Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The award ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian Engineering Competition (VIC) was held in Moscow. Among the winners was a second-year master’s student at the Higher School of Physics and Materials Technology of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of SPbPU, Tatyana Kudryavtseva, who took part in the competition with the support of the SPbPU Youth Policy Department.
VIC is a platform for students and postgraduates to present their final theses to the professional community. Tatyana presented her work “A New Method of Recycling Rolling Scale for Metallurgical Enterprises”, completed under the supervision of Associate Professor of the Higher School of Physics and Metallurgy Sergey Kotov. The project is dedicated to the development of an economical and environmentally friendly method for processing metallurgical waste and has already received high praise from industry experts.
Participation in the competition and events of the VIK-fest is an opportunity not only to present your project, but also to be inspired by the experience of industry leaders and establish useful contacts. I thank the organizers and my scientific supervisor for their support, – shared Tatyana.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The International Tourism Forum “Travel!” has ended at VDNKh, bringing together participants from more than 85 regions of Russia and dozens of other countries. Among them are representatives of leading domestic and foreign companies, as well as experts in the hospitality industry.
The capital presented its event schedule and recreational opportunities. Visitors were able to get acquainted with the program of major festivals, listen to lectures, participate in master classes and see the sights using augmented reality technology. This was reported by Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.
“At the forum, Moscow concluded the 100th interregional agreement in the field of tourism. It was signed with colleagues from the Tyumen region. Today, we cooperate with almost all Russian regions,” noted Natalia Sergunina.
Among Moscow’s partners are already 84 subjects of the Russian Federation. These include, in particular, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Altai and Kamchatka Territories, the Kaliningrad and Novosibirsk Regions.
Interregional cooperation involves the creation of joint products to attract tourists from our country and friendly states. Partnership projects are united by the concept of “Moscow”. Within the framework of such trips, it is proposed to visit the capital together with other regions.
The options include: “Two Cities – a Million Impressions” (Moscow and St. Petersburg), “Moscow Moscow Region. Two Rhythms of an Ideal Journey”, “Moscow Vladimir Region. Journey to a Russian Fairytale”, “Moscow Murmansk Region. Journey to a Russian Miracle”, “Three Capitals: from Dawn to Dusk” (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod).
The capital is implementing several partnership projects with some regions at once. Thus, in 2024, an agreement was signed with the Moscow, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Kostroma and Yaroslavl regions on cooperation in developing the national tourist route “Golden Ring”.
The Travel! Forum was held from June 10 to 15. It was organized by the Roscongress Foundation jointly with the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Representatives from 20 countries gathered at the XIX International Media Forum of Young Journalists “Dialogue of Cultures”, which was held in Moscow in May. Bloggers, journalists, directors, producers, cameramen and correspondents visited the sites of the Moscow film cluster. They noted the support measures introduced by the Moscow Government for foreign filmmakers to attract them to the capital, including a rebate system – compensation for part of the costs of filming.
The guests visited the main sites of the Moskino cinema park, including the Center of Moscow, Cowboy Town, Chroma Key, TU-154 Airplane, Berlin Streets, Moscow Cathedral Square and Prince Andrey’s Chambers, Far Eastern City, Moscow of the 1940s, Remote Village, and County Town, and assessed its scale and capabilities.
“The most important feature of the cinema park is the large number of sites for creating projects on a variety of topics. Here you can shoot science fiction films using natural chroma key, and historical films, filming on the sites of “Cathedral Square”, “Streets of Berlin” and “Moscow of the 1940s”. Each set is made with authenticity and close attention to detail. This is a large-scale project that has no equal in Europe. Relations between Russia and India are strengthening and developing every year, so I hope that our partnership will bring interesting joint projects,” said director Arun Chadha from India.
The international delegation also visited the oldest and largest film production company, the Gorky Film Studio, which is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year. By the end of 2025, its area will increase to 100 thousand square meters.
“Moscow is a city where you can and should shoot films, there is everything for this. I really liked the sites of the Moscow film cluster, which I managed to visit, there are very few like it in other capitals of the world, I would even say, only a few. A unique project has been created in Moscow. We need to make films about this,” Serbian documentary filmmaker Milan Jankovic noted the uniqueness of the Moscow infrastructure for filming.
He was supported by Turkish director Muhammet Beyazdag.
“I am impressed by the meeting with Moskino and the capabilities of the Russian capital for creating film projects. The Moscow film cluster allows film industry professionals from all over the world to shoot films of any complexity, to implement any ideas. The city’s film sites amaze with their scale and uniqueness. I want to tell Turkish filmmakers about this,” Beyazdag Muhammet emphasized.
In early May, directors also visited the Moscow film cluster facilities Oliver Stone And Emir Kusturica, who plans to shoot his films in the Moskino cinema park.
The Russian capital has provided support measures for foreign filmmakers. Since April 1, a grant has been in effect for the production of international films in Moscow. Film crews consisting of Moscow and foreign film companies can apply for it. Industry representatives will be able to reimburse up to 30 percent of film production costs. The maximum payment for one project will be 50 million rubles. The new support measure will expand the capabilities of the Moscow film cluster and make the city even more attractive to international market players.
The Moskino cinema park is part of Sergei Sobyanin’s “Moscow – City of Cinema” project and an object of the Moscow cinema cluster, which is being developed by the capital Department of Culture. The first stage of creation has already been completed here: 24 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities have been built, including the sets “Center of Moscow”, “Moscow of the 1940s”, “Vitebsk Station”, “Cathedral Square of Moscow”, “County Town”, “Cowboy Town”, “St. Petersburg Bar” and others. On weekends and holidays, the cinema park hosts staged filming, concerts, music and film festivals, performances, meetings with filmmakers and professional master classes.
The Moscow Film Cluster is an infrastructure facility, services and facilities for filmmakers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government within the framework of the Moscow — City of Cinema project. Its structure includes the Moskino film park, the Gorky Film Studio (sites on Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdaisky Proyezd), the Moskino film factory, the Moskino cinema chain, the film commission and the Moskino film platform.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Now, at Moscow’s eco-points, residents of the capital can hand in used items for recycling car tires. Their diameter should not exceed 24 inches. Such tires are then used to make rubber crumb, which serves as a covering for sports grounds. This was reported by Yulia Urozhaeva, head of the capital’s Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection.
“Moscow has already installed 14 special collection points for used car tires. We strive to make separate waste collection as accessible and convenient as possible for every resident of the capital. Expanding the network of eco-points and the emergence of new categories of recyclable materials is an important step that, with the active participation of Muscovites, helps us return a large volume of waste for reuse, and therefore reduce the burden on the environment,” noted Yulia Urozhaeva.
Project “Ecopoints of Moscow”, implemented by the capital Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection since autumn 2024, continues to develop. Today it has more than 250 textile collection points. It is planned to increase the number of eco-points and expand the list of accepted waste. For example, it will be possible to hand in batteries, electronic devices and books.
The main goal of the “Ecopoints of Moscow” project is to minimize the amount of waste and create convenient conditions for residents to separate its collection and disposal. A special map withcollection points helps to quickly find the nearest point and find out what types of waste it accepts at a specific point. Thus, from January 2 to March 3 of this year, website There were points accepting New Year trees for recycling. City residents handed in 48 thousand of them as part of the “Christmas Tree Cycle” campaign. This is 20 percent more than last year.
In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Muscovites donated about 220 tons of used clothing and textiles. Almost half of the collected recyclable materials (106 tons) were sent for recycling to produce goods, a quarter (58 tons) to charity, and 8.5 percent to burial and disposal.
Thanks to the important and necessary project “Ecopoints of Moscow”, more and more residents make a personal contribution to the preservation of nature, make the city cleaner and take care of the environment on a daily basis.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Muscovites held more than 22 thousand general meetings of owners (GMO) on the platform “Electronic House”With their help, they choose a management company, make decisions about closing the garbage chute and major repairs, installing surveillance cameras and other important issues.
Since March “Electronic House” became one of two information systems where citizens can hold general meetings of owners online. The platform’s experts help them organize such meetings. They provide detailed advice on the preparation and holding of general meetings of owners, their agenda, and other issues.
How to consult with specialists
Apartment owners can get advice by calling 7 499 652-62-11 and stating their address. Platform operators will tell you about current meetings in the building, explain how to register in the system, take part in electronic voting and express a position on important issues. In addition, if necessary, specialists will explain how to initiate a new general meeting of owners.
At the request of owners, Electronic House experts also hold face-to-face meetings and online consultations (the event lasts from one to three hours, depending on the number of people present). Residents are shown the platform’s functionality in detail, told about the organization of general meetings of owners and additional opportunities. The time and format of the meetings are chosen taking into account the wishes and capabilities of the residents of a particular house. Such consultations help to attract even more neighbors to participate in the voting.
Support at every stage
The platform’s specialists provide special support to initiators and administrators of meetings. These can be owners of premises in an apartment building.
To hold a general meeting of owners on the Electronic House platform, you need to enter the address in a special section, confirm your ownership and submit an application. On the Electronic House website, you need to go to the section “Owner surveys and meetings”, click the button “New survey / General meeting of owners of premises in an apartment building”. Users of the mobile application will find the section “Surveys and meetings of owners” in the “More” block. It remains to specify the address and select the type of survey – “General meeting of owners of premises in an apartment building”.
