NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI: DNO Reports Solid First Quarter Results; Prepares Deeper Dive into Norwegian Waters

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Oslo, 15 May 2025 – DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported first quarter 2025 operating profit of USD 28 million on the back of USD 188 million in revenues, both showing a quarter-on-quarter increase.

    In a quarter marked by the announcement of its transformative USD 1.6 billion acquisition of Norway’s Sval Energi Group AS, DNO continued to deliver strong operational performance. Net production rose eight percent to 84,200 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), to which Kurdistan contributed 61,600 boepd, North Sea 19,300 boepd and West Africa 3,400 boepd.

    In the flagship Kurdistan Tawke license (DNO 75 percent and operator), production increased 11 percent quarter-on-quarter. Continuing strict capital discipline since the closure of the Iraq-Türkiye export pipeline, the Company stabilized, even raised, production from existing wells through rigless interventions. Output from similar reservoirs typically decline 15-20 percent per year.

    DNO’s share of oil production was sold at its Fish Khabur terminal to local buyers at USD 35 per barrel with payments made in advance. Tawke license sales averaged USD 20 million net to DNO per month, generating around USD 10 million of free cash flow.

    “In Kurdistan we are doing a remarkable job keeping up production with minimal investment,” said DNO Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “If a Norwegian company can accomplish this in the Middle East, we should replicate such efficiencies on our home surf whether we operate the permits or not”, he observed. “As we prepare to close the Sval acquisition around midyear,” Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani added, “DNO will pivot hard to the Anglo-Saxon culture of the early years of the Norwegian oil industry: faster, cheaper, better.”

    The Company kept up its successful exploration pace offshore Norway with two discoveries in the last quarter, Kjøttkake (40 percent and operator) and Mistral (10 percent), together adding recoverable resources of 26 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) net to the Company.

    When the Sval acquisition is closed, DNO’s North Sea proven and probable (2P) reserves will quadruple to 189 MMboe and 2C resources climb to 246 MMboe from 144 MMboe, all on a yearend 2024 basis. North Sea production also quadruples to 80,000 boepd. The acquisition turns the North Sea into the biggest contributor to DNO’s net production with some 60 percent of the total and DNO will rank in top ten among producers in Norway.

    Following the Sval announcement in early March, the Company completed a USD 600 million bond placement a week later, DNO’s 20th successful bond issue in 24 years.

    On the back of the bond issue, DNO exited the quarter with cash deposits of USD 1,473 million. However, deposits were reduced following the end of the quarter by the early redemption of the DNO04 bond (outstanding amount of USD 350 million) in April.

    Given the continuing operational performance and strength of the balance sheet, the Board of Directors has authorized a dividend payment of NOK 0.3125 per share payable in June, representing NOK 1.25 per share on an annualized basis.

    A videoconference call with executive management is scheduled today at 14:00 (CET). To access the call, please visit www.dno.no.

    Key figures

      Q1 2025 Q4 2024 Full-Year 2024
    Gross operated production (boepd) 90,945 80,765 80,280
    Net production (boepd) 84,232 77,646 77,269
    Revenues (USD million) 188 177 667
    Operating profit/-loss (USD million) 28 -82 6
    Net profit/-loss (USD million) -4 -98 -27
    Free cash flow (USD million) -19 -5 59
    Net cash/-debt (USD million) 43 99 99

    –

    For further information, please contact:
    Media: media@dno.no
    Investors: investor.relations@dno.no

    –

    DNO ASA is a Norwegian oil and gas operator active in the Middle East, the North Sea and West Africa. Founded in 1971 and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the Company holds stakes in onshore and offshore licenses at various stages of exploration, development and production in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Norway, the United Kingdom, Côte d’Ivoire and Yemen. More information is available at www.dno.no

    This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: KBC Group: First-quarter result of 546 million euros

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)


    KBC Group – overview (consolidated, IFRS)    		 1Q2025 4Q2024 1Q2024
    Net result (in millions of EUR) 546 1 116 506
    Basic earnings per share (in EUR) 1.32 2.75 1.18
    Breakdown of the net result by business unit (in millions of EUR)      
    Belgium 281 487 243
    Czech Republic 207 238 197
    International Markets 135 175 146
    Group Centre -77 215 -80
    Parent shareholders’ equity per share (in EUR, end of period) 58.8 56.6 54.9

    ‘We recorded a net profit of 546 million euros in the first quarter of 2025. Compared to the result of the previous quarter, our total income benefited from several factors, including increased insurance revenues, trading and fair value income and net other income, while net interest income and net fee and commission income were slightly down as a result of seasonality and some positive year-end effects in the fourth quarter of 2024.
    Our loan portfolio continued to expand, increasing by 2% quarter-on-quarter and by 7% year-on-year. Customer deposits – excluding volatile, low-margin short-term deposits at KBC Bank’s foreign branches – were stable quarter-on-quarter (with a shift from term deposits to savings accounts) and up 7% year-on-year.
    Operating expenses were up, since the bulk of the bank and insurance taxes for the full year are recorded – as usual – in the first quarter. Disregarding bank and insurance taxes, operating expenses fell by 8% quarter-on-quarter. Insurance service expenses also fell, as did loan loss impairment charges, resulting in a very favourable credit cost ratio of just 8 basis points for the quarter under review (16 basis points excluding the changes in the reserve for geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties).
    Our solvency position remained strong, with an unfloored fully loaded common equity ratio under Basel IV of 14.5% at the end of March 2025. Our liquidity position remained very solid too, as illustrated by an LCR of 157% and NSFR of 140%.

    On 8 May 2025, we paid a final dividend of 3.15 euros per share, bringing the total dividend for full-year 2024 to 4.85 euros per share. We also updated our dividend and capital deployment policy. As from 2025, we will pay a dividend of between 50% and 65% of our consolidated result, 1 euro of which will be paid in November as an interim dividend. We aim to remain amongst the better capitalised financial institutions in Europe. Each year, when announcing the full-year results, our Board will take a decision – at its discretion – on capital deployment. The focus will predominantly be on further organic growth alongside mergers and acquisitions. We see a 13% unfloored fully loaded common equity ratio as the minimum.

    Furthermore, KBC reached an agreement to acquire 98.45% of 365.bank in Slovakia based on a total value for 365.bank of 761 million euros. This investment will allow us to further strengthen our position in the Slovak market while closing the gap with the top three players in the banking sector. 365.bank is a retail-focused bank with subsidiaries in asset management and consumer finance and is very complementary to the business of KBC’s existing Slovak subsidiary ČSOB, leading to significant cost, revenue (cross-selling) and funding synergies. KBC will particularly strengthen its reach in retail banking as well as benefit from access to the unique client base and distribution network of 365.bank and its exclusive partnership with Slovak Post. Closure of the deal is subject to regulatory approval and will reduce our unfloored fully loaded common equity ratio by approximately 50 basis points upon closing, which is expected by the end of this year.

    Recent weeks have been characterised by unprecedented macro-economic (trade) uncertainty as a result of the US policy on trade tariffs and its repercussions on the financial markets. Nevertheless, we confirm our short-term and long-term financial guidance. Last but not least, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude towards our customers, employees, shareholders and all other stakeholders for their continued trust in our group.

    JohanThijs
    Chief Executive Office

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Melexis Appoints Two New Directors to Its Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Tessenderlo-Ham, Belgium – May 15, 2025

    Melexis NV (Euronext Brussels: MELE), a global supplier of micro-electronic semiconductor solutions, announces the appointment of two new members to the board of directors following the approval by the annual shareholders’ meeting held on May 13, 2025. The announcement of Ms. Ling Qi and Mr. Kazuhiro Takenaka underlines Melexis’ focused ambitions in the Asia-Pacific Region (APAC).

    Ms. Ling Qi has more than 20 years of international business management experience. Currently, she is CEO of two multimedia and animation film companies. Alongside this, she has been consulting for foreign invested companies in China, has extensive experience in the semiconductor industry as a board member for a European headquartered wafer foundry, and has served as a director of a Belgian private bank. Ms. Ling Qi holds a degree in international trade and English from the University of Liaoning, and obtained a certificate of Dutch at University of Antwerp.

    Mr. Kazuhiro Takenaka has a successful career of over 45 years in the semiconductor and electronics engineering industry in renowned companies such as Nissan Motor and Seiko Epson. In his role at Seiko Epson, Mr. Takenaka has also collaborated extensively with international stakeholders, working on partnerships with US companies and building relationships in markets across Europe, Asia, and the USA. He brings valuable insights and a diverse perspective to the Board, particularly in markets beyond automotive.

    This announcement brings the number of board members to seven with Ms. Françoise Chombar serving as chairwoman of the Board of Directors. The new board members will serve for a term of four years starting today and ending immediately after the annual shareholders’ meeting for the financial year ending on December 31, 2028. In addition to the two appointments of new directors, all other resolutions including the reappointment of two directors and the final dividend were approved by a clear majority of shareholders.

    Speaking about the appointments of two new directors, Ms. Chombar commented: “The Asia-Pacific area accounts for over 60% of Melexis’ total sales, with Greater China contributing nearly half of that. With the announcement of Ms. Ling Qi and Mr. Kazuhiro Takenaka, we welcome two highly experienced Asian business leaders whose insights and advice will be invaluable to Melexis implementing its strategic roadmap.”

    Please follow the link below to view Melexis’s latest annual report, which contains detailed information on its current business operations and strategic initiatives.

    About Melexis
    Melexis designs, develops, and delivers edge sensor and driver solutions with a heart for people and the planet. Its mission is to empower engineers to turn their ideas into applications that support the best imaginable future, one that is safe, comfortable, and sustainable.
    Melexis specializes in powertrain, thermal management, lighting, e-brake, e-steering, and battery solutions for the automotive sector. It also expands its presence in the emerging markets of a sustainable world, alternative mobility, robotics, and digital health.
    Founded in 1989 in Belgium, Melexis has grown to employ over 2,000 people in 12 countries, delivering cutting-edge technology to customers worldwide.
    For more information, visit www.melexis.com or follow Melexis on LinkedIn, and YouTube.
    Investors Contact:
    Philip Ludwig
    Investor Relations Director
    Tel: +32 499 41 88 91
    E-mail: plu@melexis.com 

    Media Contact:
    Tom Meynendonckx
    Corporate Communications Director
    Tel: +32 476 29 92 42
    E-mail: otm@melexis.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: SBM Offshore First Quarter 2025 Trading Update

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Amsterdam, May 15, 2025

    Highlights

    • Year-to-date Directional1 revenue of US$1,103 million, up 27% versus 1Q 2024
    • Full year 2025 Directional revenue and EBITDA guidance maintained
    • Cash dividend of EUR150 million (equivalent to EUR0.8606 per ordinary share) paid on May 6, 2025
    • EUR141 million share repurchase program on track, c. 6.75% completed2
    • First oil for FPSO Almirante Tamandaré, FPSOs Alexandre de Gusmão & ONE GUYANA on track for first oil
    • Strategic Collaboration Agreement signed with Microsoft to develop carbon-free floating power solutions
    • Completion of the US$400 million sale and leaseback transaction for FPSO Cidade de Paraty
    • Refinancing and increase to US$1.1 billion of the unsecured revolving credit facility

    Øivind Tangen, CEO of SBM Offshore, commented:

    “Our first quarter results, along with our full year Directional revenue and EBITDA guidance, highlight the Company’s strong performance across all segments. They also demonstrate the resilience of our business model and our ability to navigate macroeconomic uncertainty with confidence.

    Our pro-forma Directional backlog of US$35.1 billion3 is backed by firm contracts from premium clients with inflation protection. From this we expect to generate US$9.5 billion3. We paid a cash dividend of EUR150 million in May and commenced our latest share buyback program of EUR141 million. We continue to expect that we will deliver a minimum US$1.7 billion cash return to shareholders up to 20304.

    We are on track to deliver three major vessels this year: FPSO Almirante Tamandaré achieved first oil in February 2025; FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão is progressing to achieve first oil around mid-year, while FPSO ONE GUYANA has arrived safely in Guyana. And we are set to be able to offer a near zero market-ready FPSO by the end of 2025.

    The fundamentals for deepwater developments, with low break-even costs and low emission intensity remain strong. Our Fast4Ward® program and lifecycle approach mean that we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the strong outlook for new developments.

    Building on our ocean infrastructure expertise and capabilities, with the objective of diversifying our product offering in promising markets, we recently signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Microsoft to develop standardized carbon-free floating power solutions.

    We have demonstrated our ability to access diversified sources of financing through the successful completion in April of the US$400 million sale and leaseback transaction for FPSO Cidade de Paraty. Reflecting the strong support for the Company’s strategy, we have successfully refinanced and increased to US$1.1 billion our unsecured revolving credit facility.

    We are confident in our ocean infrastructure experience and the expert capabilities of our teams. Our strategy delivers and it pays.”

    Financial Overview5

        YTD Directional
             
    in US$ million   1Q 2025 1Q 2024 % Change
    Directional Revenue   1,103 871 27%
    Directional Lease and Operate   476 554 -14%
    Directional Turnkey   627 316 98%
             
    in US$ billion   Mar-31-25 Dec-31-24 % Change
    Directional Net Debt    5.7 5.7 0%

    Directional revenue increased by 27% to US$1,103 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared with US$871 million in the same period last year, driven by the Turnkey segment.

    Year-to-date Directional Turnkey revenue stood at US$627 million, a 98% improvement compared with US$316 million in the same period last year. This increase mainly reflects the progress on FPSO GranMorgu and FPSO Jaguar, booked under the sale and operate model.

    Directional Lease and Operate revenue amounted to US$476 million in the first quarter of 2025, below the US$554 million booked in the same period last year reflecting (i) the sale in 4Q 2024 of FPSOs Prosperity and Liza Destiny, partially offset by (ii) higher reimbursable scope and (iii) FPSO Almirante Tamandaré joining the fleet in February 2025.

    Directional net debt is stable and stood at US$5,663 million for the period ending 1Q 2025.

    Project Review and Fleet Operational Update

    Driven by execution excellence, the Company is on track to bring three FPSOs into operation in 2025 with FPSO Almirante Tamandaré formally on hire as of February 16, 2025, FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão preparing for first oil and FPSO ONE GUYANA targeting first oil in the third quarter of 2025.

    FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão – In March 2025, the FPSO arrived safely at its location in Brazil. The FPSO hook-up and installation has been completed. First oil is expected around mid-2025.

    FPSO ONE GUYANA – The vessel arrived safely in Guyana and the installation and hook-up campaign is progressing. First oil is targeted for the third quarter of 2025.

    FPSO Jaguar – The Fast4Ward® MPF hull has been delivered. The topside modules’ fabrication progress is as per plan. First oil is expected in 2027.

    FSO Trion – The engineering and procurement progress is as per plan. The fabrication of the Disconnectable Turret Mooring system has started.

    FPSO GranMorgu – The Fast4Ward® MPF hull has been delivered. The commencement of the topside modules fabrication is planned for the second half of the year.

    Fast4Ward®MPF hulls – Under the Company’s successful Fast4Ward® program, ten MPF hulls have been ordered. Four Fast4Ward® MPF hulls are in operation, another four delivered and allocated to projects under construction and two are under construction to support active discussions with clients driven by the strong FPSO market outlook.

    Fleet Uptime – Year-to-date, the fleet’s uptime was 99.5%, in line with historical performance.

    Safety 

    Safety – There were zero Fatalities or Permanent Impairment Injuries in the first quarter of 2025, within the full year target of zero.

    Blue Economy

    Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Microsoft – SBM Offshore signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Microsoft in March 2025. This partnership’s objective is to develop standardized, scalable, AI-powered Ocean Infrastructure in the growing market of floating power solutions providing carbon-free electricity. The first phase of this collaboration will focus on deploying floating gas-to-power solutions with integrated carbon capture and storage in the UK and Norway, leveraging SBM Offshore’s collaboration with Norwegian company Ocean-Power AS.

    Near Zero Emission FPSO – In line with the Company’s strategy to decarbonize traditional energy production, an important milestone has been reached in the emissionZERO® road map, which aims at proposing a near zero FPSO to the market by the end of 2025. Reflecting the Company’s solid progress, SBM Offshore has received an “Approval in Principle” from the American Bureau of Shipping for its near zero FPSO design.

    Shareholder Returns

    On April 9, 2025 shareholders of the Company voted in favor of the proposed EUR150 million cash dividend. This resulted in a dividend distribution of EUR0.8606 per ordinary share. The dividend has been paid on May 6, 2025 to all shareholders of record as at April 14, 2025.

    The Company started a new program of EUR141 million as announced on February 20, 2025 and effective from April 24, 2025. The program is progressing and was c. 6.75% completed on May 14, 2025.

    On this basis a minimum US$1.7 billion cash return to shareholders is expected up to 20304.

    Guidance

    The Company’s 2025 Directional revenue guidance is maintained at above US$4.9 billion of which above US$2.2 billion is expected from the Lease and Operate segment and around US$2.7 billion from the Turnkey segment.

    2025 Directional EBITDA guidance is maintained at around US$1.55 billion for the Company.

    Conference Call

    SBM Offshore has scheduled a conference call, which will be followed by a Q&A session, to discuss the First Quarter 2025 Trading Update.

    The event is scheduled for Thursday May 15, 2025, at 10.00 AM (CEST) and will be hosted by Øivind Tangen (CEO) and Douglas Wood (CFO).

    Interested parties are invited to register prior the call using the link: First Quarter 2025 Trading Update

    Please note that the conference call can only be accessed with a personal identification code, which is sent to you by email after completion of the registration.

    Corporate Profile

    SBM Offshore is the world’s deepwater ocean-infrastructure expert. Through the design, construction, installation, and operation of offshore floating facilities, we play a pivotal role in a just transition. By advancing our core, we deliver cleaner, more efficient energy production. By pioneering more, we unlock new markets within the blue economy.

    More than 7,800 SBMers collaborate worldwide to deliver innovative solutions as a responsible partner towards a sustainable future, balancing ocean protection with progress.

    For further information, please visit our website at www.sbmoffshore.com.

    Financial Calendar   Date Year
    Half Year 2025 Earnings   August 7 2025
    Third Quarter 2025 Trading Update   November 13 2025
    Full Year 2025 Earnings   February 26 2026
    Annual General Meeting   April 15 2026
    First Quarter 2026 Trading Update   May 7 2026

    For further information, please contact:

    Investor Relations

    Wouter Holties
    Corporate Finance & Investor Relations Manager

    Media Relations

    Giampaolo Arghittu
    Head of External Relations

    Market Abuse Regulation
    This press release may contain inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

    Disclaimer
    Some of the statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those in such statements. These statements may be identified by words such as ‘expect’, ‘should’, ‘could’, ‘shall’ and / or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The principal risks which could affect the future operations of SBM Offshore N.V. are described in the ‘Impacts, Risks and Opportunities’ section of the 2024 Annual Report.

    Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and performance of the Company’s business may vary materially and adversely from the forward-looking statements described in this release. SBM Offshore does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update any industry information or forward-looking statements set forth in this release to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise.

    This release contains certain alternative performance measures (APMs) as defined by the ESMA guidelines which are not defined under IFRS. Further information on these APMs is included in the 2024 Annual Report, available on our website Annual Reports – SBM Offshore.

    Nothing in this release shall be deemed an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. The companies in which SBM Offshore N.V. directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release “SBM Offshore” and “SBM” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to SBM Offshore N.V. and its subsidiaries in general. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.

    “SBM Offshore®“, the SBM logomark, “Fast4Ward®”, “emissionZERO®” and “F4W®” are proprietary marks owned by SBM Offshore.

    1 Directional reporting, presented in the Financial Statements under section Operating Segments and Directional Reporting, represents a pro-forma accounting policy, which treats all lease contracts as operating leases and consolidates all co-owned investees related to lease contracts on a proportional basis based on percentage of ownership. This explanatory note relates to all Directional reporting in this document.
    2 As of May 14, 2025.
    3 As of December 31, 2024.
    4 Including cash returned to shareholders in 2025.

    5 Numbers may not add up due to rounding.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: J&T Finance Group and KBC announce strategic acquisition of 365.bank by KBC, expanding its presence in Slovakia and Central and Eastern Europe

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    On May 14, J&T Finance Group SE, based in the Czech Republic and the majority shareholder of 365.bank a.s. and KBC Bank NV reached an agreement for KBC to acquire a 98.45% stake in 365.bank (in cash), based on a total value for 365.bank of EUR 761 million. The transaction is subject to relevant regulatory and anti-trust approvals and is expected to close by the end of this year.

    365.bank, a commercial bank in Slovakia, holds a 3.7% market share by assets as of December 20241 with a notable strength in retail banking. Acquiring 365.bank would strengthen KBC in Slovakia ensuring KBC’s reference status across all Central and Eastern European countries of presence.

    The transaction price represents a 1.4x multiple of the December 2024 book value of 365.bank and a 9.4x P/E based on the average net profit of 365.bank from 2022 to 2024. The transaction price is subject to limited closing adjustments. This transaction price accurately reflects the quality of 365.bank, including its client base, employee professionalism, profitability, and potential synergies. The acquisition will have a limited impact on KBC’s capital position (approximately -50 basis points on KBC’s unfloored fully loaded CET-1 ratio) upon closing, which remains very solid keeping KBC’s CET1 ratio well above regulatory minimum capital requirements. 

    Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory and anti-trust approval and is expected by the end of 2025.  

    Pending such approval of the closure of the deal and the post-completion integration of the entities into KBC’s Slovakian operations, 365.bank will continue to honour its commitments to the market while continuing to provide professional service of the highest quality to its customers.

    The combination of ČSOB and 365.bank will establish a strong banking group in Slovakia, whereby 365.bank’s unique distribution model, supported by its long-standing partnership with Slovak Post, will allow KBC to significantly expand ČSOB’s customers reach across Slovakia. The acquisition of 365.bank will boost the scale of mainly retail operations, commanding (as of December 2024) an approximately 20% market share in both net retail loans and mortgages1.

    Based on the group bank-insurance model, other entities of the ČSOB Financial Group, will also benefit from the acquisition through the cross-selling of products and services to 365.bank’s retail customer base.

    Johan Thijs, CEO of KBC Group, said: “Our goal has always been and remains to strengthen our presence in Central and Eastern Europe. In Slovakia, which is one of our key markets, KBC has been growing steadily through both organic growth and acquisitions over the last 20 years. We are known for being innovative and stable, and we aim to provide our customers with safe, reliable, and personalized financial services. Today, we are proud to announce the acquisition of 365.bank in Slovakia. Through this acquisition, we strengthen our geographical diversification, we continue to build market leadership in Slovakia and boost our profitability. By combining our local ČSOB entities with 365.bank, we can offer even better customer service with innovative products and digital solutions alongside personalized service. We look forward to building the future for our customers and employees in Slovakia.”

    Peter Andronov, CEO of KBC Group’s International Markets Business Unit added: “In Slovakia, much like in other CEE countries where KBC is present, we are actively exploring sizeable synergies and integrated operations of our various financial entities. We cooperate actively and systematically within the region and the group, allowing our Slovak team to implement the best practices, technologies, and processes for our customers’ benefit. We are looking forward anxiously to welcome the customers and staff of 365.bank to the big family of KBC Group soon.”

    Daniel Kollár, CEO of ČSOB Bank Slovakia and country manager noted: “It is not so long ago that we merged with OTP Bank Slovakia and less than two decades ago with Istrobanka. This, the third bank acquisition in a row, means for us a future join with a significant player that is largely shaping the Slovak banking market with an emphasis on customer orientation and innovative solutions. This is fully in line with our strategy of bringing solutions with the goal of being relevant to the everyday lives of customers in the digital era. I am glad that we will be able to introduce our smart world to an even wider group of customers and today is a day that underlines our efforts. I am convinced that a combination of ČSOB and 365.bank will benefit not only the customers of both companies but will also bring an opportunity for colleagues from both companies to participate in the successful projects that are ahead of us.”

    Patrik Tkáč, co-founder of J&T Finance Group SE, the majority shareholder of 365.bank, states:
     “Since 2013, when 365.bank (formerly Postal bank) became part of our banking group, it has undergone a significant transformation. Today, it stands as a stable, fully digital, and modern retail bank with an irreplaceable position in the Slovak market. We hold deep appreciation for all of its employees and clients, which is why the future of the bank remains of the utmost importance to us. ČSOB Bank and its parent company, KBC Group, are our long-standing and trusted business partners. For this reason, I am confident that we are passing the bank into the right hands. I firmly believe that the sale of 365.bank will, in time, be well understood in the context of JTFG Group’s substantial development plans.“ 

    Andrej Zaťko, CEO and co-owner of 365.bank, adds: “365.bank and Postal bank carry with them a legacy of both deep history and modern transformation. This is a story of change and renewal within the banking sector—one that is truly without precedent in our region—and it is only natural that it attracted the attention of international investors. Since its inception, 365.bank has quickly emerged as a true challenger in the Slovak banking market. Today, the bank is delivering the strongest results in its history and continues on a growth trajectory. Throughout this period, we have brought fresh energy into the market, led important innovations, and helped intensify competition—enabling our clients to benefit from attractive products and services. The acquisition by KBC Group opens up a new horizon of opportunities for the bank and its clients, backed by a robust and experienced shareholder base.”

    About 365.bank
    365.bank is a retail-exposed bank with strong financial profile and a unique distribution network. 365.bank is a commercial bank with full range of products and particularly strong focus on retail customers.
    365.bank was first introduced in 2018 as fully digital bank and in 2021 it was combined with Postal bank, taking over its portfolios and branches throughout Slovakia.
    Currently, bank operates as a universal bank offering wide range of services and products to individuals as well as for corporates under two brands (365.bank and Postal bank) with different distribution models and client base for both operations. 365.bank is digital bank that caters to younger, urban mass/affluent segment, focusing on digital banking via mobile and online platforms, serving as the primary channel for new client acquisition. Postal bank targets mass and low mass customer segments in all towns with over 1,500 residents and benefits from long-standing cooperation with Slovak Post to distribute banking products through >1,400 points of sale in total.
    As of Dec-24, 365.bank had total assets of €4.7bn and shareholders’ equity of €551mm, as well as a headcount of 1,292 employees, serving ~830k customers via 57 branches of 365.bank, 105 sales points of Postal bank in Slovak Post branches  and >1,300 sales points in each branch of Slovak Post.

    About KBC’s presence in Slovakia
    Belgium-based KBC Bank NV is the parent company and sole shareholder of Československá obchodná banka (ČSOB). ČSOB is a leading Slovak bank boasting over 50 years of tradition. It is one of the most significant and strongest banking entities on the Slovak market. As a universal bank, it provides services to all customer segments, i.e.  retail, the self-employed, SMEs, corporate customers, as well as institutional and private clients. The bank is a member of the ČSOB Financial group, which also includes ČSOB Leasing, ČSOB Advisory, ČSOB Real, and ČSOB Nadácia (foundation). ČSOB Poisťovňa (insurance company) is an affiliate of ČSOB.
    The acquisition of 365.bank aligns with KBC’s strategic focus on both organic and inorganic growth in Slovakia, as evidenced by the acquisition of Slovak OTP Bank in 2021.  

    About J&T Group
    The J&T Finance Group focuses on providing comprehensive services related to private banking, retail banking, asset management for private clients and institutions, investment banking and project financing. It also provides services in the areas of administration, human resources, accounting, consolidation and tax consultancy. It develops its services primarily in the markets of the Czech and Slovak Republics, Croatia and Germany. More information at www.jtfg.com

    For more information, please contact:

    Kurt De Baenst, General Manager, Investor Relations, KBC Group
    Tel. + 32 2 429 35 73  – IR4U@kbc.be

    Katleen Dewaele, General Manager, Corporate Communications, KBC Group
    Tel. +32 475 78 08 66 – pressofficekbc@kbc.be

    1 Source: Company information, National bank of Slovakia

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Summer arts festival International Arts Carnival tickets on sale from May 16 (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Summer arts festival International Arts Carnival tickets on sale from May 16  
         This year, participating overseas artists will come from the Netherlands, Korea, Norway and the United States. Together with their Mainland and local counterparts, they are set to present a wide variety of performing arts programmes covering martial arts, acrobatics, dance, music, theatre, multimedia and more.
     
         The opening programme will be the martial arts theatre performance “Soul of Shaolin” featuring elite performers of the Henan Provincial Shaolin Wushu Center from July 11 to 13. The performance will showcase breathtaking martial arts scenes such as boxing, weaponry and qigong to demonstrate the harmony between the spiritual wisdom and physical strength of Chinese kung fu. “Soul of Shaolin” is finally coming to Hong Kong after its Broadway debut in 2009, which earned both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations. After more than two decades of world touring, it is not to be missed.
     
         Celebrated violinist Ray Chen will join Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda and members of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America to perform on July 28. During the concert, Chen will perform Mendelssohn’s ever-popular “Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64” with the orchestra. The repertoire will also include Rachmaninov’s masterful “Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27” and a new work by contemporary music composer Carlos Simon. This performance will also be part of the orchestra’s Asian tour.
     
    　　To celebrate the upcoming 15th National Games, the IAC will present “Sounds of Sports” August 2 and 3. Led by pianist Phoebus Chan, the performance will blend music and sports as local musicians and athletes will combine karate, rugby, wushu and table tennis with jazz drums, shakuhachi, erhu, cello and piano, turning the concert hall into an exciting sports ground full of energy.
     
    　The award-winning Xi’an Acrobatic Troupe will perform a new adaptation of the acrobatic ballet “Swan Lake” August 8 to 10, fusing incredible acrobatics with ballet, turning this famous dance performance into a powerful yet graceful show. The show features over 20 dazzling acrobatic acts including contortionists bending and twisting, doing flips and balancing, aerial hoops and dancing on shoulders. “Swan Lake” and “Soul of Shaolin” are also programmes that are part of this year’s Chinese Culture Festival.
     
         Other IAC stage programmes include:

    * “OvO” from Norway, a dance programme for infants aged nine to 24 months and their parents by dybwikdans;
    * “Waiting!” from Korea, an exciting and hilarious multimedia theatre by HADDANGSE;
    * “Home” from the Netherlands, an interactive multimedia theatre by Mime Wave;
    * “The Secret Agent Spin-off: The Hidden Treasure”, a musical adapted from the bestselling novel “The Secret Agent” by Musical Trio;
    * “A Musical Treasure Hunt – Percussion Kaleidoscope” and “A Showcase of Parent-child works of Cheng Kwok Kong” by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra;
    * “Live Animation Cinesthetics” and “The Other Side of Schumann” by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta;
    * “Little Pigs・Little Duck・Little Riding Hood 2.0” by Pop Theatre;
    * “My Arena: Dance of Triumph” by the City Contemporary Dance Company;
    * “The Kids in Rainbow Jerseys 2.0” by the Hong Kong Dance Company;
    * “‘It’s Time to Dance’ Inclusive Dance Theatre by Dancing Andy and Dancers “; and
    * 2025 Hong Kong Youth Music Camp Concerts “Summer Echoes” by the Music Office.
     
         In addition to stage performances, there will also be a fine selection of films from around the world under the Summer Family Cine Fest by the Film Programmes Office. The IAC also offers a wide range of parent-child workshops, an online programme, an outreach performance and an exhibition. Venue partners and LCSD libraries will also hold plenty of related activities and programmes during the festival period.
     
         Tickets for the IAC will be available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk 
         For enquiries on programmes and ticketing, please call 2370 1044 or visit its website at     www.hkiac.gov.hkIssued at HKT 12:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Summer Family Cine Fest to take families on fantastical cinematic adventures (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Film Programmes Office (FPO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the Summer Family Cine Fest (SFCF) from July 12 to August 16, offering over 40 fun-filled film screenings at the Hong Kong Film Archive, Hong Kong City Hall, the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Hong Kong Space Museum (HKSpM) and the North District Town Hall. The programme is one of the highlights of the International Arts Carnival (IAC).
     
         The Feature Films section features 15 works. Blending animation and live action, “Diplodocus” (2024) tells the story of a cute little comic dinosaur, which, in order to save itself and its family, must help its creator regain his confidence to create. In the animated film “Into the Wonderwoods” (2024), while on the way to visit his grandmother, 10-year-old Angelo is accidentally left behind in the wild. With his imagination and courage, he embarks on a solo journey while braving monsters and demons in the forest.
     
         In “Fox and Hare Save the Forest” (2024), a selfish beaver causes a flood in the forest, and other animals bravely come together to save their home. “Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear” (2024) follows a cat on an adventurous journey to find its favourite cuddle toy bear. In “Benjamin Bat” (2024), a little bat named Benjamin is bullied by his brothers for loving singing and becoming friends with a bat’s sworn enemy, a bird. For himself and his friend, he needs to muster his courage to stand up against the odds. A cute penguin in “Thelma’s Perfect Birthday” (2024) accidentally travels from the Land of Ice to the warm Great Forest and learns the meaning of growth through this whimsical journey.
     
         “Buffalo Kids” (2024) from Spain tells the story of two young siblings and their disabled new friend teaming up to battle wits and strength against outlaws of the Wild West in a thrilling adventure of courage and inclusion. Starting from the parents of a young boy building a sailboat in their home garden, “A Boat in the Garden” (2024) tells a story of perseverance and dedication of a family of three in the pursuit of dreams.
     
         The Swedish film “The Pinchers’ High Voltage Heist” (2023) delivers a comedic portrayal of a quirky family of thieves and their hilarious lives together. In the award-winning “Coco Farm” (2023), three youngsters strive to build a business guided by conscience. In “Lampo, The Travelling Dog” (2023), a social media-famous dog and a sick girl cross paths at a train station, leading to a heartwarming tale of mutual care between human and canine. “Greetings from Mars” (2024) tells the story of how Tom turns his passion for space exploration into strength when his mother has to travel a long way away.
     
         The SFCF also features three sports-themed films. “King Richard” (2021) depicts the parenting story of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams’ father and coach, who meticulously guided them to success. Lead actor Will Smith won Best Actor awards at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards for his performance. “Lioness” (2023) follows a South American migrant girl in the Netherlands pursuing her dream of becoming a football player in a strange land. “The Hill” (2023) delivers a passionate and inspiring true story of a baseball prodigy overcoming adversity despite suffering from a degenerative spinal condition.
     
         In addition, the FPO will co-organise with the HKSpM to present the dome show, “The Great Solar System Adventure!” (2024), at the Space Theatre of the HKSpM. Audiences will be guided through an exhilarating journey across the solar system. After the screenings, audiences will be invited to join a post-screening activity at the HKSpM Lecture Hall to make Mars paper models and learn about the major discoveries of various Mars exploration missions. This activity will be conducted in Cantonese.
     
         Veteran dubbing artists Yip Ka-man and Kinson Lai will perform live Cantonese dubbing for “Thelma’s Perfect Birthday”, “Benjamin Bat” and “Into the Wonderwoods” with no subtitles. “The Great Solar System Adventure!” is in Cantonese, with English available through the headphone system, with no subtitles. Other films will feature Chinese and English subtitles.
     
         Apart from the feature films, the FPO has hand-picked 20 animated short films from around the world to present three World Animation & Shorts programmes, titled “All About Love”, “Is That OK?” and “Craving For Food!”. Professional actor and drama tutor Man Jai (Raymond Chan) will host an introduction in Cantonese for the programmes.
     
         The FPO will also present a two-day event titled Summer of Light: Cinematic Adventure at Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre on July 12 and 13. The event consists of free activities and ticketed workshops for the public to participate. Details will be available in early June on the FPO website www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp.
     
         Tickets are priced at $88 and will be available from tomorrow (May 16) at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=75.
     
         For details of other IAC programmes, please visit the website www.hkiac.gov.hk.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU discusses best practices for interaction between educational organizations and employers

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The IX International Conference “Best Practices of Interaction between Educational Organizations and Employers” is being held at Novosibirsk State University from May 14 to 17. Representatives from 10 regions of Russia from Khabarovsk to St. Petersburg are taking part in the in-person events of the conference. An online broadcast is also organized.

    The conference is aimed at the heads and specialists of regional executive authorities, vice-rectors in charge of international cooperation, academic mobility and career development centers, as well as heads and employees of career development centers. The event is aimed at analyzing the current state and determining the further development vector of career centers, forming new ideas and approaches to improving their activities, opportunities for business cooperation with colleagues from other regions, inter-university cooperation through career centers and education export.

    These days, NSU has become a platform for discussing current issues affecting the problems of employment of university graduates in the new realities, according to the methodological recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated 02/25/2025, the organization and forecasting of employment of NSU graduates, identifying the professional intentions of future graduates, as well as graduates at risk of unemployment. The conference participants will exchange views on the formation of the National Rating of Higher Education Organizations and Professional Educational Organizations, the role of university career centers in the formation of a professional community and human resources, analyze the interaction of universities and businesses, as well as the dynamics of the labor market in the regions of Russia.

    — This conference is being held for the ninth time. It was first held in 2017 and brought together representatives of several career development centers and departments involved in student employment at universities. During the discussion of the current situation, the conference participants came to the conclusion that they face the same problems in their work. In order to take joint measures to solve them, the All-Russian Organization of Career Centers was created, and the conference became annual. The number of its participants is constantly growing. Here, at our horizontal level, we discuss the most important issues related to monitoring the situation on the labor market, career guidance work at universities and various tests that students must pass. The state is currently paying a lot of attention to career development centers, which currently act as the flagship of career guidance and establishing a career path for university graduates, because their activities are directly related to the implementation of the National Project “Personnel”. Therefore, such meetings of the professional community are very important, — said Svetlana Dovgal, Director of the NSU Career Development Center.

    This year, representatives of secondary vocational education institutions are taking part in the conference. The round table “Interaction of secondary vocational education institutions with employers: experience, problems, prospects” will be held on May 16 and is devoted to discussing their problems. It is noteworthy that employers and business partners of NSU are taking part in the conference, including SHIFT specialists, who will conduct a quiz “Transformation of education, from Y to Z” for representatives of career development centers.

    In her welcoming speech to the conference participants, Olga Yakovleva, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Educational Work at NSU, noted that the current conference is taking place at a very difficult time – over the past year and a half, the vector of the issues being discussed, in the center of which are representatives of Generation Z, has changed significantly: if earlier the focus was on its characteristics, shortcomings, quality of knowledge and motivation, now the emphasis has shifted to the sphere of employment.

    — For current applicants, it is important to choose from a variety of universities the one and only one that will become a bridge to the employer, and the task of the university is to ensure that each student is as useful as possible in the labor market. And today, career development centers are entrusted with the important work of building such tracking. We organize meetings of our CRC representatives with first-year students, because this work with students should begin at the very beginning of their studies at the university. The Career Development Center also participates in Open Days — so that applicants understand what career opportunities studying at our university gives them, and all their years of study develop the skill of effective employment. And we must learn to effectively build communication with these new people of Generation Z and make sure that they are as useful as possible to society and the state, — said Olga Yakovleva.

    Deputy Minister of Education of the Novosibirsk Region Svetlana Malina noted in her speech at the plenary session of the conference that the role of career centers in the educational and career guidance processes will only increase.

    — The trends in federal and regional policy are that in the next 2-3 years, the number of ninth and eleventh grade graduates is expected to decrease. The situation is aggravated by the general aging of the population. In the Novosibirsk Region, the unemployment rate is currently quite low and amounts to only 2%. The labor market is undergoing radical changes, and if earlier, graduates of universities and secondary specialized educational institutions looked for employers upon completion of their studies, now the opposite situation is often observed: employers are looking for graduates. Now, in the labor market, the conditions are determined by the candidate for employment. Enterprises — especially in the defense industry — compete with each other for graduates, raising salaries and offering various social packages. Graduates, in turn, are not always ready to agree to working conditions that do not suit them. In the current situation, our universities should receive motivated applicants, so career guidance should be carried out from a fairly early age. This is especially important for engineering specialties. It is necessary to implement career guidance activities for middle school students, for which purpose a unified career guidance system was introduced – the so-called career guidance minimum, according to which career guidance activities of different levels are implemented in each school, said Svetlana Malina.

    Conference participants shared their experience in career guidance and career development of their graduates in their speeches. Head of the Novosibirsk branch of the Center for Public Diplomacy, Associate Professor of the Siberian State University of Telecommunications and Informatics Dmitry Kaznacheev spoke about the specifics of interaction between universities and employers in the employment of foreign students. Director of the Career Center of the Chelyabinsk State University Svetlana Eremeeva gave a report on “Successful cooperation between universities and enterprises: interaction models and their impact on the educational process”. Project Manager of the School of Information Financial Technologies Vera Vyacheslavova introduced the participants to the formats of interaction with universities from the standpoint of an industrial partner. Deputy Head of the Department for Work with Students and Alumni of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Director of the ANO “Unified Center for Career Development” Anastasia Voitsitskaya presented the key career trends of this year.

    The first day of the conference ended with a round table on “Features of Higher Education Development” as part of the celebration of the 270th anniversary of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

    In the future, conference participants will take part in two round tables: “Features of employment of generation Z: from Y to Z” and “Interaction of educational organizations of secondary vocational education with employers: experience, problems, prospects”.

    Director of the Career Center of Chelyabinsk State University Svetlana Eremeeva:

    — The Career Center is designed to help our students enter the labor market as trained specialists and navigate it correctly, so I never miss events like today’s conference. For us, career center specialists, this is a unique opportunity to exchange opinions, learn something new, master new approaches and models implemented in other universities and designed to help our students find their place in the labor market. This conference is especially relevant now, when new methodological recommendations have been released by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The exchange of opinions, experience, methods and information is very important for our professional community. We apply the experience of our colleagues in our educational organizations. In my speech at the conference, I will talk about the models of interaction with employers that we implement. Previously, the educational process was closed in on itself and concluded within the certain framework of a specific educational organization. Now, career centers ensure interaction between universities and enterprises that are actively involved in the educational process. This is very important for us, because we want to adapt our students to the labor market, and not just provide higher education.

    Head of the organizational and educational department of the center for advanced professional training in the direction of “Social sphere in the Sverdlovsk region” Svetlana Larionova:

    — I represent a career center in the secondary vocational education sector. It is still poorly represented in the All-Russian Association of Career Centers, but we are concerned with the same problems as career centers of universities. And our tasks in this regard are similar. Therefore, professional communication and exchange of experience are of great interest to us. Establishing interaction between educational organizations and employers is very important, and we are now increasingly focusing on employers themselves formulating the criteria by which we then send our own to them. It is necessary to structure the educational process in such a way that these criteria are necessarily taken into account when developing the skills and knowledge of students. Then the employer will not have to retrain graduates, and they will immediately successfully join the work process.

    Vice-Rector for Personnel Policy of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Morozov:

    — The topics discussed and worked on at this conference, dedicated to the labor market and relations with employers, have always been and remain the most relevant for all universities, because the purpose of a university’s existence is not studying for the sake of studying, but training certified specialists who must receive a profession and, importantly, a good salary.

    Any university works to provide its graduates with, at a minimum, an education, and so that a specialist can find himself in life, receive professional guidance from the university and meet a reliable employer.

    Unfortunately, in some universities, in some specialties, there is a certain disconnect between education and the real labor market, which creates problems for university graduates upon completion of their studies. In order to prevent this from happening, universities are actively working to ensure that the employer comes to the university as early as possible, gets to know the students, makes a presentation of their business, company or government agency. And the maximum is, of course, the participation of the employer in the educational process. In this we see the highest degree of cooperation between the university and employers.

    The decision to establish the All-Russian Association of Career Centers was made in 2018. Today, it includes more than 110 universities of the Russian Federation, which, cooperating horizontally with each other, develop a unified policy and a unified vision of the problems and issues that need to be resolved jointly. And this allows us to formulate our common position and contact government bodies with any proposals and wishes, with the confidence that they will be taken into account when developing regulations.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Beijing releases document with initiatives to improve physical and mental health of schoolchildren

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) — Beijing recently unveiled a new comprehensive initiative to promote the holistic development of primary and middle school students, highlighting the relationship between physical and mental health.

    According to a person in charge of the Beijing Commission of Education, the new policy consists of five sections and 20 specific measures. The focus is on integrating aspects such as cultivating high moral character, cultivating mental ability and physical skills, developing teamwork and hard work, and strengthening three key types of relationships: peer-to-peer, teacher-student, and parent-child.

    This means that for the first time, relevant departments in the Chinese capital have clearly linked physical health indicators, such as reducing myopia, obesity and spinal curvature, with psychological resilience, which in turn implies synchronous improvement of both aspects.

    Some of the key measures include requiring students to participate in at least one school club, hobby group or extracurricular activity, organizing a “Teacher-Student Dialogue Day” and encouraging parents to spend 15 minutes daily for open conversation and one hour doing activities with their children.

    Under the new policy, schools are encouraged to increase team sports such as football and basketball to develop students’ resilience and persistence. In addition, special psychological support corners and stress-relief rooms will also be set up in common areas of school campuses.

    The document also provides for a division of responsibility between society and government. Professional social workers and volunteers will assist in the implementation of educational programs to improve health, while city authorities will ensure stricter control over online content and the amount of time spent in front of any screen, in close cooperation with students, their parents and educational institutions.

    Notably, Beijing will implement a three-tiered assessment system to monitor progress at the city, district and school levels. The system will use key indicators such as physical fitness data, mental health data and disease prevention dynamics to track trends, refine prevention strategies and intervention methods to ensure policy effectiveness.

    The initiative follows Beijing’s previous reform initiatives, including the introduction of 15-minute breaks between classes and guaranteed daily physical education classes, underscoring the city’s commitment to prioritizing health in education under the principle of “health first.” As a senior official at the Beijing Education Commission emphasized, the new policy is an innovative endeavor aimed at creating a special “Beijing model” that promotes the all-round development of students. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China calls for calm in the Red Sea, political settlement in Yemen

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    UNITED NATIONS, May 14 (Xinhua) — China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Sun Lei on Wednesday called on all parties to ease tensions in the Red Sea region, resume political dialogue in Yemen and increase humanitarian aid to resolve the country’s worsening crisis.

    “The situation in the Red Sea remains volatile and worrying,” he said at a UN Security Council briefing on Yemen, commenting on recent US and UK airstrikes in the Arab country, as well as exchanges of attacks between the Houthis and Israel, which have led to numerous casualties and destruction of infrastructure.

    Sun Lei welcomed the recent ceasefire agreement between the US and the Houthis and praised Oman’s mediation efforts. “We hope all parties will take this as an opportunity to resolve the situation as soon as possible,” he said.

    “China once again calls on all parties to maintain calm and restraint and refrain from any actions that aggravate tensions,” the diplomat added.

    Sun Lei stressed that the crisis in Yemen must be resolved through political means, calling on the parties in the country to engage in dialogue to achieve reconciliation and economic recovery.

    The deputy permanent representative expressed concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen. “Humanitarian activities in Yemen face numerous challenges, such as funding shortages, security threats, and the side effects of a major country’s policies,” he said. China calls for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as the release of all those detained by the Houthis, the diplomat stressed.

    Sun Lei also pointed to the wider regional implications of the tensions in the Red Sea region, linking them to the ongoing crisis in Gaza. “The international community must make achieving a lasting ceasefire in Gaza a top priority in order to de-escalate the overall situation in the region and restore peace and stability in Yemen and the Red Sea,” he added. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Turkish and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Discuss Upcoming Peace Talks Between Moscow and Kyiv

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    ANKARA, May 15 (Xinhua) — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Antalya on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming peace talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled to be held in Istanbul.

    According to Anadolu Agency, H. Fidan told A. Sibige that Türkiye is ready to provide any support, including holding negotiations, to help achieve peace.

    After the meeting, A. Sybiha wrote on the social network X that he had discussed in detail with his colleague ways to advance a “meaningful peace process.” “I reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to peace, our immediate and unconditional readiness for a full and sustainable ceasefire, as well as our proposal to hold a direct summit meeting between Ukraine and Russia,” he said.

    On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet with Putin in Istanbul.

    Earlier on Wednesday, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the Russian delegation at the upcoming talks would consider political and technical issues, and the topics included in the agenda would determine the composition of the delegation. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: /Economic Review/ From a “transit station” to an “industrial hub” – the development path of the largest land checkpoint on the Chinese-Russian border, Manzhouli

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    HOHHOT, May 15 (Xinhua) — Early in the morning, on the production line of Manzhouli Xinfeng Grain and Oil Industry Co., Ltd., newly imported rapeseed from Russia goes through automated peeling and pressing processes, and golden vegetable oil smoothly fills tanks.

    Manzhouli Port (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, North China), the largest land port on the Sino-Russian border, takes advantage of its geographical advantages and innovative policy mechanisms to actively develop new models of economic cooperation through deep processing of agricultural products and used car exports.

    “As soon as this batch of raw materials cleared customs, we immediately launched 24-hour production,” said Deputy General Director Yang Zhihong. Russian rapeseed oil with low acidity and a high smoke point is in particular demand among Chinese producers. The “Russian raw materials – Chinese processing” model facilitates the transition of local enterprises from trade to deep processing.

    According to Yang Zhihong’s calculations, using cross-border trade can save 500 yuan per ton of raw materials, and since last year, it has managed to save over 8 million yuan. Since November 2024, his company has imported 16,000 tons of raw materials from Russia, worth a total of 70 million yuan.

    In the face of tight raw material supply, Manzhouli Xinfeng has recently upgraded its equipment, launched oatmeal production and expanded its production area. “We are focusing on product diversification,” said Yang Zhihong. Last year, his company’s processing volume reached 120,000 tons, 70 percent of its products were supplied to central and western China, and its total profit and tax revenue exceeded 64 million yuan.

    Since the beginning of 2025, the transaction volume in the China-Russia border trade zone in Manzhouli has exceeded 100 million yuan. More than 3,600 local residents are involved in this activity, earning a total income of over 1 million yuan and generating 2 million yuan in tax revenue.

    A used car export showroom in Manzhouli displays neatly polished cars. Liu Dongge, a person in charge of Sanhe, said his company has exported more than 300 cars to Russia.

    So far, 18 companies in Manzhouli have obtained licenses to export used cars, with the total transaction volume of these companies exceeding 300 million yuan. “Manzhouli exported 1,540 cars in 2024, and 764 in the first four months of 2025,” said Bai Zhiping, an official with the Manzhouli City Commerce Bureau.

    In the first quarter of 2025, the cargo throughput through Manzhouli Port was 6.531 million tons, up 10.6 percent year-on-year, and the trade turnover reached 47.67 billion yuan, up 6.1 percent year-on-year.

    From a “transit station” to an “industrial hub,” from deep processing of agricultural products to the export of used cars, Manzhouli’s evolution demonstrates that a modern border economy is built not just on logistics, but also on the deep integration of production, service and innovation chains. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The State Committee for Reconstruction and Development held a symposium with the participation of non-state enterprises to hear their views on the economic situation

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) — China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Wednesday held a symposium with non-state-owned enterprises to collect their views on the current economic situation and the implementation of policies to stabilize employment and the economy.

    At the symposium, which was chaired by the head of the State Committee for Development and Reconstruction and Development Zheng Shanjie, participants shared their views on the activities of the industry and put forward proposals to stimulate high-quality development of the non-state sector of the economy.

    Representatives of non-state enterprises noted an increase in their ability to counter external risks, emphasizing that they pay special attention to innovation, market diversification and stability of economic activity.

    Despite the complex and volatile external environment, the participants of the symposium expressed confidence in the long-term prospects of enterprises. They noted that the adoption of the Law on the Promotion of the Development of the Non-State Sector of the Economy is considered an important milestone in strengthening legal guarantees for the sector.

    The participants of the symposium proposed to define the priority of support for the non-state sector of the economy in the 15th five-year plan /2026-2030/.

    Zheng Shanjie stressed the need to align macroeconomic policies with the needs of micro entities, promising to improve the ongoing mechanisms for interaction and exchange between the government and enterprises.

    He also promised to speed up the implementation of the developed policies and solve practical difficulties and problems related to the specific sector, and make efforts to stabilize employment, enterprises, the market and expectations.

    The SCRR will advance the development of the 15th Five-Year Plan and ensure effective implementation of policy support measures for non-state enterprises, the official added. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Putin, Trump to skip Ukraine’s peace talks that Russian leader proposed

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated they would not attend what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years on Thursday, with the Kremlin sending instead a group of experienced technocrats.

    Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday “without any preconditions”. Late on Wednesday, the Kremlin said the delegation would include presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin – but Putin‘s name was not on the list.

    After the Kremlin’s delegation announcement, a U.S. official said Trump, who is on a three-nation tour of the Middle East, would not attend. The U.S. leader had said earlier that he was considering the option to participate.

    While Putin had never confirmed he would attend in person, the absence of the Russian and U.S. presidents lowers the expectations for a major breakthrough in the war that Russia started in February 2022.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had challenged Putin to attend the talks “if he’s not afraid,” in an apparent contest to show Trump who wants peace more, Ukraine or Russia.

    While the Kyiv leader was on his way to Turkey late on Wednesday, a Ukrainian official said, he had said he would take part in the talks only if Putin attended.

    In his nightly video address on Wednesday Zelenskiy said that Ukraine would decide on its steps for peace talks in Turkey once there was clarity on Putin‘s participation.

    “The answers to all questions about this war – why it started, why it continues – all these answers are in Moscow,” Zelenskiy said. “How the war will end depends on the world.”

    Trump wants the two sides to sign up to a 30-day ceasefire to pause Europe’s biggest land war since World War Two, and a Russian lawmaker said on Wednesday there could also be discussions about a huge prisoner of war exchange.

    Zelenskiy backs an immediate 30-day ceasefire, but Putin has said he first wants to start talks at which the details of such a ceasefire could be discussed.

    MORE SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA?

    Trump, who is growing increasingly frustrated with both Russia and Ukraine as he tries to push them towards a peace settlement, said he was “always considering” secondary sanctions against Moscow if he thought it was blocking the process.

    U.S. officials have spoken about possible financial sanctions as well as potential secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil.

    The U.S. delegation to Turkey included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said early on Thursday he had met with Rubio to share Zelenskiy’s peace vision and “coordinate positions during this critical week.”

    Medinsky and Fomin, part of the Russian delegation, took part in the last set of negotiations between the two sides in the first weeks of the war. Other senior military and intelligence officials were also part of the Thursday delegation.

    Direct talks between negotiators from Ukraine and Russia last took place in Istanbul in March 2022, a month after Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what he calls a “special military operation” to root out neo-Nazis.

    Ukraine and its allies say the invasion was an unprovoked, imperial-style land grab.

    With Russian forces grinding forward in Ukraine and now controlling about a fifth of the country, the Kremlin chief has offered few, if any, concessions so far. In his proposal at the weekend, he said that the talks in Turkey would be aimed at a durable peace.

    He specifically mentioned the 2022 talks and the failed draft deal.

    Under that deal, among others, Ukraine would have agreed to permanent neutrality in return for security guarantees from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and other nations including Belarus, Canada, Germany, Israel, Poland and Turkey, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

    But officials in Kyiv say agreeing to Ukrainian neutrality is a red line they will not cross.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Foreign investors invested USD 3 billion in the Belarusian economy in the first quarter of 2025 — Belstat

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    MINSK, May 15 (Xinhua) — Foreign investors invested $3 billion in the real sector of the Belarusian economy from January to March 2025, the country’s National Statistical Committee (Belstat) reported on Wednesday.

    Foreign direct investment inflows amounted to US$2.4 billion, or 81.2 percent of all capital investment from abroad.

    In January-March 2025, Belarusian organizations sent investments abroad in the amount of 1.3 billion US dollars. Direct investments accounted for 76.3 percent of them. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SpaceX to conduct ninth Starship flight test next week – Elon Musk

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    LOS ANGELES, May 14 (Xinhua) — SpaceX plans to conduct the ninth flight test of its Starship system next week, the company’s founder and CEO Elon Musk said.

    Starship has completed a long-duration static fire test of its six engines and is undergoing final preparations ahead of an upcoming test launch, SpaceX said Tuesday.

    “Immediately prior to Starship’s flight next week, I will be giving a speech explaining the Mars strategy in Starbase, Texas, which will also be broadcast live on X,” Musk said on social media.

    The last time Starship launched was on March 6, when SpaceX lost contact with the spacecraft shortly after liftoff. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The declared total investment volume of residents of the Great Stone Industrial Park reached 1.57 billion US dollars

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    MINSK, May 15 /Xinhua/ — The declared total investment of residents of the China-Belarus Industrial Park “Great Stone” has reached 1.57 billion US dollars, its press service announced on the occasion of the Industrial Park Day.

    There are currently 150 residents registered in the Great Stone. 54 of them have already started implementing their projects, making a significant contribution to the economy of the park and the country as a whole. In 2025, the park was replenished with nine new residents representing Russia, China, Switzerland, Turkey and Belarus.

    As the head of the industrial park administration, Alexander Yaroshenko, noted, “Great Stone” has become well known both in Belarus and abroad over the years of its operation thanks to the large contribution of Belarusian and Chinese departments and enterprises.

    “We have been working fruitfully with our partners from friendly China all this time. And this interaction continues to strengthen. The economic effect of the park’s work is already noticeable. These are new products for Belarus, in demand on our market and supplied for export, new jobs. This became possible due to the fact that the park’s enterprises have been working and continue to work effectively all the time,” the newspaper “Respublika” quotes him as saying.

    By the end of 2025, the number of project participants is expected to grow to 170 companies. The number of employees of resident companies will exceed 3,700 people. The China-Belarus Park also continues to develop its logistics potential. In 2024, the second stage of construction began, during which key logistics infrastructure facilities will be built. During 2025, active work will be carried out on the construction of a multimodal terminal on a 41-hectare site. It is expected that the terminal will be completed in 2026, and its implementation will speed up the transportation of goods within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: OPEC leaves global oil demand forecasts unchanged for 2025-2026

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    VIENNA, May 15 (Xinhua) — The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Wednesday left its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2025-2026 unchanged.

    In its monthly oil market report, OPEC forecasts demand growth of 1.3 million barrels per day in 2025 and about the same in 2026.

    “Total global oil demand is expected to average 105 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025, supported by strong air travel demand and healthy road transport levels, as well as robust industrial, construction and agricultural activity in non-OECD countries,” OPEC said. Its analysts believe that increased capacity and profitability of the petrochemical industry in non-OECD countries will help boost oil demand. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Curious Kids: if our eyes see upside down, how does the brain flip the picture?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Joyce, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Southern Queensland

    I heard that we see upside down, but our brain flips the image. How does it do that?

    –Jasmine, Mount Evelyn, Victoria

    Our eyes work thanks to light. Objects we can see are either sources of light themselves – like a candle or a phone screen – or light bounces off them and makes its way to our eyes.

    First, light passes through the optical components of the eyes such as the cornea, pupil and lens.

    Together, they help focus the light onto the retina that senses light, while also controlling the intensity of light to help us see well while avoiding damage to the eye.

    The function of the lens is to correctly focus light that comes from objects at different distances. This process is known as accommodation.


    Marochkina Anastasiia/Shutterstock

    While performing this important task, light passing through the lens becomes inverted. This means that light from the top of the object falls lower on the retina than light from the bottom, which falls higher on the retina.

    So, light exiting the lens to land on the retina is indeed flipped upside down. But that doesn’t mean the brain is actually flipping the picture “back”. Here’s why.

    The orientation doesn’t actually matter

    While the light being interpreted by the brain is “upside down” compared to the real world, the question is: is that actually a problem for us?

    From your own experience you can tell the answer is probably no. We seem to navigate and interact with the world just fine.

    So, where in the brain is the image flipped or rotated 180 degrees to be the “right way up” again?

    You may be surprised to learn that vision scientists reject the idea a flipping or rotation needs to happen at all. This is because of how our brains process visual information.

    The object you perceive is “encoded” by the firing of various neurons – brain cells that process information – in various locations in the brain. This pattern of firing is what encodes the information about the object you’re focusing on. That info takes into account the object’s relation to everything else in the scene, your body in the world, and your movements.

    As long as the relative encodings of these are all consistent with one another, as well as stable, there’s no need for a flip to happen at all.

    We can function with ‘upside down’ goggles!

    Several studies have looked at how we adapt to large changes in visual input by asking people to wear goggles that flip the image coming in.

    This means the image lands on the retina the “right way up”, so to speak, but upside down from what the brain has learned it should be.

    In the 1930s, two scientists in Austria performed the Innsbruck Goggle Experiments. For weeks or even months at a time, participants in these studies wore goggles that altered the way the world around them looked. This included goggles that turn the incoming image upside down.

    A person blinks while wearing an ‘invertoscope’ – goggles that turn the incoming image upside down.
    Dmitry Hoh/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    As you can imagine, people wearing these goggles at first found it really difficult to get by in their day-to-day activities. They would stumble and bump into things.

    But this was temporary.

    Participants reported seeing the world upside-down for the first few days, with difficulties navigating the environment, including trying to step over ceiling lights that appeared to them as on the floor.

    Around the fifth day, however, performance seemed to improve. Things that were at first seen upside down now appeared the right way up, and this tended to improve with more time.

    In other words, with continued exposure to the upside-down world, the brain adapted to the changed input.

    More recent studies are beginning to identify which areas of the brain are involved in being able to adapt to changes in visual input, and what the limits of our ability to adapt might be.

    Adaptation may even allow “colour blind” people to see colour better than is predicted from their condition.

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

    – ref. Curious Kids: if our eyes see upside down, how does the brain flip the picture? – https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-if-our-eyes-see-upside-down-how-does-the-brain-flip-the-picture-254303

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister Carney speaks with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, spoke with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.

    Prime Minister Sánchez congratulated Prime Minister Carney on his election. The leaders discussed building on the strong bilateral relationship between Canada and Spain. This includes expanding trade and commercial ties, growing defence partnerships, and upholding international security.

    The prime ministers agreed to remain in close contact.

    Associated Link

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wicker Encouraged by Trump-Zelensky Deal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    On February 24, 2022, Russia rolled tanks into Ukraine, expecting to conquer its neighbor in a matter of weeks. The free world rallied to supply military, economic, and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people, who have fought valiantly against the thugs invading their homeland. Now, three years later, President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky have signed an economic investment agreement. The deal plants a flag regarding America’s intentions toward Ukraine, and it could help pave the way to peace and freedom in that war-torn country.

    The new plan was negotiated by the president, his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, and his Ukraine envoy, respected American General Keith Kellogg. It sets in motion a more formal, binding pact. Ultimately, Ukraine and the United States will create a jointly owned fund to give America a real stake in Ukraine’s post-war commerce. The eastern European country has vast energy resources – including natural gas, oil, and critical minerals. President Trump is working to rebuild our critical minerals supply chains, and I am advancing legislation that would fund those efforts. Ukraine will be a key part of that work.

    President Trump Sends a Message to Putin

    With these terms, President Trump brings the credibility of the American economy to a nation poised for stability and growth. The president campaigned on a pledge to end the brutal war unleashed by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who has consistently rejected President Trump’s offers to engage in peace talks. Instead, he has tried to wear down Ukraine’s resolve by bombing non-combatant civilian neighborhoods.

    After the attacks, President Trump stated that Putin “has to be dealt with differently.” Treasury Secretary Bessent echoed those comments, labeling Putin a war criminal. As the administration pursues peace negotiations, it is taking into account Putin’s character, aware that he will respond only to strength.

    The agreement clearly indicates that America is committed to the long-term peace of Ukraine. Additionally, the president has taken more steps to assist Ukraine by approving the transfer of American air-defense systems to the country.

    Ukraine Understands the Stakes

    The Ukrainians are also sending a message. When he signed this agreement, President Zelensky showed that his people will work with the United States to increase the security and prosperity of both our nations.

    From day one of this war, Ukrainians have refused to bend the knee to Putin. They know better than anyone the lengths he will go to accomplish his goals. He has unleashed horrors on thousands of Ukrainians – even women, children, and Christians traveling to and from Palm Sunday celebrations. He has formed increasingly tight bonds with the dictators who control North Korea, Iran, and China.

    Russian success in Ukraine would embolden each of those rogue nations. For his part, Putin would gain strategic military positions on the borders of countries we are treaty-bound to defend. Stopping Putin now can weaken his resolve to threaten even more of the free world.

    Lasting Peace Comes Through Strength

    In the long run, lasting stability will be made possible only by strengthened Ukrainian and European militaries, supported by U.S technological and strategic resources. The Biden administration handcuffed Ukraine by slow-walking the tools it needed to stop Putin. President Trump is correcting course and strengthening the U.S. military at the same time

    For the past year, Presidents Trump and Zelensky have been echoing Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” philosophy. They both believe that the best way to avoid conflict is to prepare for it. President Trump has already started working to rebuild U.S. military readiness so that no adversary dares to move against America.

    Under his direction, the Pentagon can work with Ukraine to produce more weapons and create new defense relationships. Both steps will improve security for both nations. As Ukraine plans its recovery from Putin’s war, we must work together to deter the next dictator from starting one.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Two lizard-like creatures crossed tracks 355 million years ago. Today, their footprints yield a major discovery

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By John Long, Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University

    Marcin Ambrozik

    The emergence of four-legged animals known as tetrapods was a key step in the evolution of many species today – including humans.

    Our new discovery, published today in Nature, details ancient fossil footprints found in Australia that upend the early evolution timeline of all tetrapods. It also suggests major parts of the story could have played out in the southern supercontinent of Gondwana.

    This fossil trackway whispers that we have been looking for the origin of modern tetrapods in the wrong time, and perhaps the wrong place.

    The first feet on land

    Tetrapods originated a long time ago in the Devonian period, when strange lobe-finned fishes began to haul themselves out of the water, probably around 390 million years ago.

    This ancestral stock later split into two main evolutionary lines. One led to modern amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders. The other led to amniotes, whose eggs contain amniotic membranes protecting the developing foetus.

    Today, amniotes include all reptiles, birds and mammals. They are by far the most successful tetrapod group, numbering more than 27,000 species of reptiles, birds and mammals.

    They have occupied every environment on land, have conquered the air, and many returned to the water in spectacularly successful fashion. But the fossil record shows the earliest members of this amniote group were small and looked rather like lizards. How did they emerge?

    The oldest known tetrapods have always been thought to be primitive fish-like forms like Acanthostega, barely capable of moving on land.

    Acanthostega, an early tetrapod that lived about 365 million years ago, was a member of the ancestral stock that gave rise to amphibians and amniotes.
    The authors

    Most scientists agree amphibians and amniotes separated at the start of the Carboniferous period, about 355 million years ago. Later in the period, the amniote lineage split further into the ancestors of mammals and reptiles-plus-birds.

    Now, this tidy picture falls apart.

    A curious trackway

    Key to our discovery is a 35 centimetre wide sandstone slab from Taungurung country, near Mansfield in eastern Victoria.

    The slab is covered with the footprints of clawed feet that can only belong to early amniotes, most probably reptiles. It pushes back the origin of the amniotes by at least 35 million years.

    Mansfield slab, dated between 359-350 million years old, showing positions of early reptile tracks.
    The authors

    Despite huge variations in size and shape, all amniotes have certain features in common. For one, if we have limbs with fingers and toes, these are almost always tipped with claws – or nails, in the case of humans.

    In other tetrapod groups, real claws don’t occur. Even claw-like, hardened toe tips seen in some amphibians are extremely rare.

    Claws usually leave obvious marks in footprints, providing a clue to whether a fossil footprint was made by an amniote.

    Close up showing the oldest known tracks with hooked claws from Mansfield, Victoria. Left, photo; right, optical scan.
    The authors

    The oldest clawed tracks

    The previous oldest fossil record of reptiles is based on footprints and bones from North America and Europe around 318 million years ago.

    The oldest record of reptile-like tracks in Europe is from Silesia in Poland, a new discovery also revealed in our paper. They are around 328 million years old.

    However, the Australian slab is much older than that, dated to between 359 and 350 million years old. It comes from the earliest part of the Carboniferous rock outcropping along the Broken River (Berrepit in the Taungurung language of the local First Nations people).

    This area has long been known for yielding many kinds of spectacular fossil fishes that lived in lakes and large rivers. Now, for the first time, we catch a glimpse of life on the riverbank.

    Fossil hunters search the Carboniferous red sandstone in the Mansfield area of Victoria. Such outcrops recently yielded the trackways of the world’s oldest reptile.
    John Long

    Two trackways of fossil footprints cross the slab’s upper surface, one of them overstepping an isolated footprint facing the opposite direction. The surface is covered with dimples made by raindrops, recording a brief shower just before the footprints were made. This proves the creatures were moving about on dry land.

