigns to raise public awareness on the harms of gambling addiction, and to increase public knowledge of the services available, enabling those in need to seek help at an early stage. These public education measures include providing financial support for non-governmental organisations and schools to organise public education programmes aimed at preventing and alleviating gambling-related problems, a publicity truck programme and other promotional efforts on traditional media and online platforms.
     
    The PWF’s funding support on public education and other publicity campaigns aimed at preventing and alleviating gambling-related problems has more than doubled over the past five years. Detailed figures are set out in the Annex.
     
    In the past five years, service-seekers aged 18 or below constituted 1-2 per cent of the total number of persons receiving counselling or treatment services from the four counselling and treatment centres funded by the PWF. These data indicate that there has been no substantial change in the prevalence of gambling among young people. Relevant data (including variation in other age groups) are set out in the Annex. Separately, according to the information from The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), the proportion of bettors in the 18-21 age group has consistently remained below 2 per cent in the past five years.
     
    We do not maintain a separate breakdown on individuals receiving counselling and treatment services due to illegal basketball betting.
     
    We will review the work of the PWF from time to time, with particular focus on young people, to enhance measures for preventing and alleviating gambling-related problems. The HKJC has also committed to donate to the PWF over a four-year period starting from 2023/24, with contributions set at $45 million per annum for the first two years and $50 million per annum for the subsequent two years.
     
    Regulations
     
    The Government currently regulates the HKJC’s betting activities through the Betting and Lotteries Commission (BLC). Restricting betting activities to a limited number of authorised and regulated outlets is to address the actual and persistent public demand for certain gambling activities which is being satisfied by illegal means and the issue cannot be tackled by law enforcement alone.
     
    According to the HKJC, the amount of football betting turnover ranged from $92.5 billion to $160.3 billion in the past five years. In addition, since the legalisation of football betting in 2003, it has diverted back to the legal channel over $1,581 billion of turnover, which would have continued to flow into the unregulated and illegal gambling market without the regulation.
     
    Under the existing mechanism, the Government requires the HKJC to submit regular work reports for review by both the Government and BLC. The HKJC is also required to meet with the Government and BLC on a regularly basis to report on its progress and plans, ensuring compliance with all licensing conditions and facilitating the review of current betting-related measures. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau will continue to work closely with BLC to ensure that authorised betting activities are properly regulated.
     
    At present, a number of conditions have been imposed under the licences of horse race betting, football betting and Mark Six Lottery issued to the HKJC to require its adoption of measures to minimise the negative impact of gambling on the public, especially on young people. These conditions include that the HKJC:
     

    1. shall not accept bets from juveniles;
    2. shall not accept credit betting;
    3. shall display notices reminding the public of the seriousness of excessive gambling and provide information on the services available for those with gambling disorder; and
    4. shall not, in conducting any promotional activities, target juveniles, etc.

     
    As stated in the consultation document on the regulatory regime on basketball betting, the above stringent legal and regulatory restraints will continue to be put in place in the proposed basketball betting regime.
     
    We will continue to closely collaborate with the PWFAC and the BLC, observe the prevalence of gambling activities among Hong Kong people, maintain communication with relevant departments, and proactively enhance our efforts to prevent and alleviate problems relating to gambling. As mentioned above, the HKJC has committed to donate to the PWF over a four-year period from 2023/24. If it is decided to implement the proposed regulatory regime for basketball betting, the Government will request the HKJC to further increase the donation to the PWF for stepping up public education programmes, as well as enhancing counselling and support services.     

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic students are winners of the IT championship “Digital Era of Transport”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The student team of the Civil Engineering Institute, led by senior lecturer of the ICI Liliya Talipova, won the IT championship “Digital Era of Transport”. The awarding of the champions took place at the industry forum “Road Construction in Russia: Innovations, Technologies, Quality”.

    The team was presented with diplomas and gift certificates by the head of the Federal Road Agency Roman Novikov and the director of the Digital Era of Transport Association Dmitry Olkhovikov.