If the initiator encounters any difficulties at the application stage, he/she can contact the platform experts. They will give recommendations on how to change the questions in the form or what question to add so that the decisions made at the meeting are legitimate.
The application for holding a general meeting of owners will be reviewed within five working days. If it is not approved, the initiator will have the opportunity to consult with experts, adjust the application and re-submit. Next, it is necessary to inform the neighbors about the upcoming electronic voting 10 working days before it starts, so that everyone has time to familiarize themselves with the agenda.
After the application is approved and on the day of the general meeting of owners, all owners whose phones are in the state information systems will receive a notification of the meeting via SMS and e-mail, and users of the Electronic House will additionally see a message in the news feed and receive a push notification. informing residents mos.ru reported earlier.
If any of the neighbors are not ready to vote online, the meeting administrator prints out the ballots and distributes them among the residents. The completed document form will be automatically generated in the administrator’s personal account (in the “Polls and meetings of owners” section, in the “My OSS” tab). Upon request, the “Electronic House” employees will help organize a joint door-to-door visit to explain the agenda and hand out ballots to neighbors. For all questions related to organizing such visits, please call: 7 499 652-62-11.
For the convenience of Muscovites, the platform also has special page, where you can learn about the advantages of conducting electronic voting in the system. There are also examples of the ballot and protocol, recommendations and step-by-step instructions that will help when organizing a meeting. Useful information is also available in “Knowledge Base” project.
“Electronic House” — a comprehensive multifunctional platform for managing an apartment building online. On the platform, you can quickly resolve issues with the management organization, conduct surveys of residents, communicate with neighbors in common and personal chats, transmit meter readings and pay utility bills. The platform began operating in November 2020. The project is being developed by the State Institution “New Management Technologies” together with Department of Information Technology of the City of Moscow.
The creation, development and operation of the e-government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant, as well as other services in electronic form, corresponds to the objectives of the national project“Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State” and the regional project of the city of Moscow “Digital Public Administration”.
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“This helps ensure the stable operation of the entire Moscow energy system, which includes 145 thousand kilometers of power transmission lines, 188 power supply centers and 23 thousand distribution and transformer substations,” the Moscow Mayor wrote.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin
According to him, energy consumption in the metropolis is constantly decreasing.
In 2025, special attention will be paid to increasing the efficiency and safety of the energy system, as well as creating additional power reserves. Large-scale work is being carried out for this purpose.
In particular, four combined heat and power plants are being modernized: TPP-21, TPP-22, TPP-23 and TPP-25. The work will extend the service life of the equipment and reduce specific fuel consumption. In addition, specialists will reconstruct two historical substations – “Central” and “Raushskaya”, as well as the substation “Lebedevo” in TiNAO.
At the moment, the reconstruction of the Golyanovo substation has been completed andreplacement of cable lines under the Moscow River, laid 70 years ago.
By the end of the year, they plan to renew more than 350 kilometers of cable lines and lay over 80 kilometers of backup lines for distribution and transformer substations.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Specialists from the city’s municipal services complex have planted more than 700 large trees on the embankments of the Yauza River that were landscaped last year. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Housing and Public Utilities and Improvement Petr Biryukov.
“Greening is a mandatory component of all capital improvement projects. Maples, apple trees, oaks and elms from two to six meters high were planted on the embankments of the Yauza River. All trees are adapted to the difficult conditions of the metropolis and the visual appearance of the street space,” noted Petr Biryukov.
Planting trees is one of the most important areas of creating a comfortable urban environment. Green spaces clean the air, protect from street noise and road dust, create shade and coolness on hot days. Thanks to this, any territory becomes more comfortable and cozy. Specialists plant adult trees, previously grown in nurseries, where they were prepared for transplantation.
The head of the city economy complex explained that trees are planted in pre-prepared holes with fertile soil and a drainage layer. It protects the roots from rotting and provides the necessary ventilation.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
This year, specialists from the Traffic Management Center (TMC) installed and updated traffic lights at 61 addresses. When choosing a location for installation, they took into account the accident rate at the site, the traffic intensity, the number of lanes on the road, as well as the proximity to social institutions and the wishes of city residents. The work was carried out in almost all districts of the capital.
“Since January 2025, the Traffic Management Center has updated traffic lights at 40 addresses – they have replaced the equipment, installed additional sections and sound signals. New traffic lights have been installed at 21 locations: near places where residents gather and busy intersections, as well as in places where road accidents are concentrated. We continue
improve conditions for all road users on the instructions of Sergei Sobyanin,” said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry Maxim Liksutov.
New traffic lights were also installed in areas with heavy traffic, such as multi-lane highways with a large number of public transport routes. Particular attention was paid to roads near schools, kindergartens, clinics and social institutions, such as government service centres and post offices.
During the modernization, traffic lights were equipped with buttons for pedestrians or additional sections indicating, for example, a turn. At the same time, the settings for the traffic light mode were adjusted more than one thousand times. This allowed pedestrians to spend less time waiting for a green light, and drivers to pass intersections and highways faster. The traffic light mode is reconfigured at the request of city residents, when the traffic pattern changes, and also for faster passage of public transport and cars through the most congested areas.
Before making a decision on installing a traffic light, the employees of the Traffic Management Center analyze the traffic situation and develop a project. After its approval, preparations begin for placing the equipment on the selected section.
In particular, this year the work was carried out in the Chertanovo Yuzhnoye district at the address: Kirovogradskaya Street, Building 42, Building 1. Schools No. 504 and 1545, as well as a sports complex, are located nearby. A regulated pedestrian crossing was organized there, which made it possible to increase the safety of all road users.
The pedestrian crossing in the Mitino district at 39 Dubravnaya Street has also become regulated. Traffic lights have been installed here to improve safety for residents and reduce accidents. There are many social facilities nearby, including a post office, School No. 1747 named after Hero of the Soviet Union D. M. Rumyantsev, School No. 1900, and City Polyclinic No. 180.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
In the Vnukovo area, housing will be built under the integrated territorial development project (ITD) to implement the renovation program. The corresponding draft resolution posted on the mos.ru portal, said the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Urban Development Policy Vladislav Ovchinsky.
“In the village of Kokoshkino in the Vnukovo district of the Novomoskovsk administrative district, three inefficiently used sites will be redeveloped, which are part of one KRT project. Their total area is 1.76 hectares. It is planned to build modern residential complexes there as part of the renovation program. The first, non-residential floors will house shops, cafes, and premises for municipal institutions. Thus, more than 190 jobs will be created,” said Vladislav Ovchinsky.
In total, almost 48 thousand square meters of residential real estate will be built here. The area of apartments in new buildings will be approximately 26.8 thousand square meters. It is expected that about a thousand Muscovites will move there under the renovation program. The territory will be landscaped and greened, and children’s and sports grounds will be equipped in the courtyards.
The plots are located near the Kokoshkino station of the fourth Moscow Central Diameter. The developed street and road network, as well as the availability of various infrastructure, will allow easy integration of new houses into the urban environment. Nearby there is a school, a clinic, two kindergartens, shops and other facilities that will be used by new residents.
According to the program of integrated development of territories, multifunctional city blocks are being created, where roads, comfortable housing and all necessary infrastructure are being designed on the site of former industrial zones and inefficiently used areas. Currently, 302 KRT projects with a total area of about 4.2 thousand hectares are at various stages of development and implementation in Moscow. This work is being carried out on behalf of Mayor of Moscow.
The renovation program was approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses. Earlier, Sergei Sobyanin ordered to increase the pace of implementation of the renovation program in twice.
Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction volumes. High rates of housing construction correspond to the goals and initiatives of the national project “Infrastructure for life”.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Active Citizen Project, capital departments sports And cultures, as well as Russian champion Yaroslava Bondarenko, winner of the Russian Cup in cycling (BMX), have prepared a special event for Muscovites voting on sports leisure in the capital.
Take a ride with the wind and benefit your health
The athlete has created five walking bike routes for active citizens. Muscovites will have to choose the best one. The route in the modern 850th Anniversary of Moscow Park runs along the river. When cyclists ride from one district to another, picturesque views open up before them. You can also ride along the bank in Fili Park with a view of the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain. The bike route along the Smolenskaya, Luzhnetskaya and Frunzenskaya embankments passes by Vorobyovy Gory, Neskuchny Garden, Novodevichy Convent and other attractions.
Meshchersky Park, located far from the bustle of the city, is ideal for a quiet ride. The bike route through Izmailovsky Park runs along a cascade of ponds. There are no climbs uphill, so the road is suitable for beginner cyclists.
Not just cycling
In addition to voting, Muscovites are invited to take part in a quiz dedicated to the active life of the city. Eight questions have been prepared for them, and they will have to choose the correct answer from five options.
Quiz participants will learn what training is carried out on roofs as part of the project “My Sports District” and the championship of what yard game is held on the project sites “Summer in Moscow”. In addition, residents of the capital will remember what some sports terms mean and where they can complete the GTO standards. You can follow the opening of the quiz on page project “Summer in Moscow” on the website and in the “Active Citizen” application.
For each correct answer, five points are awarded to the city loyalty program “A Million Prizes”. Accumulated points can be used to receive goods and services from organizations that are partners of the program, tickets for an excursion or a museum, promotional codes for discounts in cafes and stores. Points can also be donated to charity.
Project “Summer in Moscow”— the main event of the season. It brings together the most vibrant events of the capital. Every day, charity, cultural and sports events are held in all districts of the city, most of which are free. The Summer in Moscow project is being held for the second time, and this season will be more eventful: new, original and colorful festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones.
Project “Active Citizen” has been operating since 2014. During this time, more than seven million people have joined it, and over seven thousand votes have been held. Every month, 30 to 40 decisions made by Muscovites are implemented in the city. The project is being developed by the capital Department of Information Technology together with the State Institution “New Management Technologies”.
The creation, development and operation of the e-government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant services, as well as other services in electronic form, correspond to the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State”and the regional project of the city of Moscow “Digital Public Administration”.
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Municipality Finance Plc Stock exchange release 17 June 2025 at 10:00 am (EEST)
Municipality Finance issues EUR 10 million zero coupon notes under its MTN programme
Municipality Finance Plc issues EUR 10 million zero coupon notes on 18 June 2025. The maturity date of the notes is 18 June 2065. MuniFin has a right, but no obligation, to redeem the notes early on 18 June 2035.
The notes are issued under MuniFin’s EUR 50 billion programme for the issuance of debt instruments. The offering circular and the final terms of the notes are available in English on the company’s website at https://www.kuntarahoitus.fi/en/for-investors.
MuniFin has applied for the notes to be admitted to trading on the Helsinki Stock Exchange maintained by Nasdaq Helsinki. The public trading is expected to commence on 18 June 2025.
Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE acts as the dealer for the issue of the notes.
MUNICIPALITY FINANCE PLC
Further information:
Joakim Holmström Executive Vice President, Capital Markets and Sustainability tel. +358 50 444 3638
MuniFin (Municipality Finance Plc) is one of Finland’s largest credit institutions. The owners of the company include Finnish municipalities, the public sector pension fund Keva and the State of Finland. The Group’s balance sheet is over EUR 53 billion.
MuniFin builds a better and more sustainable future with its customers. MuniFin’s customers include municipalities, joint municipal authorities, wellbeing services counties, corporate entities under their control, and non-profit organisations nominated by the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA). Lending is used for environmentally and socially responsible investment targets such as public transportation, sustainable buildings, hospitals and healthcare centres, schools and day care centres, and homes for people with special needs.
MuniFin’s customers are domestic but the company operates in a completely global business environment. The company is an active Finnish bond issuer in international capital markets and the first Finnish green and social bond issuer. The funding is exclusively guaranteed by the Municipal Guarantee Board.
The information contained herein is not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into any such country or jurisdiction or otherwise in such circumstances in which the release, publication or distribution would be unlawful. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, any securities or other financial instruments in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
This communication does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or under the applicable securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests.
The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of economic, security, and diplomatic priorities with PNG, taking full advantage of its position as the biggest, most strategically placed island player in the Pacific.
An examination of the key outcomes reveals a partnership of mutual benefit, reflecting both PNG’s strategic diversification and France’s own long-term ambitions as a Pacific power.
A primary driver is the shared economic rationale. From Port Moresby’s perspective, the partnership offers a clear path to economic diversification and resilience.
But many in PNG have been watching with keen interest and asking: how badly does PNG want this?
While Prime Minister James Marape offered France a Special Economic Zone in Port Moresby (SEZ) for French businesses, he also named the lookout at Port Moresby’s Variarata National Park after President Emmanuel Macron drawing the ire of many in the country.
The proposal to establish a SEZ specifically for French industries is a notable attempt to attract capital from beyond PNG’s traditional partners.
Strategically coupled This is strategically coupled with securing the future of the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project.
Macron’s personal undertaking to work with TotalEnergies to keep the project on schedule provides crucial stability for one of PNG’s most significant economic ventures.
For France, these arrangements secure a major energy investment for its national corporate champion and establish a stronger economic foothold in a strategically vital region between Asia and the Pacific.
In the area of security, the relationship addresses tangible needs for both nations.
PNG is faced with the immense challenge of monitoring a 2.4 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, making it vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The finalisation of a Shiprider Agreement with France provides a practical force-multiplier, leveraging French naval assets to enhance PNG’s maritime surveillance capabilities. This move, along with planned defence talks on air and maritime cooperation, allows PNG to diversify its security architecture.
For France, a resident power with Pacific territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia, participating in regional security operations reinforces its role and commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Elevating diplomatic influence The partnership is also a vehicle for elevating diplomatic influence.
Port Moresby has noted the significance of engaging with a partner that holds permanent membership on the UN Security Council and seats at the G7 and G20.
This alignment provides PNG with a powerful channel to global decision-making forums. The reciprocal move to establish a PNG embassy in Paris further cements the relationship on a mature footing.
The diplomatic synergy is perhaps best illustrated by France’s full endorsement of PNG’s bid to host a future UN Ocean Conference. This support provides PNG with a major opportunity to lead on the world stage, while allowing France to demonstrate its credentials as a key partner to the Pacific Islands.
This deepening PNG-France partnership does not exist in a vacuum.
The West’s view of China’s rapid emergence as a dominant economic and military force in the region has reshaped the strategic landscape, prompting traditional powers to re-engage with renewed urgency.
increased diplomatic footprint The United States has responded by significantly increasing its diplomatic and security footprint, a move marked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement.
Similarly, Australia, PNG’s traditional security partner, is working to reinforce its long-standing influence through initiatives like the multi-million-dollar deal to establish a PNG team in its National Rugby League (NRL), a soft-power exercise reportedly linked to security outcomes.
This competitive environment has, in turn, created greater agency for Pacific nations, allowing them to diversify their partnerships beyond old allies and providing a fertile ground for European powers like France to assert their own strategic interests.
A strong foundation for the relationship is a shared public stance on environmental stewardship. The agreement on the need for rigorous scientific studies before any deep-sea mining occurs aligns PNG’s national policy with a position of environmental caution.
This common ground extends to broader climate action, where France’s commitment to conservation in the Pacific resonates with PNG’s status as a frontline nation vulnerable to climate change.
This alignment on values provides a durable and politically important basis for cooperation, allowing both nations to jointly advocate for climate justice and ocean protection.
For the Papua New Guinea economy, this deepening partnership with France is critically important as it provides high-level stability for the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project and creates a direct pathway for new investment through a proposed SEZ for French businesses.
Vital economic resource Furthermore, by moving to finalise a Shiprider Agreement to combat illegal fishing, the government is actively protecting a vital economic resource.
For Marape’s credibility in local politics, these outcomes are tangible successes he can present to the nation as he battles a massive credibility dip in recent years.
Securing a personal undertaking from the leader of a G7 nation, gaining support for PNG to host a future UN Ocean Conference, and enhancing national security demonstrates effective leadership on the world stage.
This allows him to build a narrative of a competent statesman who, through “warm, personal relationships”, can deliver on promises of economic opportunity and national security while strengthening his political standing at home.
The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests.
The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of economic, security, and diplomatic priorities with PNG, taking full advantage of its position as the biggest, most strategically placed island player in the Pacific.
An examination of the key outcomes reveals a partnership of mutual benefit, reflecting both PNG’s strategic diversification and France’s own long-term ambitions as a Pacific power.
A primary driver is the shared economic rationale. From Port Moresby’s perspective, the partnership offers a clear path to economic diversification and resilience.
But many in PNG have been watching with keen interest and asking: how badly does PNG want this?
While Prime Minister James Marape offered France a Special Economic Zone in Port Moresby (SEZ) for French businesses, he also named the lookout at Port Moresby’s Variarata National Park after President Emmanuel Macron drawing the ire of many in the country.
The proposal to establish a SEZ specifically for French industries is a notable attempt to attract capital from beyond PNG’s traditional partners.
Strategically coupled This is strategically coupled with securing the future of the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project.
Macron’s personal undertaking to work with TotalEnergies to keep the project on schedule provides crucial stability for one of PNG’s most significant economic ventures.
For France, these arrangements secure a major energy investment for its national corporate champion and establish a stronger economic foothold in a strategically vital region between Asia and the Pacific.
In the area of security, the relationship addresses tangible needs for both nations.
PNG is faced with the immense challenge of monitoring a 2.4 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, making it vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The finalisation of a Shiprider Agreement with France provides a practical force-multiplier, leveraging French naval assets to enhance PNG’s maritime surveillance capabilities. This move, along with planned defence talks on air and maritime cooperation, allows PNG to diversify its security architecture.
For France, a resident power with Pacific territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia, participating in regional security operations reinforces its role and commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Elevating diplomatic influence The partnership is also a vehicle for elevating diplomatic influence.
Port Moresby has noted the significance of engaging with a partner that holds permanent membership on the UN Security Council and seats at the G7 and G20.
This alignment provides PNG with a powerful channel to global decision-making forums. The reciprocal move to establish a PNG embassy in Paris further cements the relationship on a mature footing.
The diplomatic synergy is perhaps best illustrated by France’s full endorsement of PNG’s bid to host a future UN Ocean Conference. This support provides PNG with a major opportunity to lead on the world stage, while allowing France to demonstrate its credentials as a key partner to the Pacific Islands.
This deepening PNG-France partnership does not exist in a vacuum.
The West’s view of China’s rapid emergence as a dominant economic and military force in the region has reshaped the strategic landscape, prompting traditional powers to re-engage with renewed urgency.
increased diplomatic footprint The United States has responded by significantly increasing its diplomatic and security footprint, a move marked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement.
Similarly, Australia, PNG’s traditional security partner, is working to reinforce its long-standing influence through initiatives like the multi-million-dollar deal to establish a PNG team in its National Rugby League (NRL), a soft-power exercise reportedly linked to security outcomes.
This competitive environment has, in turn, created greater agency for Pacific nations, allowing them to diversify their partnerships beyond old allies and providing a fertile ground for European powers like France to assert their own strategic interests.
A strong foundation for the relationship is a shared public stance on environmental stewardship. The agreement on the need for rigorous scientific studies before any deep-sea mining occurs aligns PNG’s national policy with a position of environmental caution.
This common ground extends to broader climate action, where France’s commitment to conservation in the Pacific resonates with PNG’s status as a frontline nation vulnerable to climate change.
This alignment on values provides a durable and politically important basis for cooperation, allowing both nations to jointly advocate for climate justice and ocean protection.
For the Papua New Guinea economy, this deepening partnership with France is critically important as it provides high-level stability for the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project and creates a direct pathway for new investment through a proposed SEZ for French businesses.
Vital economic resource Furthermore, by moving to finalise a Shiprider Agreement to combat illegal fishing, the government is actively protecting a vital economic resource.
For Marape’s credibility in local politics, these outcomes are tangible successes he can present to the nation as he battles a massive credibility dip in recent years.
Securing a personal undertaking from the leader of a G7 nation, gaining support for PNG to host a future UN Ocean Conference, and enhancing national security demonstrates effective leadership on the world stage.
This allows him to build a narrative of a competent statesman who, through “warm, personal relationships”, can deliver on promises of economic opportunity and national security while strengthening his political standing at home.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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Benin wants to grow its exports, especially by small businesses working in food and technology. The African country believes this is the best way to lift its economy from the ranks of least developed countries.
A key milestone in that effort is the creation of a new Pôle Export, a platform that will make it easier for entrepreneurs to enter international markets.
Pôle Export is the centrepiece of a project at the Interantional Trade Centre (ITC), which is working with both the government and with small businesses to boost the country’s exports.
The government has created new Directorate for Export Promotion, known by its French acronym DPE. It sits within the Import and Export Promotion Agency (APIEx), but it’s more than an organizational change. It’s a new way of thinking about exports, with a targeted approach that focuses on agribusiness and digital trade.
Since February, the Pôle Export is has its own director to coordinate its activities. A team of government trade exports has been assigned to support him, along with eight Beninese consultants recruited by ITC to build up their skills.
Three advisors are focussed on priority export areas, including agribusinesses and textiles and clothing. Three others have already worked with 21 small business on their branding and e-commerce operations. Two more will provide DPE staff with training in market analysis tools.
The ITC work is under a project called Support to operationalize the APIEx Pôle Export, known simply as ProPex. The Embassy of the Netherlands funds the project, which began in February 2025. A steering committee meeting on 6 May marked ProPex’s official launch.
The Export Promotion Directorate is the backbone of Benin’s ambitions to expand into international markets, offering targeted export support services tailored to priority sectors,’ said ITC country manager Ludmila Azo. ‘Through the PROPEX project, we aim to strengthen this institutional lever by providing it with the skills, tools and systems necessary to provide strategic and high-impact support to SMEs ready to export.’
Upgrading digital services
The APIEx website is being upgraded to include trade information tools, as well as a small business marketplace and sector-specific content.
ProPex stands out because of how it centres participatory governance. Three thematic working groups structure their services within the National Export Strategy, which was also crafted with ITC support.
Regular briefings between ITC, APIEx and other partners ensure close monitoring of progress. By focussing on sustainability and capitalization, ProPex is laying the foundation for a robust export ecosystem in Benin.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
UNITED NATIONS, June 17 (Xinhua) — The United Nations General Assembly on Monday declared December 4 as the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures.
The adopted resolution calls on States to refrain from adopting, enacting or applying any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures that are not in accordance with international law and the UN Charter and that impede or undermine the full achievement of socio-economic development, particularly in developing countries.
The document notes that the establishment of the International Day will complement ongoing efforts to raise global awareness of the negative consequences of unilateral coercive measures and will contribute to strengthening international cooperation and solidarity between countries in eliminating the consequences of such sanctions.
The resolution was supported by 116 delegations, 51 countries voted against, and six abstained. The countries of the Global North voted against, including the EU, Australia, the UK, Canada, Japan and the US. –0–
EP and Council teams have reached an agreement on grounds for suspending visa-free travel for short stays into the EU.
A reform of the mechanism to suspend short-stay visa-free travel into the EU, agreed today between Parliament and Council negotiating teams, will allow the EU to respond more flexibly when countries backslide on important principles of their visa waiver agreement, which can include security concerns and human rights violations.
New grounds for suspension
In future, violations of the United Nations Charter, severe breaches of international human rights or humanitarian law, and not complying with international court decisions will be valid grounds for suspending visa-freedom. This helps align the grounds for suspension with the grounds for granting the visa waiver in the first place, and can create a deterrent effect.
With the new law, additional grounds for suspending the visa waiver will include hybrid threats, such as state-sponsored instrumentalisation of migrants aimed at destabilising or undermining society; and investor citizenship schemes (“golden passports”), which raise security concerns. A country’s lack of alignment with EU visa policy, potentially making it a transit country for illegal entry into the EU, will also be a valid ground for suspending visa-free regimes. Existing grounds, including a lack of cooperation on readmissions, will be maintained.
No impunity for third-country government officials
To deter third-country governments from violating the terms of their short-stay visa waiver agreement, the agreed law gives the EU more flexibility to target government officials (who may bear responsibility for a government’s human rights breaches or other violations) with suspensions of visa freedom.
Based on an EP proposal, it was agreed that the Commission can prevent member states from exempting from visa suspension diplomatic and service passport carrying government and state officials.
Under current legislation, “substantial” increases in numbers of people staying without permission, of asylum applications from a country with a low recognition rate, or of serious criminal offences can also trigger visa freedom suspension. During negotiations, it was agreed that the threshold for assessing such an increase will be set to 30 %. The threshold for calculating a low recognition rate of asylum application will be set at 20 %. In well-justified cases, the Commission can also deviate from these thresholds.
Quote
After the vote, rapporteur Matjaž Nemec (S&D, Slovenia) said: “Reformed visa rules will give the EU a revamped tool to respond to geopolitical situations and new threats. Visa policy can contribute to upholding EU values by ensuring that there are consequences when a foreign government breaches human rights and international law. In such cases, their government representatives and diplomats should have their visa-free access to the EU revoked, and this agreement makes that more likely.”
Next steps
Before it can enter into law, the provisional agreement needs to be formally adopted by both Parliament and Council.
Background
Nationals of 61 third countries can currently travel to the Schengen area for short stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period) without a visa (source: EP Research Service). See also this Council website for a map of current visa agreements.
According to the current law, the European Commission (following a proposal by a concerned member state or on its own initiative) can start the process of suspending visa-free travel from third countries into the Schengen area, first temporarily, pending further investigation and dialogue with the country in question, and then permanently if the issues are not resolved. To date, visa freedom has only been revoked once, in the case of Vanuatu.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China SCIO | June 17, 2025
Photo taken on June 12, 2025 shows the view of Yucun village of Anji county, eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Anji county has made great efforts to promote the green development in rural areas. [Photo by Cui Can/China SCIO]
In the lush hills of Anji county, eastern China’s Zhejiang province, summer comes with the dense, whispering green of bamboo forests. Here, a single stalk of bamboo, humble and fast-growing, can find its way into upscale European restaurants as sleek dinnerware, or appear as a minimalist bamboo lamp on the shelves of MUJI and IKEA stores worldwide.
With about 720 square kilometers of bamboo groves, Anji has embraced bamboo as both a cultural symbol and an economic resource. Today, it is emerging as a pioneer in developing bamboo industry to drive green development.
“Bamboo is not only tough and durable, but also renewable,” said Liu Yu, chief expert of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment. “Compared to wood, which can take over a decade to mature, bamboo is harvest-ready in just four to six years and can regrow without replanting.”
Liu also noted that responsible harvesting benefits the ecosystem. “If left uncut, bamboo becomes prone to disease and pests. Its aggressive root system can also outcompete other plant life, reducing biodiversity.”
A worker processes bamboo at a company in Anji county of Huzhou city, Zhejiang province, June 13, 2025. [Photo by Cui Can/China SCIO]
To harness bamboo’s environmental potential, China in 2022 launched a “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative in collaboration with the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization. A year later, the National Development and Reform Commission and several other government departments introduced a three-year action plan to accelerate initiative. Anji was named one of the program’s first demonstration bases.
Currently, more than 1,000 enterprises in Anji are involved in the bamboo industry, over 40 of which are large-scale operations. Around 70% of their products are exported to markets like the U.S., Europe, Japan, and South Korea, said Zhou Jihui, who oversees the “Bamboo for Plastic” project at Anji Development and Reform Bureau.
Photo taken on June 13, 2025 shows the bamboo packaging, lighting, and tableware produced by a company in Anji county of Huzhou city, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Cui Can/China SCIO]
Zhejiang Fenghui Bamboo and Wooden Products Co. Ltd., founded in 1990, is one of Anji’s largest bamboo manufacturers and exporters. When General Manager Liang Fenghui took over the business from his father in 2014, the company focused on low-value raw products like bamboo poles and fences. “The profit margins were slim, and environmental standards were rising. Many companies shut down, and some bamboo forests were abandoned,” he recalled. “We had to transform.”
The company began to invest in developing a more diversified product line, ranging from bamboo kitchenware and dining items to garden products. It now offers a portfolio of over 1,000 bamboo products.
And as Anji aligns itself with China’s broader green development strategy, local bamboo manufacturers like Fenghui are making sustainability a priority. “Our production process is now cleaner, and we’ve developed machinery that improves material utilization by at least 20%,” Liang said.
Today, Bamboo tableware accounts for 60% of the company’s revenue. It exports bamboo packaging, lighting, and tableware to clients across Japan, France, Spain, and the U.S. In 2024, the company’s export value reached 150 million yuan (about US$21 million), with Japan and France each accounting for 20% of sales, and the U.S. around 10%.
According to Zhou of Anji Development and Reform Bureau, the county’s bamboo sector has improved incomes for more than 51,000 local farming households. In 2024 alone, bamboo-related income increased each household’s earnings by an average of 6,500 yuan. “And 167 village collectives each saw their revenues grow by more than 1 million yuan,” she said.
Photo taken on June 13, 2025 shows bamboo tableware at a company in Anji county of Huzhou city, Zhejiang Province. [Photo by Cui Can/China SCIO]
As Anji accelerates its “Bamboo for Plastic” initiative, the county has been exploring more ways to bring bamboo into everyday life. In hospitality, bamboo toothbrushes, combs, and takeaway cutlery are replacing plastics. In local markets, plastic bags have been gradually phased out in favor of biodegradable ones made from bamboo powder. “They decompose within three months and are stronger than plastics,” Zhou noted.
And whereas plastic products are generally cheaper than bamboo products of the same kind, Zhou said price isn’t always the key concern. “Consumers, especially in hospitality, often care more about the product’s look and whether it matches their brand image than about the cost. That gives us more room to innovate.”
To meet this rising demand, Liang is investing in design and branding. “We’re incorporating traditional Chinese cultural elements into packaging and product design to appeal to younger consumers. And with cross-border e-commerce platforms, we’re reaching more global audiences.”
In 2024, the total output value of Anji’s bamboo industry reached 19.2 billion yuan, up 7% over the previous year, according to Zhou. “That was nearly 2.6 billion yuan more than in 2022. The growth momentum is very strong.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
PM meeting with President Macron of France: 16 June 2025
The Prime Minister met French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 Summit this afternoon.
The Prime Minister met French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 Summit this afternoon.
Discussing the Middle East, they both agreed on the need to find a route to peace through diplomacy and dialogue. They agreed that this should be a key focus for G7 partners in the next two days.
They looked ahead to the upcoming UK-France Summit in July and agreed that their teams should pursue high-ambition outcomes that deliver for the British and French people.
Migration should be a key focus given the deteriorating situation in the Channel, they confirmed – adding that they should continue to work closely with other partners to find innovative ways to drive forward progress.
They also agreed that the summit presents an opportune moment to further enhance our existing defence and security co-operation.
Both leaders looked ahead to discussing Ukraine at the G7 tomorrow and underscored their enduring support for securing a just and lasting peace and keeping up the pressure on Putin.
The European Union’s action in the field of culture supplements the cultural policy of the Member States in various areas, such as the preservation of European cultural heritage, cooperation between various countries’ cultural institutions and the promotion of mobility among creative workers. The cultural sector is also affected by provisions of the Treaties that do not explicitly pertain to culture.
The European energy market is competitive, customer-centred, flexible and non-discriminatory. Its measures address issues of market access, transparency and regulation, consumer protection, interconnections and security of supply. They strengthen the rights of individual customers, energy communities and vulnerable consumers, clarify the roles and responsibilities of market participants and regulators, and promote the development of trans-European energy networks.
Press release Telstra and Nokia partner to unlock network APIs for developers and enterprises
Telstra’s muru-D Labs, a hub for incubating ideas, products, and technologies, will make network APIs available in a lab environment on Nokia’s Network as Code platform with developer portal.
The collaboration targets industry use cases for enterprises that leverage CAMARA and GSMA Open Gateway APIs.
17 June 2025 Espoo, Finland – Telstra, Australia’s leading telecommunications company, and Nokia today announced a new collaboration that will give developers secure access to network APIs to help build smarter applications and integrate them into advanced new use cases for enterprises and industries.
Under the agreement, Telstra’s muru-D Labs will provide access to a select mix of live and simulated network APIs on Nokia’s Network as Code platform with developer portal, designed to make it easier for developers to build, test, and deploy new applications that securely tap into Telstra’s advanced network capabilities.
The collaboration will focus on real-world use cases across industries, such as managing network traffic during large events, improving network observability, and prioritising critical services. The partnership will also explore Fixed Network use cases, having the developer platform consume API’s from Nokia’s service orchestration software already deployed in Telstra.
Kim Krogh Andersen, Group Executive Product & Technology at Telstra, said the new collaboration reflects the company’s recently announced Connected Future 30 strategy and focus on delivering increasingly sophisticated and flexible connectivity capabilities to meet evolving customer needs. Core to this strategy is ‘Network as a Product,’ which aims to reinvent how Telstra creates and captures value from its networks by productising sophisticated network capabilities and opening up new business models.
“We’re radically innovating at the core of our business and pushing the boundaries of our network leadership, so that our customers can get the connectivity they need in a changing environment. This new collaboration with Nokia is another way we are testing and learning how the power of the network can unlock new value in the tech ecosystem.”
“By giving access to advanced capabilities through our network APIs, we’re enabling developers to create smarter, more responsive applications for enterprises. This is about working with our partner ecosystem to demonstrate how developers can securely interact with Telstra’s network and innovate at scale,” Andersen said.
The initiative will include a local hackathon later this year, giving developers access to a selection of live network APIs and a sandbox environment to experiment with new ideas. This new collaboration builds on Telstra and Nokia’s long-standing partnership and supports Telstra’s Network as a Product vision of a software-defined, programmable network.
Nokia’s network automation and Digital Operations solutions are laying the foundation for scalable API enablement by making it easier for partners, like Telstra, to offer developers on-demand access to programmable network capabilities with consistency and speed.
“Our collaboration will deepen Telstra’s network integration into developer ecosystems and provide developers with greater choice, flexibility, and security in creating new applications,” said Shkumbin Hamiti, Vice-President and Head of Nokia’s Network Monetization Platform, Cloud and Network Services at Nokia. “As more developers explore network APIs, their feedback will shape the next generation of services, and we are excited to work alongside Telstra to drive this.”
Nokia’s network API strategy centers around connecting multiple API ecosystems through its Network as Code platform. It offers operators the broadest range of network enablement options with robust multi-tier API security and provides developers simplified access to network functionalities.
Nokia’s ecosystem of Network as Code platform partners has grown to over 50 and includes operators from around the world, as well hyperscalers, Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) platform providers, systems integrators, and vertical independent software vendors.
About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.
As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.
With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable, and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
About Telstra Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company. We offer a full range of services and compete in all telecommunications markets in Australia, operating the largest mobile and wi-fi networks. Globally, we provide end-to-end solutions including managed network services, global connectivity, cloud, voice, colocation, conferencing and satellite solutions. We have licenses in Asia, Europe and the United States and offer access to more than 2,000 points of presence across the globe. For more information visit www.telstra.com.
About Telstra muru-D muru-D is Telstra’s hub for incubating ideas, products, and technologies, and plays a pivotal role in accelerating a portfolio of ~80 startup investments. The name muru-D has a meaningful origin rooted in the Sydney Aboriginal Eora language—muru means “path,” symbolising a journey or direction, while the D stands for “digital,” representing our focus on digital innovation. Together, muru-D signifies a pathway to digital innovation.
muru-D explores emerging technologies and rapidly prototype solutions, drawing on deep expertise in 5G, IoT, connectivity, edge computing, and applied AI. Through partnerships with industry, experts, and universities, we co-develop real-world solutions to real-world problems. Our process includes prototyping, proof-of-concepts, customer trials, hackathons and human-centred design workshops.
In addition to supporting Telstra’s innovation mission, muru-D backs founders driving social and technological impact across AI, VR, AR, drones, satellites, and robotics—amplifying innovation through our growing portfolio of startups. www.telstra.com.au/business-enterprise/muru-d
VICTORIA, Seychelles and LUXEMBOURG, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has entered a three-year partnership with UNICEF Luxembourg to advance digital skills and blockchain literacy among young people.
The partnership enrolls Bitget into the Game Changers Coalition (GCC) led by UNICEF Office of Innovation (OOI). Support from Bitget will help reach 300,000 people – including adolescent girls, parents, mentors and teachers with blockchain skills – across eight countries; Armenia, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, and South Africa.
Photo from Press Conference (from left to right): Paul Heber, Chief Communications Officer, UNICEF Luxembourg; Gracy Chen, CEO, Bitget; Yannick Naud, Innovative Finance, UNICEF Luxembourg
Through the partnership, Bitget Academy, the educational arm of Bitget, will help develop UNICEF’s first interactive, online and in-person blockchain training module based on video games creation skills development for teachers and young people. This is a welcome inclusion to a curriculum already reaching hundreds of thousands of people. Support from Bitget will also help expand the Coalition’s reach to a ninth country.
“This partnership reflects our shared belief that digital skills are a powerful driver of opportunity and inclusion,” said Sandra Visscher, Executive Director of UNICEF Luxembourg. “By collaborating with Bitget, we want to provide adolescents and young people with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to shape their own futures. Innovation should be a force for inclusion, opening doors, broadening horizons, and ensuring that technology works for everyone, everywhere.”
In a move to extend the ecosystem’s reach, Bitget will also aim to introduce UNICEF to leading blockchain protocols and developers from across the Web3 landscape to participate in the educational initiative. These contributors could serve as mentors and partners, offering diverse perspectives and possibilities for blockchain technologies.
“Emerging technologies should not be reserved for the privileged few—they must be introduced early and equitably. Blockchain, with its real-world use case and potential for social good, is one of the most powerful tools we can give to our younger generation to build products that change the way we look at modern society. With Blockchain4Her, what began as a mission to empower hundreds of women has scaled into a global movement to educate thousands of girls. This is the kind of scale and impact blockchain was built for,” said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget.
Every year, adolescent girls and young women in low and middle-income countries miss out on USD 15 billion in economic opportunities due to a gap in internet access and digital skills relative to their male peers. With 90 per cent of jobs today requiring digital competencies, the Game Changers Coalition responds to the urgency of closing the gender digital skills gap.
Together, Bitget and UNICEF are working to build a scalable, inclusive model that equips young women with the tools to navigate and shape the digital economy of tomorrow.
As part of the Game Changers Coalition, Bitget joins the Global Video Game Coalition, Micron Foundation and ecosystem builders – Women in Games in a shared ambition to reach 1.1 million girls by 2027, with learning and skills-building opportunities.
With the help of Bitget Academy, and support from the $10M initiative Blockchain4Her, Bitget plans to enhance digital literacy and financial independence among women taught to them at a young age.
Bitget’s Blockchain4Her initiative has previously supported women through mentorship programs, funding opportunities, and educational resources.
Together, Bitget and UNICEF Luxembourg aim to empower a new generation of girls with the knowledge and skills they need to participate actively in the evolving crypto economy.
About Bitget
Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 120 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a leading non-custodial crypto wallet supporting 130+ blockchains and millions of tokens. It offers multi-chain trading, staking, payments, and direct access to 20,000+ DApps, with advanced swaps and market insights built into a single platform.
Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist), and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.
Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to allocate only funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.
Bitget
This is not the first time Bitget has worked with an UN agency. Gracy Chen, is a UN women delegate. During last Ramadan, Bitget partnered up with world-renowned humanitarian organizations, including the UN Refugee Agency, UN World Food Programme, ShareTheMeal, and the One Billion Meals Endowment to donate thousands of meals. Under $10M Blockchain4Her, promising projects led by women were supported and awards were rewarded for the inspiring contributions of more. Hosting over 10 meetups globally, more than a thousand women participated in networking, learning, and driving innovation in the blockchain space.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to reach the most disadvantaged children and build a better world for every child. UNICEF Luxembourg supports this global mission by mobilizing private sector partnerships and voluntary contributions. It also advocates nationally to uphold children’s rights—focusing on reducing inequalities, promoting gender equality, tackling child poverty, supporting mental well-being, and improving access to justice for every child.
Disclaimer:UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service. This partnership is focused solely on supporting education outcomes for children.
For more information, visit: Website | Facebook | Instagram | x.com | LinkedIn For media inquiries, please contact: UNICEF Luxembourg, Paul Heber, Chief Communication | T (+352) 448715 | M (+352)691198105 | pheber@unicef.lu
About the Game Changers Coalition Building on UNICEF’s existing work of providing girls with digital and 21st-century skills through the Skills4Girls portfolio, spanning 22 countries and reaching close to 6 million girls, the Game Changers Coalition is UNICEF’s platform to convene the video gaming sector and tech industry with the aim to equip this and coming generation of girls with the skills they need and want in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) to become coders, designers, and leaders of a more inclusive, diverse, and safer digital future.
The European Commission is set to propose on Tuesday a ban on EU imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027, using legal measures to ensure the plan cannot be blocked by EU members Hungary and Slovakia.
The proposals will set out how the European Union plans to fix into law its vow to end decades-old energy relations with Europe’s former top gas supplier Russia, made after Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
An internal Commission summary of the upcoming proposal, seen by Reuters, said it would fix into law a ban on imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG from January 1, 2026, with longer deadlines for certain contracts.
Short-term Russian gas deals signed before June 17, 2025 would have a one-year transition period, to June 17, 2026, it said.
Imports under existing long-term Russian contracts would then be banned from January 1, 2028 – effectively ending the EU’s use of Russian gas by this date, the summary said.
Companies including TotalEnergies TTEF.PA and Spain’s Naturgy NTGY.MC have Russian LNG contracts extending into the 2030s.
EU LNG terminals would also be gradually banned from providing services to Russian customers, and companies importing Russian gas would have to disclose information on their contracts to EU and national authorities, Reuters previously reported.
The plans could still change before they are published.
EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Monday the measures were designed to be legally strong enough for companies to invoke the contractual clause of “force majeure” – an unforeseeable event – to break their Russian gas contracts.
“Since this will be a prohibition, a ban, the companies will not get into legal problems. This is force majeure, as it [would be] if it had been a sanction,” Jorgensen told reporters.
NO VETO
Slovakia and Hungary, which have sought to maintain close political ties to Russia, still import Russian gas via pipeline and say switching to alternatives would increase energy prices. They have vowed to block sanctions on Russian energy, which require unanimous approval from all EU countries, and have opposed the ban.
To get around this, the Commission’s proposals will use an EU legal basis that can be passed with support from a reinforced majority of countries and a majority of the European Parliament, EU officials said.
While most other EU countries have signalled support for the ban, officials said some importing countries have raised concerns about the risk to companies of financial penalties or arbitration for breaking contracts.
Around 19% of Europe’s gas still comes from Russia, via the TurkStream pipeline and LNG shipments – down from roughly 45% before 2022. Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain are among those that import Russian LNG.
“We fully support this plan in principle, with the aim of ensuring that we find the right solutions to provide maximum security for businesses,” French industry minister Marc Ferracci told reporters on Monday.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
WASHINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) — A federal judge in the U.S. city of Boston ruled on Monday that the Donald Trump administration’s decision to cut funding for diversity-related research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was illegal, accusing the administration of discriminating against minority groups.
The NIH has stopped funding more than $1 billion in research because it was deemed related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Federal District Court Judge William Young said in a non-jury trial that the move violated federal law and was “invalid and illegal.”
W. Young, a federal judge appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan, said he would restore funding to Democratic-led organizations and states that sued over the funding cuts.
W. Young criticized the defunding of research related to minorities, saying: “I have never seen racial discrimination so palpable.”
“Any discrimination by our government is so wrong that it requires a court decision, and at the appropriate time I intend to do so,” said W. Young.
The NIH is the world’s largest federally funded biomedical research organization, awarding about 60,000 grants each year to nearly 3,000 universities and hospitals. Under the Trump administration, it has become a key target for funding cuts and federal spending cuts.
Since Trump took office for a second term in January, the NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants worth about $9.5 billion and additional contracts worth $2.6 billion, according to media reports. –0–
Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau will depart this evening for France, where he will visit Toulouse, Bordeaux, Cognac and Paris to promote Hong Kong’s favourable business environment and its advantages as a wine and liquor trading hub.
During the trip, the commerce chief will meet representatives of the French business sector and attend business roundtables to exchange views with local wine and liquor producers.
He will also attend the China Forum 2025, organised by Business France, to promote Hong Kong’s unique role as a gateway to the Mainland market.
Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong on the morning of June 26. During his absence, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan will be Acting Secretary.
Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong toured a startup incubator and community workspace and met local officials during a visit to the Netherlands earlier this week.
Prof Sun paid a visit to the Amsterdam Venture Studios Startup Village. Using converted containers as offices, the village currently comprises 35 startups focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technology, and aims to promote interaction, collaboration and knowledge sharing among them.
At the village, Prof Sun visited Omni Wind Tech BV, a Dutch startup that is developing compact wind turbines for commercial and community settings. He was briefed on its strategies and core technologies, and learned about its efforts to promote sustainable development through green innovation.
Prof Sun also visited Nearfield Instruments, a supplier of advanced metrology solutions for the semiconductor industry. The company focuses on high-precision measurement technology to support manufacturing in the high-end nano-electronics industry.
Later on, Prof Sun met Deputy Director-General for Foreign Economic Relations in the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yvette Van Eechoud to exchange views on promoting innovation and technology (I&T) collaboration.
Prof Sun said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to maintaining relations with European countries, including the Netherlands.
He emphasised that as an international city, Hong Kong has long played the role of a super connector and super value-adder. He added that the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to developing the city as an international I&T centre and that there is therefore broad scope for collaboration between Hong Kong and the Netherlands on I&T.
The technology chief also called on Charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands He Shiqing and briefed him on Hong Kong’s efforts to deepen international exchanges and co-operation and achieve better integration into China’s national development.
Prof Sun thanked the embassy for supporting enhanced co-operation between Hong Kong and the Netherlands in I&T development and for helping to attract enterprises and investment.
Prof Sun’s visit to the Netherland has concluded and he will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning.
May for LHV was characterised by the rapid growth of the loan portfolio. Profitability was impacted by the ongoing decline in interest rates and the partial reversal of previous impairments. LHV Group’s consolidated loan portfolio grew by EUR 104 million in May. At the same time, the total volume of deposits decreased by EUR 34 million. The volume of funds managed by LHV decreased by EUR 11 million over the month. In May, 6.7 million payments related to financial intermediaries were made.
In May, AS LHV Group earned EUR 10.3 million in consolidated net profit. Among the subsidiaries, AS LHV Pank earned a net profit of EUR 10.5 million, LHV Bank Ltd earned a net profit of EUR 28 thousand, AS LHV Kindlustus earned a net profit of EUR 339 thousand, and AS LHV Varahaldus earned a net profit of EUR 297 thousand. The return on equity attributable to the shareholders was 17.3% in May.
The number of LHV Pank customers grew by 2,800 in May, exceeding the 470,000 mark. Loan growth was strong at EUR 83 million, of which EUR 51 million came from corporate loans and EUR 32 million from private loans. The overall quality of the loan porftolio remains good and a solution was found for one of the two largest non-performing loans, which led to a reduction in previously recognised provisions. The strong month was also reflected in deposits, as corporate banking deposits decreased by less than expected against the backdrop of an increase of EUR 88 million in retail banking deposits. The decline in interest rates is reducing the bank’s net interest income, as deposit interest rates are falling more slowly than loan interest rates.
LHV Bank, which operates in the United Kingdom, launched the initial version of its retail customer offer in May, that allows customers to use the bank app, open an account, make payments, order a bank card, and securely deposit money. The presentation of the offer and the marketing campaign were started, the costs of which also affected the company’s monthly profit. Work will continue on the following products to further develop the offer. The Bank’s loan portfolio grew by EUR 21 million in May.
The stable revenue growth of LHV Kindlustus also continued in May. New insurance contracts were concluded for an amount of EUR 3.15 million. As at the end of May, there are 274,000 valid insurance contracts. Performance improved due to a successful motor own damage insurance campaign. Compensation for loss events amounted to EUR 2.2 million and 12,500 new claims were registered in May. The profitability of Kindlustus has been improved by a very good loss ratio.
Since May was a strong month in the financial markets, the pension funds of LHV continued to grow value for their customers. The larger funds managed by the LHV Varahaldus, L and XL, increased by 1.2% and 2.3%, respectively, over the month. LHV Pensionifond Indeks increased by 5.6% over the month. The net profit of LHV Varahaldus exceeds the financial plan, while the volume of funds and the number of customers are slightly below the planned level. In May, LHV Varahaldus announced a plan to change the names of pension funds to make them clearer for customers and to merge the green pension funds with other funds.
Since LHV Group issued AT1 bonds worth EUR 50 million in April, EUR 15 million worth of AT1 bonds were called back in May. As a result of the share option program, the share capital of LHV Group was increased by EUR 366,721.30. Share acquisition transactions were also initiated in accordance with the resolution of the shareholders’ general meeting held in March. The financial plan stands.
LHV Group is the largest domestic financial group and capital provider in Estonia. LHV Group’s key subsidiaries are LHV Pank, LHV Varahaldus, LHV Kindlustus, and LHV Bank Limited. The Group employs over 1,150 people. As at the end of May, LHV’s banking services are being used by 471,000 customers, the pension funds managed by LHV have 111,000 active customers, and LHV Kindlustus protects a total of 176,000 customers. LHV Bank offers retail banking services to private customers in the United Kingdom, loans to small and medium-sized enterprises, and banking services to international fintech companies.
Priit Rum Communications Manager Phone: +372 502 0786 Email: priit.rum@lhv.ee
In an era of the atomisation of viewing practices through streaming, increasingly short, self-produced videos for TikTok and YouTube, and the reduction of all audiovisual material to “content” for various “platforms”, there is something refreshing about a bunch of strangers assembling in a dark room to collectively watch a giant screen with massive sound.
In other words, going to the movies.
And there’s no better place to see films limited in mainstream release than at film festivals. The standard of the films screening at this year’s Sydney Film Festival was exceptional, and it is difficult to select a top five out of the 40 or so I managed to see. But here goes!
Sirât
Produced by Pedro Almodovar, writer-director Oliver Laxe’s Sirât, which recently won the Jury Prize at Cannes, follows middle-aged Luis (Sergi López) as he travels with his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) and their dog Pipa looking for his estranged daughter in the desert rave scene. They team up with a group of ravers and set off across Southern Morocco towards the next party.
Early on, there are some hints that things are awry on a broader scale – the military break up the opening doof, and we hear, at one point, World War III has broken out.
And as the film unfolds, things take a turn for the worse, with a litany of tragedies – increasingly absurd – afflicting the members of the group. The vaguely futuristic world of the opening crystallises into something much more terrifying than the kind of shrill cinematic post-apocalypticism we’ve become used to through films like Fury Road.
What begins as a kind of paean to raving – replete with bass-thumping speakers (cranked in theatres to eardrum pounding loudness), a “cool” crew of trippers, and an emphasis on the free lives of the ravers (played by real-life party-goers) – rapidly descends into a wild existential nightmare. And the idea that life is a kind of free consumerist party for westerners is viciously dismembered in the second half: we are all refugees in this era.
Sirât is a masterpiece. Its stunning 16mm film images (courtesy of cinematographer Mauro Herve) are complemented by exceptional sound design by Laia Casanova, a majesty of image and sound demanding to be experienced in a cinema.
Somebody
Written and directed by Lee Jung-chan and Kim Yeo-jung, the South Korean film Somebody is a puzzling, intense psycho drama about precociously evil child So-hyun (Gi So-yoo) and the pressures this places on her single mother Yeong-eun (Kwak Sun-young).
An unsettling horror thriller, the film also plays like a study of the evil child archetype. It works through the genre’s cliches, unpicking them while eschewing the usual evil-kid scares in favour of looking at the complex interplay between and ambiguity around the image of child as brat/evil and mother as caring/enabler.
In the first half, the point of view oscillates between an image of the child as evil and the child as scared. In the second half, the evil child has grown up, and we follow her towards the film’s brutal (and unexpected) ending.
And this is where Somebody excels. It taps into the fear of parents that their children are alien parasites – who is this stranger now living off me? – but also the difficulties for children in feeling isolated and scared.
Somebody is a deeply sad and troubling film, buoyed by excellent performances from adults and children alike. In real life, the idea that a kid would be born evil is preposterous, but it’s a movieland cliché that works. Somebody addresses this idea with a genuinely impressive vision.
Harvest
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest is a melancholic, elegiac film set in a rural community in Scotland in the Middle Ages. When the economic harmony of the village is disrupted by the advent of a new noble, three wandering strangers are mercilessly scapegoated, despite the efforts of villager Walter Thirsk (Caleb Landry Jones, in a beautifully understated performance) to protect them.
Despite the turmoil it depicts, the film unfolds as gently as the familiar rhythms of the seasons.
Cinematographer Sean Price Williams’ 16mm images are uncannily beautiful, supported by an astonishing score and sound design from Nicolas Becker.
This fable about the ravages of modernity (recalling Vincent Ward’s The Navigator) – of the violence of calendar time as it overcomes the time of the harvest – is exceptional in every respect.
Not much happens. It’s a slow-moving, brooding film, and it would not be nearly as compelling seen on a small screen. But for those of us willing to make a trip to the movies, Harvest is immensely satisfying.
Redux Redux
Part of the eternally rousing Freak Me Out strand of the program from film critic Richard Kuipers, Kevin and Matthew McManus’ Redux Redux is the kind of high concept film that could easily depend too much on its ingenious conceit (a woman travels throughout the multiverse repeatedly avenging the murder of her daughter) and forget about the stuff that actually makes films work (coherent, striking visual design, immersive sound and compelling performances).
