Category: DJF

98% of ₹2000 banknotes returned to banks: RBI

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) provided an update on the status of ₹2000 denomination banknotes on Monday, confirming that 98.26% of these notes have been returned to the banking system since their withdrawal from circulation was announced in May 2023.

As per the RBI, the total value of ₹2000 notes in circulation stood at ₹3.56 lakh crore as of May 19, 2023, the date on which their withdrawal was announced. This figure has now come down sharply to ₹6,181 crore by the end of May 31, 2025.

The facility for deposit or exchange of ₹2000 banknotes was initially available at all bank branches across the country until October 7, 2023. Following this, the exchange facility has remained operational at the 19 Issue Offices of the Reserve Bank. Since October 9, 2023, these offices have also been accepting ₹2000 notes for deposit into individual or entity bank accounts.

In addition to the RBI Issue Offices, the public has also been availing the option of sending ₹2000 banknotes via India Post from any post office in the country to designated RBI offices for direct credit into their bank accounts.

Despite the withdrawal from circulation, the RBI has reiterated that the ₹2000 banknotes continue to remain legal tender. The central bank had first announced the withdrawal through a press release dated May 19, 2023, and has been providing periodic updates since then. The latest status was shared through a press release dated May 2, 2025.

The move to withdraw the ₹2000 notes was part of the RBI’s ongoing currency management operations and has now seen the vast majority of these high-denomination notes returned to the formal banking system.

June 3, 2025
Supriya Sule-led delegation to convey India’s stance against terrorism in Egypt

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

An all-party Indian Parliamentary delegation led by NCP MP Supriya Sule reached Cairo on Monday to convey India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and further strengthen bilateral ties with Egypt, the League of Arab States, and other key stakeholders.

During their 3-day visit from June 2 to 4, the delegation will meet senior members of the Egyptian Senate, the House of Representatives, and hold a dialogue with the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA).

They are also scheduled to meet Egypt Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Badr Abdelatty and Secretary General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

According to a statement by the Indian Embassy in Cairo, the delegation will also interact with members of the Indian community and Egyptian opinion makers, including senior editors, scholars, and strategic thinkers. The programme includes floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s bust at El-Horreya Park and a visit to Heliopolis War Memorial.

Apart from Sule, the delegation includes BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Anurag Thakur and V. Muraleedharan, Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma, Telugu Desam Party’s Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Aam Aadmi Party leader Vikramjeet Singh Sawhney, and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin.

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSUJobs Named Best Student Startup at Startup Lynch’25

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

NSUJobs project created by students Faculty of Economics, NSU, took first place at the annual Startup Lynch’25 event, which took place at the end of May. This year, 15 student teams took to the stage to present their startups in three minutes and compete for the main prize and the attention of investors. The winner was chosen based on the reaction of the audience and the jury’s assessments – NSUJobs received 100,000 rubles and recognition as the best project of the event.

NSUJobs is a digital platform that helps NSU students and graduates find internships, part-time jobs, and their first serious job. And this is not just another job aggregator. NSUJobs is aimed specifically at young professionals: those who want to find a job that suits their brains. Lev Lobov, a student at the NSU Faculty of Economics, is behind the project. He launched the first version of the platform in January 2024 — entirely by himself: he thought out the architecture, wrote the code, ran the first campaigns, communicated with users, and supported the site.

— When I created NSUJobs, I was driven not just by an idea, but by a mission: to help every student and graduate realize their potential. Students and graduates are constantly faced with the task of finding a job, part-time jobs, internships. Until now, no service has been able to fully and qualitatively satisfy these requests. Popular platforms are focused on the mass market, mostly line personnel. Students and university graduates, in turn, would like to find a job in their specialty, where they could apply all their intellectual abilities and grow as great specialists, — said Lev.

The NSUJobs team is small. The core of the project is Lev Lobov and Olga Somova (works with employers). Together they are developing the platform and preparing the next step — launching it on the all-Russian market. Several Novosibirsk universities will be connected to the platform starting in September, and the service will be scaled up to other regions of Siberia in the future. Plans call for the Far Eastern and Ural Federal Districts to be covered by the end of the year.

At the moment, the guys have managed to form a base of more than 2,500 active users from NSU and build trusting relationships with more than 100 employers, including 2GIS, Kept, MTS, Sberbank, RENEWAL, Beeline, B1, Sovcombank, SDEK.

— In my opinion, one of our main success factors is our obsession with our users. We constantly collect feedback and improve the experience of interacting with the platform. Our users — students, graduates, employers — are our top priority, — Lev emphasized.

The NSUJobs app offers free job posting, internal chats with candidates, an advanced employer account and the ability to promote the company’s HR brand.

— Our team was incredibly surprised when we were announced as the winners of StartupLynch’25. We are grateful for the recognition and support of our work. This, along with the gratitude of our users, inspires us to work even harder, even better, so that every student and graduate can fully realize their professional potential. We believe that we can build an effective all-Russian platform for the career development of young specialists, — concludes Lev.

Startup Lynch is a project of the NSU Startup Studio, a presentation of technology projects to experts. This is not just a pitch battle, but a full-fledged entry point into entrepreneurship for NSU students.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Easing your evening commute on Mount Smart Road

Source: Auckland Council

Smart changes proposed for Mount Smart Road will mean less time stuck in traffic at the end of a long day.

As Royal Oak continues to grow, so does the need for smarter, more efficient ways to get around. That’s why Auckland Transport (AT) is seeking feedback on a plan to help keep Mount Smart Road moving from Victoria Street to the busy Royal Oak roundabout.

Mount Smart Road connects Penrose with Onehunga and Royal Oak, carrying around 18,000 vehicles daily. In the evening, trips through this area can take more than twice as long as off-peak, with average speeds dropping to as low as 15km/h.

To help ease congestion, a new T3 transit lane heading towards the roundabout, has been proposed. This will operate from 4-7pm on weekdays and be reserved for buses, motorcycles, cyclists, and vehicles with three or more people.

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board chair Maria Meredith said a quick-fix, low-cost solution will enable more efficient traffic movements in the early evenings.

“Mount Smart Road is often gridlocked in the evenings, but widening it isn’t an option without affecting nearby homes. Adding a transit lane is a smart, low-cost way to keep people moving,” she said.

“This initiative targets one of our community’s busiest roads, which currently sees evening travel times more than double compared to off-peak hours. We want to see congestion eased, so people can spend less time in traffic.”

Broken yellow lines will also need to be added at four bus stops along Mount Smart Road to ensure that buses can enter and exit the stops safely.

AT is seeking feedback from the community on this proposal, with a second community drop-in session planned for Oranga Community Centre, 1 – 3pm on Saturday 07 June 2025.

Have your say on the Auckland Transport website by 15 June 2025.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Why do some people need less sleep than others? A gene variation could have something to do with it

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Sansom, Research Associate, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University; Research Associate, Centre for Healthy Ageing, Murdoch University

Maria Korneeva/Getty Images

Have you ever noticed how some people bounce out of bed after just a few hours of sleep, while others can barely function without a solid eight hours?

Take Margaret Thatcher, for example. The former British prime minister was known for sleeping just four hours a night. She worked late, rose early, and seemed to thrive on little sleep.

But for most of us, that kind of sleep schedule would be disastrous. We’d be groggy, unfocused, and reaching for sugary snacks and caffeinated drinks by mid-morning.

So why do some people seem to need less sleep than others? It’s a question that’s fascinated scientists for years. Here’s what we know so far.

Natural short sleepers

There is a small group of people who don’t need much sleep. We call them natural short sleepers. They can function perfectly well on just four to six hours of sleep each night, often for their entire lives.

Generally they don’t feel tired, they don’t nap, and they don’t suffer the usual negative consequences of sleep deprivation. Scientists call this the natural short sleep phenotype – a biological trait that allows people to get all the benefits of sleep in less time.

In 2010 researchers discovered genetic mutations that help explain this phenomenon. Natural short sleepers carry rare variants in certain genes, which seem to make their sleep more efficient.

More recently, a 2025 study assessed a woman in her 70s with one of these rare mutations. Despite sleeping just six hours a night for most of her life, she remained physically healthy, mentally sharp, and led a full, active life. Her body, it seems, was simply wired to need less sleep.

We’re still learning about how common these genetic mutations are and why they occur.

Not everyone who sleeps less is a natural short sleeper

But here’s the catch: most people who think they’re natural short sleepers aren’t. They’re just chronically sleep-deprived. Often, their short sleep is due to long work hours, social commitments, or a belief sleeping less is a sign of strength or productivity.

In today’s hustle culture, it’s common to hear people boast about getting by on only a few hours of sleep. But for the average person, that’s not sustainable.

The effects of short sleep build up over time, creating what’s known as a “sleep debt”. This can lead to poor concentration, mood swings, micro-sleeps (brief lapses into sleep), reduced performance and even long-term health risks. For example, short sleep has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke).

The weekend catch-up dilemma

To make up for lost sleep during the week, many people try to “catch up” on weekends.

This can help repay some of the sleep debt that has accumulated in the short term. Research suggests getting one to two extra hours of sleep on the weekend or taking naps when possible may help reduce the negative effects of short sleep.

However, it’s not a perfect fix. Weekend catch-up sleep and naps may not fully resolve sleep debt. The topic remains one of ongoing scientific debate.

A recent large study suggested weekend catch-up sleep may not offset the cardiovascular risks associated with chronic short sleep.

Catching up on sleep on the weekends may not fully resolve your ‘sleep debt’.
Ground Picture/Shutterstock

What’s more, large swings in sleep timing can disrupt your body’s internal clock, and sleeping in too much on weekends may make it harder to fall asleep on Sunday night, which can mean starting the working week less rested.

Increasing evidence indicates repeated cycles of irregular sleep may have an important influence on general health and the risk of early death, potentially even more so than how long we sleep for.

Ultimately, while moderate catch-up sleep might offer some benefits, it’s no substitute for consistent, high-quality sleep throughout the week. That said, maintaining such regularity can be particularly challenging for people with non-traditional schedules, such as shift workers.

So, was Thatcher a true natural short sleeper?

It’s hard to say. Some reports suggest she napped during the day in the back of a car between meetings. That could mean she was simply sleep-deprived and compensating for an accumulated sleep debt when she could.

Separate to whether someone is a natural short sleeper, there are a range of other reasons people may need more or less sleep than others. Factors such as age and underlying health conditions can significantly influence sleep requirements.

For example, older adults often experience changes in their circadian rhythms and are more likely to suffer from fragmented sleep due to conditions such as arthritis or cardiovascular disease.

Sleep needs vary from person to person, and while a lucky few can thrive on less, most of us need seven to nine hours a night to feel and function our best. If you’re regularly skimping on sleep and relying on weekends to catch up, it might be time to rethink your routine. After all, sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s a biological necessity.

Peter Eastwood has previously received funding from Research Funding Organisations (e.g. NHMRC, MRFF, NHRIF, Raine Study) and has been a consultant for several sleep-related biomedical device companies. He is currently involved in several initiatives with the World Sleep Society, including its Global Sleep Health Taskforce.

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

– ref. Why do some people need less sleep than others? A gene variation could have something to do with it – https://theconversation.com/why-do-some-people-need-less-sleep-than-others-a-gene-variation-could-have-something-to-do-with-it-256342

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 3, 2025
Markets open marginally lower; midcaps, smallcaps outperform

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Indian equity benchmarks opened slightly lower on Tuesday amid ongoing consolidation, with heavyweight stocks like L&T and Bajaj Finance trading in the red.

At 9:24 am, the BSE Sensex was down 152 points, or 0.19 per cent, at 81,221.39, while the NSE Nifty slipped 36.40 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 24,680.40.

Despite the weak opening in frontline indices, broader markets witnessed buying interest. The Nifty Midcap 100 index gained 167.85 points, or 0.29 per cent, to reach 57,943.40, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index was up by 107.85 points, or 0.60 per cent, at 18,202.05.

Sectorally, gains were led by auto, PSU banks, pharma, metal, realty, and media stocks. On the other hand, financial services, FMCG, energy, and private bank sectors saw some pressure.

Among the Sensex constituents, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, Asian Paints, and Zomato emerged as top gainers. Meanwhile, L&T, Bajaj Finance, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and Maruti Suzuki were among the major laggards.

Most Asian markets traded higher, with Tokyo, Shanghai, Jakarta, and Hong Kong contributing to the regional gains.

Analysts noted that the market is currently in a consolidation phase, where indices tend to trade within a defined range. “Buy on dips is the most suitable strategy in the current scenario,” said V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services. “Amid global uncertainty related to geopolitics, tariffs, and trade, markets are likely to remain volatile.”

On the technical front, Nifty is expected to find immediate support at 24,700, followed by 24,600 and 24,500 levels. Resistance is seen near 24,800, with further upside barriers at 24,900 and 25,000.

In terms of institutional activity, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to reduce their exposure for the second straight session on June 2, offloading equities worth ₹2,589 crore. In contrast, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) maintained their buying streak for the tenth day, investing ₹5,313 crore on the same day.

-IANS

June 3, 2025
Harvard seeks end to US funding cuts, says national security, public health research in peril

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Harvard University asked a federal judge on Monday to issue a summary judgment ruling to unfreeze $2.5 billion in funding blocked by President Donald Trump’s administration, which Harvard said was illegal.

Harvard’s filing in the U.S. District Court in Boston said that it had received 957 orders since April 14 to freeze funding for research pertaining to national security threats, cancer and infectious diseases and more since the country’s oldest and wealthiest school rejected a White House list of demands.

Trump has said he is trying to force change at Harvard – and other top-level universities across the U.S. – because in his view they have been captured by leftist “woke” thought and become bastions of antisemitism.

The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs has set arguments for July 21 on Harvard’s motion for summary judgment, which is a request for a judge to decide a dispute without a trial to determine material facts.

Harvard sued the Trump administration in April, alleging the funding freeze violated the school’s right to free speech and was arbitrary and capricious.

In Monday’s court filing, Harvard detailed the terminated grants, including $88 million for research into pediatric HIV, $12 million for increasing Defense Department awareness of emerging biological threats and $8 million to better understand dark energy. The school said ending the funding would destroy ongoing research into cancer treatments, infectious disease and Parkinson’s.

The Trump administration has opened numerous investigations into Harvard. Some are looking at threats against Jewish students and faculty after pro-Palestinian protests broke out following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli military actions in Gaza.

Other investigations are probing whether Harvard discriminates based on sex and gender, along with the school’s ties to foreign governments and international students.

The Trump administration revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students last month, which a judge temporarily blocked after Harvard sued in a separate case.

Harvard and other universities say Trump’s attacks are threats to freedom of speech and freedom of academics, as well as threats to the schools’ very existence.

(Reuters)

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings

Interim report sets out scale of change needed to reform water sector
The interim findings from the Independent Water Commission have been published today (Tuesday 3 June) ahead of its final report this summer.

Sir Jon Cunliffe, Chair of the Commission, has set out five areas where he believes wide-ranging and fundamental change is needed to reset the water sector in England & Wales.

These include clearer direction from government, stronger regulation of water companies, bringing decisions on water systems closer to local communities, and greater focus on responsible, long-term investors.

The Commission’s full conclusions and detailed recommendations will be published later in the summer. This interim report sets out the Commission’s preliminary conclusions and direction of travel; several key decisions will be covered in the final report.

The findings are informed by the Commission’s Call for Evidence, which ran from 27 February – 23 April and received more than 50,000 responses from the public, campaigners, industry, the regulators and many others.

Sir Jon Cunliffe said:

“There is no simple, single change, no matter how radical, that will deliver the fundamental reset that is needed for the water sector.

“We have heard of deep-rooted, systemic and interlocking failures over the years – failure in Government’s strategy and planning for the future, failure in regulation to protect both the billpayer and the environment and failure by some water companies and their owners to act in the public, as well as their private, interest.

“My view is that all of these issues need to be tackled to rebuild public trust and make the system fit for the future. We anticipate that this will require new legislation.”

The five areas are:

1.Strategic Direction & Planning

At a government level, there needs to be clearer, long-term direction on what it wants from the water system. We want clean and healthy waterways and we need to balance the different pressures on water – from the water industry, agriculture, energy, transport and development – and take account of cost. This requires government to set out its priorities and timescales for the system much more clearly than it does at present.

Our water systems – rivers, aquifers and coasts – need much better planning and coordination at a regional level. The Commission is considering options to move from the complex planning process we have now to a regional “systems planning” approach in England, bringing better coordination with local authorities and a stronger voice for local communities. It means bringing decisions on water systems, such as where new infrastructure is built or how pollution from different sources should be tackled, closer to the communities who depend on them.

2.Legislative framework

Water legislation has evolved in a piecemeal fashion over a long period of time – there are currently around 80 pieces of legislation covering the sector. As a result, the legislative framework for water is complex, inconsistent in places and very difficult to navigate.

The Commission sees a strong case for review, rationalisation and consolidation of existing legislation, to simplify the framework, to create greater flexibility for regulators, and to update standards and broaden objectives. This could include new objectives around public health given the growing recreational use of water.

3.Regulatory reform

The Commission believes a fundamental strengthening and rebalancing of Ofwat’s regulation is needed with the introduction of a ‘supervisory’ approach, as found in sectors such as financial services. The current model relies heavily on ‘comparability’ – benchmarking companies against one another to assess efficiency and justify customer bills. A ‘supervisory approach’ means a deeper understanding of circumstances and finances to enable intervention early before issues arise, as well as supporting companies when they are going in the right direction.

On environmental regulation, the Commission is clear that we need to equip a more capable regulator, with the right technology and skills, a stable and consistent approach to funding, and the flexibility to enable innovative solutions that deliver the greatest environmental benefits.

Much of the friction, cost and complexity in the regulatory system comes from the way in which economic and environmental regulators with different remits interact. The Commission is considering options for significant streamlining and alignment of the regulators to address this. It will make its recommendations in its final report.

4.Company Structures, Ownership, Governance and Management

The Commission is looking at the ownership, governance and management of private water companies and whether more needs to be done to support transparency and accountability, which could include stronger duties for management. Further recommendations will follow in the final report.

On ownership, the Commission is clear that the water industry should aim to attract and retain long-term investors seeking low risk, low return investment. This will require restoring investor confidence in the predictability and stability of the regulatory system.

5.Infrastructure & Asset Health

There is not sufficient understanding of the health and resilience of the water industry’s asset base – its pipes, water treatment plants and pumping stations. Assets have not been, and have not been required to be, fully mapped and there is variation between companies in how they assess asset health.

The Commission is considering new infrastructure resilience standards at a national level, as well as requiring companies to assess and report asset health, at set intervals, to regulators. This means companies do not just fix failures when they fail, but responsibly plan for the long-term condition and resilience of these critical assets.

Sir Jon Cunliffe continued:

“I have heard a strong and powerful consensus that the current system is not working for anyone, and that change is needed. I believe that ambitious reforms across these complex and connected set of issues are sorely needed.

“I have been encouraged to see, on all sides of the debate, that people have been prepared to engage constructively with our work; I look forward to that continuing as we enter the final stages.”

The Independent Water Commission was announced by the UK and Welsh governments in October 2024. It is operating independently of UK and Welsh Ministers.

It is supported by an advisory group, with leading voices from areas including the environment, public health and investment.

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Published 3 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 3, 2025
Russia sets out punitive terms at peace talks with Ukraine

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Russia told Ukraine at peace talks on Monday that it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army, according to a memorandum reported by Russian media.

The terms, formally presented at negotiations in Istanbul, highlighted Moscow’s refusal to compromise on its longstanding war goals despite calls by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the “bloodbath” in Ukraine.

Ukraine has repeatedly rejected the Russian conditions as tantamount to surrender.

Delegations from the warring sides met for barely an hour, for only the second such round of negotiations since March 2022. They agreed to exchange more prisoners of war – focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded – and return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan described it as a great meeting and said he hoped to bring together Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a meeting in Turkey with Trump.

But there was no breakthrough on a proposed ceasefire that Ukraine, its European allies and Washington have all urged Russia to accept.

Moscow says it seeks a long-term settlement, not a pause in the war; Kyiv says Putin is not interested in peace. Trump has said the United States is ready to walk away from its mediation efforts unless the two sides demonstrate progress towards a deal.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who headed Kyiv’s delegation, said Kyiv – which has drawn up its own peace roadmap – would review the Russian document, on which he offered no immediate comment.

Ukraine has proposed holding more talks before the end of June, but believes only a meeting between Zelenskiy and Putin can resolve the many issues of contention, Umerov said.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine presented a list of 400 children it says have been abducted to Russia, but that the Russian delegation agreed to work on returning only 10 of them. Russia says the children were moved from war zones to protect them.

RUSSIAN DEMANDS

The Russian memorandum, which was published by the Interfax news agency, said a settlement of the war would require international recognition of Crimea – a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 – and four other regions of Ukraine that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. Ukraine would have to withdraw its forces from all of them.

It restated Moscow’s demands that Ukraine become a neutral country – ruling out membership of NATO – and that it protect the rights of Russian speakers, make Russian an official language and enact a legal ban on glorification of Nazism. Ukraine rejects the Nazi charge as absurd and denies discriminating against Russian speakers.

Russia also formalised its terms for any ceasefire en route to a peace settlement, presenting two options that both appeared to be non-starters for Ukraine.

Option one, according to the text, was for Ukraine to start a full military withdrawal from the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Of those, Russia fully controls the first but holds only about 70% of the rest.

Option two was a package that would require Ukraine to cease military redeployments and accept a halt to foreign provision of military aid, satellite communications and intelligence. Kyiv would also have to lift martial law and hold presidential and parliamentary elections within 100 days.

Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow had also suggested a “specific ceasefire of two to three days in certain sections of the front” so that the bodies of dead soldiers could be collected.

According to a proposed roadmap drawn up by Ukraine, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Kyiv wants no restrictions on its military strength after any peace deal, no international recognition of Russian sovereignty over parts of Ukraine taken by Moscow’s forces, and reparations.

UKRAINE TARGETS RUSSIAN BOMBER FLEET

The conflict has been heating up, with Russia launching its biggest drone attacks of the war and advancing on the battlefield in May at its fastest rate in six months.

On Sunday, Ukraine said it launched 117 drones in an operation codenamed “Spider’s Web” to attack Russian nuclear-capable long-range bomber planes at airfields in Siberia and the far north of the country.

Satellite imagery suggested the attacks had caused substantial damage, although the two sides gave conflicting accounts of the extent of it.

Western military analysts described the strikes, thousands of miles from the front lines, as one of the most audacious Ukrainian operations of the war.

Russia’s strategic bomber fleet forms part of the “triad” of forces – along with missiles launched from the ground or from submarines – that make up the country’s nuclear arsenal, the biggest in the world. Faced with repeated warnings from Putin of Russia’s nuclear might, the U.S. and its allies have been wary throughout the Ukraine conflict of the risk that it could spiral into World War Three.

A current U.S. administration official said Trump and the White House were not notified before the attack. A former administration official said Ukraine, for operational security reasons, regularly does not disclose to Washington its plans for such actions.

A UK government official said the British government also was not told ahead of time.

Zelenskiy said the operation, which involved drones concealed inside wooden sheds, had helped to restore partners’ confidence that Ukraine is able to continue waging the war.

“Ukraine says that we are not going to surrender and are not going to give in to any ultimatums,” he told an online news briefing.

“But we do not want to fight, we do not want to demonstrate our strength – we demonstrate it because the enemy does not want to stop.”

(Reuters)

June 3, 2025
President Murmu hosts Paraguayan President Peña at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday welcomed Santiago Peña Palacios, President of the Republic of Paraguay, at Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of his three-day State visit to India. The ceremonial reception was followed by bilateral discussions and a formal banquet hosted in honour of the visiting dignitary.

During the meeting, President Murmu reaffirmed the cordial and friendly relations between India and Paraguay, underlining the shared values of democracy, human rights, rule of law, freedom of expression, peace, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. “These principles are deeply rooted in our civilizational values and historical experiences,” she said.

President Murmu expressed gratitude to the Government of Paraguay for its strong condemnation of terrorism and for its solidarity following the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. She also appreciated Paraguay’s continued support for India’s stance on key global issues, especially in multilateral platforms like the United Nations.

The President acknowledged the growth in bilateral trade between the two countries but underlined the significant potential to expand trade and commercial ties further.

Pointing to shared developmental challenges as members of the Global South, President Murmu stressed that both countries are pursuing similar approaches to progress—focusing on education, employment, and capacity building to empower their populations economically. She added that India prioritizes using technology as a tool for sustainable development and aims to reduce the digital divide, offering to share its expertise in Digital Public Infrastructure with Paraguay.

Both leaders expressed optimism about deepening bilateral ties and agreed that the visit would pave the way for stronger relations and new areas of cooperation.

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Sun Dong to visit Changchun

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong will today depart for Changchun, Jilin, where he will visit advanced manufacturing enterprises and learn about the sector’s development in the city.

Prof Sun will return to Hong Kong tomorrow evening. During his absence, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Lillian Cheong will be Acting Secretary.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Changes to car thresholds from 1 July
Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

The car limit for 2025–26 is $69,674 This is the highest value you can use to calculate depreciation on a car where:
- you use the car for business purposes, and
- you first use or lease the car in the 2025–26 income year.
As a business owner, you can claim a tax deduction on expenses for motor vehicles you use for business purposes.

If you’re using a motor vehicle for both business and private purposes, you can only claim a deduction for the business part. You must be able to show the percentage you claim as business use and have records to support your claim.

Goods and services tax (GST)

If you’re buying a car and the price is more than the car limit, the most GST credit you can claim (except in certain circumstances) is one-eleventh of the car limit. For 2025–26, the most GST credit you can claim is $6,334 (that is, 1/11 × $69,674).

You need to claim GST credits within the 4-year time limit.

You can’t claim a GST credit for luxury car tax when you buy a luxury car. This is even if you use it for business purposes.

Luxury car tax (LCT)

The LCT threshold for 2025–26 is:
- $91,387 for fuel-efficient vehicles – In line with an increase to the motor vehicle purchase sub-group of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- $80,567 for all other luxury vehicles – In line with an increase in the ‘All Groups’ CPI.
From 1 July, the definition of a fuel-efficient vehicle will also change, affecting vehicles with a fuel consumption rate of 3.5 and 7 litres per 100km. The indexation rates applying to the thresholds for fuel-efficient vehicles and other vehicles will be aligned.

If you’re a dealer buying luxury cars under quote, you need to properly quote to meet your obligations.

For more information, visit Get your LCT right.

MIL OSI News –
June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Death following Somerset crash on 27 May

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Death following Somerset crash on 27 May

Tuesday, 3 June 2025 – 3:00 pm.

Sadly, police can confirm a 78-year-old woman has died following a crash at Somerset on 27 May.
The woman was involved in a two-vehicle crash involving a Toyota Corolla hatch and a Ford F250 truck at the intersection of Wragg and Falmouth Streets.
At the time of the crash, the woman was the driver of the Toyota Corolla, and was subsequently transported to the North West Regional Hospital.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the crash.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Police are continuing to investigate the crash. Anyone with information or dash cam is asked to contact Western Crash Investigation Services on 131 444 and quote reference ESCAD 199-27052025 and OR776030.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania at crimestopperstas.com.au or on 1800 333 000.

MIL OSI News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Issues Statement on Ongoing Tariffs Lawsuit: California Will Keep Fighting on All Fronts

Source: US State of California

Monday, June 2, 2025

Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Bonta today issued a statement after a judge granted California’s request for dismissal to allow it to appeal its case challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs following a hearing last week. The hearing centered around the Trump Administration’s motion asking that the case be transferred to the Court of International Trade — a motion that California opposed. Rather than transferring the case to the Court of International Trade, California asked the judge to dismiss the case for the purpose of seeking appellate review of the question about where this case should be brought. The dismissal today keeps the case in California and allows California to appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which it plans to do immediately.

“Today, our lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s disastrous and illegal tariffs was allowed to remain in California pending our incoming appeal. We strongly believe this case belongs in federal district court and are pleased the court considered our wishes in dismissing this case so we have the opportunity to seek review. Our argument is straightforward: Trump doesn’t have the authority to impose these destructive tariffs — the International Emergency Economic Powers Act simply does not authorize tariffs,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We remain confident in the strength of our case and look forward to continuing to fight for California’s vibrant economy, businesses, workers, and families.”

On April 16, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful use of power to impose tariffs without the consent of Congress. Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom also filed an amicus brief in the Court of International Trade in Oregon v. Trump, a case challenging President Trump’s illegal imposition of tariffs. The tariffs challenged under California’s current lawsuit are projected to cost California consumers $25 billion dollars and result in the loss of over 64,000 jobs. The totality of the Trump Administration’s tariff regime is expected to cost households approximately $40 billion.

A copy of the order can be found here.

# # #

MIL OSI USA News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: What’s YOUR Purpose? #USArmy #Army

Source: US Army (video statements)

About the U.S. Army: The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force. Interested in joining the U.S. Army? Visit:
spr.ly/6001igl5L
Connect with the U.S. Army online: Web:
https://www.army.mil
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
X:
Tweets by USArmy
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
#Soldiers #Military #Shorts #Army

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XFSLE6tDYA

MIL OSI Video –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Investing in Biodiversity and Nature in Asia and the Pacific

Source: Asia Development Bank

This brochure details how ADB is addressing Asia and the Pacific’s biodiversity crisis by enhancing safeguards, scaling up nature financing, and embedding nature-positive approaches across its operations. It highlights how biodiversity and nature loss threaten food security, livelihoods, and resilience in the region.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

June 3, 2025
PM congratulates Gukesh, lauds wrestlers’ golden run

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated world chess champion D Gukesh for his maiden victory over Magnus Carlsen at the Norway Chess 2025 tournament. The win came in Round 6 of the prestigious event, marking a significant moment in the young grandmaster’s career.

Calling it an “exceptional achievement,” the Prime Minister praised Gukesh’s talent and commitment. In a post on X, PM Modi said, “An exceptional achievement by Gukesh! Congratulations to him for triumphing over the very best. His first-ever win against Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 of Norway Chess 2025 showcases his brilliance and dedication. Wishing him continued success in the journey ahead.”

In another message, Prime Minister Modi lauded the Indian wrestling team for their remarkable performance at the 3rd Ranking Series of the Ulaanbaatar Open 2025. Indian wrestlers brought home a total of 21 medals, including six golds, with women athletes delivering their best-ever performance at the event.

Congratulating the team the Prime Minister said on X, “India’s accomplishments in sports continue! Congrats to our wrestlers for their phenomenal performance at the 3rd Ranking Series in the Ulaanbaatar Open 2025, bringing home 21 medals including 6 Golds. Our Nari Shakti has given their best ever performance at the Ranking Series, making this feat even more memorable. This sporting performance will inspire several upcoming athletes.”

June 3, 2025
Kohli closes in on long-awaited IPL title

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Virat Kohli’s trophy cabinet is chock full of awards from his international career but the batsman can end the long wait to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title when his Royal Challengers Bengaluru play Punjab Kings in Tuesday’s final.

The 36-year-old has been with Bengaluru since the inaugural edition of the league in 2008, including nine seasons as captain of a franchise that made the finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 but lost every time.

They have looked a different side altogether under Rajat Patidar this season though, winning all seven away games in the group stage and crushing Punjab in the first qualifier.

Veteran Kohli is their leading scorer in the tournament but while Bengaluru have been criticised in the past for ignoring team balance and packing the side with marquee players they have finally clicked as a team this season.

“It’s a better balanced side, far better balanced side,” former Australia player Tom Moody, who has coached Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, told ESPNcricinfo website.

“It’s not top heavy. There’s opportunities for other players to have an impact in the game, whereas previously, you look at RCB and it was always the top three and then you’re concerned about what follows that.”

Bengaluru were reinforced by Josh Hazlewood’s return from a shoulder injury ahead of the playoff and he had an immediate impact as they dismantled Punjab for 101 on Thursday.

Down but not out, Punjab managed to claw their way into the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium after beating Mumbai Indians in Sunday’s qualifier.

Shreyas Iyer, who captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title last year, has led from the front and is Punjab’s top scorer this season.

He produced a captain’s knock of 78 not out to help Punjab chase down a tricky target set by powerhouse Mumbai in the qualifier.

“I love big occasions,” Iyer said after his match-winning knock.

“I say to myself and my colleagues, the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are, and you’ll get the best results.

“Today I was focusing on my breathing rather than sweating it out.”

Iyer, with the full backing of coach Ricky Ponting, has instilled a fearlessness in Punjab’s approach that has given them hope of winning a first IPL crown.

(Reuters)

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Audrey Fagan Enrichment Grants now open
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Audrey Fagan Enrichment Grants help young people in the ACT achieve their goals.
In brief:
- Applications for Audrey Fagan Enrichment Grants are open until 3 July.
- Young women and gender diverse people aged 12-18 living in ACT are encouraged to apply.
- Eligible recipients can apply for up to $2,000 to achieve their goals.
Young people in Canberra are chasing their dreams thanks to an ACT grant program.

The Audrey Fagan Enrichment Grant Program is open to young women and gender diverse people in the ACT. Applicants must be aged 12-18 and living in the ACT.

Eligible recipients can apply for a grant of up to $2,000 to help them achieve their goals.

This could be funding towards:
- tuition fees
- books
- specialist equipment
- registration, accommodation or travel costs
- raising awareness of issues close to you
- a creative or artistic goal
- a sporting goal.
Previous recipients

Former recipient Tallulah was in year 9 when she received a grant last year.

Tallulah wants to work in astrobiology and used the grant to attend the Australian Space Research Conference.

She said she ‘gained a lot of experience meeting and explaining her project to many people’.

Tallulah’s project involved testing if small neuromorphic cameras (as big as a ring box!) can detect and track meteorites and then charting trajectories to locate the meteorite on the ground. So far, she has proved they can.

‘The benefits of attending the conference were enormous, and it just would not have been possible without the Audrey Fagan grant,’ she said.

^{Recipient Julia (on the left) pictured with her friend.}

Former recipient Julia was 17 when she received her grant.

Julia used the grant to fund travel to Adelaide for an audition with the Adelaide College of the Arts to major in Dance.

The grant enabled Julia to spend extra time in Adelaide, seeing a dance rehearsal and connecting with the artistic director of the dance theatre.

Julia was accepted and offered a highly competitive place in the College’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) program.

‘I’m currently studying a Certificate 4 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait’s Islander dance practices at NAISDA Dance College and plan to complete a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)) within the next few years in Adelaide. This grant has allowed me to make connections and plan for my future, and I am so grateful for it,’ Julia said.

How to apply

First check to see if you meet the eligibility criteria. You can apply if you:
- are a girl, young woman, non-binary or gender diverse young person
- aged between 12 and 18 years
- live in the ACT or go to school in the ACT
- can identify a mentor to help you with your project.
Then simply complete the form online.

Remember to submit your application by 3pm, Thursday 3 July.

You can find more grant opportunities through the funding, grants and support finder.

Read more like this:

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MIL OSI News –
June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Vale Nick Trandos

Source: South Australia Police

The Cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo offer their sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Nick Trandos OAM JP, who has passed away, aged 90.

Nick leaves a legacy of leadership and service to Wanneroo and Joondalup, highlighted by his prominent roles in the development of Hillarys Boat Harbour and the Mitchell Freeway extension to Ocean Reef Road in 1988.

His fundraising and lobbying played a large part in securing two major projects that would transform the district.

Born in Kefalari, Greece in 1934, Nick came to rural Wanneroo in 1949 with his family, where he finished his schooling before working in the family vegetable garden.

He started in local government in 1960 on the Wanneroo Road Board and served 24 years as an elected member in Wanneroo between 1960 – 1966 and again from 1970 to 1988.

The last President of the Shire of Wanneroo and the first Mayor of the City of Wanneroo, Nick represented the Council on the Joondalup Development Corporation, which was established in 1976 to oversee the development of Joondalup City Centre.

Nick was a staunch advocate of the Joondalup City Centre concept and closely involved in Wanneroo Council decisions that would impact the future direction of Joondalup.

Active outside of local government, he founded Olympic Kingsway Sports Club and was twice club President and served as President of the WA Market Gardeners’ Association for 25 years and National President of the Australian Vegetable Growers’ Federation (1983-85).

An Honorary Freeman of both Joondalup and Wanneroo, Nick was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for community service in 1988.

Remembered as a man with great vision and community spirit, Nick’s first and deepest love was always his family. He will be sorely missed.

Vale Nick Trandos. Thank you for all you have done for our region. May you rest in peace.

Linda Aitken, Wanneroo Mayor

Albert Jacob, Joondalup Mayor

MIL OSI News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Reebelo Australia pays penalties for alleged false or misleading statements about consumer guarantee rights
Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

Reebelo Australia, an online marketplace for new and refurbished electronics, has paid $59,400 in penalties after the ACCC issued it with three infringement notices for allegedly making false representations about the effect of consumer guarantee rights in contravention of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

The infringement notices relate to statements made on Reebelo Australia’s website that purported to limit consumers’ ability to access their consumer guarantee rights by putting a 14-day time limit on:
- A consumer’s ability to receive a remedy for faulty or damaged goods,
- A consumer’s ability to receive a remedy for goods received that were not in a condition that matched the description of the purchased product, and
- A consumer’s ability to receive a remedy where they had received a different model of a product than what they had ordered.
“Under the Australian Consumer Law, consumers automatically have basic rights when buying products and services, known as consumer guarantees. These rights cannot be taken away by anything a business says or does,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.

“If a business fails to meet these guarantees, consumers have a right to a remedy if they return products that do not comply with consumer guarantees within a reasonable time, which may be more than 14 days. It is against the law for a business to mislead consumers about their right to a suitable remedy.”

The ACCC alleges that the representations made by Reebelo Australia were false and misleading as under the ACL consumers may be entitled to a remedy regardless of whether 14 days had passed since the product was received.

“Given the products that Reebelo Australia sells are often refurbished high-end electronic products such as laptops or mobile phones, we are concerned that consumers may have faced financial harm from this conduct,” Ms Lowe said.

The ACCC received a number of complaints from consumers who reported difficulties obtaining a remedy from Reebelo Australia for faulty or wrong products.

“The ACCC closely monitors the complaints we receive from consumers, and we will continue to take appropriate action against businesses who do not comply with the Australian Consumer Law.”

”We encourage all businesses, including online marketplace retailers, to review their polices to ensure they are complying with the law,” Ms Lowe said.

Separately, Reebelo Australia has agreed to several commitments as part of an administrative resolution, including amendments to its website, improvements to its online complaints handling processes, and various training and awareness measures to ensure future compliance with the ACL.

Background

Reebelo Australia operates as an online marketplace for new and refurbished products including phones and laptops, home appliances, power tools and health and beauty products. It is located in Sydney, NSW.

Reebelo Australia acts as an intermediary platform where third-party suppliers list products for sale on Reebelo Australia’s website.

Internationally, Reebelo was launched in Singapore in October 2019 with headquarters in California. The parent company is based in Singapore with offices in Australia, the United States, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Note to editors

The ACCC can issue an infringement notice when it has reasonable grounds to believe a person or business has contravened an infringement notice provision of the ACL.

The payment of a penalty specified in an infringement notice is not an admission of a contravention of the ACL. The ACL sets the penalty amount.

MIL OSI News –
June 3, 2025
Djokovic hits French Open ton, Sinner sublime, Bublik stuns Draper

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Three-times champion Novak Djokovic reached a century of wins at the French Open in a straight sets victory against Cameron Norrie on Monday and top seed Jannik Sinner produced another masterclass to also blaze into the quarter-finals.

Men’s fifth seed Jack Draper bowed out though, as did women’s third seed Jessica Pegula who was stunned by world France’s world number 361 Lois Boisson.

Serbian Djokovic, the sixth seed, looked serene in outclassing Britain’s Norrie 6-2 6-3 6-2 to edge closer to a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic became the second man to win 100 matches at the Paris Grand Slam after retired 14-times champion Rafael Nadal (112), to set up a last-eight clash against Alexander Zverev.

“It’s a number which is very good and nice, but a 101st win is even better,” Djokovic, who won the Olympic gold medal last year in Paris to complete his trophy cabinet, told the appreciative crowd in fluent French.

“It’s not finished for me here the tournament and I feel very good and good to make history here. I hope there will be another win here in two days.”

His German opponent in the last eight spent even less time on the court, third seed Zverev punching his ticket when Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor retired midway through the second set with an abdominal injury.

Zverev has reached his seventh French Open quarter-final in the last eight years and is still looking to secure a maiden Grand Slam title.

“From now on I have the toughest draw in the tournament,” Zverev said. “I’m looking forward to the battles ahead, and I’m looking forward to playing the best in the world.”

SUBLIME SINNER

World number one Sinner lit up the night session with a sublime display to beat Andrey Rublev 6-1 6-3 6-4 and stretch his winning streak in Grand Slam play to 18 matches.

Italian Sinner, the U.S. and Australian Open champion, has won all 12 sets he has played this year on Parisian clay and looks in ominous form as he closes on a first French Open title.

While Djokovic, Sinner and Zverev were all smiles, Britain’s dark horse Draper was heading for home after succumbing to a mesmeric display by Kazakh Alexander Bublik, who a few months ago questioned his future having dropped down the pecking order.

The 27-year-old, among the most naturally gifted players on tour who has admitted to lacking the commitment of other top professionals, seized his moment to drop shot his way past young gun Draper to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Bublik, who had never got past the second round in Paris, hit a staggering 37 drop shots in his 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 win.

“Standing here is the best moment of my life, period,” Bublik, in tears, told the crowd.

“I’m standing here like I won the thing. I can’t cry here, let me be in peace, I’m a professional tennis player, I’ve got one more match, I’ve got to get ready.”

Bublik’s victory was the second upset of the day after unheralded Boisson shook up the women’s draw with a shock 3-6 6-4 6-4 win over Pegula.

Wild card Boisson outplayed the American favourite with the aid of a fierce forehand that had the Chatrier crowd on their feet.

As if that was not enough for the home crowd, they also got to see the Champions League soccer trophy minutes later, after Paris St Germain’s victory over Inter Milan on Saturday.

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele carried it onto the court to ear-splitting cheers as his team became the second French outfit to lift the European Cup after Olympique de Marseille in 1993.

Second seed Coco Gauff was in no mood for surprises, however, as she brushed aside Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0 7-5 to stay on course for her first title in Paris.

Gauff, who got to the final in 2022 and semis last year, is the youngest American to reach at least the fourth round at seven straight Grand Slams since Venus Williams from 1997-1999.

The Americans are guaranteed a semi-finalist with Gauff next facing Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who eased past Hailey Baptiste.

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva also booked a last-eight spot by overcoming Australian 17th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-3 7-5 to become the youngest player to reach back-to-back French Open quarter-finals in nearly three decades.

(Reuters)

June 3, 2025
What’s the point in standard chess, Carlsen wonders after table slam

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

A seething Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist into a table after suffering his first defeat by world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a classical game in Stavanger before the Norwegian wondered why he was still playing standard chess.

On Sunday, Carlsen had his opponent on the ropes for much of the match in the Norway Chess 2025 tournament but his composure cracked under the pressure of a ticking clock and he committed a blunder that handed India’s Gukesh a decisive advantage.

Carlsen slammed his fist on the table after the defeat before exchanging a quick handshake with Gukesh, apologising for his outburst and storming off.

Norway Chess 2025 marks Carlsen’s first appearance in a standard tournament since the Chess Olympiad last September as the 34-year-old has been turning his focus onto Freestyle Chess, having relinquished his world title citing a lack of motivation.

In Chess960/Freestyle chess, the starting position of the pieces on the back rank are reshuffled, meaning computer-backed preparations leading to sometimes dull openings are meaningless.

“Losses are painful no matter what but at least if you can lose doing something you really enjoy it’s easier,” Carlsen said on Monday after a quick draw with world number two Hikaru Nakamura.

“(In Freestyle chess) I don’t have situations like yesterday where I’m just wondering why am I doing this, what’s the point?

“I will do my best in the last three games (here) and then we’ll see I suppose.”

Carlsen’s outburst left Gukesh shell-shocked on Sunday, although the world champion said he also sometimes loses his temper over the board.

“I mean, (the win was) not the way I wanted it to be, but okay, I’ll take it,” Gukesh told Chess.com.

“… I’ve also banged a lot of tables in my career.”

(Reuters)

June 3, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Censorship into art: why Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s subversive stories are getting the world’s attention

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Habib Moghimi, Academic, University of Sydney

Iranian director Jafar Panahi has spent his career turning barriers into creative inspiration.

Working under travel bans, house arrests and periodic detention, he had made powerful films that show everyday life in Iran through quiet moments, daily struggles, and small talk on streets under surveillance. He shows people who are restricted by repressive rules, yet who hold onto hope – albeit fragile.

Although Panahi is banned from making films in Iran, he has managed to make a new film “underground” almost every two years. He recently stood triumphant as he received the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his thriller It Was Just an Accident (2025).

The 2025 Sydney Film Festival’s retrospective Jafar Panahi: Cinema in Rebellion provides a valuable opportunity to look deeper into Panahi’s work, and understand how he makes impossible cinema possible through his unique position.

A slice of life under censorship

Panahi is one of Iran’s most important filmmakers – both because of the international recognition he has received, and because of the symbolic power he has gained through his fight for freedom of speech.

His form of storytelling is rooted in the tradition of Iranian “social films”: dramas and melodramas focusing on everyday, ordinary life.

He blends this tradition with the style and aesthetics of late director Abbas Kiarostami (who he worked with for some years), using elements such as long sequences, vehicles as a recurring motif, and self-reflexive approaches to storytelling.

Panahi’s films not only focus on daily life, but treat cinema as part of that life. In other words, the filmmaking process becomes part of the narrative.

He sometimes places himself within his films. In No Bears (2022), he plays a version of himself to explore the complexities of trying to tell a story while battling surveillance, the threat of exposure, and extreme cultural dogma.

Panahi’s films feature characters rarely seen other works. For instance, in the short film Hidden (2020), the protagonist is a young woman who must perform out of sight due to restrictions on female voices in public.

Similarly, in 3 Faces (2018), a girl from a small village sends a video to a famous actress, begging for help to study acting because her family won’t allow her.

And Offside (2006) follows a group of girls who try to enter a football stadium by dressing up as boys to watch a World Cup qualifying match – highlighting Iran’s historical ban on women attending men’s football matches.

Cinema as reality

Panahi’s films try and look behind the curtains to construct a filmic representation of daily life in Iran. In doing so, they often blur the line between fiction and reality.

In The Mirror (1997), a young actress suddenly stops acting and refuses to follow the script. Although this moment is not actually unscripted, it challenges the viewer’s sense of what is real and what is performed. The film turns into a kind of documentary as the cameras follows the girl on her journey home.

His work also investigates how external forces can shape one’s internal world. In Closed Curtain (2013), a man hides his dog inside a dark house as dogs are viewed as “impure” by the public authorities.

Halfway through the film, Panahi himself appears – again in the form of a filmmaker facing bans. While the film remains fictional, Panahi’s presence turns the narrative into a reflection on cinema and lived experience.

We also see this approach in his subversive documentary This Is Not a Film (2011). Forced into house arrest, and facing a 20 year ban on filmmaking, Panahi films himself inside his apartment while exploring what it means to be banned from filmmaking – and whether filmmaking is possible without a crew or script.

The tragedy in small hurts

Panahi’s films are full of small moments that build into bigger truths – part of the heritage of Iranian social cinema.

In The Circle (2000), different women move through Tehran facing rules that limit their freedom. At the end, the film loops back to its start, showing how their problems don’t end, but simply repeat.

In Crimson Gold (2003), co-written with Abbas Kiarostami, a deliveryman is repeatedly humiliated throughout his daily life because of his social status. The film begins by showing the man attempting to rob a jeweller, before taking his own life – then moves backward to show how he built-up enough despair to commit the act.

The real shock isn’t the act itself, but everything that led to it.

Vehicles as a safe space

Vehicles are everywhere in Panahi’s work: mobile spaces reside on the boundary between public and private life.

In Taxi (2015), Panahi plays a cab driver whose taxi becomes a small stage for passengers to share their stories and opinions.

In No Bears (2022), although Panahi is largely confined to a rural village setting, cars and motorbikes function as transitional spaces between different zones of privacy and publicity.

Nothing onscreen is unintentional

Panahis’s work resists simplistic ideas of the oppressed and the oppressor. These are not just stories about a heroic artist against an authoritarian state. They prompt us to ask: who really benefits from this binary? And what deeper political and cultural dynamics are at play?

And he does this by using the restrictions imposed on him – and even his silence – as narrative tools. Censorship becomes part of the creative process. Not an obstacle, but a resource.

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

– ref. Censorship into art: why Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s subversive stories are getting the world’s attention – https://theconversation.com/censorship-into-art-why-iranian-director-jafar-panahis-subversive-stories-are-getting-the-worlds-attention-255221

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 3, 2025
South Koreans vote for president in hope of restoring stability after martial law crisis

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

South Koreans were voting for a new president on Tuesday to cap six months of turmoil triggered by a shock martial law briefly imposed by former leader Yoon Suk Yeol that marred the country’s reputation as a vibrant, if at times chaotic, democracy.

The new leader will face the challenge of rallying a society deeply scarred by the attempt at military rule and an export-heavy economy reeling from unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally.

Turnout is expected to be high with polls open between 6 a.m. (2100 GMT Monday) until 8 p.m. following early voting when more than a third of the 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots.

As of 11 a.m., 8.1 million people, or just over 18% of the electorate, had voted at 14,295 polling stations around the country, according to the National Election Commission.

Leading candidates ended three weeks of official campaigning late on Monday, crisscrossing the country before converging on Seoul for final rallies, as they vowed to put months of turmoil behind them and breathe new life into an ailing economy.

Both liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung and his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo have pledged change for the country, saying a political system and economic model set up during its rise as a budding democracy and industrial power are no longer fit for purpose.

Their proposals for investment in innovation and technology often overlap, but Lee advocates more equity and help for mid-to-low-income families while Kim has campaigned on giving businesses more freedom from regulations and labour strife.

Overshadowing any social policy initiatives, however, is Yoon’s botched attempt to impose martial law that has loomed large over the poll.

Lee has called the election “judgment day” against Kim and his People Power Party accusing them of having condoned the martial law attempt by not fighting harder to thwart it and even trying to save Yoon’s presidency.

Kim was Yoon’s labour minister when the former president declared martial law on December 3.

The conservative Kim, on the other hand, has branded Lee a “dictator” and his Democratic Party a “monster,” warning if the former human rights lawyer becomes president, nothing will stop them from working together to amend laws simply because they do not like them.

‘POLARISED’

The frontrunner Kim and his rival Lee cast their ballots during early voting last week. Yoon and his wife voted at a school near their private residence on Tuesday, appearing relaxed but ignoring questions as they left the polling station.

Regular voters in Seoul urged the next leader to ease discord and restore stability and address urgent challenges from the fallout of the crisis that have touched their families personally.

“The economy has gotten so much worse since December 3, not just for me but I hear that from everybody,” Kim Kwang-ma, 81, said. “And we as a people have become so polarised… and I wish we could come together so that Korea can develop again.”

Lee is favoured to win, according to polls released a week before the vote, leading Kim by 14 percentage points with 49% public support in a Gallup Korea survey, although Kim had narrowed an even wider gap at the start of the campaign on May 12.

Exit polls conducted by three television networks will be released at the close of the polls at 8 p.m. Ballots will be sorted and counted by machine first, then triple-checked by election officials by hand to verify accuracy.

It was not clear when the result would emerge. In 2022, Lee conceded to Yoon at around 3 a.m. the day after the vote in the closest presidential race in the country’s history, which was decided by a margin of less than 1 percentage point.

The National Election Commission is scheduled to certify the result on Wednesday and the winner’s inauguration is expected within hours. There will be no presidential transition as the office has remained vacant since Yoon was impeached by parliament and then removed by the Constitutional Court on April 4.

(Reuters)

June 3, 2025

MIL-OSI Banking: Money Market Operations as on June 02, 2025

Source: Reserve Bank of India


(Amount in ₹ crore, Rate in Per cent)

	Volume (One Leg)	Weighted Average Rate	Range
A. Overnight Segment (I+II+III+IV)	5,92,508.67	5.67	0.01-6.75
I. Call Money	13,896.23	5.79	4.85-5.85
II. Triparty Repo	4,00,348.25	5.66	5.35-5.73
III. Market Repo	1,76,824.99	5.67	0.01-6.75
IV. Repo in Corporate Bond	1,439.20	5.88	6.85-6.75
B. Term Segment
I. Notice Money**	230.90	5.72	5.50-5.80
II. Term Money^@@	535.00	–	6.15-6.15
III. Triparty Repo	2,950.00	5.76	5.75-5.80
IV. Market Repo	600.00	6.04	6.04-6.04
V. Repo in Corporate Bond	0.00	–	–

	Auction Date	Tenor (Days)	Maturity Date	Amount	Current Rate / Cut off Rate
C. Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) & Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)
I. Today’s Operations
1. Fixed Rate
2. Variable Rate^&
(I) Main Operation
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
(II) Fine Tuning Operations
(a) Repo	Mon, 02/06/2025	1	Tue, 03/06/2025	5,150.00	6.01
(b) Reverse Repo
(III) Long Term Operations^{^}
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
3. MSF^#	Mon, 02/06/2025	1	Tue, 03/06/2025	1,109.00	6.25
4. SDF^Δ#	Mon, 02/06/2025	1	Tue, 03/06/2025	2,92,229.00	5.75
5. Net liquidity injected from today’s operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*				-2,85,970.00
II. Outstanding Operations
1. Fixed Rate
2. Variable Rate^&
(I) Main Operation
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
(II) Fine Tuning Operations
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
(III) Long Term Operations^{^}
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
3. MSF^#
4. SDF^Δ#
D. Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) Availed from RBI^$				8,594.62
E. Net liquidity injected from outstanding operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*				8,594.62
F. Net liquidity injected (outstanding including today’s operations) [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*				-2,77,375.38
G. Cash Reserves Position of Scheduled Commercial Banks
(i) Cash balances with RBI as on		June 02, 2025		9,54,329.81
(ii) Average daily cash reserve requirement for the fortnight ending		June 13, 2025		9,41,551.00
H. Government of India Surplus Cash Balance Reckoned for Auction as on^¥		June 02, 2025		5,150.00
I. Net durable liquidity [surplus (+)/deficit (-)] as on		May 16, 2025		3,48,763.00
^@ Based on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) / Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL).
– Not Applicable / No Transaction.
** Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 2 to 14 days tenor.
^@@ Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 15 days to one year tenor.
^$ Includes refinance facilities extended by RBI.
^& As per the Press Release No. 2019-2020/1900 dated February 06, 2020.
^Δ As per the Press Release No. 2022-2023/41 dated April 08, 2022.
* Net liquidity is calculated as Repo+MSF+SLF-Reverse Repo-SDF.
^¥ As per the Press Release No. 2014-2015/1971 dated March 19, 2015.
^# As per the Press Release No. 2023-2024/1548 dated December 27, 2023.
^{^} As per the Press Release No. 2025-2026/91 dated April 11, 2025.
Ajit Prasad Deputy General Manager (Communications)
Press Release: 2025-2026/460

MIL OSI Global Banks –

June 3, 2025

MIL-OSI China: Beijing conference commemorates U.S. journalist whose 1937 book introduced Chinese communists to the West

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

Beijing conference commemorates U.S. journalist whose 1937 book introduced Chinese communists to the West

A commemorative conference on the 120th anniversary of U.S. journalist Edgar Snow’s birth was held on Friday at Peking University in Beijing.

The commemorative conference on the 120th anniversary of Edgar Snow’s Birth and the academic symposium on establishing a more effective international communication system is held in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

Snow was born in 1905 to an ordinary farming family in Missouri. In 1936, at a time when China was embroiled in internal conflict and faced external aggression, Snow made his way to the remote headquarters of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, where he conducted extensive interviews with top Party leaders, including late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Snow’s firsthand reporting culminated in “Red Star Over China,” which was published a year later and provided not only the West but also China with a rare and authentic account of the Red Army, its leadership and its steadfast commitment to improving the lives of the Chinese people.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Snow visited the country three times and was warmly received by its top leaders. He remained concerned about China following his visits, firmly supported the just cause of the Chinese people, and actively promoted friendly relations between China and the United States.

Speaking at the conference’s opening ceremony, Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, said that Snow was a sincere friend of the Chinese people, an envoy for China-U.S. relations, and a revered journalist.

“Through his cross-border, cross-cultural journalistic practice, Snow provided the world on both sides of the Pacific with an accurate, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of China,” Fu said.

“The values contained in Snow’s work — honesty, curiosity, courage in the face of political pressure — are ones that must be reaffirmed, renewed, even amplified to truly honor his memory,” said Samuel Colin Maclean, a relative of Snow and a representative of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University.

“Snow believed communication — unsentimental, unfiltered — was the only way to bridge the gap between the two countries and to prevent unnecessary conflict,” Maclean noted.

As this year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Sun Hua, director of Peking University’s China Center for Edgar Snow Studies (CCESS), noted that “Red Star Over China” played a crucial role in introducing the CPC’s idea of forming a united front against Japanese aggression.

Sun explained that as a result of Snow’s work, U.S. groups, including military observers, traveled to northern Shaanxi to support China’s anti-fascist efforts. “The book not only helped unite the Chinese people but also played a significant role in rallying international support, including support from the United States and Britain.”

“Let us carry forward Snow’s spirit, bridging not only geographical distance but also divides in ideologies and worldviews, while promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning between nations and regions,” Fu said.

Co-organized by Peking University and the Xinhua Institute, the event was attended by Snow’s relatives and close friends, as well as seasoned journalists and specialists on Edgar Snow studies and international communication.

During the event, guests explored how China can focus on building a more effective international communication system, centering on topics such as “Presenting the real China to the World” and “Talent development & the legacy of Edgar Snow’s spirit.”

MIL OSI China News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 600-year-old dragon kiln keeps tradition alive in China’s pottery capital

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

In the heart of China’s pottery capital Yixing in the eastern province of Jiangsu, the ancient ritual of firing the 600-year-old Qianshu Dragon Kiln persists, a testament to enduring craftsmanship despite modern alternatives.

This photo taken on May 22, 2025 shows teapots at a workshop in Yixing, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/He Leijing)

For more than 40 hours, workers meticulously fed firewood into the kiln, driving temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius. The climax comes with the opening of the kiln, revealing thousands of ceramic pieces like “blind boxes,” a major local event.

Nestled amidst the rustic village houses of Dingshu Township in Yixing, the Qianshu Dragon Kiln is unmistakable — a long, black-tiled roof structure snaking up a slope, sheltering an earthen core built from rammed yellow soil.

Dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this kiln holds a unique status as the only one in Jiangsu still firing ceramics using traditional wood-burning methods. Measuring 43.4 meters long with a distinct north-south orientation, it comprises a head, a body and a tail, capable of holding roughly 8,000 ceramic pieces per firing.

At precisely 9:58 a.m. on the Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on Saturday, the centuries-old Qianshu Dragon Kiln unveiled its latest treasures amid thunderous drums and undulating dragon dances. Over a thousand spectators gathered as a kiln master meticulously inspected each fireproof sagger container, his experienced hands assessing the integrity of every ceramic piece emerging from the dragon’s belly.

Kiln firing remains the key to good ceramics. In southern China, the most popular kiln type is the dragon kiln, named for its dragon-like shape as it slopes along hillsides. Dating back thousands of years, the distinctive and efficient dragon kilns have played an indispensable role in China’s ceramic history.

The dragon kiln was instrumental in forging Yixing’s reputation as the nation’s “pottery capital.” Recognized for its historical significance, the Qianshu Dragon Kiln was listed as a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level in 2006.

“Originally, the dragon kilns fired daily necessities. Now, they primarily fire purple clay products, which is an invaluable cultural treasure here,” said Wu Xiaoyang, a local kiln master with over 50 years of experience.

According to Wu, the purple clay from Huanglong Mountain in Dingshu is truly unique in China. Also known as “five-colored earth,” the surface layer of this clay appears reddish, while deeper layers take on a purplish hue. Remarkably, even the same clay can exhibit different colors when fired at the same temperature.

Also in 2006, Yixing’s purple clay pottery-making techniques gained national intangible cultural heritage status. Evidence of this deep-rooted craft is visible throughout the area, with numerous family workshops advertising their ceramics and purple clay teapots.

The Qianshu Dragon Kiln now stands as the last of its kind, mostly producing miscellaneous wares like tea caddies and other decorative or functional objects, with limited teapot firings, according to Yin Qiuxia, a local artisan who runs a family workshop. She’s been making purple clay teapots for 16 years.

“Traditional dragon kilns symbolize Yixing’s ceramic artistry,” said Fan Weiqun, a national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor. A fourth-generation purple clay artisan, Fan works from a studio adjoining the Dasheng Art Museum — which showcases his family’s legacy. “Dasheng” was the pseudonym of Fan Guangshan (1847-1902), a master potter whose teapots became so coveted that “a thousand taels of gold couldn’t buy one.” His son Fan Qinren (1875-1941) inherited the name, elevating its prestige with award-winning works exhibited across Europe and North America.

“While kiln technology has evolved, dragon kiln firing preserves traditional techniques and aesthetics. This ceremonial aspect helps the younger generation understand intangible heritage,” Fan said. Honored as a master of arts and crafts in Jiangsu, the craftsman has also trained his daughter into a skilled purple clay potter.

Contrasting sharply with the ancient kiln, most family workshops in Yixing now utilize electric kilns, where calibrated heat ensures uniform finishes without ash imperfections, Yin noted. Estimates suggest these modern kilns significantly reduce emissions compared with traditional wood firing — cutting annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 40,000 tonnes, sulfur dioxide by 131 tonnes, and nitrogen oxides by 114 tonnes.

“For everyday ceramic work, electric kilns offer better temperature control, stability and higher efficiency, which is particularly suitable for young learners like us,” said Fan Qianwen, Fan Weiqun’s daughter. From childhood, she apprenticed at her father’s clay workbench, absorbing the artistry of Yixing’s purple clay pottery tradition through years of immersion in this renowned ceramic family.

“The dragon kiln primarily serves to preserve traditional techniques, representing our cultural inheritance. For the youth, it’s also a psychological cultural landmark, signifying our roots,” she said.

Despite the dominance of electric kilns, the ancient Qianshu Dragon Kiln is fired during special traditional Chinese festivals, accompanied by public opening ceremonies. These events have attracted crowds of local residents and tourists, with online livestreams garnering millions of views in recent years.

When Fan Qianwen first turned to short videos and livestreaming in 2019, her father resisted. “He saw it as a break from our craft’s heritage,” she recalled. But the effort paid off. Sales figures that once took a decade of toil to achieve can now be reached in a mere two to three years — all by plugging Yixing’s time-honored purple clay teapots into the digital age.

The “ancient craft meets algorithm” formula has proven successful for local artisans. Dingshu has established China’s first dedicated purple clay industry livestreaming base on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. The hub now hosts over 8,000 businesses and employs 55,000 workers, with sales of purple clay products surging over the past two years, underscoring the sector’s rapid digital transformation.

Yin began livestreaming her purple clay teapot-making process three years ago. In her studio, cameras now capture what was once a trade secret: the rhythmic kneading, sculpting and polishing of purple clay.

“This is our way to authentically showcase traditional craftsmanship to collectors and enthusiasts,” she said. “Ultimately, it’s about preserving the purple clay culture.”

MIL OSI China News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Artist and location named for Barbara Rae bronze sculpture

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

The City of Greater Bendigo is delighted to unveil the artist and location for a new public statue to honour pioneering cricketer Barbara Rae, the top scorer at Australia’s first women’s cricket match held during the Bendigo Easter Fair in 1874.

The permanent statue will take pride of place at the entrance to Queen Elizabeth Oval (QEO), a fitting tribute as Greater Bendigo’s premier sports stadium for cricket and football, and part of the Rosalind Park Precinct where the birthplace of women’s cricket occurred.

Lis Johnson, a central Victorian artist and one of Australia’s most respected figurative sculptors, has been commissioned to create the permanent sculpture to celebrate the trailblazing cricketer.

The artist has an impressive portfolio of crafting lifelike bronze figures. Her sculptures include the iconic Rod Laver statue at Rod Laver Arena, works at the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Avenue of Legends at the MCG. She is also known for celebrating the contributions of women and First Nations people through public art.

The inaugural women’s cricket match between the Blues and the Reds at the Bendigo Easter Fair in 1874 raised funds for the Bendigo Hospital and Benevolent Asylum. It marked a bold step forward for women in sport.

Primary school teacher Barbara Rae, who was 19, was pivotal in organising the inaugural match, recruiting players and enlisting coaches for training sessions at the local cricket grounds. Barbara captained the winning team and was top scorer.

The sculpture is expected to be installed later this year following the City’s successful submission to the Victorian Women’s Public Art Program. It was developed to support the recognition of women’s contributions through public art. Barbara Rae’s was the first of six funded public artworks announced earlier this year to address the under-representation of women and their achievements in public life.

Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said she was thrilled that Barbara Rae’s legacy was being celebrated in this way.

“Barbara Rae was a trailblazer who defied the social norms of her time. This sculpture not only honours her courage and leadership but also sends a powerful message to women, girls and anyone who doesn’t fit the stereotypical mould—that cricket, and sport more broadly, is for everyone,” Cr Metcalf said.

“Barbara’s public art will be only the second public statue in Australia commemorating a female cricketer. The QEO is the perfect location—our premier cricket and footy venue and part of the very precinct where Barbara made history.

“This sculpture will ensure her legacy continues to inspire future generations.

“The artwork is expected to be unveiled later this year marking a significant moment in both local history and the broader recognition of women in sport.”

Lis Johnson said the commission was very special.

“I’m especially happy in recent times to see the gender and diversity imbalance being addressed in commemorative public artworks, and to contribute to that,” Lis Johnson said.

“I want to capture Barbara Rae’s youthful confidence and determination and to faithfully sculpt her many-layered intricate period outfit. The bronze sculpture will portray her poise and determination in a moment of free-spirited celebration.

“I hope when people observe the Barbara Rae sculpture, they will see a renewed invitation to play, as if Barbara is saying ‘come on ladies, we can do this, ignore those ignorant critics, follow me – let’s play cricket!’.

“I look forward to seeing Barbara’s sculpture proudly displayed in front of the QEO, inspiring curiosity and discussion for many years to come.”

Having created a maquette of the sculpture, Ms Johnson has used historical imagery to recreate the period cricket attire alongside leading costume designer Larry Edwards and is currently sculpting the full-sized piece in clay.

Once the mould is created, a cast will be made in museum grade silicon bronze, lasting up to 1000+ years.

The bronze statue will weigh 140kg and reach a height of 1900mm, set on a plinth sympathetic to the surrounding garden beds outside the QEO entrance gates. The statue will be unveiled in late 2025.

MIL OSI News –

June 3, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Miss Huaxia Universe pageant launches 2025 competition

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

The Miss Huaxia Universe pageant launched its 2025 competition on May 28, with founder Zhou Xiangji telling China.org.cn the event aims to showcase Chinese culture through women who celebrate the country’s traditions.

Zhou Xiangji, founder of the Miss Huaxia Universe pageant, poses for a photo at a launch event in Beijing, May 28, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Miss Huaxia Universe Organizing Committee]

The event combines beauty competitions with cultural performances and business opportunities to promote Chinese culture internationally, according to Zhou.

“When Chinese women display the elegance and depth of their heritage on the international stage, it becomes the most compelling global story of Chinese civilization,” Zhou said.

Zhou founded the pageant in 2016, holding its first edition in Malaysia before expanding to more than 30 cities worldwide, including New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Paris, Beijing, Chengdu and Macao.

He said he established the competition to create an independent Chinese cultural pageant brand.

“We created this event to share China’s stories effectively with the world,” Zhou said. “What distinguishes it from other international pageants is that this is China’s indigenous cultural pageant, an event with distinctive traditional Chinese cultural characteristics.”

Peking Opera-style dancer Ren Xiangshan and previous Miss Huaxia Universe regional champions Zhang Yue and Zhang Tianze perform during the launch event in Beijing, May 28, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Miss Huaxia Universe Organizing Committee]

Wednesday’s launch of the 2025 competition announced collaboration agreements with representatives from Hebei province and southwestern China, which will serve as competition zones. This inclusion highlights significant local cultures from Hebei and Sichuan provinces for cultural showcases.

Cao Bin, chairman of the Hebei competition zone organizing committee, announced plans for selection rounds in multiple cities across the province. Winners will take part in cultural programs that include training sessions, traditional costume shows, heritage workshops and classes on Yan Zhao cultural traditions — the historic heritage of ancient kingdoms that once ruled this region — before representing Hebei internationally.

The pageant will launch a Global Cultural Ambassadors program to train contestants in promoting cultural exchange through academic research and community service that bridges historical traditions with modern global perspectives.

Zhou said the competition holds annual regional events with open auditions. Finals include two elimination rounds: first selecting 50 from 100 contestants, then choosing 12 finalists for the championship night. Contestants apply through the official app, and finals are broadcast online every December.

“The competition welcomes outstanding women worldwide regardless of nationality, open to all who admire Chinese culture,” Zhou added.

Organizers and guests of the 2025 Miss Huaxia Universe pose for a group photo at the launch event in Beijing, May 28, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Miss Huaxia Universe Organizing Committee]

At the launch event, Malaysian Chinese pop singer Mindy Quah, serving as the pageant’s global promotion ambassador, emphasized the competition’s mission to promote cultural confidence through beauty.

“The radiance of Chinese women stems not merely from appearance, but from their profound cultural legacy — this is precisely the Chinese narrative the world should embrace,” Quah said.

Lin Ran, film producer and China secretary-general of Miss Huaxia Universe, emphasized the competition’s cultural significance.

“When pageantry fully integrates intangible heritage, Chinese classics and etiquette, traditional aesthetics gain contemporary relevance to transcend cultural boundaries,” Lin said.

Yang Hongsen, CEO of Motuo Digital Technology and China CEO of Miss Huaxia Universe, outlined the commercial strategy. “We will implement a culture plus industry model to elevate traditional Chinese beauty into a globally recognized cultural IP,” he said.

MIL OSI China News –

June 3, 2025

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