    Students are already proposing practical solutions – from optimizing traffic lights to monitoring the laying of asphalt concrete. This is proof that young people are already shaping the future, – noted Roman Novikov.

    The event was held with the support and participation of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services, the Federal Road Agency, the State Duma, the Federal State Institution Rosavtodor, the R.O.S.ASFALT Association, as well as specialized institutions and institutes. The organizer was the Digital Era of Transport Association.

    Teams of students from eight regions of our country took part in the championship. The ISI Vysota team (Artem Yenikeev, Evangelina Morozova, Alexandra Solodova, Anna Ryabova, Igor Tokarev and Yaroslav Sosnovsky) confidently solved the case from FSUE ZashchitaInfo Trans “Configuring traffic lights in a small town”. The Polytechnicians developed a model for optimizing traffic light phases.

    Working on the case solution became an excellent example of integrating mathematical modeling skills, programming and knowledge of the road industry to solve current problems of intelligent transport systems. It was the diversity of competencies in the team that allowed us to win. The championship demonstrated the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to solving modern transport problems, as well as the need to develop practice-oriented interaction between IT and the transport industry, – noted postgraduate student Evangelina Morozova.

    The ISI Vysota team demonstrated their skills in mathematical modeling and programming during the case study. It should be noted that most of the team acquired programming skills while studying in the Digital Departments project programs, Liliya Talipova emphasized.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Social entrepreneurs to gather in Moscow for the forum “More than business”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    On June 27 and 28, the Digital Business Space will host the social entrepreneurship forum “More than Business”. The event, which is being held for the second time, will bring together entrepreneurs, representatives of city and federal departments, large companies, development institutions and non-profit organizations (NPOs).

    The organizers are Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the City of Moscow, Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) And Fund for the support of social projects.

    Over the course of two days, guests of the event will enjoy a rich program: presentations by more than 100 speakers, including international experts, a plenary discussion, a market with socially oriented products, as well as lectures, master classes, design laboratories, case studies and networking.

    “Social entrepreneurship is more than just a business. It is a way to solve important problems of society. That is why our forum with the same name helps future and current entrepreneurs find effective tools, gain knowledge and support. In Moscow, social business is one of the priorities, and a wide range of support measures is available for it: consultations, training, promotion, preferential lending and other measures,” she noted.

    Kristina Kostroma, head of the capital’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development.

    The forum program is divided into five key tracks:

    — “More than growth” — is dedicated to the possibilities of scaling your project and assessing the social impact. The track also provides information on whether scaling is always the only way to develop a social business;

    — “More than trends” — focused on new niches available to social business, as well as tools and mechanisms for accelerated development;

    — “More than partnership” is a track about joint work with big business, international experience, collaborations and regional trends in the development of social entrepreneurship;

    — “More than an idea” — about the creation and implementation of ideas that can help and inspire;

    — “More than a Market” is a track about new technologies and products that are used and created by Russian social entrepreneurs today to solve socially important problems.

    “Social entrepreneurs, along with non-profit organizations, are involved in solving key state tasks today. The result of this work is a fundamentally new quality of life for people with disabilities, as well as the formation of a sustainable idea of inclusion in society. Social entrepreneurs create projects that change the living environment of people: from small creative studios where people with disabilities work, to large-scale production of modern technical rehabilitation equipment. The Agency for Strategic Initiatives is working on the formation of a set of measures that contribute to the development of the sector, and therefore, allow a large number of our citizens to live a full and happy life,” emphasized Svetlana Chupsheva, General Director of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.

    Program of events

    The first day of the forum is devoted to analytics, assessments and forecasts. The main event will take place in the large hall — the plenary discussion “More than business”, where representatives of government bodies, large businesses, as well as active social entrepreneurs will raise issues related to the main directions of development of social entrepreneurship not only in the capital, but also throughout the country.

    Participants will also be able to learn about the experience of developing social entrepreneurship in foreign markets. International experts will share their practices, successful models and innovative approaches to conducting such an important business mission for society.