But Redux Redux gets everything right, maintaining its iron grip on the viewer from the opening title card to the closing credits. Michaela McManus – sister of the writer-directors – is brilliant as the grieving, vengeful mother, playing the part with a staid intensity that never tips into hysteria or melodrama.
There are some funny moments – the amusingly lowbrow design of the multiverse machine, for example. But the film never feels like it plays too hard for laughs. Paul Koch’s synth music and sound design are richly atmospheric without coming off as trite, and perfectly support the crisp, economical cinematography of Alan Gwizdowski.
The most impressive thing about the film is the effortlessness with which the story feels like it develops throughout – even though the plot, on the surface, involves the same thing being repeated ad nauseam.
Unlike, for example, in the case of the multiverse-themed Everything Everywhere All at Once, Redux Redux never comes across as self-indulgent, clever for its own sake. It never feels like anything other than a compulsively watchable – and immensely pleasurable – revenge thriller.
Alpha
Writer-director Jan-Willem van Ewijk’s Alpha begins as a lightly comedic intergenerational social satire.
Thirty-something Rein (Reinout Scholten van Aschat), a Dutch snowboarder in the Swiss alps, clashes with his movie-star father, Gijs (Gijs Scholten van Aschar), when Gijs visits him. Gijs flirts with Rein’s girlfriend, asks inappropriate questions about race, and parties with his son’s friends, all the time escalating the stakes, becoming increasingly overbearing and competitive.
It’s funny and familiar fare, treading similar terrain to a Ruben Östland film, and it’s well-done. Pairing a real life father and son is a casting act of genius, adding both pathos and authenticity to their competition.
Similar to Sirât, Alpha takes a sudden turn at the mid-way point. Father and son are trapped in an avalanche. It becomes a race against time as son tries to rescue father in a gruelling battle for survival.
Its brutal second half completely detonates the entire scaffold of our pleasure from the first half. Testament to the craft of van Ewijk (and the talent of the stars), this radical change in tone never feels incoherent or contrived.
By the end of Alpha, the petty dick-swinging of father and son from the first half – and the energetic (and well-shot) skiing footage – becomes nothing before the austere, cold majesty of the mountains looming over and entrapping them.
Alpha is a masterclass in audience manipulation. A truly devastating experience for the viewer.
Other notable films – and one dud!
There were too many excellent films to note them all. Some include master auteur Christian Petzold’s Mirrors No. 3, a film – typical of Petzold – of people haunted by ghosts of lives lost and faded desires, an understated film which – again, customary for Petzold’s work – has an enigmatic air one can’t quite put one’s finger on.
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent was another standout: a fun, rollicking romp for cinephiles about political machinations in Brazil in the 1970s.
Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, a biopic of American songwriter Lorenz Hart, had a charmingly goofy affect, as did Vie Privée, a breezy French thriller starring Jodie Foster as a psychoanalyst caught up in a mystery.
Olmo, which could easily have made the top five, is a charming coming of age odyssey about a Mexican-American 14-year-old going to a party with his crush. The Love That Remains is a stunningly shot, surreal comedy about the trials and tribulations of an Icelandic family.
As per usual, some exceptional documentaries screened. Joh: The Last King of Queensland made by Kriv Stenders (better known for narrative works like Red Dog), is a formally compelling study of the reign of Australia’s longest serving premier.
The Raftsmen is an uplifting crowd-pleaser about the expedition from Ecuador to Australia that captivated the public’s attention in 1973. The film is built around an exceptional archive of contemporaneous 16mm footage shot by the rafters.
Lowland Kids, produced by Darren Aronofsky, is a carefully observed documentary about a community in Louisiana forced to relocate because of climate change. This tender film counterpoints the grim reality of global warming with the individual disappointments of the characters’ personal lives.
The only truly execrable film I saw was Michel Franco’s Dreams, a hokey, profoundly dumb film masquerading as something cutting edge (wow – there’s sex, and the camera doesn’t move much), cashing in on topical problems in the United States. Worst of all – and despite ballet sequences, which are always good to watch – it’s a very ugly film.
Given the mediocre quality of much contemporary Hollywood cinema, one dud out of 40 isn’t too bad!
Ari Mattes 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.
The Middle East is a region of intense beauty and ancient kingdoms. It has also repeatedly endured periods of geopolitical instability over many centuries.
Today, geopolitical, socio-political and religious tensions persist. The world is currently watching as longstanding regional tensions come to a head in the shocking and escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
The global airline industry takes a special interest in how such tensions play out. This airspace is a crucial corridor linking Europe, Asia and Africa.
The Middle East is now home to several of the world’s largest international airlines: Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. These airlines’ home bases – Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, respectively – have become pivotal hubs in international aviation.
Keeping passengers safe will be all airlines’ highest priority. What could an escalating conflict mean for both the airlines and the travelling public?
Safety first
History shows that the civil airline industry and military conflict do not mix. On July 3 1988, the USS Vincennes, a US navy warship, fired two surface-to-air missiles and shot down Iran Air Flight 655, an international passenger service over the Persian Gulf.
More recently, on July 17 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine as the battle between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists continued.
Understandably, global airlines are very risk-averse when it comes to military conflict. The International Civil Aviation Organization requires airlines to implement and maintain a Safety Management System (SMS).
One of the main concerns – known as “pillars” – of the SMS is “safety risk management”. This includes the processes to identify hazards, assess risks and implement risk mitigation strategies.
The risk-management departments of airlines transiting the Middle East region will have been working hard on these strategies.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, the International Civil Aviation Organization has strict requirements and protocols to keep passengers safe. meunierd/Shutterstock
Route recalculation
The most immediate and obvious evidence of such strategies being put in place are changes to aircraft routing, either by cancelling or suspending flights or making changes to the flight plans. This is to ensure aircraft avoid the airspace where military conflicts are flaring.
At the time of writing, a quick look at flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows global aircraft traffic avoiding the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon. The airspace over Ukraine is also devoid of air traffic.
Rerouting, however, creates its own challenges. Condensing the path of the traffic into smaller, more congested areas can push aircraft into and over areas that are not necessarily equipped to deal with such a large increase in traffic.
Having more aircraft in a smaller amount of available safe airspace creates challenges for air traffic control services and the pilots operating the aircraft.
More time and fuel
Avoiding areas of conflict is one of the most visible forms of airline risk management. This may add time to the length of a planned flight, leading to higher fuel consumption and other logistical challenges. This will add to the airlines’ operating costs.
There will be no impact on the cost of tickets already purchased. But if the instability in the region continues, we may see airline ticket prices increase.
It is not just the avoidance of airspace in the region that could place upward pressure on the cost of flying. Airliners run on Jet-A1 fuel, produced from oil.
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint”, this could see the cost of oil, and in turn Jet-A1, significantly increase. Increasing fuel costs will be passed on the paying passenger. However, some experts believe such a move is unlikely.
A major hub
The major aviation hubs in the Middle East provide increased global connectivity, enabling passengers to travel seamlessly between continents.
Increased regional instability has the potential to disrupt this global connectivity. In the event of a prolonged conflict, airlines operating in and around the region may find they have increased insurance costs. Such costs would eventually find their way passed on to consumers through higher ticket prices.
Across the globe, airlines and governments are issuing travel advisories and warnings. The onus is on the travelling public to stay informed about changes to flight status, and potential delays.
Such warnings and advisories can lead to a drop in passenger confidence, which may then lead to a drop in bookings both into and onwards from the region.
Until the increase in instability in the Middle East, global airline passenger traffic numbers were larger than pre-pandemic figures. Strong growth had been predicted in the coming decades.
Anything that results in falling passenger confidence could negatively impact these figures, leading to slowed growth and affecting airline profitability.
Despite high-profile disasters, aviation remains the safest form of transport. As airlines deal with these challenges they will constantly work to keep flights safe and to win back passenger confidence in this unpredictable situation.
Natasha Heap 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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday (local time) to participate in the G7 Summit, where he will meet with global leaders and share India’s views on key international challenges.
As part of his ongoing three-nation tour — which began in Cyprus and will conclude in Croatia — PM Modi said that he would highlight the concerns of the Global South during the Summit. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Landed in Calgary, Canada, to take part in the G7 Summit. Will be meeting various leaders at the Summit and sharing my thoughts on important global issues. Will also be emphasising the priorities of the Global South.”
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that PM Modi will participate in G7 discussions on the future of energy security. These discussions will focus on diversification, technological innovation, infrastructure, and investment, aimed at ensuring access and affordability in a changing global landscape.
“At the invitation of PM @MarkJCarney, PM @narendramodi arrives in Alberta, Canada for the G7 Summit,” Jaiswal wrote on X. “PM will be participating in @G7 discussions on energy security… and will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines.”
PM Modi’s arrival in Canada comes at a time of diplomatic recalibration between the two nations, following a period of strained relations.
Other invitees to the G7 meeting are Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Lee Jae-Myung of South Korea, and Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
The G7 Summit is an annual gathering of leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and the European Union. This year’s edition marks PM Modi’s sixth straight attendance at the Summit.
