Category: Europe

MIL-OSI Russia: “Volunteer School”: Developing and Winning

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

The results of the All-Russian competition “Volunteer School” have been summed up. It is held annually within the framework of the federal project “Social Activity”, aimed at creating conditions for the development and support of volunteerism (volunteering) as a key element of social responsibility of a developed civil society.

One of the goals of the competition is to develop and shape a culture of volunteerism in Russia among children and young people. The event promotes the popularization of the volunteer movement, identifying and disseminating best practices.

Students of the Higher School of Media Communications and Public Relations of the Humanitarian Institute, studying in the direction of “Advertising and Public Relations”, submitted a student project “Polytech Gives Warmth!” to the competition. It has been implemented at the Higher School of Media Communications and Public Relations under the supervision of Associate Professor Elina Avakova for the fourth year. The key area of activity is career guidance events for orphans, which are held in centers for promoting family education.

The jury awarded the project 1st place in the nomination “Practices aimed at providing assistance to orphans and children left without parental care, as well as children experiencing problems establishing friendly contacts with peers.”

We have implemented many events, prepared competition applications and, most importantly, brought joy to people. This kindness makes us happier, because it always returns multiplied several times – with good events and reciprocal care from other people. We hope that our example inspires others to small but significant actions that will make the world around them better, – said 3rd year student of the Higher School of Music and Social Sciences Daria Vlasevskaya.

For the project activists Sofia Ryabinina, Daria Vlasevskaya, Anastasia Tryakina, Karina Olkhovikova and Daria Zaitseva, this is not the first achievement. The team has victories in various city, all-Russian and international competitions. Thus, in December 2024, the girls won the regional competition “Young Volunteer of St. Petersburg”, which is aimed at supporting the best volunteer initiatives aimed at helping people and improving the quality of life. The project activists successfully coped with the defense in the final and won 1st place in the track “Helping People”.

Volunteering plays an important role in the education, socialization and professionalization of young people. Our project gives students the opportunity to express themselves in various interaction models, gain communication experience, develop positive qualities, which contributes to their harmonious personal growth, and also helps to acquire the skills necessary in future professional activities, – shared the project manager Elina Avakova.

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft announces the start of the IT Competition Marathon

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Rosneft has opened registration for the Academic Tournament, the first competition of the IT Marathon 2025.

Teams of research fellows, postgraduate students of physical, mathematical and technical specialties, as well as candidates and doctors of science are invited to participate. The prize fund of the Academic Tournament is 2.5 million rubles (before taxes).

Participants are invited to develop computer programs that will speed up the solution of a system of linear equations on modern multi-core computers. The need for such programs arises during the modeling of liquid filtration processes in porous rocks. The best solutions will be used in Rosneft’s science-intensive software: RN-SIGMA, RN-KIM, and RN-GRID.

Participants will need skills in solving systems of linear algebraic equations using numerical methods.

Details about the IT Marathon and registration on the website https://events.rn.digital/hack/Academic2025.

In addition to the Academic Tournament, the IT Competition Marathon will include the Geonavigation League, the Student Hackathon, competitions in information modeling among Rosneft specialists, and for the first time, the Cup in Additive Technologies and Reverse Engineering, the final of which will take place in September at the Tyumen Industrial and Energy Forum TNF-2025.

The winners and prize winners of all IT Marathon competitions will meet in December at the grand finale in Moscow.

Conducting specialized competitions allows Rosneft to solve real production problems, attracting highly qualified specialists and talented youth to cooperation. For participants, this is an opportunity to prove themselves at the all-Russian level and create original solutions that will find application in modern digital technologies of the oil and gas industry.

The organizers of the IT Marathon in 2025 are the Rosneft Research Institute in Ufa and RN-Technologies.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft April 10, 2025

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Achinsk Oil Refinery Confirms Product Quality Compliance with National Standard

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Achinsk Oil Refinery (part of the oil refining unit of NK Rosneft) voluntarily confirmed the compliance of the quality of the petroleum road bitumen produced by the plant with the requirements of the GOST standard in the National Certification System. Previously, quality conformity assessments were conducted for motor gasoline and diesel fuels of various seasonal grades produced by Achinsk Oil Refinery.

Voluntary confirmation of product quality compliance with interstate and national standards of the Russian Federation is part of the systematic work of Rosneft enterprises to improve business efficiency.

The quality certificates issued by the Achinsk Oil Refinery upon shipment of petroleum products bear the signs of the National Certification System. This allows the consumer to obtain information about the properties of the purchased product online. A unique QR code directs to the website of the National Certification System on the secure server of Rosstandart. The consumer can obtain information about the manufacturer, certificates of conformity to GOST based on the results of an independent examination, data on intermediate checks of the parameters of petroleum products, their properties.

Voluntary certification of products in addition to mandatory certification confirms the high level of technological efficiency of production of motor fuels and other petroleum products at the enterprise. Quality control at the Achinsk Oil Refinery is carried out at all stages of the technological process, ensuring consistently high quality of the commercial product. Rosneft Oil Refinery is constantly working on selecting new recipes for the production of petroleum products with high consumer properties that meet modern GOST requirements.

Reference:

Achinsk Oil Refinery, a subsidiary of Rosneft, is the only major oil refining enterprise in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The plant produces a wide range of high-quality petroleum products, including motor gasoline and diesel fuel of the highest ecological class K5, jet fuel, bitumen, etc.

ANPZ motor fuels are multiple winners of the All-Russian competition “100 Best Products of Russia”.

The national certification system was created under the auspices of Rosstandart to increase confidence in voluntary confirmation of conformity and create advantages for bona fide manufacturers.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft April 10, 2025

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft held the first open Olympiad for schoolchildren of Bashkiria

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

ANK Bashneft (part of Rosneft) held the first open Olympiad for schoolchildren at the Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (USPTU). The winners will receive additional points for the Unified State Exam when entering USPTU.

More than 100 schoolchildren from Ufa, as well as other cities and regions of Bashkortostan, took part in the Olympiad. Students in grades 10-11 were able to test their knowledge in the chemical-mathematical and physical-mathematical areas.

The awarding of the Olympiad winners is planned at the All-Russian Job Fair, which will be held in Ufa on April 18, 2025. At the fair, Bashneft will also provide the winners with the opportunity to take the “oil quest”, which is dedicated to the profession of an oil worker. The Rosneft Olympiad is planned to be held at Ufa State Petroleum Technical University on an annual basis with an expansion of the number of participants.

Rosneft, as part of the corporate continuous education program “school – college/university – enterprise”, is implementing projects to attract talented young people and form an external personnel reserve. In the Republic of Bashkortostan, the program has been implemented for several years. In 2024, 49 schoolchildren entered the 10th “Rosneft-classes”. In addition, in Ufa, in a pilot mode, 25 9th-grade students were enrolled in the “Rosneft-class”. The Ufa Fuel and Energy College (UTEK) acted as a partner.

There are six Bashneft corporate groups in Ufa State Petroleum Technical University and Ufa Energy Company in various training areas, including: solid fuel, oil and gas processing technology, design and operation of oil and gas processing equipment, oil and gas geology, geophysics and others. In specialized groups, students combine work in production with training according to an individual schedule. Training in specialized subjects is carried out with the involvement of expert teachers from among Bashneft employees.

In partnership with Bashneft enterprises, the following basic departments were created at USPTU: “Technology of Petrochemical Processes”, “Welding of Oil and Gas Structures”, “Bashneft – Processing” and “Bashneft – Environmental Engineering”.

Reference:

ANK Bashneft is one of the oldest enterprises in the country’s oil and gas industry, operating in the extraction and processing of oil and gas. The company’s key assets, including an oil refining and petrochemical complex, are located in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Oil and gas exploration and production is also carried out in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Orenburg Region and the Republic of Tatarstan.

USPTU is a key partner of Bashneft in personnel training. More than 50% of Bashneft employees are graduates of this university.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft April 11, 2025

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft held a lesson in courage for students of the Polar Star educational center

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Volunteers from Tyumenneftegaz (part of Rosneft) held a lesson in courage for schoolchildren from the Polar Star educational center, located in the village of Tazovsky in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The event participants included children from the “Movement of the First”, Yunarmiya, cadets and schoolchildren from the “Seventieth Spring” search squad, who in the coming days will go on an excursion to the sites of the Battle of Stalingrad. During the discussion, historical events of the war years were discussed, as well as the exploits of the heroes of the Yamal land.

The oil workers told the children about the great battles, about how every day of the war was a feat of millions of people who forged victory with their lives both at the front and in the rear. To immerse themselves in historical events, the volunteers organized an intellectual game in the quiz format and donated the books “9 Great Battles of 1941-1945” to the library fund of the center. Tyumenneftegaz supported the release of this historical publication, which contains historical information and photographs.

The company’s volunteers conduct educational events aimed at preserving historical memory, helping children not only learn about the heroism of their ancestors, but also teach them to value peace and care for the future.

As part of the volunteer program “Platform of Good Deeds”, which is actively developing in Rosneft, and in honor of the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, meetings with veterans, patriotic events and creative competitions are planned throughout the year.

Reference:

JSC Tyumenneftegaz is one of the key subsidiaries of PJSC NK Rosneft in the Tyumen Region. Today, the company’s main activity is the development of the Russkoye field, the largest high-viscosity oil field in Russia. The Russkoye field is located in the Tazovsky District of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YaNAO).

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft April 11, 2025

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council suspends busking in Leicester square following court ruling | Westminster City Council
Source: City of Westminster
- Recent court ruling leaves Westminster City Council with no choice.
- Council remains committed to seeking a balance between buskers and local business.
Following a ruling by a City of London magistrates’ court judge last month, Westminster City Council has suspended two busking performance pitches in Leicester Square in order to comply.

In the case between Global Radio and Westminster City Council on the 26th March, the district judge ordered the local authority to stop the nuisance that is caused by “noise from the playing of music by buskers playing in Leicester Square”.

It puts the council in an impossible position as they have always tried to make sure the right balance is struck between everyone involved. They have looked to ensure that disruption by performers is minimised but they know how much performers are loved by visitors and are an iconic part of the city’s tourist scene and are keen to make sure that buskers are able to continue and adding to the wider city’s cultural heritage.

Unfortunately, the ruling leaves the council with no choice but to suspend performance pitches in Leicester Square.

In a letter sent to licenced performers who currently work in the area, the local authority shared their decision and outlined what happens next. From Thursday 17th April until further notice, all licensed and unlicensed buskers and street entertainers will have to comply with the suspension in Leicester Square.

Anyone who performs in the affected area may face enforcement that includes a fine, equipment being seized or even their licence being taken off them.

Cllr Matt Noble, Westminster City Council Spokesperson said:

Street performers are a much-loved part of our city’s identity, but we also have to balance this with a duty to protect residents and businesses. The court ruling gives us no choice—we now have a legal obligation to act.”

“This is categorically not a ban on street performers in Westminster. Our next step is to comply with the ruling by suspending street performance pitches in Leicester Square, consider the court ruling and find a fair solution.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

City of London Magistrates’ Court ruled in favour of Global Radio and determined that:
- A statutory nuisance exists and is likely to recur from busking in Leicester Square.
- An abatement order has been issued against the council, requiring us to:
  
  Abate the statutory nuisance consisting of noise from the playing of music by buskers in Leicester Square, and
  
  Prevent the recurrence of that statutory nuisance.
- The council must comply with this Order within 28 days of 26 March 2025.
This suspension will remain in effect until further notice. During this period, the council will review the Court’s judgment in detail and consider its next steps. This includes assessing the issues raised by the Court, exploring its grounds of appeal and in due course, exploring any appropriate revisions to the busking and street entertainment licensing regime, such as pitch locations, licence and pitch terms and conditions, and the wider Council policy for this regime.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: EU external borders: Irregular crossings fall by a third in Q1 2025

Source: Frontex

The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell by 31 % in the first quarter of 2025 to nearly 33 600, according to preliminary data collected by Frontex*.

This decline was observed across all major migratory routes into the EU, with drops ranging from 64% along the Western Balkan route to 8% along the Eastern Land Border.

Some 3 200 Frontex officers along the EU’s external borders supports national authorities in their efforts to protect Europe’s borders and save lives at sea.

The Eastern Mediterranean and Western African routes are the most active pathways for irregular migration so far this year. The Eastern Mediterranean was the busiest, with 9 630 arrivals between January and March. Migrants on this route primarily originated from Afghanistan, Egypt, and Sudan.

The Western African route followed closely, with 9 200 recorded arrivals during the same period. This represents a 30% decrease compared to the first quarter of 2024.

The Central Mediterranean registered 8 500 irregular crossings in the first quarter of 2025. This represents a 26% decrease compared to the first quarter of 2024. In March alone, the number of registered arrivals fell by three-quarters year-on-year. Poor weather conditions were among the factors behind this drop.

Many risk their lives trying to cross the sea relying on services of smugglers. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that in just the first three months of 2025, 385 people lost their lives at sea. In all of last year, this tragic number reached 2 300.

On the Channel route, the number of migrants attempting to cross into the United Kingdom dropped by 4% compared to last year, with detections slightly above 11 200.

* Note: The preliminary data presented in this statement refer to the number of detections of irregular border crossing at the external borders of the European Union. The same person may cross the border several times in different locations at the external border.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Ministers Burke and Dillon announce new measures to support the transport sector
Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

11th April 2025

The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, has signed regulations making changes to the employment permits system to address skills shortages in Ireland’s transport sector. The quota for car mechanics will increase by 200, the quota for HGV and Bus mechanics by 200, and the quota for vehicle body builders and repairers has increased by 50. The changes came into effect on Monday, 7 April.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke said:

“I am pleased to announce that I have increased quotas for Car mechanics and HGV/Bus mechanics by 200 employment permits each and Vehicle body builders and repairers by 50 permits. Car mechanics play a vital role in ensuring that Ireland’s private car fleet is safe for all road users. HGV/Bus mechanics and Vehicle body builders and repairers are both necessary to support the extension of our public transport services including the BusConnects program, which aims to provide a significant expansion of routes and increased 24-hour operations for public transport. The planned transition to alternative power vehicles will also require access to skilled mechanics. Ensuring that there is a sufficient workforce to maintain these new vehicles will play a vital role in the delivery of this program.”

Minister of State for Small Businesses and Retail, Alan Dillon said:

“The increase to these quotas will help us to secure additional skilled workers to help deliver our ambitious public transport goals, as well as improving the roadworthiness of the private car fleet. This measure will help to ensure the safety and reliability of both public transport and the private car fleet and help to ensure that we meet our public transport goals.”

Notes for editor

The Employment Permits System

Ireland’s policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of Ireland, the European Union and other European Economic Area (EEA) states. Policy in relation to applications for employment permits remains focused on facilitating the recruitment from outside the EEA of skilled and highly skilled personnel, where the requisite skills cannot be met by normal recruitment or by training. Employment permit policy is part of the response to addressing skills deficits which exist and are likely to continue into the medium term, but it is not intended over the longer term to act as a substitute for meeting the challenge of up-skilling the State’s resident workforce, with an emphasis on the process of lifelong learning, and on maximising the potential of EEA nationals to fill our skills deficits.

The Occupations Lists

For the purposes of the employment permits system, occupations fall into three categories:
1. Occupations listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List are highly skilled professional roles that are in high demand and are not always available in the resident labour force. Occupations on this list are eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) and include roles such as medicine, ICT, sciences, finance, and business.
2. Occupations listed on the Ineligible Occupations List (IOL) are those with evidence suggesting there are sufficient Irish/EEA workers to fill such vacancies. Employment permits are not granted for these occupations. Some roles are removed from the IOL subject to quota, in order to sustainably integrate a new source of workers into the labour market and to test the labour market needs.
3. Every other job in the labour market, where an employer cannot find a worker, is eligible for an employment permit. For these occupations, the employer is required to undertake a Labour Market Needs Test and if no-one suitable applies for the job, the employer is free to apply for an employment permit. Occupations such as these may be skills of a more general nature and are eligible for a General Employment Permit (GEP).
ENDS

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MIL OSI Europe News –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: AK rifles and grenades seized as firearms trafficking route into France dismantled

Source: Europol

Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the gang, which is believed to have sourced high-powered weapons from illegal markets in the Western Balkans and trafficked them into France for onward distribution.The joint operation – supported by Europol and Eurojust – has taken down the full supply chain behind the trafficking route, from source to destination.Caravan weapons cache sparks…

MIL Security OSI –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Large language models no longer require powerful servers

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

Scientists from Yandex, HSE, MIT, KAUST and ISTA have made a breakthrough in LLM optimization. The Yandex Research artificial intelligence laboratory, together with leading scientific and technological universities, has developed a method for quickly compressing large language models (LLM) without losing quality. Now, a smartphone or laptop is enough to work with the models, and there is no need to use expensive servers and powerful GPUs.

The method allows for quick testing and implementation of new solutions based on neural networks, saving time and money on development. This makes LLM more accessible not only for large companies, but also for small ones, non-profit laboratories and institutes, individual developers and researchers.

Previously, to run a language model on a smartphone or laptop, it was necessary to quantize it on an expensive server, which took several weeks. Now, quantization can be done directly on a phone or laptop in a matter of minutes.

Difficulties in applying LLM

The difficulty with using large language models is that they require significant computing resources. This is also true for open-source models. For example, one of them, the popular DeepSeek-R1, does not fit even on expensive servers designed for working with artificial intelligence and machine learning. This means that only a limited number of companies can use large models, even if the model itself is openly available.

The new method allows you to reduce the size of the model while maintaining its quality and run it on more affordable devices. For example, this method can be used to compress even such large models as DeepSeek-R1 with 671 billion parameters and Llama 4 Maverick with 400 billion parameters, which until now could only be quantized using the simplest methods with a significant loss in quality.

The new quantization method opens up more opportunities for using LLM in various fields, especially where resources are limited, such as education or the social sphere. Startups and independent developers can now use compressed models to create innovative products and services without spending money on expensive equipment. Yandex itself is already using the new method for prototyping — creating working versions of products and quickly testing ideas: compressed models are tested faster than their original versions.

More about the new method

The new quantization method is called HIGGS (from Hadamard Incoherence with Gaussian MSE-optimal GridS). It allows neural networks to be compressed without using additional data and without computationally complex parameter optimization. This is especially useful in situations where there is not enough suitable data to further train the model. The method provides a balance between quality, model size, and quantization complexity, which allows models to be used on a wide range of devices.

The method has already been tested on popular models Llama 3, Llama 4 and Qwen 2.5. Experiments have shown that HIGGS is the best quantization method in terms of quality to model size ratio among all existing data-free quantization methods, including GPTQ (GPT Quantization) and AWQ (Activation-Aware Quantization).

Scientists from the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Austrian Institute of Science and Technology (ISTA), and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST, Saudi Arabia) participated in the development of the method.

The HIGGS method is now available to developers and researchers at Higging Fake And Gitkhov, and a scientific article about it can be read at archive.

Reaction of the scientific community, other methods

A scientific article describing the new method has been accepted to one of the world’s largest conferences on artificial intelligence, NAACL (The North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics), which will be held from April 29 to May 4, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Along with Yandex, such companies and universities as Google, Microsoft Research, Harvard University, and others will participate. The article has already been cited by the American company Red Hat AI, Peking University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Fudan University, and others.

Earlier, Yandex scientists presented 12 scientific studies in the field of quantization of large language models. In this way, the company aims to make the use of these models more efficient, less energy-consuming and accessible to all developers and researchers. For example, the Yandex Research team previously developed methods compression of large language models, helping to reduce computing costs by almost eight times without significantly losing the quality of neural network responses. The team also created service, which allows you to run a model with 8 billion parameters on a regular computer or smartphone through a browser interface even without large computing power.

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK boosts support for a blue economy in the Philippines
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

World news story

UK boosts support for a blue economy in the Philippines

The UK launched the Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition (COAST) programme, a key component of the UK’s £500 million Global Blue Planet Fund.
In a panel discussion on blue economy and biodiversity, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the UK’s COAST programme will be launched in the Philippines this year to support coastal communities. The programme aims to assist the Philippine government to deliver more sustainable small-scale fisheries and local aquaculture, support local livelihoods, protect vital ecosystems and promote sustainable growth within local blue economies.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated:

As fellow island nations, we have critical roles to play in the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems.

The announcement coincides with the 5th year anniversary of the UK-Philippines Climate Change and Environment Dialogue, which has been instrumental in delivering shared priorities on climate, nature and biodiversity between the UK and the Philippine governments.

His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils shared:

The UK is proud to support the Philippines unlock the potential of sustainable blue economy and catalyse blue finance to help coastal communities, especially the fisherfolk.

Joining the panel discussion were Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga, Senator Loren Legarda, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Acting Executive Director Clarissa Arida and ADB Director General F. Cleo Kawawaki.

Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga said:

The United Kingdom and the Philippines, for our similarities as blue and archipelagic nations, have long been committed to the conservation and protection of the ocean, one of the world’s shared heritages.

Senator Loren Legarda said:

There’s so much to be done, but the first step is breaking barriers to access. Only by equipping women with education, capital and innovation can we truly build a resilient and inclusive blue economy.

The panellists underscored approaches to balance biodiversity protection and restoration with an expanding blue economy.

The Foreign Secretary also announced the new ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund EnCORE Wetlands Project – a £1.4m initiative in partnership with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and Global Environment Centre.

This project will develop evidence-based policies, tools, and technologies to restore and conserve these critical ecosystems, ensuring wetlands and peatlands continue to play a key role in climate mitigation.

The project will begin with two model sites—Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in the Philippines and Maludam National Park in Malaysia—which will serve as blueprints for wider regional action.

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Published 11 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: International Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

On April 11, 1945, an international uprising took place in the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald, as a result of which the prisoners managed to take control of the camp. In memory of this event, the world celebrates International Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Fascist Concentration Camps.

The uprising was not spontaneous, several underground committees had been operating in Buchenwald since 1942, which by the time of the uprising had managed to obtain and hide over 90 rifles, 100 pistols, over 120 grenades and even one machine gun, as well as a small radio station, with which they contacted the approaching American army. The prisoners created 188 small combat groups: 56 Soviet, 23 German, 22 French and others. During the uprising, the guards were killed and some were taken prisoner, after which the prisoners took up all-round defense in the camp. On the night of April 11, troops of General George Patton’s Third Army entered Buchenwald and completely cleared the camp of the remaining guards.

Buchenwald did not formally have the status of a “death camp”, but from 1937 until the uprising, about 56 thousand people out of 250 thousand prisoners were killed and tortured there. And this was not even the largest camp. In the largest complex of concentration camps near the city of Auschwitz, liberated by the Red Army on January 27, 1945, according to modern historians, from 1.1 to 1.6 million people were exterminated. Its design capacity allowed for the extermination of up to 30 thousand people per day.

In total, about 18 million prisoners were imprisoned in 14 thousand fascist concentration camps from 1933 to 1945, and 11 million of them were exterminated in gas chambers, during medical experiments, died from torture, exhaustion and hunger. It was because of the inhumane activities of concentration camps that about 20% of all victims of World War II were children. The exact figures are still unknown, the Nazis were well aware of their crimes and at the end of the war tried to destroy as much evidence of their activities as possible.

The task of modern humanity is not to forget this terrible chapter in the terrible book of history of the Second World War. We must not allow the spread of the resurgent Nazi ideology, which does not consider many nationalities and races as people, and if necessary, does not consider anyone as people, because the very first concentration camp in Germany was intended for Germans themselves – political prisoners.

To this day, the International Buchenwald Committee, which was born in the underground of the concentration camp, exists. The International Union of Former Juvenile Prisoners of Fascism is active. But with each passing year, the number of members of these and similar societies is decreasing. This heavy memory will have to be carried by those who have never been dehumanized for imaginary reasons. And we hope that it never will be. In the name of this, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation continues to investigate criminal cases of genocide of the civilian population during the Great Patriotic War. Neither previous nor new crimes against humanity will go unpunished.

#Scientific regiment

Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 11.04.2025

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI China: EU to pause retaliatory tariffs on US

Source: China State Council Information Office

The European Union said it will press the pause button on its retaliatory tariffs against the United States just a day after the bloc’s member states agreed on the first countermeasures against the US trade war and hours after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension of “reciprocal tariffs” on most for its trading partners.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the commission took note of Trump’s announcement.

“We want to give negotiations a chance. While finalizing the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our member states, we will put them on hold for 90 days,” she said on X. “If negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in.”

She expressed that preparatory work on further countermeasures continues, reiterating “all options remain on the table”.

EU member states approved tariffs between 10-25 percent on a range of US imports such as almonds, orange juice, poultry, soybeans, steel and aluminum, tobacco and yachts — the bloc’s countermeasures against the 25 percent tariffs placed by the US on steel and aluminum imports from the EU.The tariffs were initially set to be rolled out in phases starting April 15, hitting a total of 21 billion euros ($23 billion) of US products, but are now paused.

Hungary was the only one among 27 member states to vote against the retaliation. France, Italy and the Republic of Ireland have successfully lobbied to remove Kentucky bourbon whiskey from the hit list after Trump threatened that the US would impose a 200 percent tariff on wines and spirits from the EU if it is on the list.

Observers noted that the list targets many Republican states in the US to inflict pain on Trump’s political base.

“The EU considers US tariffs unjustified and damaging, causing economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy,” the European Commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Clear, predictable conditions are essential for trade and supply chains to function. Tariffs are taxes that only hurt businesses and consumers,” von der Leyen said in another post on X on Thursday.

‘Wrong signal’

At the Thursday daily news briefing, European Commission spokesmen refused to answer when asked why the EU is pausing the countermeasures when the US has not paused its steel and aluminum tariffs, and whether the EU has been sending a wrong signal to Trump, who has been destroying the global trading system.

Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University, said although the EU wants a negotiated settlement, it has also realized that retaliation measures are necessary to force the US to come to the negotiation table.

“Europeans realize that if they show weakness to Trump, he will tighten up more,” Ding said.

Ding said the EU has many tools, including the Anti-Coercion Instrument, or ACI, known as the trade “bazooka” or nuclear option, to hit back against US tech giants since the US has a trade surplus with the EU in services.

Barry Andrews, a member of the European Parliament from Ireland, said it is difficult to figure out what the intentions are and who is making decisions in the US right now.

“We don’t know if this is an overall attempt to overturn the international rules-based order, or something more short-term, more transactional,” he posted on X on Wednesday.

Andrews noted that the EU has built many trade defense measures including the ACI to deal with the current situation. He added that the bloc should also look to diversify its trade.

“What has happened in the last two months is a huge challenge to (the) Irish economy,” he said.

MIL OSI China News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chaplin documentary opens intl comedy film event in Macao

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

A unique documentary film produced by the family of Charlie Chaplin opened the film screening segment of the second Macao International Comedy Festival, currently taking place in China’s special administrative region.

Dolores Chaplin (third from left) alongside organizers and guests at the opening of the film screening segment of the second Macao International Comedy Festival, Macao, April 10, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Mahua Fun Age]

“Chaplin: Spirit of the Tramp ,” directed by Carmen Chaplin, a granddaughter of the legendary comedian, actor, director and producer, is not a conventional biopic and features deep involvement from the Chaplins. Several members of the family either appear on camera to share their insights and memories or contribute behind the scenes as producers.

In the film, Chaplin’s family embarks on a revealing journey into the Romani heritage that inspired the creation of Charlie Chaplin’s iconic and beloved character of the Tramp. Featuring intimate interviews and unprecedented access to the Chaplin estate, the documentary offers a profound exploration of Chaplin’s roots, woven together through film excerpts, home movies, archival footage and contributions from renowned contemporary Romani artists.

Dolores Chaplin, another granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, served as a producer on the film and attended the comedy festival to present it to Chinese viewers on Thursday, also participating in a post-screening discussion.

“I think that this documentary is a great way to introduce my grandfather’s works to the younger generation who maybe don’t know his movies that well,” Dolores said. “Every time we’ve shown it to children or the younger generation or young adults or people who don’t know my grandfather, they wanted to see his movies. It’s like rediscovering his movies through the documentary, through the man, through his passion and through the family side, but also with the clips.”

As a comedy icon, Charlie Chaplin’s films have influenced generations. His movies are able to transcend language and travel across cultures like music. “For an actor, it’s difficult to be known worldwide, but for a musician, it’s easier because music travels. Yet as an actor in silent films, he was known everywhere — from Iceland to China to Spain. It’s nice to keep that alive.”

While opening a film segment meant to be filled with laughter, “Chaplin: Spirit of the Tramp” instead offers an emotional retrospective. Yet Dolores stressed that its messages remain vital.

“I feel that humor is a great way to convey any kind of message — it could be political, it could be emotional and it could be anything really. If you pass it through humor, people will relate to it easier or sometimes we’ll maybe look at it and understand it better. Humor must never be one thing, it has many coats,” she added.

“Chaplin: Spirit of the Tramp” will also be shown at the upcoming 15th Beijing International Film Festival, set to open on April 18.

The comedy festival’s film program, which is running from April 10-13, will feature classic comedies such as “Crazy Rich Asians,” the “Detective Chinatown” series, “Johnny Keep Walking!” and “Lost in Thailand,” alongside the premiere of Takeshi Kitano’s new film “Broken Rage.” The film event will also feature post-screening panels and masterclasses, offering both movie enthusiasts and industry professionals the opportunity to discuss comedy creation.

The second Macao International Comedy Festival kicked off in Hengqin, a district of Zhuhai city in Guangdong province neighboring Macao, on Wednesday. Running through Sunday across the two regions, it will gather top comedians like Shen Teng and Ma Li, international filmmakers including Takeshi Kitano and Aamir Khan, and include film screenings, stage performances, industry forums, pitch sessions and a gala night at venues in both locations.

MIL OSI China News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Service offers parents easy way to monitor baby’s growth

Source: City of Wolverhampton

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Public Health team have joined forces with libraries, Family Hubs and the Health Visiting Team to provide a network of self weigh baby scales at locations across the city.

Regular monitoring of a baby’s weight can help ensure they are thriving and meeting their growth milestones, giving parents peace of mind and fostering confidence in their child’s development.

The self weigh baby scales empower parents to track their child’s weight, without the need for an appointment. Additional support is also available for anyone with questions or concerns about their baby’s weight, with trained staff and health professionals on hand to offer help and guidance.

The service is available at Graiseley Family Hub on Mondays from 9am to 11.30am, Central Library on Tuesdays from 10am to noon, Bilston Library on Wednesdays from 10am to noon, Children’s Village Family Hub on Thursdays from 1pm to 3pm and Low Hill Family Hub on Fridays from 9.30am to 11am.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: “These self weigh baby scales are a valuable addition to our Family Hubs and libraries, strengthening our ongoing commitment to supporting families across Wolverhampton.

“By providing self weigh baby scales, we are making it easier for parents and carers to monitor their baby’s development in convenient and welcoming spaces, and whether you have queries about growth, feeding, or general wellbeing, our specially trained staff are here to support you every step of the way.

“It’s a great example of how working together with our partners can make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of our community, and help every child get the best start in life.”

Positive feedback has been received from parents, including ‘nice idea, helping mothers keep track of their baby’s weight’ and ‘really love seeing how my child has grown’.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Children and young people can get Active this Easter

Source: City of Wolverhampton

The City of Wolverhampton Council, WV Active and Wolves Foundation have teamed up to deliver Yo! Active to children and young people aged up to 18, or 25 for care leavers or those with a disability.

Residents with a WV postcode can take their pick from over 40 hours of free physical activity sessions across Wolverhampton and WV Active leisure sites, including free swimming, gym and court hire, multi sport sessions, basketball and activities for under 5s. There are also tailored sessions for school holidays, including Easter.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: “Yo! Active continues to inspire more and more of our children and young people to take part in regular physical activities. Becoming more physically active can help improve heart health, build strong bones and muscles, control weight and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and it’s also a great way to make new friends.

“Over 10,000 children and young people have already signed up to take part in the wide range of activities offered by Yo! Active, and I’d encourage other youngsters, parents and guardians to check out what is on offer and sign up so that their children can enjoy free access to high quality physical activities over Easter, and all year round.”

Tom Warren, Foundation Senior Manager, added: “We’re delighted with the offer we have provided for children and young people as part of Yo! Active. This is the perfect opportunity for families to plan their Easter activities.”

Yo! Active sessions can be booked via Yo! Wolves | Events.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New traffic signal junction to be activated in Pitlochry

Source: Scotland – City of Perth

The new traffic signal junction at Atholl Road and West Moulin Road in Pitlochry is set to be activated today, Friday 11 April at approximately 11:30 am.

This follows six weeks of construction work, which included the installation of traffic lights and the widening of sections of the footway.

The new infrastructure aims to improve pedestrian movements and manage vehicle traffic around the junction. The project is part of ongoing efforts to enhance road safety and streamline traffic flow in the area.

Our traffic and network team will be monitoring the site over the coming weeks and may make small adjustments if required to ensure a smooth transition.

Additional road safety improvements planned for the Atholl Road and Station Road junction in Pitlochry have been postponed until later in the year to minimise disruption to the town centre.

Thank you to the local businesses and residents in Pitlochry for their patience and support while these works took place.

Last modified on 11 April 2025

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MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Medium-range ground-based air defence: armasuisse tested new radar to strengthen defence capability

Source: Switzerland – Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport

Between 31 March and 11 April 2025, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse tested the TRML-4D sensor (radar) for the new medium-range ground-based air defence system in cooperation with the Swiss Armed Forces. A further step in the procurement process was achieved with the testing. The properties of the radar were tested in the specific Swiss topography and various investigations on frequency compatibility with civilian systems such as the weather radar were carried out. Testing took place alternately at the federally-owned “Homberg” and at the site of the Emmen aerodrome.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: Notice to the Annual General Meeting of KH Group Plc

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KH Group Plc
Stock Exchange Release 11 April 2025 at 10:00 am EEST

Notice to the Annual General Meeting of KH Group Plc

Notice is given to the shareholders of KH Group Plc (“KH Group” or the “Company”) to the Annual General Meeting to be held on Tuesday, 6 May 2025 at 2:00 p.m. EEST at Sanomatalo, Flik Event Studio Eliel, at the address Töölönlahdenkatu 2, 00100 Helsinki, Finland. The reception of attendees who have registered for the meeting and the distribution of voting tickets will commence at 1:30 p.m. EEST.

Shareholders may also exercise their voting rights by voting in advance. Shareholders who have registered for the meeting may also follow the meeting via a live webcast. Further instructions for shareholders are provided in section C “Instructions for the participants in the Annual General Meeting” of this notice.

In connection with the Annual General Meeting, coffee will be served at the meeting venue.

A. Matters on the Agenda of the Annual General Meeting

At the Annual General Meeting, the following matters shall be considered:

1. Opening of the meeting

2. Calling the meeting to order

3. Election of persons to scrutinise the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes

4. Recording the legality and quorum of the meeting

5. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adopting the list of votes

6. Presentation of the Financial Statements, the Board of Directors’ Report, the Auditor’s Report and the assurance report on the sustainability statement for the year 2024, and presentation of the CEO’s Review

7. Adoption of the Financial Statements

8. Resolution on the use of profit shown on the balance sheet and the payment of dividend

The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that no dividend be paid for the financial period ended 31 December 2024.

9. Resolution on the discharge from liability of the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO

10. Adoption of the Governing Bodies’ Remuneration Report

11. Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board of KH Group proposes to the General Meeting that the remuneration of the Board of Directors remain unchanged, so that the Chairman of the Board of Directors be paid as remuneration EUR 3,550 per month and the other members of the Board of Directors each EUR 2,300 per month. The Nomination Board further proposes that the travel expenses of the members of the Board of Directors be compensated in accordance with the Company’s travel policy and that each of the members of the Board of Directors shall have the right to abstain from receiving remuneration.

Earnings-related pension insurance contributions are paid voluntarily for the paid remuneration.

12. Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board of KH Group proposes to the General Meeting that the number of members of the Board of Directors shall be six (6).

13. Election of members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board of KH Group proposes to the General Meeting that the current members of the Board of Directors Juha Karttunen, Taru Narvanmaa and Jon Unnérus shall be re-elected as members of the Board of Directors and that Christoffer Landtman, Jari Rautjärvi and Carl Haglund shall be elected as a new members of the Board of Directors, for a term ending at the closing of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. Of the current Board members, Kati Kivimäki and Timo Mänty have indicated that they are not available for re-election.

All persons nominated as members of the Board of Directors have given their consent to the election. The Nomination Board considers all the nominees to be independent of the Company and of the significant shareholders of the Company.

According to the Articles of Association of KH Group, the Board of Directors elects a Chair from among its members.

CVs, photographs and the evaluation regarding the independence of the proposed members of the Board of Directors are presented on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/

14. Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor and the sustainability reporting assurance provider

The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the remuneration of the auditor shall be paid according to the auditor’s reasonable invoice approved by the Company.

The Board of Directors further proposes to the General Meeting that the remuneration of the sustainability reporting assurance provider shall be paid according to the sustainability reporting assurance provider’s reasonable invoice approved by the Company.

15. Election of the auditor and the sustainability reporting assurance provider

The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that Ernst & Young Oy, Authorised Public Accountants, be re-elected as the Company’s auditor. Ernst & Young Oy has notified that Timo Eerola, APA, will act as the principally responsible auditor for the Company.

The Board of Directors further proposes to the General Meeting that Ernst & Young Oy, Authorised Sustainability Audit Firm, be elected as the Company’s sustainability reporting assurance provider. Ernst & Young Oy has notified that Timo Eerola, ASA (Authorised Sustainability Auditor), will act as the principally responsible sustainability auditor for the Company.

The term of the auditor and the sustainability reporting assurance provider ends at the closing of the Annual General Meeting following the election.

16. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on the issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares

The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the General Meeting authorise the Board of Directors to decide on the issuance of shares and/or the granting of special rights entitling to shares as referred to in Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, in one or several instalments as follows: The total number of shares to be issued under the authorisation may be at the most 11,400,000 shares. The authorisation concerns both the issuance of new shares as well as the conveyance of shares held by the Company. The authorisation is proposed to be used to finance or carry out possible acquisitions or other arrangements or investments related to the Company’s business, to implement the Company’s incentive program, or for other purposes decided by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors decides on all terms and conditions of a share issue and the issuance of special rights referred to in Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, and the authorisation therefore includes the right of the Board of Directors to deviate from the shareholders’ pre-emptive subscription right (directed issue), the right to issue shares against consideration or without payment, and the right to decide on a free issuance of shares to the Company itself, however, taking into account the provisions of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act concerning the maximum number of own shares held by the Company.

The authorisation is proposed to be effective until 30 June 2026, and it will cancel the corresponding authorisation given to the Board of Directors by the Annual General Meeting on 7 May 2024.

17. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on the repurchase of the Company’s own shares

The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the General Meeting authorise the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase a maximum of 5,700,000 shares in the Company in one or several instalments by using funds in the Company’s unrestricted equity, however, taking into account the provisions of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act concerning the maximum number of own shares held by the Company. The Company’s own shares may be repurchased to be used as consideration in possible acquisitions or in other arrangements related to the Company’s business, to finance investments, as a part of the Company’s incentive program, to develop the Company’s capital structure as well as to be conveyed for other purposes, to be held by the Company or to be cancelled. The authorisation also includes the right to pledge the Company’s own shares.

The Company’s own shares may be repurchased in public trading organized by Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd otherwise than in proportion to the shareholdings of the shareholders, at the market price at the time of repurchase. The shares will be repurchased and paid in accordance with the rules of Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd and Euroclear Finland Oy. The Board of Directors is in all other respects authorised to decide on the terms and conditions of the repurchase of own shares.

The authorisation is proposed to be effective until 30 June 2026, and it will cancel the corresponding authorisation given to the Board of Directors by the Annual General Meeting on 7 May 2024.

18. Closing of the meeting

B. Documents of the Annual General Meeting

The aforementioned proposals on the agenda of the General Meeting, this notice, the Governing Bodies’ Remuneration Report as well as the Annual Report, which includes the Financial Statements of the Company, the Board of Directors’ Report (including the sustainability report), the Auditor’s Report and the assurance report on the sustainability statement, are available on KH Group’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025.

The minutes of the General Meeting will be available on the aforementioned website on 20 May 2025, at the latest.

C. Instructions for the participants in the Annual General Meeting

1. Shareholder registered in the shareholders’ register

Each shareholder who is registered on the record date of the General Meeting, on 23 April 2025, in the shareholders’ register of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy, has the right to participate in the General Meeting. A shareholder whose shares in the Company are registered on their personal Finnish book-entry account, is registered in the shareholders’ register of the Company.

The registration to the General Meeting begins on 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST. A shareholder who is registered in the shareholders’ register of the Company and who wants to participate in the General Meeting, shall register no later than on 28 April 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EEST, by which time the registration must be received.

Registration can be done:

a)   Through the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/

In the electronic registration, a strong identification of the shareholder or their proxy representative or legal representative is required with Finnish, Swedish or Danish banking codes or a mobile ID.

b)   By email or mail to Innovatics Ltd to the address agm@innovatics.fi, to the address Innovatics Ltd, AGM / KH Group Plc, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, FI-00520 Helsinki, Finland.

Shareholders registering by email or mail shall submit the registration form and possible advance voting form available on the Company’s website https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025 or corresponding information in the message.

In connection with the registration, a shareholder shall provide the requested information, such as their name, date of birth or business ID, phone number and/or email address as well as the name of assistant or a proxy representative, if any, date of birth of the proxy representative and their phone number and/or email address. The personal data given by the shareholders or the representatives to KH Group or Innovatics Ltd is used only in connection with the Annual General Meeting and with the processing of necessary related registrations.

The shareholder, legal representative or their proxy representative shall, if necessary, be able to prove their identity and/or right of representation at the meeting venue.

Additional information on registration and advance voting is available by phone during the registration period of the General Meeting at Innovatics Ltd’s phone number +358 (0)10 2818 909 from Monday to Friday at 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon and at 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EEST.

2. Proxy representative and powers of attorney

A shareholder may participate in the General Meeting and exercise their rights at the meeting by way of a proxy representative. The shareholder’s proxy presentative may also vote in advance as described in this notice. The proxy representative must identify him/herself to the electronic registration service and advance voting with strong identification, after which he/she will be able to register and vote in advance on behalf of the shareholder he/she represents. The shareholder’s proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate their right to represent the shareholder at the General Meeting. The representation right can be demonstrated by using the suomi.fi authorisation service available in the electronic registration service.

A power of attorney template and voting instructions will be available on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025 on 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST at the latest. If a shareholder participates in the General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares at different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration.

Possible proxy documents are requested to be delivered primarily as an attachment in connection with the electronic registration, or alternatively by email to agm@innovatics.fi or by mail to the address Innovatics Oy, AGM / KH Group Plc, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, FI-00520 Helsinki, Finland before the expiry of the registration period. In addition to providing proxy documents, the shareholder or the proxy representative must register for the General Meeting as detailed above in this Notice.

3. Holder of nominee registered share

A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the General Meeting by virtue of such shares based on which he/she on the record date of the General Meeting, i.e., on 23 April 2025, would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders’ register of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy. The right to participate in the General Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been temporarily registered into the shareholders’ register of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy at the latest by 1 May 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST. As regards nominee registered shares, this constitutes due registration for the General Meeting. Changes in shareholding after the record date of the General Meeting do not affect the right to participate in the General Meeting or the number of votes of the shareholder.

A holder of a nominee registered share is advised to request without delay the necessary instructions regarding the registration in the temporary shareholders’ register of the Company, the issuing of proxy documents, the registration and participating for the General Meeting and voting in advance from their custodian bank. The account management organisation of the custodian bank has to register a holder of a nominee registered share, who wants to participate in the General Meeting, temporarily into the shareholders’ register of the Company and if needed to see to the voting in advance on behalf of a holder of a nominee registered share before the expiry of the registration period for the holders of nominee registered shares.

4. Advance voting

A shareholder whose shares are registered on their personal Finnish book-entry account may vote in advance during the period from 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST until 28 April 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EEST on certain matters on the agenda of the General Meeting.

Advance voting can be done in the following ways:

a)   Through the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/
Logging in to the service is done in the same way as for registration above in the Section C.1.

b)   By email or mail by delivering the advance voting form available on the Company’s website on 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST at the latest or corresponding information by email to agm@innovatics.fi or to the address Innovatics Ltd, AGM / KH Group Plc, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, FI-00520 Helsinki, Finland. The advance votes shall be received before the expiry of the advance voting period. Submitting votes in such manner before the expiry of registration and advance voting period constitutes due registration for the General Meeting, provided that the documents delivered by the shareholder contain the information required for registration.

A shareholder who has voted in advance can use their right to request information under the Finnish Companies Act or their right to request a vote at the General Meeting or vote on a possible counterproposal only if the shareholder participates in the General Meeting in person or by way of proxy representation at the meeting venue.

An agenda item subject to advance voting is considered to have been presented unchanged to the General Meeting.

The terms and conditions as well as other instructions related to the electronic advance voting are available on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/.

5. Other instructions and information

The meeting language will be Finnish.

Pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, a shareholder who is present at the General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the meeting.

The Company will arrange an opportunity for shareholders who have registered for the meeting to follow the meeting online via a live webcast. A video link and password to follow the meeting remotely will be sent via email and text message to the email address and mobile phone number provided in connection with the registration. Following the meeting through the remote access is only possible for shareholders who are shareholders on the record date of the General Meeting.

Detailed instructions on following the webcast will be available on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/. Shareholders are asked to take into account that following the meeting via webcast is not considered participating in the Annual General Meeting, and that it is not possible for the shareholders to exercise their shareholder rights in the Annual General Meeting through the webcast. Shareholders that wish to follow the webcast can exercise their voting rights by voting on the matter on the agenda in advance in accordance with the instructions provided above.

On the date of this notice, the total number of shares and votes in KH Group is 58,078,895.

No free parking has been arranged at the meeting venue.

Helsinki, 10 April 2025

KH GROUP PLC
Board of Directors

FURTHER INFORMATION:
CEO Ville Nikulainen, tel. +358 400 459 343

DISTRIBUTION:
Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
Main media
www.khgroup.com

KH Group Plc is a Nordic conglomerate operating in the business areas of KH-Koneet, Nordic Rescue Group and Indoor Group. We are a leading supplier of construction and earth-moving equipment, rescue vehicle manufacturer as well as furniture and interior decoration retailer. The objective of our strategy is to create an industrial group around the business of KH-Koneet. KH Group’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

The MIL Network –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: Trifork secures landmark project to transform Oman’s healthcare system
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press release

Trifork secures landmark project to transform Oman’s healthcare system

Muscat, 11 April 2025 – The Ministry of Health in Oman has selected Trifork to develop a state-of-the-art Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) system while integrating with the National Health Information Exchange (NHER), which in parallel will be upgraded by Trifork during the project. This project represents a significant milestone in modernizing Oman’s healthcare system in alignment with Oman Vision 2040.

After a competitive bidding process involving six contenders, Trifork was selected for its more than 20 years of expertise in Digital Health, which has been demonstrated through successful projects in Switzerland and Denmark and its strong international profile.

Strengthening Oman’s healthcare system

The project aims to upgrade Oman’s healthcare systems. The benefits of the new system include improved cost recovery, allowing government providers to reclaim insurance companies’ expenses more efficiently, faster claims processing, and reduced waiting times for patients at Ministry of Health facilities, which are key steps toward a more patient-focused healthcare experience.

Key phases and deliverables

The project is structured into phases, with gradual implementation over two years. The initial proof of concept will be completed in six months, followed by a gradual implementation of core functionalities, ensuring that the benefits of the solutions are implemented as soon as possible.

These milestones align with the Ministry of Health’s digitalization strategy, which focuses on enhancing healthcare efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and seamless patient care through advanced technology. They also support Oman Vision 2040’s broader goals of leveraging digital transformation to improve public services, strengthen healthcare infrastructure, and drive sustainable national development.

Strategic partnership

Trifork Oman brings invaluable expertise from similar engagements across Europe to the project. By integrating advanced solutions and leveraging global best practices, the company will deliver a tailored system that meets the unique needs of Oman’s healthcare ecosystem.

The Ministry of Health in Oman oversees 263 health institutions, including 50 hospitals (4,954 beds), 21 health complexes, and 192 health centers. In 2022, they recorded 14.9 million outpatient visits – about 41,000 daily. Serving over 5 million people, the ministry prioritizes accessible, high-quality care and advances digital transformation under Oman’s Vision 2040.

Commitment to innovation in Oman

“This contract represents a major milestone for Trifork Oman in our ambition to contribute to the Sultanate’s goals for digital transformation and innovation. We are honored to use our strong expertise in digital health to contribute to the ongoing innovation in Oman’s healthcare sector and see this as the start of a long partnership,” says Christian Hemmingsen, CEO of Trifork Oman.

Investor and media contact

Frederik Svanholm
Group Investment Director, Head of IR & PR
frsv@trifork.com, +41 79 357 7317

About Trifork

Trifork is a pioneering global technology partner, empowering enterprise and public sector customers with innovative solutions. With 1,229 professionals across 73 business units in 16 countries, Trifork delivers expertise in inspiring, building, and running advanced software solutions across diverse sectors, including public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, energy, financial services, retail, and real estate. Trifork Labs, the Group’s R&D hub, drives innovation by investing in and developing synergistic and high-potential technology companies. Trifork Group AG is a publicly listed company on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Learn more at trifork.com.

Attachment
- PR_2025_OmanRCM
The MIL Network –
April 11, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Coalition plan to dump fuel efficiency penalties would make Australia a global outlier

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Mortimore, Lecturer, Griffith Business School, Griffith University

The Coalition has announced it would, if elected to government, weaken a scheme aimed at cutting car emissions.

The scheme, known as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), was introduced by the Albanese government and was due to take effect in July. It involved issuing penalties to automakers that breach an emissions ceiling on their total new car sales.

The new Coalition plan, announced this week, would see such penalties abolished.

But the penalties are crucial. Without penalties, automakers have limited incentive to supply fuel efficient, low or zero-CO₂ emitting vehicles to the Australian market.

If this plan became government policy, it would make Australia an international outlier – and put at risk Australia’s ability to meet its obligations under the Paris climate agreement.

An international outlier

More than 85% of the international car market is covered by fuel efficiency standards.

Without a robust New Vehicle Efficiency Standard scheme, complete with penalties for automakers that break the rules, Australia would join Russia in the tiny minority of developed countries without strong fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles.

Abolishing the penalties embedded in the scheme also risks making Australia the world’s dumping ground for inefficient vehicles.

That’s because the penalties embedded in the scheme are there to incentivise automakers to sell more efficient vehicles in Australia.

The current scheme, as it is, is not particularly punitive. Automakers that breach their cap of emissions are given up to two years to fix their mistakes before being issued with a financial penalty.

Weakening the scheme won’t help make it easier for Australians to buy fuel-efficient cars.

Decarbonising Australian roads

The 2015 Paris Agreement, to which Australia is a signatory, requires developed nations to decarbonise their transport by as much as 80% by 2050.

Carbon emissions from Australian transport accounts for 21.1% of the nation’s emissions (to June 2023).

It represents the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia.

Without measures aimed at making cars more fuel efficient, Australia’s CO₂ emissions will continue to rise. It will be harder to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement.

It’s regulation, not a tax

The Coalition, which is hoping to pick up votes in outer-ring suburbs, has called the penalties embedded in the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard scheme a “car tax”.

Liberal leader Peter Dutton said this week:

This is a tax on families who need a reliable car and small businesses trying to grow. Instead of making life easier, Labor is making it harder and more expensive […] We want cleaner, cheaper cars on Australian roads as we head towards net zero by 2050, but forcing unfair penalties on carmakers and consumers is not the answer.

But these penalties are not a tax; they are a form of regulation. Automakers that meet the rules wouldn’t have to pay penalties, under the current scheme.

If the goal is to reduce people’s hip-pocket pain at the bowser, the focus should be on ensuring Australians can buy fuel-efficient vehicles.

That means incentivising automakers to bring fuel-efficient vehicles to the Australian market. It also means avoiding any policy that encourages carmakers to see Australia as a dumping ground for gas-guzzling vehicles.

Anna Mortimore receives funding from Reliable Affordable Clean Energy Cooperative Research Centre for 2030 (RACE for 2030).

– ref. Coalition plan to dump fuel efficiency penalties would make Australia a global outlier – https://theconversation.com/coalition-plan-to-dump-fuel-efficiency-penalties-would-make-australia-a-global-outlier-254386

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Fallen officers remembered

Source: New South Wales – News

South Australia Police (SAPOL) members who lost their lives while serving overseas were commemorated this morning during an early Anzac Day memorial service.

Around 110 people united at SAPOL’s Wall of Remembrance at the Fort Largs Police Academy in memory of 25 police officers killed on active service leave from SAPOL, including 11 police officers in World War I, 13 in World War II, and one in Cyprus while on peacekeeping duties with the United Nations.

Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, joined Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens APM LEM, Minister of Police Stephen Mullighan and other dignitaries and guests to honour those who paid the supreme sacrifice.

“We remember all 25 officers and their families affected by their unwavering commitment to their state and country, with honour they served,” Commissioner Stevens said.

“We acknowledge the sacrifice of each officer who joined other Australians fighting overseas and sadly never returned home.”

Police Chaplain, Reverend Mark Kleemann led the memorial service, which paid tribute to former SAPOL Foot Constable Alexander Graham – one of the first SAPOL officers to enlist in World War I and first to die on active service.

A commemorative address by Dr Barry Blundell APM LEM, of SA Police Historical Society, explored the fallen officer’s service until his passing on 24 September 1915.

Alexander Graham was born on the Isle of Rona, on 16 June 1888, and before emigrating to Australia, is believed to have served with the British military.

He joined SAPOL on 1 August 1914 and worked as a Foot Constable based at Adelaide Station for a short time before moving to Port Adelaide for nearly eight months until enlisting on 8 March 1915 with the Australian Imperial Forces.

“Graham embarked with the 6th reinforcements of the 10th Battalion on 23 June, travelling to Egypt. Following training, he then travelled to the Dardanelles on 1 August, joining his Battalion on August 4,” Dr Blundell said during his address.

“Graham’s first engagement with the enemy was two days later at the Battle of Lone Pine, where over four days some 6000 Ottomans and more than 2000 Anzacs were killed or wounded.

“By September, the 10th Battalion was losing 10 men a day to dysentery. Graham succumbed to the disease on 18 September, when he was admitted to hospital, soon being transferred to Alexandria, where on 24 September he died of his illness.”

Private Alexander Graham was buried in the Chatby War Cemetery in Alexandria, Egypt.

Meanwhile, the Band of the South Australia Police and members of the Mounted Operations Unit contributed to this morning’s service, which also featured hymns, readings, wreath laying, playing of The Last Post and a minute’s silence.

SAPOL members will also participate in and support other Anzac Day services throughout the state on Friday 25 April – the national day of remembrance.

SAPOL Foot Constable Alexander Graham June 16, 1888 – September 24, 1915.

Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens APM LEM paying his respects at today’s Anzac Day service at the South Australia Police Academy.

Around 110 people united at SAPOL’s Wall of Remembrance at the Fort Largs Police Academy.

The Last Post.

Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, joined Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens APM LEM, Minister of Police Stephen Mullighan and other dignitaries and guests to honour those who paid the supreme sacrifice.

Wreaths laid in tribute to 25 police officers killed on active service leave from SAPOL, including 11 police officers in World War I, 13 in World War II, and one in Cyprus while on peacekeeping duties with the United Nations.

MIL OSI News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 2025 Crabapple Gala celebrates blossoming global friendship

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

The 2025 Crabapple Gala and Crabapple Poetry Party, sponsored by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (SCLF) and supported by the Xicheng District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, were held at the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling in Beijing on April 7.

Ambassadors and representatives of international organizations from over 40 countries, alongside more than 200 attendees, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), participated in the event to celebrate cultural exchanges and global friendship.

Guests attend the 2025 Crabapple Gala and Crabapple Poetry Party at the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

Li Bin, chairperson of the SCLF, emphasized the role of the annual event in promoting cultural exchange. She noted that the event brought together international and domestic guests to enjoy the flowers, while appreciating the charm of Chinese culture and the vibrant cultures of different countries.

“The China Soong Ching Ling Foundation is committed to strengthening communication, expanding cooperation and advancing cultural exchanges,” she said. “We aim to facilitate people-to-people connections and contribute to the development of national relations, ultimately working toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.”

Jürg Burri, ambassador of Switzerland to China, stated in his speech that the event embodies openness, inclusiveness, mutual respect and friendship between countries and peoples.

He highlighted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland, and noted that his country is always willing to be China’s preferred partner and its gateway to the European market.

Artist Ding Jie, SCLF chairperson Li Bin and Swiss ambassador Jürg Burri, pose for a photo on stage at the opening of the event, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

Other foreign guests in attendance also praised the event as well as the contributions made by Soong Ching Ling and the foundation.

“The planning, setting and presentation are all fantastic,” said Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil Ur Rahman Hashmi, when speaking about the event. He further elaborated on the importance of the poetry aspect, explaining that it showcased the diversity of language, expressions and emotions, and highlighted its role in bringing people together and enhancing understanding.

Beate Trankmann, resident representative of UNDP China, commended Soong Ching Ling’s advocacy for women’s participation in social and political life.

“I think her mission in life remains very important, especially in this time and age, in a tech-dominated world,” Trankmann noted.

This year’s Crabapple Gala also featured interactive activities showcasing China’s traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage, including calligraphy, painting, tea art and dough figure-making. With flowers as a symbol, foreign guests gathered to celebrate the legacy of traditional Chinese culture, strengthen cultural exchange and build lasting friendships across borders.

Foreign guests watch dough figure-making at the 2025 Crabapple Gala, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

A foreign guest posts customized postcards at the 2025 Crabapple Gala, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

MIL OSI China News –

April 11, 2025

MIL-OSI: SEALCOIN Demonstrates Satellite-Enabled IoT Transactions Using WISeSat LEO Constellation

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SEALCOIN Demonstrates Satellite-Enabled IoT Transactions Using WISeSat LEO Constellation

Pushing the Frontiers of IoT with Secure, Decentralized Microtransactions Beyond Terrestrial Limits

Geneva, Switzerland, April 11, 2025 –WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”) (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading global cybersecurity, blockchain, and IoT company, today announced that its subsidiary SEALCOIN AG, unveiled a groundbreaking Proof of Concept (PoC) that illustrates the Company’s ability to integrate with remote IoT devices through satellite communications. Leveraging the WISeSat Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation and the FOSSA IoT platform, this milestone marks a major step toward SEALCOIN’s vision for a decentralized, transactional IoT that transcends terrestrial infrastructure.

Built on WISeKey’s satellite infrastructure, the PoC enables microtransaction-driven data exchanges between fully off-the-grid IoT devices, with each data set cryptographically signed at the source device for integrity and trust.

The architecture operates as follows:

Device-to-Device Exchange via Satellite: A request for data is initiated by one IoT device and fulfilled by another using SEALCOIN as the value exchange layer.
REST API Integration with WISeSat via FOSSA: The responding device acts as a bridge to the WISeSat network through a REST API, retrieving data from the satellite-linked database, which has been securely signed by the source device.
Blockchain Settlement via SEALCOIN on Hedera: Each exchange is recorded and settled securely and efficiently via the SEALCOIN token on the Hedera network.

This PoC proves the feasibility of executing secure, decentralized, satellite-enabled data transactions between machines in geographically isolated or infrastructure-deficient environments. The implications for smart agriculture, environmental monitoring, autonomous logistics, and defense applications are immense, setting the stage for a new wave of use cases previously unimaginable.

This is the first iteration of SEALCOIN’s satellite integration roadmap. Looking ahead, the project will focus on embedding SEALCOIN capabilities directly within satellites, secured at the silicon level using Secure Element technology. This foundational step will enable future “Satellite-as-a-Service” business models, where spaceborne infrastructure autonomously participates in decentralized economies.

“Our goal with SEALCOIN has always been to make transactional IoT borderless, scalable, and secure,” said Carlos Moreira, CEO of WISeKey Group. “With this demo, we’ve not only expanded that vision into space but opened doors to solutions for regions with no cellular or terrestrial coverage”.

SEALCOIN’s architecture is inherently modular, supporting a plug-and-play approach to new types of sensors and satellite operators, further enhancing its potential for global deployment.

This is just the beginning of a bold trajectory toward true device-to-device economies, decentralized, autonomous, and resilient by design.

About WISeKey

WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”, SIX: WIHN; Nasdaq: WKEY) is a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity, and IoT solutions platform. It operates as a Swiss-based holding company through several operational subsidiaries, each dedicated to specific aspects of its technology portfolio. The subsidiaries include (i) SEALSQ Corp (Nasdaq: LAES), which focuses on semiconductors, PKI, and post-quantum technology products, (ii) WISeKey SA which specializes in RoT and PKI solutions for secure authentication and identification in IoT, Blockchain, and AI, (iii) WISeSat AG which focuses on space technology for secure satellite communication, specifically for IoT applications, (iv) WISe.ART Corp which focuses on trusted blockchain NFTs and operates the WISe.ART marketplace for secure NFT transactions, and (v) SEALCOIN AG which focuses on decentralized physical internet with DePIN technology and house the development of the SEALCOIN platform.

Each subsidiary contributes to WISeKey’s mission of securing the internet while focusing on their respective areas of research and expertise. Their technologies seamlessly integrate into the comprehensive WISeKey platform. WISeKey secures digital identity ecosystems for individuals and objects using Blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies. With over 1.6 billion microchips deployed across various IoT sectors, WISeKey plays a vital role in securing the Internet of Everything. The company’s semiconductors generate valuable Big Data that, when analyzed with AI, enable predictive equipment failure prevention. Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey cryptographic Root of Trust, WISeKey provides secure authentication and identification for IoT, Blockchain, and AI applications. The WISeKey Root of Trust ensures the integrity of online transactions between objects and people. For more information on WISeKey’s strategic direction and its subsidiary companies, please visit www.wisekey.com.

Disclaimer
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”), the FinSa’s predecessor legislation or advertising within the meaning of the FinSA. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.

Press and Investor Contacts

WISeKey International Holding Ltd
Company Contact: Carlos Moreira
Chairman & CEO
Tel: +41 22 594 3000
info@wisekey.com

WISeKey Investor Relations (US)
The Equity Group Inc.
Lena Cati
Tel: +1 212 836-9611
lcati@equityny.com

The MIL Network –

April 11, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Extradites Alleged Co-Conspirator of 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks to Face Charges in India

Source: US State of California

Mumbai Attacks in 2008 Killed More than 160 People, Including Six Americans, and Wounded Hundreds More

The United States on Wednesday extradited convicted terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen and native of Pakistan, to stand trial in India on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Rana’s extradition is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks.

Rana, 64, is charged in India with numerous offenses, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery, related to his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks committed by Laskhar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Between November 26 and 29, 2008, ten LeT terrorists carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai. They infiltrated the city by sea and then broke into teams, dispersing to multiple locations. Attackers at a train station fired guns and threw grenades into crowds. Attackers at two restaurants shot indiscriminately at patrons. Attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel gunned people down and detonated explosives. Attackers also shot and killed people at a Jewish community center. When the terror finally subsided, 166 victims, including six Americans, were dead, along with all but one of the LeT terrorists. Hundreds more were injured, and Mumbai sustained more than $1.5 billion in property damage. The attacks were among the most horrific and catastrophic in India’s history.

India alleges that Rana facilitated a fraudulent cover so that his childhood friend David Coleman Headley (Headley), a U.S. citizen born Daood Gilani, could freely travel to Mumbai for the purpose of conducting surveillance of potential attack sites for LeT. As India alleges, Headley had received training from LeT members in Pakistan and was in direct communication with LeT about plans to attack Mumbai. Among other things, Rana allegedly agreed to open a Mumbai branch of his immigration business and appoint Headley as the manager of the office, despite Headley’s having no immigration experience. On two separate occasions, Rana allegedly helped Headley prepare and submit visa applications to Indian authorities that contained information Rana knew to be false. Rana also allegedly supplied, through his unsuspecting business partner, documentation in support of Headley’s attempt to secure formal approval from Indian authorities to open a branch office of Rana’s business. Over the course of more than two years, Headley allegedly repeatedly met with Rana in Chicago and described his surveillance activities on behalf of LeT, LeT’s responses to Headley’s activities, and LeT’s potential plans for attacking Mumbai.

After the attacks were complete, Rana allegedly told Headley that the Indians “deserved it.” In an intercepted conversation with Headley, Rana allegedly commended the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed committing the attacks, saying that “[t]hey should be given Nishan-e-Haider”—Pakistan’s “highest award for gallantry in battle,” which is reserved for fallen soldiers.

India’s pending proceedings against Rana are not the first proceedings in which Rana has been accused of conspiring to commit violent acts of terrorism. In 2013, Rana was sentenced to 14 years in prison following his trial conviction in the Northern District of Illinois for conspiring to provide material support to LeT and to a foiled LeT-sponsored terrorist plot in Copenhagen, Denmark. As part of those same criminal proceedings, Headley pleaded guilty to 12 federal terrorism charges, including aiding and abetting the murders of the six Americans in Mumbai and later planning to attack a Danish newspaper, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

In June 2020, the United States acted on a request for Rana’s extradition submitted by the Republic of India, which Rana contested for almost five years. On May 16, 2023, a U.S. magistrate judge in the Central District of California certified Rana’s extradition to India. Rana then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California denied on August 10, 2023. On August 15, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed that decision. The Supreme Court likewise denied Rana’s petition for certiorari on January 21, 2025. The Secretary of State issued a warrant ordering Rana’s surrender to Indian authorities. Both the district court and the Ninth Circuit denied Rana’s application for a stay of extradition, and on April 7, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Rana’s application for a stay of extradition.

On April 9, the U.S. Marshals Service executed the Secretary’s surrender warrant by surrendering Rana to Indian authorities for transportation to India. Rana’s extradition is now complete.

The extradition litigation was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Lulejian and David R. Friedman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bram M. Alden of the Central District of California and Deputy Director Christopher J. Smith, Associate Director Kerry A. Monaco, and former Associate Director Rebecca A. Haciski of the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. The U.S. Marshals Service and attorneys and international affairs specialists in the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided support to this extradition. The FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in New Delhi also provided assistance.

U.S. Marshals in the Central District of California on Tuesday transferred custody of Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani national and Canadian citizen, to representatives from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

U.S. Marshals in the Central District of California on Tuesday transferred custody of Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani national and Canadian citizen, to representatives from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU students were told about the scientific discoveries of academician Mikhail Alekseevich Lavrentyev

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

Meeting of students of Novosibirsk State University with the grandson of the founder of Akademgorodok, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, Dean Faculty of Information Technology NSU Mikhail Mikhailovich Lavrentyev was held on April 4. It was dedicated to fascinating facts from the life of the founder of Akademgorodok, the academician, and was called “Scientific discoveries of academician Mikhail Alekseevich Lavrentyev. From mathematics, mechanics and physics of explosions to the first computers.”

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Soviet mathematician and mechanic, founder of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok, Mikhail Alekseevich Lavrentyev. Residents of Akademgorodok cherish his memory. Currently, his name is borne by the Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the SUNC (Physics and Mathematics School) of NSU, Lyceum No. 130, an auditorium at NSU…. A monument to the academician was erected on the avenue named in his honor.

Mikhail Mikhailovich Lavrentyev began the meeting by listing the most important scientific achievements of Mikhail Alekseevich: the Lavrentyev effect in variational calculus, the lifting force of an airplane wing, conformal and quasi-comfort mappings, explanation of the cumulative effect, the first artillery nuclear shell, the first domestic computers, new materials – explosion welding, acceleration of particles to cosmic speeds, saving genetics, the fight for the purity of Lake Baikal, saving the city of Almaty (Kazakhstan) from a mudflow – the Medeu dam, the creation of new types of universities – PhysTech and NSU, the organization of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. And then he spoke in detail about some of them.

Important contribution to the Victory

Among the numerous awards of M.A. Lavrentyev is the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree, which he was awarded in 1944. This Order was awarded to participants in military operations, but Mikhail Alekseevich was one of the few exceptions. He did not directly participate in the battles of the Great Patriotic War and was not at the front, but he made a significant contribution to the Great Victory as a talented scientist. The cumulative charges he developed became one of the factors that influenced the outcome of the Battle of Kursk (July 5 – August 23, 1943).

— Previously, cumulative antitank aerial bombs were quite large in size, and domestic IL2 attack aircraft could take only a few of them on board, respectively, the maximum possible number of armored targets to be hit was also small. M.A. Lavrentyev proposed his own solution to the problem — the creation of a new generation of cumulative antitank aerial bombs, loaded into cassettes of 78 pieces. Lavrentyev’s PTABs were produced in Ufa, at the Prommetiz artel evacuated from Dnepropetrovsk. Each bomb weighed 2.5 kg and pierced up to 70 mm of armor with a cumulative pestle. This was enough to defeat the most protected Wehrmacht tanks: the armor thickness of the Panther on the turret was no more than 16 mm, and that of the Tiger — 28 mm. The PTABs from Ufa were first used in the Battle of Kursk, and they had a very worthy effect on the fascists – several hundred tanks were destroyed by air strikes, said M.M. Lavrentyev.

It is important that instead of several heavy 100-kilogram anti-tank aerial bombs (PTAB), the IL2 attack aircraft carried 4 cassettes with 78 PTABs in each, which it literally “sprinkled” on German tanks from a height of 25 m. This ensured greater precision in the bombing strike and the safety of the aircraft itself, reducing to zero the risk of being shot down by the explosion of its own aerial bombs.

Lavrentyev’s PTABs had another important advantage: unlike conventional aerial bombs made of expensive high-strength steel with a complex fuse, PTABs could theoretically be produced even in a wooden case. Therefore, they could be manufactured not at specialized factories, but in the most primitive conditions.

The first nuclear artillery shell

In the early 1950s, M. A. Lavrentyev was involved in the development of atomic weapons in the USSR. Work on the first domestic artillery nuclear projectile involved solving complex theoretical and experimental problems in hydrodynamics and gas dynamics, and preparing their solutions was a complex mathematical problem in itself. M. A. Lavrentyev was known as a major specialist in hydro- and gas dynamics, an outstanding mathematician, the founder of the theory of cumulative projectiles, and a well-known specialist in the use of explosives. Therefore, in 1953, he was transferred from the post of director of the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering to KB-11 (Arzamas-16, now the city of Sarov) to the post of deputy chief designer of the USSR Ministry of Medium Machine Building, which he held for two and a half years. During this time, M. A. Lavrentyev managed to create a creative team of young and talented specialists. Among them were Lev Vasilyevich Ovsyannikov, Dmitry Vasilyevich Shirkov, Vladimir Mikhailovich Titov and Bogdan Vyacheslavovich Voitsekhovsky. They later followed their leader to Akademgorodok and became academicians.

— M.A. Lavrentyev’s scientific group faced a very difficult task: the projectile had to be compact in size compared to the products that had been created in this design bureau earlier, since they were to be used to load guns. At the same time, the projectile had to experience high overloads while maintaining combat capability. And these overloads were thousands of times greater than those typical for aerial bombs. Other difficulties arose, but the scientific team managed to successfully overcome them, and in 1956, an artillery shell with a nuclear charge successfully passed tests at the Semipalatinsk test site. As M.M. Lavrentyev said, the size of the projectile was still too large, so a gun of the corresponding caliber was specially made for it. Nowadays, similar weapons are installed on modern tanks, — M.M. Lavrentyev said.

The first domestic computer

In the 1950s, M.A. Lavrentyev took direct part in the creation of the first Soviet computer. At that time, he was the director of the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering of the Academy of Sciences, where the first computer, called BESM-1 (the first large electronic calculating machine), was being developed. But when performing this complex task, its developers faced competition from the relevant ministry, which at the same time was working on the creation of the Strela computer.

— The competitors had many advantages, the most important of which was the financing of the work. In addition, 150 electron tubes were required to create BESM, which was a serious problem — about 100 tubes were issued per quarter to the entire Academy of Sciences, and it was impossible to acquire them in any other way. This issue was resolved thanks to the ingenuity of Sergei Alekseevich Lebedev, who is now considered the founder of domestic electronic computing technology. In 1950, he was invited to the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow by M.A. Lavrentyev. They went to the Minister of Radio Industry and asked: “Do consumers of tubes have many complaints against you?” He answered: “Yes, a lot. I believe that in most cases, tubes fail due to the fault of consumers.” Then S.A. Lebedev suggested: “Give us 150 lamps, we will have them in continuous operation, and we will inform you every month that the lamps are working well, and you will replace those lamps that burn out with new ones. The minister agreed, and the problem was solved,” M.M. Lavrentyev said.

Tests of both machines were conducted in 1953. The advantages were again on the side of the competitors. All units of the new memory designed by S.A. Lebedev were addressed to the “Strela” by the decision from above, therefore the creators of BESM had to make the computer memory on the acoustic principle. This reduced its performance by 15-20 times. In addition, the chairman of the acceptance committee was the manager who had already created his own computing center for the “Strela”. And the first test results did not speak in favor of BESM. But M.A. Lavrentyev drew attention to the fact that one of the test tasks did not make sense. On this basis, he insisted on postponing the acceptance for six months and providing the BESM developers with units designed by S.A. Lebedev.

— BESM was being improved for six months, after which it demonstrated significantly higher productivity: it solved all tasks assigned to it 5-8 times faster than Strela. In the competition between the two companies, the winner was not the one that had enough funds, people, and space, but the one that had progressive ideas. And BESM-1 became the predecessor of a series of domestic digital computers, — explained M.M. Lavrentyev.

Throwing soil by explosion

M.A. Lavrentyev made a significant contribution to saving the city of Almaty (Kazakhstan) from mudflows, which posed a serious danger. One of the evidences of this is the Issyk disaster that occurred on July 7, 1963. Then the mudflow caused the death of one and a half hundred Almaty residents.

— Only one gorge was dangerous for mudflows. And it was proposed to create a protective dam in it by means of directed explosions. Several years before that, an article by several scientists, including M.A. Lavrentyev, was published in the journal “Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics” about the directed throwing of soil using explosives. This idea was implemented in this unique project, — said M.M. Lavrentyev.

In 1964, the Kazakh branch of the Hydroproject Institute developed a project for a gravity rock-fill dam. Taking into account the experience of the 1963 mudflow, its design was significantly strengthened. M.A. Lavrentyev was among the scientific consultants of the project. As a result, for the first time in world practice, a 110-meter-high dam was created using directed explosions. The task was complicated by the terrain and seismic features of the area, but the creators of the dam coped – it withstood the mudflow that occurred shortly after the end of the work. To this day, the dam created by explosions protects Almaty from destructive mudflows.

The students also learned how M.M. Lavrentyev managed to save the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences from closure at a time when genetics was considered pseudoscience and was persecuted. They were also told about his other significant scientific achievements. However, M.M. Lavrentyev noted that Mikhail Alekseevich considered the creation of the NSU Physics and Mathematics School and the Young Technicians Club to be the most significant thing in his life. For him, the involvement of talented youth in scientific work was of primary importance.

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 –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Russia says progress made in financial services for diplomatic missions during talks with US

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

The Russian consulate in Istanbul said Thursday that progress has been made on ensuring banking and financial services for Russian and U.S. diplomatic missions during the second round of bilateral talks in Istanbul.

Delegations from the two countries “exchanged diplomatic notes to formalise agreed commitments. These commitments are designed to facilitate unimpeded banking and financial services for Russian and American diplomatic missions, in addition to ensuring the fulfillment of the Russian Federation’s contributions to the budgets of the UN and other international organisations,” the consulate said in a press release.

The two sides “agreed to develop a roadmap” regarding the return of six diplomatic real estate properties confiscated by U.S. authorities and lawfully owned by Russia, the consulate said.

They also discussed “easing visa processing and travel regulations for diplomatic staff within the host countries,” it said, adding that the Russian side urged promoting the resumption of direct air flights between the two countries.

The timing of the next round of talks is “currently under coordination,” it said.

Earlier in the day, the two sides finished their second round of talks on restoring diplomatic missions. The U.S. delegation left the Russian consulate in Istanbul in the afternoon, following approximately five hours of meetings with the Russian side.

The primary focus of the discussions is to address issues affecting the functioning of the two countries’ embassies and consulates. The U.S. State Department has emphasized that the talks are limited strictly to diplomatic operations.

“Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday. “These talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalizing a bilateral relationship overall, which can only happen, as we’ve noted, once there is peace between Russia and Ukraine.”

The first round of talks was held in Istanbul on Feb. 27.

In recent years, Washington and Moscow have expelled numerous diplomats from each other’s countries, significantly hindering the ability of their diplomatic missions to function effectively.

MIL OSI China News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Von der Leyen says EU will pause retaliatory tariffs against US

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

This photo taken on Jan. 29, 2025 shows the Berlaymont Building, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium. [Photo/Xinhua]

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the European Union (EU) will pause its countermeasures against the U.S. for 90 days.

Her remarks came a day after the EU member states overwhelmingly endorsed the bloc’s initial package of retaliatory measures targeting tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on steel and aluminum.

She emphasized, however, that the EU will not hesitate to implement the measures if ongoing negotiations fail to yield satisfactory results.

“As I have said before, all options remain on the table,” von der Leyen added.

MIL OSI China News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Extradites Alleged Co-Conspirator of 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks to Face Charges in India

Source: United States Attorneys General 7

Mumbai Attacks in 2008 Killed More than 160 People, Including Six Americans, and Wounded Hundreds More

The United States on Wednesday extradited convicted terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen and native of Pakistan, to stand trial in India on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Rana’s extradition is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks.

Rana, 64, is charged in India with numerous offenses, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery, related to his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks committed by Laskhar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Between November 26 and 29, 2008, ten LeT terrorists carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai. They infiltrated the city by sea and then broke into teams, dispersing to multiple locations. Attackers at a train station fired guns and threw grenades into crowds. Attackers at two restaurants shot indiscriminately at patrons. Attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel gunned people down and detonated explosives. Attackers also shot and killed people at a Jewish community center. When the terror finally subsided, 166 victims, including six Americans, were dead, along with all but one of the LeT terrorists. Hundreds more were injured, and Mumbai sustained more than $1.5 billion in property damage. The attacks were among the most horrific and catastrophic in India’s history.

India alleges that Rana facilitated a fraudulent cover so that his childhood friend David Coleman Headley (Headley), a U.S. citizen born Daood Gilani, could freely travel to Mumbai for the purpose of conducting surveillance of potential attack sites for LeT. As India alleges, Headley had received training from LeT members in Pakistan and was in direct communication with LeT about plans to attack Mumbai. Among other things, Rana allegedly agreed to open a Mumbai branch of his immigration business and appoint Headley as the manager of the office, despite Headley’s having no immigration experience. On two separate occasions, Rana allegedly helped Headley prepare and submit visa applications to Indian authorities that contained information Rana knew to be false. Rana also allegedly supplied, through his unsuspecting business partner, documentation in support of Headley’s attempt to secure formal approval from Indian authorities to open a branch office of Rana’s business. Over the course of more than two years, Headley allegedly repeatedly met with Rana in Chicago and described his surveillance activities on behalf of LeT, LeT’s responses to Headley’s activities, and LeT’s potential plans for attacking Mumbai.

After the attacks were complete, Rana allegedly told Headley that the Indians “deserved it.” In an intercepted conversation with Headley, Rana allegedly commended the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed committing the attacks, saying that “[t]hey should be given Nishan-e-Haider”—Pakistan’s “highest award for gallantry in battle,” which is reserved for fallen soldiers.

India’s pending proceedings against Rana are not the first proceedings in which Rana has been accused of conspiring to commit violent acts of terrorism. In 2013, Rana was sentenced to 14 years in prison following his trial conviction in the Northern District of Illinois for conspiring to provide material support to LeT and to a foiled LeT-sponsored terrorist plot in Copenhagen, Denmark. As part of those same criminal proceedings, Headley pleaded guilty to 12 federal terrorism charges, including aiding and abetting the murders of the six Americans in Mumbai and later planning to attack a Danish newspaper, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

In June 2020, the United States acted on a request for Rana’s extradition submitted by the Republic of India, which Rana contested for almost five years. On May 16, 2023, a U.S. magistrate judge in the Central District of California certified Rana’s extradition to India. Rana then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California denied on August 10, 2023. On August 15, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed that decision. The Supreme Court likewise denied Rana’s petition for certiorari on January 21, 2025. The Secretary of State issued a warrant ordering Rana’s surrender to Indian authorities. Both the district court and the Ninth Circuit denied Rana’s application for a stay of extradition, and on April 7, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Rana’s application for a stay of extradition.

On April 9, the U.S. Marshals Service executed the Secretary’s surrender warrant by surrendering Rana to Indian authorities for transportation to India. Rana’s extradition is now complete.

The extradition litigation was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Lulejian and David R. Friedman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bram M. Alden of the Central District of California and Deputy Director Christopher J. Smith, Associate Director Kerry A. Monaco, and former Associate Director Rebecca A. Haciski of the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. The U.S. Marshals Service and attorneys and international affairs specialists in the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided support to this extradition. The FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in New Delhi also provided assistance.

U.S. Marshals in the Central District of California on Tuesday transferred custody of Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani national and Canadian citizen, to representatives from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

U.S. Marshals in the Central District of California on Tuesday transferred custody of Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani national and Canadian citizen, to representatives from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

MIL Security OSI –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese ambassadors upbeat about prospects of relations with neighboring countries

Source: China State Council Information Office

This photo shows a view of Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, the main venue for the 21st China-ASEAN Expo, in Nanning, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese ambassadors say they are upbeat about building on historic achievements to open new prospects for China’s relations with neighboring countries, after a key meeting outlined goals and tasks for the next phase of the country’s neighborhood work.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries and striving to open new ground for the country’s neighborhood work, at a central conference on work related to neighboring countries held in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday.

China’s relations with neighboring countries are at the best level seen in modern times, and they are entering a critical phase in which regional dynamics and global transformations are deeply intertwined, the conference noted.

“China always places its neighborhood diplomacy at the top of its diplomatic agenda, and ASEAN is the priority in this neighborhood diplomacy,” Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing said.

Chinese and Malaysian leaders have reached a consensus on building a community with a shared future, and China-Malaysia trade accounts for one-fifth of China-ASEAN trade. In addition to the East Coast Rail Link project and other joint infrastructure projects, both countries are cooperating in such fields as 5G, artificial intelligence, big data, electric vehicles and photovoltaic products.

“Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Malaysia relations will further grow, and cooperation between China and ASEAN will also expand,” the ambassador said.

Representatives of China and five Central Asian countries attend a launching ceremony of the secretariat of the China-Central Asian cooperation mechanism in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, March 30, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China-Central Asia relations have seen leapfrog progress with the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnerships between China and the five Central Asian countries, the launch of the China-Central Asia mechanism, and joint efforts to promote the growth of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), according to Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Han Chunlin.

President Xi’s vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and his three global initiatives offer important guidance for the China-Central Asia mechanism and SCO development, Han noted.

A drone photo taken on June 23, 2024 shows a view of Rashakai Special Economic Zone under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Nowshera, Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. [Photo/Xinhua]

As a pilot project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has seen more than 25 billion U.S. dollars in direct investment and created more than 230,000 jobs. It has raised the level of China-Pakistan cooperation and promoted Pakistan’s economic and social development, according to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong.

“We will continue to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, make greater contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and safeguard China’s overseas interests,” Jiang said.

China continues to bring development opportunities and certainty to its neighboring countries through its own development, said Shen Minjuan, Chinese ambassador to Mongolia. “In Mongolia, people remember President Xi’s offer of welcoming them to ride China’s fast train of development.”

The 21st century will undoubtedly be the Asian Century, and China’s diplomacy with its neighboring countries holds immense potential, Shen said, adding that Asia should remain stable and thriving, thereby supporting China’s modernization drive.

China and ASEAN have been each other’s largest trading partners for five consecutive years. ASEAN regards China as an indispensable partner for regional countries to achieve modernization, and China firmly supports ASEAN’s centrality in regional cooperation, said Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Hou Yanqi.

China encourages ASEAN to forge close ties with the SCO and BRICS, together practice genuine multilateralism and open regionalism, and safeguard international fairness and justice as well as the interests of developing countries, Hou said.

An aerial drone photo taken on July 18, 2024 shows the Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center in the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA) in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, noted that the world today is undergoing both transformation and upheaval, and that changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace.

“The CPC Central Committee exercises overall leadership, maintains strong strategic resolve, and responds to challenges with steadfastness and prudence. This is our greatest source of confidence in advancing our diplomatic endeavors, and the root cause of the respect and growing influence China gains on the global stage,” Fu said.

“We must unwaveringly uphold the vision of a global community with a shared future, continuously advance the reform and improvement of global governance, and safeguard the interests of developing countries,” Fu said.

The ambassadors expressed opposition to the United States’ indiscriminate tariffs on all of its trading partners, saying that China and neighboring countries should oppose the fallacy of “might makes right” and work together to safeguard international fairness and justice, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of all countries.

MIL OSI China News –

April 11, 2025

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