    On this day, the traditional award ceremony for the winners of the My Good Business award will take place, which is being held as part of the All-Russian competition of projects in the field of social entrepreneurship and socially oriented non-profit organizations.

    Since the competition’s inception in 2015, more than 9.5 thousand projects from 87 regions have competed for the title of the best of the best. This year, there are 12 nominations. 101 participants who have reached the federal stage are vying for victory.

    According to Natalia Kremneva, Director of the Social Projects Support Fund, the Fund creates conditions for scaling up the best Russian initiatives in the field of social entrepreneurship. Thanks to the forum, which united businesses with a social mission, government representatives and support institutions, there is an opportunity to exchange information and experience, which will accelerate the implementation of sustainable solutions in the social sphere and their impact.

    The second day of the forum will feature a discussion on social challenges and a regional block where you can learn about the system of support for social entrepreneurship in the country. Experts will raise the issue of burnout, share secrets of resolving conflict issues and help those who have lost their inspiration.

    The cinema lounge is waiting for those who like to watch rather than listen. There will be training on creating videos on topics important to society, as well as viewing successful stories about social entrepreneurship.

    On both days, you will be able to interact with experts in the field of social entrepreneurship in the framework of an individual mentoring lounge (advance registration required).

    Participants will also be able to see an inclusive fashion show, performances by musical groups, visit an art exhibition and purchase unique goods produced by Russian social enterprises at the fair “More than a Market”. It presents goods from Moscow brands, sold in the “Made in Moscow” program, as well as from other regions.

    Participation in the forum is free. You can register at event website.

    Support for entrepreneurs is provided within the framework of the implementation of the federal projects “Small and medium entrepreneurship and support for individual entrepreneurial initiative” and “Labor productivity”, which are part of the national project “Efficient and competitive economy”.

    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/154794073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ4: Opening bus-only lanes to other public transport modes

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Adrian Ho and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Liu Chun-san, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):

    Question:

         In the reply to a question from a Member of this Council in 2018, the Government undertook to conduct a study and consult stakeholders on the proposal to convert bus-only lanes into “public transport-only lanes” with a view to allowing the shared use by other public transport modes. Meanwhile, according to information from the Transport Department, the number of bus trips along busy corridors in certain districts decreased cumulatively by 6 762 trips between 2014 and 2023. As such, there are views that this is an appropriate time to review the bus-only lane policy. However, the Government has indicated earlier on that it currently has no plans to open bus-only lanes for use by other vehicles. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) whether it has compiled statistics for each year of the past five years on the changes in the number of bus-only lanes in Hong Kong, the average traffic volume and vehicle speed in these lanes during peak hours, as well as how these figures compare with those for other lanes on the same road sections; if so, of the details; if not, how the Government determines the number of bus-only lanes to be added or reduced in the absence of such data;

    (2) of the findings of the Government’s study and consultation on the aforesaid proposal to convert bus-only lanes into “public transport-‍only lanes”, as well as whether there are specific reasons and actual data supporting the current decision of not to open up bus-only lanes; and

    (3) with regard to the reduction in the number of bus trips along certain busy corridors in recent years, whether the authorities have reassessed the need for bus-only lanes on such corridors and studied the opening up of such lanes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

    Reply:

    President,

         Hong Kong citizens mainly commute by public transportation, which accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the total passenger trips each day. Franchised bus is a road-based public transport mode with the highest carrying capacity. The average daily patronage in 2024 exceeded 3.7 million, making up over 30 per cent of the total daily public transport ridership.

         Bus-only lanes (BOLs) (see note) are traffic lanes designated for use only by “franchised bus” or “franchised and non-franchised bus” during the prescribed time. Other vehicles have to make use of other traffic lanes next to the BOLs or alternative routes. Under the policy of giving priority to public transportation, the Transport Department (TD) has implemented BOLs to accord priority to buses with high carrying capacity to use the roads, thereby reducing delays caused by traffic congestion and encouraging the public to use convenient public transportation for travel. 