    All the footprints show claw marks, some in the form of long scratches where the foot has been dragged along.

    The shape of the feet matches that of known early reptile tracks, so we are confident the footprints belong to an amniote. Our short animation below gives a reconstruction of the ancient environment around Mansfield 355 million years ago, and shows how the tracks were made.

    A short animation showing the creature making the tracks and its scientific significance. By Flinders University and Monkeystack Productions.

    Rewriting the timeline

    This find has a massive impact on the origin timeline of all tetrapods.

    If amniotes had already evolved by the earliest Carboniferous, as our fossil shows, the last common ancestor of amniotes and amphibians has to lie much further back in time, in the Devonian period.

    We can estimate the timing of the split by comparing the relative lengths of different branches in DNA-based family trees of living tetrapods. It suggests the split took place in the late Devonian, maybe as far back as 380 million years ago.

    This implies the late Devonian world was populated not just by primitive fish-like tetrapods, and intermediate “fishapods” like the famous Tiktaalik, but also by advanced forms including close relatives of the living lineages. So why haven’t we found their bones?

    The location of our slab provides a clue.

    Big evolutionary questions

    All other records of Carboniferous amniotes have come from the northern hemisphere ancient landmass called Euramerica that incorporated present-day North America and Europe. Euramerica also produced the great majority of Devonian tetrapod fossils.

    The new Australian fossils come from Gondwana, a gigantic southern continent that also contained Africa, South America, Antarctica and India.

    In all of this vast landmass, which stretched from the southern tropics down across the South Pole, our little slab is currently the only tetrapod fossil from the earliest part of the Carboniferous.

    The Devonian record is scarcely much better. The Gondwana fossil record of early tetrapods is shockingly incomplete, with enormous gaps that could conceal – well, just about anything.

    This find now raises a big evolutionary question. Did the first modern tetrapods, our own distant ancestors, emerge in the temperate Devonian landscapes of southern Gondwana, long before they spread to the sun-baked semi-deserts and steaming swamps of equatorial Euramerica?

    It’s quite possible. Only more fieldwork, bringing to light new discoveries of Devonian and Carboniferous fossils from the old Gondwana continents, might one day answer that question.

    We acknowledge the Taungurung people of Mansfield area where this scientific work has taken place.

    John Long receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki receives funding from the Swedish Research Council and the European Research Council.

    Per Ahlberg receives funding from the European Research Council and the Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

    – ref. Two lizard-like creatures crossed tracks 355 million years ago. Today, their footprints yield a major discovery – https://theconversation.com/two-lizard-like-creatures-crossed-tracks-355-million-years-ago-today-their-footprints-yield-a-major-discovery-254301

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Curious Kids: if our eyes see upside down, how does the brain flip the picture?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Daniel Joyce, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Southern Queensland

    I heard that we see upside down, but our brain flips the image. How does it do that?

    –Jasmine, Mount Evelyn, Victoria

    Our eyes work thanks to light. Objects we can see are either sources of light themselves – like a candle or a phone screen – or light bounces off them and makes its way to our eyes.

    First, light passes through the optical components of the eyes such as the cornea, pupil and lens.

    Together, they help focus the light onto the retina that senses light, while also controlling the intensity of light to help us see well while avoiding damage to the eye.

    The function of the lens is to correctly focus light that comes from objects at different distances. This process is known as accommodation.


    Marochkina Anastasiia/Shutterstock

    While performing this important task, light passing through the lens becomes inverted. This means that light from the top of the object falls lower on the retina than light from the bottom, which falls higher on the retina.

    So, light exiting the lens to land on the retina is indeed flipped upside down. But that doesn’t mean the brain is actually flipping the picture “back”. Here’s why.

    The orientation doesn’t actually matter

    While the light being interpreted by the brain is “upside down” compared to the real world, the question is: is that actually a problem for us?

    From your own experience you can tell the answer is probably no. We seem to navigate and interact with the world just fine.

    So, where in the brain is the image flipped or rotated 180 degrees to be the “right way up” again?

    You may be surprised to learn that vision scientists reject the idea a flipping or rotation needs to happen at all. This is because of how our brains process visual information.

    The object you perceive is “encoded” by the firing of various neurons – brain cells that process information – in various locations in the brain. This pattern of firing is what encodes the information about the object you’re focusing on. That info takes into account the object’s relation to everything else in the scene, your body in the world, and your movements.

    As long as the relative encodings of these are all consistent with one another, as well as stable, there’s no need for a flip to happen at all.

    We can function with ‘upside down’ goggles!

    Several studies have looked at how we adapt to large changes in visual input by asking people to wear goggles that flip the image coming in.

    This means the image lands on the retina the “right way up”, so to speak, but upside down from what the brain has learned it should be.

    In the 1930s, two scientists in Austria performed the Innsbruck Goggle Experiments. For weeks or even months at a time, participants in these studies wore goggles that altered the way the world around them looked. This included goggles that turn the incoming image upside down.

    A person blinks while wearing an ‘invertoscope’ – goggles that turn the incoming image upside down.
    Dmitry Hoh/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    As you can imagine, people wearing these goggles at first found it really difficult to get by in their day-to-day activities. They would stumble and bump into things.

    But this was temporary.

    Participants reported seeing the world upside-down for the first few days, with difficulties navigating the environment, including trying to step over ceiling lights that appeared to them as on the floor.

    Around the fifth day, however, performance seemed to improve. Things that were at first seen upside down now appeared the right way up, and this tended to improve with more time.

    In other words, with continued exposure to the upside-down world, the brain adapted to the changed input.

    More recent studies are beginning to identify which areas of the brain are involved in being able to adapt to changes in visual input, and what the limits of our ability to adapt might be.

    Adaptation may even allow “colour blind” people to see colour better than is predicted from their condition.

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

    – ref. Curious Kids: if our eyes see upside down, how does the brain flip the picture? – https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-if-our-eyes-see-upside-down-how-does-the-brain-flip-the-picture-254303

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: Lewandowski back for Barca at Espanyol with title in sight

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

    FC Barcelona can either seal the La Liga title on Thursday night with a win away to local rival Espanyol, or use the match as a celebration, depending on Real Madrid’s result at home to Mallorca on Wednesday.

    If Madrid fails to beat Mallorca, Barca will be champions without kicking a ball, but otherwise, there will still be work to do against a side that is not totally safe from relegation.

    Barca’s 4-3 win at home to Madrid on Sunday leaves the title in its grasp, although Jules Kounde is still injured and Inigo Martinez will miss the game through suspension.

    Robert Lewandowski(R) of FC Barcelona vies with Marcos Alonso of Celta Vigo during the Laliga football match between FC Barcelona and Celta Vigo, in Barcelona, Spain, on April 19, 2025. (Photo by Joan Gosa/Xinhua)

    On a positive note, Marc Casado and Robert Lewandowski could both play as Barca looks to complete a league and cup double.

    Thursday could also confirm Athletic Bilbao’s place in the Champions League if the Basque side wins away to a Getafe that is on a run of five straight losses.

    The Williams brothers are still out for Athletic, but Alex Berenguer and Andoni Gorosabel both return after suspension, and Benat Prados could be available after suffering a shin injury a week ago.

    Athletic could have its Champions League place confirmed before kick-off if Real Betis fails to win away to Getafe in an early kick-off. The Seville-based outfit is six points behind Athletic with nine to play for, but with a worse goal difference.

    Rayo, meanwhile, still has a good chance of a top-eight finish and a place in Europe next season.

    Osasuna is also aiming to play in Europe, although the Pamplona side has to play Atletico Madrid which has been inconsistent lately, with more problems on the road than in front of its own fans.

    Julian Alvarez will be back for Atletico after suspension, but Alexander Sorloth will surely start again after scoring four against Real Sociedad at the weekend.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: McIlroy signs on for 2025, 2026 Australian Open

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

    World No. 2 golfer Rory McIlroy will headline Australia’s most prestigious tournament in 2025 and 2026, organizers announced on Wednesday.

    The government of Australia’s state of Victoria said in a statement that Melbourne will be the home of the Australian Open for the next two years, with Northern Ireland’s McIlroy committing to play in both tournaments.

    Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates with the trophy after winning the 2025 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, the United States, on April 13, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

    The Victorian government and Golf Australia announced that the 2025 tournament would be held at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club from December 4 to 7 and that Kingston Heath Golf Club would host the 2026 event.

    Both courses are on the Melbourne Sandbelt, a renowned golfing region some 20 kilometers southeast of the city center.

    “I’m proud to be committing to the Australian Open for the next two years, especially with it being played on the world-class Melbourne Sandbelt, somewhere I’ve always wanted to play professionally,” McIlroy said in a statement.

    The announcement comes after McIlroy in April won The Masters Tournament for the first time, completing a career grand slam of golf’s major championships.

    The 36-year-old McIlroy won the Australian Open in 2013 when it was played in Sydney. He has not played a professional tournament in Australia since 2014.

    Australia’s 9News network reported that McIlroy will be joined in the 2025 field by top-ranked Australians Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott.

    Steve Dimopoulos, Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, described McIlroy’s commitment to play at the Australian Open as a “major coup” that will be “fantastic” for the state’s visitor economy. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US think tanks need to be less confrontational in their China-related analysis

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Recently, the American Atlantic Council published an article titled “Competing with China: Either a Quick Victory or a Crushing Defeat,” which argues that in the event of a conflict between China and the United States, the United States must seek a quick conclusion or face “catastrophic consequences.” The author of the article, Glick, argues that a “short, regional, and limited war” best suits the capabilities and interests of the United States, and that an excessive focus on a “protracted war” will only lead to defeat.

    Glick’s view is just one of many analyses in the American strategic community on this topic. Analysis of the military power ratio of China and the United States, or modeling the so-called “China-US standoff,” has always been the focus of research by American think tanks and often becomes an important reference point for Washington in making strategic decisions. It can be said that the research and assessments of some American think tanks have, to a certain extent, become “indirect factors” contributing to the deterioration of China-US relations.

    In this regard, China needs to conduct an in-depth analysis in three areas:

    First, we should be wary of the cognitive limitations of viewing Sino-US relations through the prism of confrontation. Such thinking is essentially a narrow zero-sum logic. The problem is this: first, it ignores the multidimensional and complex nature of Sino-US relations. Second, it overestimates the inevitability and severity of confrontation. Historical experience shows that Sino-US relations have always developed in a dynamic balance between tension and détente, and the potential for cooperation has never disappeared completely despite competition. Finally, there is a hidden risk of strategic miscalculation.

    Second, it is important to understand the logic behind the “insecurity” of some in the United States that is behind the confrontational thinking. The current crisis of US self-confidence is due to many problems. In a period of adjustment, the United States, unlike in its heyday, needs international cooperation to address global challenges.

    Third, it is necessary to clearly understand the future development trend of China-US relations. In the era of globalization, when science and technology are rapidly developing, the degree of exchange between countries is deepening, and the interrelations between countries are reaching an unprecedented level, peaceful coexistence between China and the US is no longer just a choice based on the interests of the two countries, but a necessary condition for safeguarding the common interests of mankind and the common development of the world.

    American think tanks need to understand that the outdated logic of the zero-sum game does not apply to modern Sino-US relations. The economic complementarity of the two countries, as well as the inevitability of cooperation in security and public goods, should be the basis for the healthy development of Sino-US relations.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Managing Director Remarks’ at the IMF Conference on Public Debt Transparency—Aligning the Law with Good Practices

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF

    May 14, 2025

    Good morning and a very warm welcome to everybody, those who are in the room and those who join us online.

    It is my great pleasure to join you because the topic that you will be discussing truly affects countries, businesses, communities, in a way that slows down progress and makes it harder for countries that are still falling behind to catch up.

    We all know the data. Global public debt is expected to approach 100 percent of global GDP by the end of the decade. In other words, we would owe as much as we generate in one year. And this is worse than what we had during the pandemic.

    You all know that governments are wrestling with tight budgets. And now with trade policy uncertainty, the fiscal trade-offs are going to be even more complicated. This is a problem everywhere in countries rich and poor, but it is particularly painful for emerging markets and developing economies, where the mounting cost of servicing debts is squeezing their ability to make investments and to respond to shocks.

    It is against this backdrop that at the Fund we have been doing extensive work on issues of global debt architecture and sovereign debt restructurings. These efforts have intensified since the pandemic, and you are all aware we came up with the Common Framework, and then we realized we needed to have an inclusive space for debtors and creditors, both public and private, so we created the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable. I see people who are members, and I want to appreciate all those who are engaged in it.

    We are also actively working with authorities in Paris Club and non-Paris Club countries to bring everybody to the table for debt restructuring. Our engagement seeks to improve coordination, ensure that countries play by global rules, and very important, that there is comparability of treatment across creditors during debt restructuring.

    Five years ago, much less was known about the magnitude and nature of lending from non-Paris club creditors, or how to encourage their involvement in debt restructuring. Since then, we need to recognize that significant progress has been made in helping improve transparency in lending practices and encouraging fair burden sharing across creditors, including the non-Paris Club countries.

    Overtime, the G20 Common Framework has become more efficient and work in this regard continues. We are not done. We also see that the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable plays a significant role as evidenced by the recent publication of the Sovereign Debt Restructuring Playbook. You play by the book, you get things done fast. It spells out steps to speed up the restructuring process, and it defines countries’ accountability for their actions. Importantly, this also includes compiling data to give a clear picture of domestic and external debt and the creditors who hold this debt.

    So why is debt transparency so important? For the reasons we were describing – Yan in her introduction, then we saw the little movie and now me.

    We have high level of debt and on top of it, countries are increasingly using complex forms of financing that are often opaque. New debt instruments have emerged such as guaranteed, securitized and collateralized debt contracts linked to. public-private partnerships, state-owned enterprises and pension funds. And because of the novelty and complexity of these instruments, our experience is that too much debt remains hidden from the eyes of policymakers and from the public. And too often it comes to light only when it is late, through the debt restructuring process.

    Hidden debt inflicts real costs. It saps investor confidence. It increases borrowing costs. And it puts debt sustainability at risk, which can lead to a debt crisis.

    Simply put, you cannot manage what you cannot see. And this is why we need light to cut through the fog surrounding the mountain of debt. We need the right laws and requirements in both borrower and creditor countries to defer the decision-making to competent bodies so they can do what is right for debt reporting and debt management. And that is the topic of today’s conference, this is what you will be doing here.

    Let me say a little bit about our work at the Fund.

    As we heard from Yan, we have identified debt transparency as a public good, and we have done a lot of work already.

    Even if it is not labeled as debt transparency at the heart of it, when we support debt management in countries, this is what we do. Let me give you three examples.

    First, back in 2023, we published a paper on ‘Making Public Debt Public.’ It looked at factors that underlie the lack of disclosure and the IMF’s role in reforms. We found that debt disclosure in boring low-income countries and emerging market economies falls way short due in large part to the increasing share of non-marketable and SOE debt. And in keeping with the theme of today’s conference, gaps in borrowing countries’ domestic, legal, institutional, and operational frameworks hinder transparency. We ought to close those gaps.

    Second, our debt limit policies now require more detailed transparency on debt information. Including for the first time, we require the publication of the holders of a country’s public debt.

    Third, in our Article IV consultations, we introduced a more structured and transparent assessment of data adequacy on debt, where broader and more granular debt data will be required. And this assessment will inform not just us, it would inform countries, and it would inform those interested to invest in countries.

    We have scaled up our training on debt transparency. We have delivered over 200 capacity development projects just on debt management in the last two years.

    How many of you have been following our spring meetings this year? So, for those who were here and for those who weren’t, a very important message that came out of this meeting was, countries need to put their own house in order. It was a line I used in my curtain raiser speech. And then I was so delighted to hear it played back to me by country delegations. They would say, it is tough, we have to get our own house in order and getting your own house in order absolutely requires transparency.

    Good law drives good practices, and it drives good arrangements. There are many questions countries need to answer. They need to answer ‘who has the authority to borrow on behalf of the country,’ ‘who can sign a valid contract,’ ‘can the state’s resources be used as collateral?’ We look at the law for answers to these questions and I can tell you, they seem obvious and yet there are so many countries in which they still need to be answered.

    Our Legal Department reviews debt-related legislation, as we heard from the movie, from the little clip. They did the review for 85 countries and we found several areas for improvement in legal frameworks. Less than half of the country surveyed require debt management and fiscal reporting. It’s a big gap we have to close. In many cases, the legal definition of public debt is too narrow. It excludes SOEs or it excludes types of borrowing and as a result some forms of that fall outside the sovereign’s awareness. When we are in a situation like this, we do have to (a) recognize what the gaps are, (b) work together to close these gaps, and I can tell you at the Fund we are at the disposal of our members to do exactly that.

    We have in this conference policymakers from 72 countries. We have representatives of civil society organizations, from private sector and academia. And I am very uplifted because I think together we can make a difference. And from our side, we intend to work hard to be part of making that difference.

    First, our upcoming review of debt sustainability analysis for low-income countries will consider how we can better support debt transparency. It complements the completion of a similar review of that sustainability analysis for market access countries. And I would welcome engagements as we go with this review.

    Second, our work on the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable and the Common Framework will engage constructively all relevant parties so they do their part for debt transparency. In the recent meeting of the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, there was a very strong commitment to it, let’s get it done. Debtors can be more transparent about the debt on their books. Creditors can be more forthcoming in outlining what they are lending for. And I think we can, working together, get really good data. So good debt management becomes the norm, not the exception.

    And third, we will systematically draw lessons from experience in our surveillance program and capacity development engagements to develop and share best practices in advancing debt transparency. We will periodically report on progress in strengthening legal frameworks for debt transparencies as part of our reporting on progress with the multi-pronged approach to reduce debt vulnerability. In other words, we concretely commit specifically to how we are going to act to advance this agenda.

    Accurate information is so critical. I’m sure you know the saying ‘garbage in, garbage out.’ What we want is to clean the garbage.

    Benjamin Franklin, to paraphrase his words, we can say ‘transparency is always good policy.’

    Enjoy your work here. Have fun, get things done. Thank you.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/05/14/sp051425-managing-director-remarks-public-debt-transparency

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman David Scott Votes Against Republican Bill That Cuts $230 Billion From SNAP, Leads Effort to Protect SNAP Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

    WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), voted against House Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation bill that would steal $230 billion in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

    “To gift trillions of dollars in tax cuts to their billionaire friends, Republicans are taking food from the mouths of those who need our help the most, including children, veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities,” said Congressman David Scott. “That is why I filed several amendments removing all SNAP funding cuts in their disastrous and cruel Reconciliation bill. When given the opportunity to protect this crucial nutrition program millions of their constituents rely on, every single Republican voted against it. I voted NO for these irresponsible cuts on behalf of the more than 280,000 Georgians in my district and the 42 million American who rely on SNAP to not go hungry.” 

    “The Atlanta Community Food Bank helps neighbors facing food insecurity by connecting them to resources to meet their nutritional needs. SNAP is a key part of this effort, as more than 43% of people facing food insecurity in Georgia are eligible for SNAP benefits, according to a recent Feeding America study,” said Sarah Fonder-Kristy, Chief Development Officer of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. “The Food Bank is grateful to Congressman Scott, and his long and steadfast support for those in need of nutrition assistance through the federal government and USDA. Food banks, alone, will not be able to fill the increasing meal gap in our communities, which is why SNAP is critical to providing continued food support for those who are struggling.”

    To cut $230 billion in SNAP funding, the Republican budget would impose unrealistic and harsh work requirements, reduce monthly benefits, and prevent benefit rate adjustments from increasing in the future. These changes will make millions of existing SNAP recipients ineligible overnight. They would also increase food insecurity across the country while Republicans are decreasing funding for other forms of food assistance, such as food banks and local pantries. As many as six million SNAP recipients could be at risk of losing benefits under this Reconciliation bill.

    SNAP provides assistance to over 42 million Americans, including 1.2 million low-income veterans. In Georgia’s 13th District, 282,731 households receive assistance through SNAP—more than half include young children. Beyond slashing $230 billion from SNAP benefits, the Republican Reconciliation bill calls for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and $330 billion in cuts to federal education programs.

    In addition to leading an amendment to remove all SNAP funding reductions, Congressman David Scott led an amendment to prohibit the implementation of any provision of the bill related to SNAP until USDA and all state agencies confirm that this bill would not cause a reduction of participation in SNAP for Veterans or the surviving families of Servicemembers or Veterans who died during active duty or from a service-related disability. All Republicans voted against this amendment as well.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tackling the housing emergency

    Source: Scottish Government

    Increasing housing supply and reducing temporary accommodation use.

    A range of measures have been taken by the Scottish Government to increase investment in housebuilding and help reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation since declaring a housing emergency last year.

    Actions taken in the last year include:

    • Investing £600 million in affordable housing in 2024/25. £40 million of which was used to purchase properties and bring empty social homes back into use.
    • Helping to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation in 12 council areas, according to the latest figures.
    • Making an additional £1 million available to Registered Social Landlords and third sector organisations to prevent homelessness and support people to stay in rented accommodation.
    • Boosting supply through other funding models, including the Charitable Bonds programme which has seen investment of £46m in the past year, supporting the delivery of 325 homes.

    Further action will be taken in the coming year to continue to tackle the housing emergency and ensure more people can access a safe and affordable home, including:

    • Investing £768 million in this financial year in affordable housing, which will support the delivery of 8,000 homes for social and mid-market rent and low-cost home ownership.
    • Providing local authorities with £15 billion this financial year for a range of services, including in homelessness services.
    • £2 million invested through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership to continue to reduce the number of privately owned empty homes.

    Commenting, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

    “Providing everyone in Scotland the right to a warm, safe and affordable home is essential to our key priority of eradicating child poverty. The measures we have taken have meant increased investment in the affordable housing sector and fewer families living in temporary accommodation.

    “As a result of our actions, an estimated more than 2,600 households with children have been helped into affordable housing in the year up to December 2024.

    “We have delivered 136,000 affordable homes, with 97,000 of those for social rent, between 2007 and the end of December 2024. We are also working to identify and turn around empty private and social homes and encouraging more funding streams into the sector through our Housing Investment Taskforce.

    “It is encouraging that we are seeing a reduction in families in temporary accommodation in some local authority areas. However, we know there is more to do which is why we have increased the affordable housing budget for this financial year by £200 million to £768 million. In the longer term we will also introduce homelessness prevention measures and a system of long-term rent controls in our Housing Bill.

    “We are determined to tackle the housing emergency and ensure that everyone in Scotland can have somewhere to call home.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: Putin approves makeup of Russian delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul

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

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday approved the composition of the Russian delegation for upcoming talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Türkiye, according to a Kremlin statement.

    The delegation will be led by Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky and include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin; Igor Kostyukov, chief of the main directorate of the general staff of the Russian army; and Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

    Apart from the delegation members, a list of four experts was also approved for the talks.

    In a statement on Sunday, Putin proposed the resumption of direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said he would be in Türkiye on Thursday and expected to meet Putin. 

    MIL OSI China News –