         Our reply in response to the questions raised by the Hon Adrian Ho is set out below:

    (1) In implementing bus priority measures, the TD will consider the actual road situation and traffic conditions, including the design of roads and junctions, the number of traffic lanes, the number of bus routes and bus service frequencies, the traffic volume of other types of vehicles, availability of alternative routes, the impact on the flow of other vehicles, etc and carefully assess the feasibility of such measures, in order to strike a proper balance and ensure smooth operation of the transport network. In addition, the TD will work out the appropriate effective period of bus priority measures based on the actual road conditions and consult relevant stakeholders and districts to ensure the measures are in the interest of the public.

         As of May 2025, there were 115 BOLs in total across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Over the past five years, the TD added 16 BOLs. According to the TD’s on-site observations as well as feedback from bus companies, BOLs can effectively minimise the impact of traffic congestion on bus services, enhance the stability and efficiency of bus frequencies and facilitate the travel of the public. The TD did not compile statistics on the daily average volume of bus traffic and vehicle speed in respect of each BOL compared with those for other lanes on the same road sections.
     
    (2) The TD has examined the proposal of converting some BOLs into “public transport-only lanes” for the shared use by other modes of public transport such as taxis and public light buses (PLBs). In doing so, we need to consider the pros and cons. While the proposal can benefit passengers of PLBs and taxis, it will at the same time increase the number of vehicles sharing the same road space with buses, making BOLs busier and affecting bus passengers. Taking the BOL of Tuen Mun Road eastbound near Harrow International School Hong Kong to Sham Tseng Interchange as an example, about 510 buses pass through the BOL per hour during peak hours on weekdays carrying about 21 000 passengers, compared with the services of taxis and PLBs carrying about 1 100 passengers per hour during peak hours on weekdays at the same road section. On the premise of maintaining smooth operation of the BOL and balancing the needs of various road users, this section of BOL was not opened up. In light of changes in traffic flow and bus operation of Tuen Mun Road after the implementation of new toll plans at the Tai Lam Tunnel, the TD will review the arrangement of BOL of Tuen Mun Road in a timely manner under the public transport-oriented policy.

         If the opening up of certain BOLs can improve the operational efficiency of other public transport modes, the TD will make better use of these BOLs through various means by taking into account relevant factors. For example, some green minibus (GMB) routes require access to specific BOLs to reach designated pick-up and drop-off points. After considering factors such as service frequencies, boarding/alighting points as well as bus traffic of the relevant BOLs, the TD will issue permits to the routes concerned for using the relevant BOLs. At present, a total of 56 GMB routes have been granted such permits.

    (3) The TD is committed to reducing the number of buses plying on busy roads in Central, Causeway Bay and Yau Tsim Mong districts with a view to reducing roadside air pollution, traffic congestion, etc. As most of the BOLs are not located at these busy roads, there is no direct impact on the overall bus traffic of BOLs.

         The TD has from time to time reviewed and improved BOLs and traffic facilities of the road sections in the vicinity. For example, the TD has reviewed the arrangement of the BOL from 200 Hennessy Road westbound to the section of Hennessy Road near Luard Road. After reviewing the traffic data, actual road situation and other factors as well as consulting relevant stakeholders and the district, the TD adjusted the effective period of the BOL of Hennessy Road westbound between Fleming Road and Luard Road from 7am – 9am to 5pm – 7pm, and shortened the BOL by 65 metres to balance the needs of other vehicles for loading and unloading.

         In summary, the TD will continue to monitor the implementation of BOLs and road traffic, and review and enhance individual road sections in a timely manner. 

         Thank you, President.

    Note: BOLs refer to bus lanes and designated bus gates.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from June 19 to 23

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Transport Department (TD) today (June 4) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on June 19 (Thursday) to noon on June 23 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.
     
         A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 150 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve the Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles, and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”
     
         Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
     
    (1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by “iAM Smart+” equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered “iAM Smart” users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not “iAM Smart” users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
     
    (2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
     
    (3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
     
    (4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
     

    • completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
    • making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

    (5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
     
    (6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
     
         The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved the Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –