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  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Peskov explained the cancellation of the parade on Navy Day in St. Petersburg

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Moscow, July 27 /Xinhua/ — The cancellation of the main naval parade in St. Petersburg on Russian Navy Day is due to the general situation and security considerations, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

    “This is related to the general situation, security considerations. They are above all else,” TASS quotes him as saying.

    The events were scheduled for July 27 — Navy Day is celebrated in Russia annually on the last Sunday of July. Since 2017, by decree of President Vladimir Putin, the main naval parade has been held in St. Petersburg. Last year, 20 surface ships and boats, one submarine, four sailing vessels and more than 2,500 military personnel took part in it.

    As reported by the Kremlin press service, Russian President V. Putin congratulated sailors on Navy Day on Sunday.

    “The naval component of Russia’s nuclear triad is also gaining strength,” said V. Putin in a video address on the occasion of Navy Day. He noted that the naval component of the Russian nuclear triad is based on a group of nuclear submarines.

    “This year, a new strategy for the development of the Russian Navy was approved. For the first time in history, it is designed for a long period – until 2050. And this is direct evidence of our confidence in our strength and capabilities,” noted V. Putin. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Sierra Leone’s President Bio Honoured at Liberia Independence Celebrations, as he Delivers Inspiring Keynote on Shared History and Regional Unity

    Source: APO – Report:

    .

    His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, has been honoured with a plaque of recognition by the Government of Liberia in appreciation of Sierra Leone’s critical contribution to the peacekeeping efforts that helped restore stability during Liberia’s civil conflict.

    The presentation took place during the celebration of Liberia’s 178th Independence Anniversary at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia. The commemorative plaque acknowledged the sacrifices of Sierra Leonean men and women, both in and out of uniform, who served through the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) during Liberia’s most difficult years.

    In a powerful keynote address themed “One People, One Destiny: Healing the Past, Building the Future,” President Bio reflected on his own role as a young officer in the Sierra Leone Armed Forces deployed to Liberia with ECOMOG. “I once stood on this sacred soil not as a visitor, but as a peacemaker,” he said. “I remember walking the streets of White Plains, Gardnersville, and Monrovia Freeport during a time of great hardship. Even then, I could sense the deep endurance of the Liberian people.”

    President Bio described the recognition as a deeply personal and humbling moment. “To be honoured on this day is not just a diplomatic courtesy, it is a homecoming. We receive this honour with pride and renewed commitment to regional unity, democratic stability, and shared peace.”

    Also addressing the gathering, Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mme. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, expressed profound gratitude to all ECOMOG troop-contributing countries, singling out President Bio for his personal role during the conflict. “You stood with us in our most difficult time,” she said. “The true legacy of ECOMOG is not only found on the battlefield or in treaties signed, but in the peace we enjoy today.”

    The celebration brought together Heads of State and representatives from across the region, including President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of Liberia, President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal.

    President Bio emphasized the deep cultural and historical ties between Sierra Leone and Liberia, calling the two nations “twin souls” bound by shared rivers, languages, and struggles. “When Liberia trembled under the weight of war, Sierra Leone felt the tremors too. And when we cried out in our own agony, you mourned with us. This is not coincidence. This is kinship,” he declared.

    In his capacity as ECOWAS Chair, President Bio also used the moment to outline key regional priorities, including revitalizing regional security cooperation, strengthening democracy, unlocking economic integration, and building institutional credibility. “Let us align our goals in trade, education, and security and let the Mano River Union become a living promise of solidarity. Let our borders bind, not divide.”

    He called on West African nations to recommit to regional cooperation not only in times of crisis but as a daily practice of development and peacebuilding. “Our youth are crossing borders in search of opportunity. Let us build systems that allow them to do so safely, legally, and with dignity,” he urged.

    President Bio concluded his keynote with a heartfelt tribute to the people of Liberia. “Thank you for reminding the world that peace is not only possible. it is powerful. May God bless the Republic of Liberia, may God bless the Republic of Sierra Leone, and may God bless the deep, enduring friendship that binds us.”

    President Bio arrived in Monrovia by road this morning and is scheduled to return to Sierra Leone later today via the same route.

    – on behalf of State House Sierra Leone.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xizang Internet Photography & Video Festival wraps up with awards ceremony in Lhasa

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

    The 5th China Xizang Internet Photography & Video Festival awards ceremony was held on Friday in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. 

    The festival, which was launched in September 2024, was guided by the Bureau of Cyber Communications of the CAC and the Publicity Department of the CPC Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee. It was hosted by the Xizang Regional Cyberspace Administration and organized by CIIC.

    Since its launch, the event has attracted more than 140,000 submissions from around the world, showcasing Xizang’s social development, cultural heritage, natural landscapes and everyday life. It has become a vital platform for showcasing the region’s new face in the new era, generating more than 3 billion online views and interactions nationwide, with overseas dissemination exceeding 800 million views.

    After four rounds of expert review, a total of 108 entries were selected across four categories: photos, short videos (including animation), songs, and micro-movies. Each category awarded one first prize, two second prizes, and three third prizes, along with several most popular and participation awards. These winning works offered diverse and compelling perspectives on Xizang’s transformation, highlighting its cultural appeal and development momentum, and drawing widespread interest both domestically and internationally.

    This year’s festival notably featured international contributions. Foreign vloggers such as Raz Galor from Israel, Hannah Wilson from the U.K., and Gonzales Brian Alejendro from Argentina, shared their experiences in Xizang, showing viewers a true taste of life on the plateau by visiting local homes, sampling cuisine, learning instruments, and wearing Tibetan traditional clothing. Their perspectives highlighted local people’s love for life and the harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, earning them a third prize in the micro-film category and an honorable mention in the photography category. Additionally, Japanese artist Masaaki Honda’s song “Bright Days of Xizang,” which beautifully captured the tranquility and grounded feeling of the region, won the most popular award in the song category.

    A concurrent photography exhibition was also held, offering audiences a visual gateway into Xizang’s diverse and dynamic appeal. With contributions from photography enthusiasts around the globe, the exhibition featured everything from sacred mountains and serene lakes to bustling towns, traditional rituals, and modern innovations. Each image told a unique story, collectively composing a compelling visual narrative of Xizang’s ongoing transformation.

    1   2   3   >  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xizang Internet Photography & Video Festival wraps up with awards ceremony in Lhasa

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

    The 5th China Xizang Internet Photography & Video Festival awards ceremony was held on Friday in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. 

    The festival, which was launched in September 2024, was guided by the Bureau of Cyber Communications of the CAC and the Publicity Department of the CPC Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee. It was hosted by the Xizang Regional Cyberspace Administration and organized by CIIC.

    Since its launch, the event has attracted more than 140,000 submissions from around the world, showcasing Xizang’s social development, cultural heritage, natural landscapes and everyday life. It has become a vital platform for showcasing the region’s new face in the new era, generating more than 3 billion online views and interactions nationwide, with overseas dissemination exceeding 800 million views.

    After four rounds of expert review, a total of 108 entries were selected across four categories: photos, short videos (including animation), songs, and micro-movies. Each category awarded one first prize, two second prizes, and three third prizes, along with several most popular and participation awards. These winning works offered diverse and compelling perspectives on Xizang’s transformation, highlighting its cultural appeal and development momentum, and drawing widespread interest both domestically and internationally.

    This year’s festival notably featured international contributions. Foreign vloggers such as Raz Galor from Israel, Hannah Wilson from the U.K., and Gonzales Brian Alejendro from Argentina, shared their experiences in Xizang, showing viewers a true taste of life on the plateau by visiting local homes, sampling cuisine, learning instruments, and wearing Tibetan traditional clothing. Their perspectives highlighted local people’s love for life and the harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, earning them a third prize in the micro-film category and an honorable mention in the photography category. Additionally, Japanese artist Masaaki Honda’s song “Bright Days of Xizang,” which beautifully captured the tranquility and grounded feeling of the region, won the most popular award in the song category.

    A concurrent photography exhibition was also held, offering audiences a visual gateway into Xizang’s diverse and dynamic appeal. With contributions from photography enthusiasts around the globe, the exhibition featured everything from sacred mountains and serene lakes to bustling towns, traditional rituals, and modern innovations. Each image told a unique story, collectively composing a compelling visual narrative of Xizang’s ongoing transformation.

    1   2   3   >  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xizang Internet Photography & Video Festival wraps up with awards ceremony in Lhasa

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

    The 5th China Xizang Internet Photography & Video Festival awards ceremony was held on Friday in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. 

    The festival, which was launched in September 2024, was guided by the Bureau of Cyber Communications of the CAC and the Publicity Department of the CPC Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee. It was hosted by the Xizang Regional Cyberspace Administration and organized by CIIC.

    Since its launch, the event has attracted more than 140,000 submissions from around the world, showcasing Xizang’s social development, cultural heritage, natural landscapes and everyday life. It has become a vital platform for showcasing the region’s new face in the new era, generating more than 3 billion online views and interactions nationwide, with overseas dissemination exceeding 800 million views.

    After four rounds of expert review, a total of 108 entries were selected across four categories: photos, short videos (including animation), songs, and micro-movies. Each category awarded one first prize, two second prizes, and three third prizes, along with several most popular and participation awards. These winning works offered diverse and compelling perspectives on Xizang’s transformation, highlighting its cultural appeal and development momentum, and drawing widespread interest both domestically and internationally.

    This year’s festival notably featured international contributions. Foreign vloggers such as Raz Galor from Israel, Hannah Wilson from the U.K., and Gonzales Brian Alejendro from Argentina, shared their experiences in Xizang, showing viewers a true taste of life on the plateau by visiting local homes, sampling cuisine, learning instruments, and wearing Tibetan traditional clothing. Their perspectives highlighted local people’s love for life and the harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, earning them a third prize in the micro-film category and an honorable mention in the photography category. Additionally, Japanese artist Masaaki Honda’s song “Bright Days of Xizang,” which beautifully captured the tranquility and grounded feeling of the region, won the most popular award in the song category.

    A concurrent photography exhibition was also held, offering audiences a visual gateway into Xizang’s diverse and dynamic appeal. With contributions from photography enthusiasts around the globe, the exhibition featured everything from sacred mountains and serene lakes to bustling towns, traditional rituals, and modern innovations. Each image told a unique story, collectively composing a compelling visual narrative of Xizang’s ongoing transformation.

    1   2   3   >  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rose Nakayi, Senior Lecturer of Law, Makerere University

    Populism is rife in various African countries. This political ideology responds to and takes advantage of a situation where a large section of people feels exploited, marginalised or disempowered. It sets up “the people” against “the other”. It promises solidarity with the excluded by addressing their grievances. Populism targets broad social groups, operating across ethnicity and class.

    But how does populism fare when it informs state interventions to address long-standing societal issues under capitalism? Do populist state measures – especially when launched by a politically powerful leader – deliver improvements for the stated beneficiaries?

    As academics who have researched populism for years, we were interested in the implementation and outcomes of such policies and programmes. To answer these questions, we analysed a populist intervention by President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda to address rampant land conflicts. In 2013 he set out to halt land evictions.

    What good came of this? Did it help the poor?

    We analysed land laws, court cases, government statements and media reports and found that, for the most part, the intervention offered short-term relief. Some people returned to the land, but the underlying land conflict was unresolved.

    This created problems that continue to be felt today, including land disputes and land tenure insecurity. The intervention also increased the involvement of the president and his agents personally in providing justice.

    It didn’t make pro-poor structural changes to address the root of the problem.

    Yet, the intervention had several political benefits:

    • it enhanced the political legitimacy of the president and state

    • it offered a politically useful response to a land-related crisis and conflict

    • it addressed broader criticisms over injustice and poverty by sections of the public and opposition leaders, some of whom (like Robert Kyagulanyi) also relied on populist rhetoric.

    The promise to deal with land evictions “once and for all” has yet to be realised over a decade later. During Heroes Day celebrations on 9 June 2024, Museveni’s speech repeated his promise to stop evictions.

    Such promises of getting a grip on and ending evictions via decisive state actions, including proposed new legal guidelines, were also made more recently, for example during Heroes Day 2025. This indicates that evictions – and state responses to them – remain a top issue on the political agenda ahead of Uganda’s 2026 election.

    Persistent evictions

    Evictions were rampant in the 2010s, especially in central Uganda’s Buganda region. They were driven by increased demand for land amid a growing population and legal reforms that seemed to protect tenants over landlords. Some landlords, desperate to free their land of tenants, were carrying out the evictions themselves.

    The president condemned the evictions, but they continued. Soon, the number of evictees was in the thousands.

    In response, Museveni set up a land committee within the presidency. He announced at a press conference in early 2013 that:

    all evictions are halted. There will be no more evictions, especially in the rural areas. All evictions involving peasants are halted.

    The dynamics of populism-in-practice

    Museveni’s attempts to personally deal with evictions illustrate a continued power shift in Uganda, from institutions to the president’s executive units.

    Despite its shortcomings, such as case backlogs, the judicial system offers an opportunity to present cases in a more neutral environment. It also allows parties to appeal decisions. This way, higher courts can correct errors where necessary.

    The presidential land committee, we found, tended to be biased in favour of tenants, paying less attention to the landlords’ cases.

    The president’s intervention wasn’t adequate to address the immediate causes and effects of the evictions, nor the root causes.

    Those included land tenure insecurities. Due to legal reforms, land-rich landlords were unable to get rent at market value from tenants. Neither could they evict them lawfully where rent was in arrears.

    In some cases, legal options such as land sales between landlords and tenants were applied. This was often to the detriment of tenants, especially where there was no neutral actor to oversee negotiations.

    Land reforms need to be institutionalised and funded to deliver the intended outcomes. Otherwise, unlawful sales and evictions become a quick option for landlords.

    Museveni’s populist initiative also unleashed new problems for beneficiaries. Some secured land occupancy in the interim but lived in fear of a relapse of conflict. Mistrust and scarred interpersonal relationships hampered cohesion in some communities. Disputes over land put political actors who would ideally be working together to restore calm at loggerheads.

    Populism as power

    The creation of populist presidential units has become routine in Uganda. More recently, Museveni created a unit to protect investors, which has resolved some investment-related land disputes. Another one was established to fight corruption. Both units remain very active.

    Our research finds that the government needs these units and interventions for a number of reasons. It uses them to govern the country’s conflict-ridden economy and society. They allow the government to assemble a politically useful response to crises and to address some on-the-ground problems. They make the state look concerned and responsive to people’s needs. And they allow ruling party political actors to increase their popularity locally.

    Museveni and his ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, therefore, benefit from a key aspect of populism. It allows the merging of disparate, competing and contradictory views, interests and demands of members of various societal classes and groups into a significantly simplified and uniform narrative that (potentially) speaks to all. This could mean: end corruption, end evictions, wealth for all, and so on.

    A general election is due in early 2026. The steps Museveni has taken on evictions, and the units set up to fight corruption or protect investors, need to be seen with this political context in mind.

    Museveni has put protecting people from evictions high on his government’s agenda. Speaking to party members in August 2024, he emphasised

    the importance of adhering to the mass line, which prioritises the needs and rights of the masses over those of the elite.

    In our view, this pre-election narrative signifies the continued political and social relevance of populism in today’s Uganda. This could result in heightened populist state activity in the run-up to and after the election.

    – Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?
    – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-land-eviction-crisis-do-populist-state-measures-actually-fix-problems-260512

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Young Nigerians learn about democracy at school: how it’s shaping future voters

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Leila Demarest, Associate Professor, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University

    Democratic consolidation is a continuing struggle, in Africa as elsewhere. The turn to democracy gained momentum in Africa in the late 1980s and early 1990s but has petered out since. Can new generations turn the tide?

    The need to prepare young people to become democratically minded is well established. In western societies, school-based civic education has been considered the means to do it since as early as the 1960s. The assumption is that better knowledge about the democratic functioning of the state promotes stronger democratic values and norms. It is also thought to increase trust in institutions and a willingness to participate in politics in the future.

    Research in western settings indeed shows that classroom instruction strengthens political attitudes and behaviour. Yet can we expect civic education to work in the same way in newer democracies? In weak democracies studies have found that civic education could actually lead young people away from political participation. Young people may become more aware of the flaws of their own system and turn away from politics.

    Nigeria made the move from military rule to multiparty democracy in 1999 but remains a flawed democracy struggling with political corruption, vote buying and episodic violence. Individual liberties are only weakly protected.

    As Africa’s most populous democracy, with a big young population, Nigeria needs young people to participate in democratic politics. And they have done so, as can be seen from events like the #EndSARS protests. Nevertheless many youths also show voter apathy. Or they engage in the country’s well-known cycles of election violence.

    As scholars, we have conducted extensive research on how young people in African countries can overcome some dark legacies, like violent conflict, ethnic tensions and authoritarianism. In a recent study, we focused on democratic engagement among young Nigerians and how formal education could strengthen it.

    Our research among secondary school students in Lagos state shows promising results. A survey of over 3,000 final year students found that those with greater political knowledge and stronger democratic values were more likely to express intent to vote, contact officials, or protest in the future.

    However, these same students rejected party membership and campaigning, which are commonly associated with corruption and violence in Nigeria. In contrast, students with lower levels of knowledge and democratic values remained inclined to participate in party activities. This might be to gain economic benefits.

    These findings show that the core objectives of civic education are not likely to lead youth to abandon democratic politics. Fostering knowledge about how the system (ideally) works and strengthening democratic attitudes remains a valuable approach to achieving democracy.

    Our findings

    Ten years after the transition from military to democratic rule, the Nigerian government made civic education mandatory in primary and secondary schools. The curriculum covers issues such as Nigeria’s independence, the structures of the state, civic rights, political parties and national unity. It also covers corruption and clientelism (the exchange of political support for economic benefits).

    After learning how the government works and gaining awareness of civic rights and responsibilities, would young Nigerians remain committed to political participation with all the country’s democratic flaws?

    We conducted a survey among final year secondary school students in Lagos state in 2019. About 3,000 students across 36 randomly selected schools answered our questions. The results revealed three political participation profiles:

    • disengaged youth – those who do not wish to take part in any type of political activity

    • non-party activists – intent on voting, contacting politicians or officials and protesting, but they reject party membership and campaigning

    • party activists – interested in joining a political party and campaigning as well as voting, contacting politicians or officials and protesting.

    Disengaged youths tended to come from richer socio-economic backgrounds. They showed low trust in institutions. Non-party activists were more informed and held stronger democratic values than party activists. This is likely because they saw political parties as corrupt or violent.

    In a democracy where party politics are often tainted by corruption, the youths’ selective engagement may be a sign not of apathy but of a thoughtful and principled rejection of flawed party politics.

    Despite a growing distrust in political parties, civic education does not appear to discourage pro-democratic political behaviour overall.

    A ‘reverse’ participation gap

    Schools are not the only shapers of youths’ political behaviour. Caregivers and peers play a role. In a large number of countries, youth from richer socio-economic backgrounds are more politically informed, more trusting of institutions, and active. This results in a so-called participation gap between richer and poorer citizens.

    Where democracy is yet to take root, research shows that middle- and higher-middle class citizens also have higher levels of knowledge and stronger democratic norms. But they have lower levels of institutional trust and are less likely to participate in institutional politics. This presents a “reverse” participation gap, so to speak.

    In our research, we found partial evidence of this “reverse participation gap”. Students from wealthier backgrounds were less likely to participate, but not necessarily because they had stronger democratic norms. One possible explanation is that these students were less economically dependent on the state. With no need to rely on public institutions for jobs or welfare, they might feel less of a need to engage with them.

    Retreat from political participation

    In non-established democracies, research shows that more educated citizens often are more critical of their governments. In Ghana and Zimbabwe, these citizens were less likely to participate in elections.

    Concerning civic education programmes specifically, an intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo showed that these programmes might increase political knowledge and commitment to democratic values, but also decrease satisfaction with democracy in their country.

    School-based research from the continent is lacking. But studies examining school-based civic education in electoral democracies elsewhere also show a retreat from institutionalised political participation. This spans voting, party membership, campaigning, and contacting politicians.

    Our study finds more optimistic results for civic education programmes in Africa. Youths with high knowledge and values – the core objectives of civic education – remain committed to democratic political behaviour.

    – Young Nigerians learn about democracy at school: how it’s shaping future voters
    – https://theconversation.com/young-nigerians-learn-about-democracy-at-school-how-its-shaping-future-voters-261030

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Rose Nakayi, Senior Lecturer of Law, Makerere University

    Populism is rife in various African countries. This political ideology responds to and takes advantage of a situation where a large section of people feels exploited, marginalised or disempowered. It sets up “the people” against “the other”. It promises solidarity with the excluded by addressing their grievances. Populism targets broad social groups, operating across ethnicity and class.

    But how does populism fare when it informs state interventions to address long-standing societal issues under capitalism? Do populist state measures – especially when launched by a politically powerful leader – deliver improvements for the stated beneficiaries?

    As academics who have researched populism for years, we were interested in the implementation and outcomes of such policies and programmes. To answer these questions, we analysed a populist intervention by President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda to address rampant land conflicts. In 2013 he set out to halt land evictions.

    What good came of this? Did it help the poor?

    We analysed land laws, court cases, government statements and media reports and found that, for the most part, the intervention offered short-term relief. Some people returned to the land, but the underlying land conflict was unresolved.

    This created problems that continue to be felt today, including land disputes and land tenure insecurity. The intervention also increased the involvement of the president and his agents personally in providing justice.

    It didn’t make pro-poor structural changes to address the root of the problem.

    Yet, the intervention had several political benefits:

    • it enhanced the political legitimacy of the president and state

    • it offered a politically useful response to a land-related crisis and conflict

    • it addressed broader criticisms over injustice and poverty by sections of the public and opposition leaders, some of whom (like Robert Kyagulanyi) also relied on populist rhetoric.

    The promise to deal with land evictions “once and for all” has yet to be realised over a decade later. During Heroes Day celebrations on 9 June 2024, Museveni’s speech repeated his promise to stop evictions.

    Such promises of getting a grip on and ending evictions via decisive state actions, including proposed new legal guidelines, were also made more recently, for example during Heroes Day 2025. This indicates that evictions – and state responses to them – remain a top issue on the political agenda ahead of Uganda’s 2026 election.

    Persistent evictions

    Evictions were rampant in the 2010s, especially in central Uganda’s Buganda region. They were driven by increased demand for land amid a growing population and legal reforms that seemed to protect tenants over landlords. Some landlords, desperate to free their land of tenants, were carrying out the evictions themselves.

    The president condemned the evictions, but they continued. Soon, the number of evictees was in the thousands.

    In response, Museveni set up a land committee within the presidency. He announced at a press conference in early 2013 that:

    all evictions are halted. There will be no more evictions, especially in the rural areas. All evictions involving peasants are halted.

    The dynamics of populism-in-practice

    Museveni’s attempts to personally deal with evictions illustrate a continued power shift in Uganda, from institutions to the president’s executive units.

    Despite its shortcomings, such as case backlogs, the judicial system offers an opportunity to present cases in a more neutral environment. It also allows parties to appeal decisions. This way, higher courts can correct errors where necessary.

    The presidential land committee, we found, tended to be biased in favour of tenants, paying less attention to the landlords’ cases.

    The president’s intervention wasn’t adequate to address the immediate causes and effects of the evictions, nor the root causes.

    Those included land tenure insecurities. Due to legal reforms, land-rich landlords were unable to get rent at market value from tenants. Neither could they evict them lawfully where rent was in arrears.

    In some cases, legal options such as land sales between landlords and tenants were applied. This was often to the detriment of tenants, especially where there was no neutral actor to oversee negotiations.

    Land reforms need to be institutionalised and funded to deliver the intended outcomes. Otherwise, unlawful sales and evictions become a quick option for landlords.

    Museveni’s populist initiative also unleashed new problems for beneficiaries. Some secured land occupancy in the interim but lived in fear of a relapse of conflict. Mistrust and scarred interpersonal relationships hampered cohesion in some communities. Disputes over land put political actors who would ideally be working together to restore calm at loggerheads.

    Populism as power

    The creation of populist presidential units has become routine in Uganda. More recently, Museveni created a unit to protect investors, which has resolved some investment-related land disputes. Another one was established to fight corruption. Both units remain very active.

    Our research finds that the government needs these units and interventions for a number of reasons. It uses them to govern the country’s conflict-ridden economy and society. They allow the government to assemble a politically useful response to crises and to address some on-the-ground problems. They make the state look concerned and responsive to people’s needs. And they allow ruling party political actors to increase their popularity locally.

    Museveni and his ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, therefore, benefit from a key aspect of populism. It allows the merging of disparate, competing and contradictory views, interests and demands of members of various societal classes and groups into a significantly simplified and uniform narrative that (potentially) speaks to all. This could mean: end corruption, end evictions, wealth for all, and so on.

    A general election is due in early 2026. The steps Museveni has taken on evictions, and the units set up to fight corruption or protect investors, need to be seen with this political context in mind.

    Museveni has put protecting people from evictions high on his government’s agenda. Speaking to party members in August 2024, he emphasised

    the importance of adhering to the mass line, which prioritises the needs and rights of the masses over those of the elite.

    In our view, this pre-election narrative signifies the continued political and social relevance of populism in today’s Uganda. This could result in heightened populist state activity in the run-up to and after the election.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems? – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-land-eviction-crisis-do-populist-state-measures-actually-fix-problems-260512

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Young Nigerians learn about democracy at school: how it’s shaping future voters

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Leila Demarest, Associate Professor, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University

    Democratic consolidation is a continuing struggle, in Africa as elsewhere. The turn to democracy gained momentum in Africa in the late 1980s and early 1990s but has petered out since. Can new generations turn the tide?

    The need to prepare young people to become democratically minded is well established. In western societies, school-based civic education has been considered the means to do it since as early as the 1960s. The assumption is that better knowledge about the democratic functioning of the state promotes stronger democratic values and norms. It is also thought to increase trust in institutions and a willingness to participate in politics in the future.

    Research in western settings indeed shows that classroom instruction strengthens political attitudes and behaviour. Yet can we expect civic education to work in the same way in newer democracies? In weak democracies studies have found that civic education could actually lead young people away from political participation. Young people may become more aware of the flaws of their own system and turn away from politics.

    Nigeria made the move from military rule to multiparty democracy in 1999 but remains a flawed democracy struggling with political corruption, vote buying and episodic violence. Individual liberties are only weakly protected.

    As Africa’s most populous democracy, with a big young population, Nigeria needs young people to participate in democratic politics. And they have done so, as can be seen from events like the #EndSARS protests. Nevertheless many youths also show voter apathy. Or they engage in the country’s well-known cycles of election violence.

    As scholars, we have conducted extensive research on how young people in African countries can overcome some dark legacies, like violent conflict, ethnic tensions and authoritarianism. In a recent study, we focused on democratic engagement among young Nigerians and how formal education could strengthen it.

    Our research among secondary school students in Lagos state shows promising results. A survey of over 3,000 final year students found that those with greater political knowledge and stronger democratic values were more likely to express intent to vote, contact officials, or protest in the future.

    However, these same students rejected party membership and campaigning, which are commonly associated with corruption and violence in Nigeria. In contrast, students with lower levels of knowledge and democratic values remained inclined to participate in party activities. This might be to gain economic benefits.

    These findings show that the core objectives of civic education are not likely to lead youth to abandon democratic politics. Fostering knowledge about how the system (ideally) works and strengthening democratic attitudes remains a valuable approach to achieving democracy.

    Our findings

    Ten years after the transition from military to democratic rule, the Nigerian government made civic education mandatory in primary and secondary schools. The curriculum covers issues such as Nigeria’s independence, the structures of the state, civic rights, political parties and national unity. It also covers corruption and clientelism (the exchange of political support for economic benefits).

    After learning how the government works and gaining awareness of civic rights and responsibilities, would young Nigerians remain committed to political participation with all the country’s democratic flaws?

    We conducted a survey among final year secondary school students in Lagos state in 2019. About 3,000 students across 36 randomly selected schools answered our questions. The results revealed three political participation profiles:

    • disengaged youth – those who do not wish to take part in any type of political activity

    • non-party activists – intent on voting, contacting politicians or officials and protesting, but they reject party membership and campaigning

    • party activists – interested in joining a political party and campaigning as well as voting, contacting politicians or officials and protesting.

    Disengaged youths tended to come from richer socio-economic backgrounds. They showed low trust in institutions. Non-party activists were more informed and held stronger democratic values than party activists. This is likely because they saw political parties as corrupt or violent.

    In a democracy where party politics are often tainted by corruption, the youths’ selective engagement may be a sign not of apathy but of a thoughtful and principled rejection of flawed party politics.

    Despite a growing distrust in political parties, civic education does not appear to discourage pro-democratic political behaviour overall.

    A ‘reverse’ participation gap

    Schools are not the only shapers of youths’ political behaviour. Caregivers and peers play a role. In a large number of countries, youth from richer socio-economic backgrounds are more politically informed, more trusting of institutions, and active. This results in a so-called participation gap between richer and poorer citizens.

    Where democracy is yet to take root, research shows that middle- and higher-middle class citizens also have higher levels of knowledge and stronger democratic norms. But they have lower levels of institutional trust and are less likely to participate in institutional politics. This presents a “reverse” participation gap, so to speak.

    In our research, we found partial evidence of this “reverse participation gap”. Students from wealthier backgrounds were less likely to participate, but not necessarily because they had stronger democratic norms. One possible explanation is that these students were less economically dependent on the state. With no need to rely on public institutions for jobs or welfare, they might feel less of a need to engage with them.

    Retreat from political participation

    In non-established democracies, research shows that more educated citizens often are more critical of their governments. In Ghana and Zimbabwe, these citizens were less likely to participate in elections.

    Concerning civic education programmes specifically, an intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo showed that these programmes might increase political knowledge and commitment to democratic values, but also decrease satisfaction with democracy in their country.

    School-based research from the continent is lacking. But studies examining school-based civic education in electoral democracies elsewhere also show a retreat from institutionalised political participation. This spans voting, party membership, campaigning, and contacting politicians.

    Our study finds more optimistic results for civic education programmes in Africa. Youths with high knowledge and values – the core objectives of civic education – remain committed to democratic political behaviour.

    Leila Demarest receives funding from Leiden University Fund (grant reference W19304-5-01).

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

    – ref. Young Nigerians learn about democracy at school: how it’s shaping future voters – https://theconversation.com/young-nigerians-learn-about-democracy-at-school-how-its-shaping-future-voters-261030

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: United States Disrupts North Korea Revenue Generation, Offering Rewards of Up to $15 Million

    Source: United States Department of State (2)

    Office of the Spokesperson

    United States Disrupts North Korea Revenue Generation, Offering Rewards of Up to $15 Million

    Media Note

    July 24, 2025

    Today, the Departments of State, Justice, and the Treasury are executing coordinated, decisive actions to keep Americans safe from North Korea’s malicious and illicit revenue generation schemes. The Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) is offering rewards totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions, in any country, of North Korean nationals Sim Hyon-sop and six co-conspirators involved in these schemes.

    North Korea’s revenue generation schemes—which include cryptocurrency theft, illicit information technology (IT) work, trafficking in counterfeit goods, oil smuggling, and other transnational criminal activities—often target U.S. companies and U.S. citizens to raise funds for North Korea’s dangerous and unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs, which threaten the U.S. homeland and stand in contravention of UN and U.S. sanctions. In many cases, these ballistic missiles have been unlawfully transferred to Russia, where they have been used to strike Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv.

    Today’s actions illustrate the U.S. government’s commitment to mitigating such threats posed by North Korea to protect U.S. companies, the U.S. financial system, and American citizens. The United States will not stand idly by while North Korea profits from criminal activity to fund its destabilizing actions.

    Sim Hyon-Sop and six co-conspirators were charged for their role in illicit activities to buy and sell tobacco from North Korea to gain access to U.S. dollars. The Department of State’s reward offers include an increase of up to $7 million for Sim Hyon-Sop, up to $3 million each for Myong Chol-Min and Kim Se-Un, and up to $500,000 each for Kim Yong-Bok, Kim Chol-Min, a/k/a “Jack,” Ri Tong-Min, a/k/a “Elvis,” and Ri Won-Ho.

    Sim Hyon-Sop and some of his co-conspirators—including Kim Se-Un—have also been involved in illicit IT worker schemes. North Korea dispatches thousands of IT workers abroad to orchestrate fraudulent IT work, often from Russia and China. Today, the Department of the Treasury is designating Korea Sobaeksu Trading Company, which has previously deployed IT workers to Vietnam, and three North Korean nationals, including Kim Se Un, Myong Chol Min, and Jo Kyong Hun, who have been involved in illicit revenue generation schemes. North Korea’s overseas networks provide it with access to technology, illicit finance networks, and facilitators to support its revenue generation to fund UN and U.S. sanctioned entities including the Munitions Industry Department and Ministry of Atomic Energy and Industry. The Department of State continues to engage foreign countries that support North Korean IT workers in order to prevent the targeting of Americans by North Korean revenue generation schemes.

    In addition, Christina Marie Chapman, an American citizen, will be sentenced today in the District of Columbia for her role in a North Korean IT worker scheme that defrauded more than 300 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 corporations. North Korean IT workers specifically target remote jobs with U.S. companies due to the high salaries, which they remit back to North Korea to fund the unlawful production of WMD and ballistic missiles.

    Today’s individual reward offers are authorized by the Secretary under the TOCRP, which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational crime globally and bring fugitives to justice. If you have information, please send tips to the FBI via phone/text/WhatsApp at +1-480-695-1388. If you are located outside of the United States, you can also visit the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. If you are in the United States, you can also contact the local FBI field office.

    THE IDENTITIES OF ANYONE PROVIDING TIPS WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. Per 22 U.S.C. section 2708(f), government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards if information is provided in the performance of official duties.

    Separately, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) national security program has a standing reward offer of up to $5 million for information that leads to the disruption of financial mechanisms of persons engaged in certain activities that support the North Korean government and its sanctions evasion. Rewards can be paid for actionable information regarding IT worker schemes, money laundering, cyber activity, and other illicit activities that support WMD proliferation and missile development. More information on RFJ’s North Korea reward offers is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE attends district forum

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Chief Executive John Lee today led 21 principal officials in attending the 2025 Policy Address District Forum to gather views and suggestions form members of the community ahead of the current-term Government’s fourth Policy Address.

     

    Held at Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School (Hung Hom Bay), the forum was attended by about 120 people from different backgrounds.

     

    The two-hour forum consisted of two sessions. In the first, the Chief Executive and principal officials listened to the views of members of the public. Matters raised straddled land and housing; transport; innovation and technology; financial services; culture and sports; education; youth issues, poverty alleviation; healthcare; and social welfare.

     

    In the second session, community participants, divided into four groups, focused on “pursuing development and economic growth” and “improving people’s livelihood and building our future together” as they engaged in extensive exchanges with the Chief Executive and the officials. Mr Lee also held discussions in turn with each of the groups and listened to their views.

     

    He said: “There are issues that members of the public care deeply about, so I attach great importance to district consultations.

     

    “These views will let me have a better grasp on formulating policies and allocation of resources when I prepare the Policy Address.”

     

    Principal Officials attending today’s event included Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki; Financial Secretary Paul Chan; Secretary for Justice Paul Lam; Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing; Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong; Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan; Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang; Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui; Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung; Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan; Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau; Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau; Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn; Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho; Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung; Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong; Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak; Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun; Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan; Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law; and Acting Secretary for Education Sze Chun-fai.

     

    The Government said it will continue to gather input from a wide variety of organisations and individuals over the coming month through consultation sessions and district visits. Members of the public can also give their views via the Policy Address website, social media platforms, hotlines, email, fax and post.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Donald Trump cannot make the Epstein files go away. Will this be the story that brings him down?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University

    Conspiracy theories are funny things.

    The most enduring ones usually take hold for two reasons: first, because there’s some grain of truth to them, and second, because they speak to foundational historical divisions.

    The theories morph and change, distorting the grain of truth at their centre beyond reality. In the process, they reinforce and deepen existing divisions, encouraging hateful blindness.

    US President Donald Trump is perhaps the most successful conspiracy trafficker in modern American history.

    Trump built his political career by trading on conspiracy. These have included a combination of racist birther conspiracies about former president Barack Obama, nebulous ideas about the “Deep State” that conspired against the interests of regular Americans, and nods to a more recent online universe centered on QAnon that alleged a Satanist ring of “elite” pedophiles involving Hillary Clinton was trafficking children.

    These theories all had their own grain of truth and tapped into deep-seated historical fears. For example, Obama does have Kenyan heritage, and his Blackness threatened many white Americans’ sense of their own power.

    Revelations about disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein’s trafficking in children and the way in which that implicated the “elite” of New York seemed to confirm at least parts of the final theory. It tapped into the belief – one that does have some basis in reality – that America’s elite play by rules of their own, above justice and accountability.

    In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Trump increasingly engaged with this online universe. He seemed to quietly enjoy suggestions that he might be “Q” – the anonymous leader who, according to the theory, was going to break the paedophile ring wide open in a “day of reckoning”.

    Many of Trump’s perennially online supporters based their championing of him around these conspiracy theories. QAnon believers were among those who stormed the Capitol on January 6 2021. A core section of Trump’s base continues to believe his promises that he would at last reveal the truth – about John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Deep State, and Epstein.

    That it has long been public knowledge that Trump and Epstein had a longstanding friendship did not impinge on these beliefs.

    Conspiracy theories have swirled around Epstein since at least his first arrest nearly two decades ago, in 2006. After allegations of unlawful sex with a minor, Epstein was charged with soliciting prostitution. This elicited suggestions he was receiving special treatment because of his elite status as a New York financier and philanthropist.

    That pattern continued over the next decade as accusations multiplied, culminating in his arrest in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking, including to a private island. The allegations touched the global elite, including former president Bill Clinton, the United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew, and Trump. In August 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell, allegedly by suicide – adding further fuel to the already intense conspiracy fire.

    Epstein’s arrest and death occurred during the first Trump administration. Since then, there has been a steady trickle of accusations and revelations that have increased pressure on the administration to declassify and release material relating to the case. Many of Trump’s most loyal supporters, including a set of influential podcasters and influencers, have built their audiences around Epstein and the insistence that the truth be revealed.

    Early in the life of the current administration, Attorney-General Pam Bondi – whom Trump is wont to treat as his personal lawyer – said she was reviewing the Epstein “client list”.

    In the past few weeks, however, the administration has indicated it will not release the list or other materials relating to the case. At the same time, more information about Trump’s relationship with Epstein has trickled out, including more photos of the two together. It’s hard to deny the sense there is more to come.

    Trump’s posting about the issue, despite his apparent wish to divert from it, seems only to compel more interest. Sections of his online conspiracy base, including vocal supporters such as Tucker Carlson, are outraged at what they see as a betrayal. Reports suggest a significant rift developing between Trump and key backer Rupert Murdoch over the issue. Democrats, rightly, sense weakness.



    Read more:
    Could Rupert Murdoch bring down Donald Trump? A court case threatens more than just their relationship

    Loyal Republicans seem rattled enough that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called an early summer recess, sending congresspeople home in an apparent effort to avoid any forced vote on the issue.

    The obvious inference – though it is inference only – is that Trump and Republicans are so worried about what is in the Epstein material they would rather cop strong backlash from the base, looking scared and weak, than release the information. If nothing else, that is a guaranteed way to fuel an already raging fire.

    Trump’s tanking approval rating and the salience of this issue lead to an obvious question: is this going to be the thing that finally scratches the Teflon president? Will his base turn on him at last?

    If history is anything to go by, that seems unlikely. Trump is remarkably resilient, using crises like this to consolidate his power. Trump commands loyalty, and he has it from Bondi, Johnson and others in this weakened and increasingly ideologically driven federal government. And his conspiracy-fuelled base is in so deep that turning on the president now is not just a question of admitting error, but one of core identity.

    US mainstream media has long pursued a “gotcha” approach to Trump, driven by a model of journalism that still seeks out smoking guns and dreams of Watergate. Not unlike the conspiracy theories it reports on, this framing hopes for a neat, clear resolution to the story of US politics. But politics doesn’t work like that – especially not for Trump.

    From the outside, Trump’s attempts to pivot on the issue and build on his existing conspiracies around Obama and Hillary Clinton might look feeble, but they are tried and true. Trump is now focused on fanning theories around Obama and Clinton, broadening them to include accusations of “treason”. Trump’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard went so far as to claim Obama had “manufactured […] a years-long coup against President Trump”. Even reporting on these claims with rightful incredulity adds fuel to the raging fire.

    In the personality cult of an authoritarian leader, conspiracy is easily weaponised against enemies, perceived and real. In the febrile environment of US politics, these conspiracy theories tap into and encourage a long vein of white supremacy and racial revanchism that has shaped American politics since even before the nation’s founding.

    Trump can morph and change conspiracy theories like no one else, building on fears and deepening existing divisions. He understands the power of pointing to “enemies from within”, and just how well that reinforces the narrative he has already so successfully ingrained in US political culture. We underestimate him, and the power of conspiracy theory, at our peril.

    Emma Shortis is Director of International and Security Affairs at The Australia Institute, an independent think tank.

    – ref. Donald Trump cannot make the Epstein files go away. Will this be the story that brings him down? – https://theconversation.com/donald-trump-cannot-make-the-epstein-files-go-away-will-this-be-the-story-that-brings-him-down-261843

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • PM Modi highlights India’s achievements in space, science in ‘Mann Ki Baat’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed pride over the recent achievements by Indians in space, science, sports, and culture.

    Addressing the 124th episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi made a special mention of Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, whose recent space mission sparked nationwide joy and pride.

    “In the past few weeks, a lot has happened that has made every Indian proud — be it in sports, science, or culture. Recently, Shubhanshu Shukla’s return from space was widely discussed across the country. The moment he landed safely back on Earth, people jumped with joy. A wave of happiness spread across every heart. The whole country was filled with pride,” PM Modi said. 

    Recalling the excitement and curiosity generated by Chandrayaan-3’s successful moon landing in August 2023, he noted how the mission sparked a deep interest in science and space among children. “I still remember when Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the moon… Even young kids now say, ‘We will also go to space, we will also land on the moon and become space scientists.’”

    The Prime Minister also highlighted the growing reach of the Inspire-Manak campaign, an initiative aimed at promoting innovation among school children.

    “Five children are selected from every school who come up with new ideas. So far, lakhs of children have become part of this initiative, and after Chandrayaan-3, the number has doubled,” he said.

    PM Modi spoke about the rapid growth of space-related startups in the country, stating that their numbers have jumped from fewer than 50 five years ago to over 200 today.

    In this context, he announced that August 23 will be celebrated as *National Space Day*, and invited citizens to share their suggestions on how they plan to mark the occasion.

    Emphasising the new energy driving Indian science in the 21st century, the PM proudly spoke of Indian students winning medals at the International Chemistry Olympiad.

    “Devesh Pankaj, Sandeep Kuchi, Debadatta Priyadarshi, and Ujjawal Kesari — these four made India proud,” he said.

    Prime Minister Modi also acknowledged India’s achievements in mathematics, noting students’ performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad, where they brought home three gold, two silver, and one bronze medal.

    Looking ahead, PM Modi said India will host the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in Mumbai next month, with participants from 60 countries.

    The PM noted that this will be the largest such Olympiad held so far, adding, “In a way, India is now moving forward in both Olympic and Olympiad.”

    —IANS

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Aid airlifts resume in northern Gaza – sources

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Gaza/Jerusalem, July 27 (Xinhua) — Humanitarian aid was dropped again over various areas in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses reported.

    Several boxes of flour, sugar and canned goods were dropped by parachute in northern Gaza.

    One of the aid packages fell on a tent housing displaced people in northern Gaza, leaving several people with minor injuries, witnesses said.

    Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that airdrops of humanitarian aid to Gaza would resume.

    According to the statement, seven pallets of humanitarian aid provided by international organizations will be airlifted. Special humanitarian corridors are planned to ensure the safe passage of UN convoys in Gaza.

    In turn, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it had decided to immediately resume airlifts of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

    In a post on social media platform X, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE would continue to provide aid “by land, air and sea” to meet the urgent needs of the hardest-hit people in Gaza.

    The resumption of air aid comes amid warnings from aid agencies of worsening hunger in Gaza, where access to essential supplies has been severely restricted since Israel closed all crossings into the strip in March. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump’s ceasefire call

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Cambodia and Thailand each said the other had launched artillery attacks across contested border areas early on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of both countries had agreed to work on a ceasefire.

    Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, mainly civilians. More than 130,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the two countries.

    Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points, including in Phnom Kmoach, which borders Thailand’s coastal Trat province. The ministry’s spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at temple complexes.

    The Thai army said Cambodia had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, early on Sunday. The governor of Surin told Reuters artillery shells had been fired into the province, damaging a house and killing some livestock.

    In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling early on Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on.

    “If there is a ceasefire, things will be better,” Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters. “It’s great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace.”

    TRUMP SPEAKS TO BOTH LEADERS

    Trump said on Saturday that he had spoken with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and they had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end fighting that began on Thursday. Bangkok and Phnom Penh each say the other side started the hostilities.

    “Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,” Trump wrote on social media. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet endorsed the call for the fighting to stop.

    “I made it clear to Honourable President Donald Trump that Cambodia agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces,” Hun Manet posted on Facebook, noting he had also agreed to Malaysia’s earlier ceasefire proposal.

    Thailand’s response was more qualified, as it had been with the proposal from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, saying Cambodia needed to do more before talks could begin.

    “I thanked President Trump for his concern and expressed that Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place. However, Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side,” acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Facebook.

    The countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand’s fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.

    Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes.

    Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths.

    Cambodia said in June it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court’s jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.

    -REUTERS

  • Man United beat West Ham 2-1 in Premier League Summer Series

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Manchester United made a winning start to the Premier League Summer Series, defeating West Ham United 2-1 at the MetLife Stadium.

    Bruno Fernandes scored both goals — a penalty early in the game and a second-half strike — to secure three points in the tournament. Jarrod Bowen pulled one back for the Hammers with a clinical finish and was only denied an equaliser by a sharp save from Altay Bayindir in the dying moments.

    United made a blistering start, nearly scoring in the opening minute. Fernandes’s through ball found Rasmus Hojlund, who advanced toward goal and fired a left-footed shot that struck the outside of the post.

    Just three minutes later, Alphonse Areola fumbled a high ball that ricocheted off El Hadji Malick Diouf’s back and fell to Ayden Heaven. Though the defender was moving away from goal, he was brought down by the Hammers’ keeper, leading to a clear penalty, according to Manchester United’s official report.

    Amorim’s men continued to press forward. Hojlund lashed a decent chance over the bar after his pass was cut out and rebounded back to him. On the half-hour mark, Fernandes fired a dipping shot over the bar from outside the box after receiving a pass from Amad. West Ham’s only notable effort came from James Ward-Prowse, whose acrobatic attempt — following a deep cross from ex-Red Aaron Wan-Bissaka and a header by Tomas Soucek — came to nothing.

    United did find the net again in the 38th minute when the impressive Manuel Ugarte broke through and set up Amad. The Ivorian’s calm finish, however, was disallowed for offside in what appeared to be a marginal call.

    Amorim’s side kept up the pressure after the break, and within four minutes, Max Kilman was dispossessed by Hojlund. Fernandes latched onto the loose ball and raced clear for a one-on-one with Areola. However, his strike lacked power and precision, allowing the goalkeeper to save. Kobbie Mainoo followed up with a shot that deflected for a corner.

    From the set-piece, Matthijs de Ligt’s header — from Fernandes’s looping ball into the box — was well saved by Areola. Just minutes later, with 52 on the clock, Mainoo capitalised on a poor pass from Areola. Fernandes received the ball and floated in a beautiful finish, taking full advantage of the keeper’s poor positioning.

    West Ham pulled one back in the 63rd minute through Bowen, who smashed home a powerful shot after Jean-Clair Todibo found Soucek, who in turn teed up the England international.

    In the 66th minute, Amorim changed his entire outfield lineup, and West Ham also made several substitutions. The game lost some rhythm, but Luis Guilherme came close in the 84th minute with a fierce drive that flew over Bayindir’s bar.

    The Hammers nearly equalised in stoppage time when Bowen fired goalwards again, but Bayindir produced a stunning save to preserve the win and three points for United — ahead of their next match against Bournemouth, who earlier beat Everton 3-0.

    IANS

  • Yellow alert in nine Kerala districts as heavy rain causes widespread disruption

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    A yellow alert has been issued in nine districts of Kerala — Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod — as the state continues to experience intense rainfall and strong surface winds.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that the heavy downpour is likely to persist until July 30 due to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal.

    The IMD has also predicted strong surface winds, reaching speeds of 50–60 kmph over Kerala and Lakshadweep on July 27, and 40–50 kmph between July 28 and 29.

    Very heavy rainfall (12–20 cm in 24 hours) is expected at isolated locations, while heavy rainfall (7–11 cm) is likely in various parts of the state through July 30. A high alert has been sounded for hilly and coastal regions. The relentless rain has triggered damage across the state — trees have been uprooted, houses have collapsed, vehicles have been damaged, and roads have been affected. In many areas, the situation has led to power outages and traffic disruptions.

    Mudslides were reported in several highland regions, including Makkimala and Arala.

    Speaking to the media, State Revenue Minister K. Rajan said the rainfall is expected to ease from Monday as the low-pressure system weakens. He confirmed that 163 houses have been fully destroyed in the recent spell of rain and assured that compensation will be provided to all affected families.

    With rivers overflowing, several dams, including Sholayar and Kakkayam, have been opened. An orange alert has been issued for major rivers such as the Manimala and Pampa in Pathanamthitta, Vamanapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, Pallikkal in Kollam, Achankovil in Alappuzha, Thodupuzha in Idukki, Chalakudy in Thrissur, Valapattanam in Kannur, and the Kabani in Wayanad.

    Residents living along riverbanks have been urged to stay vigilant and move to safer locations if necessary.

    In Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts, several homes have been flooded due to the continuous rainfall. Two relief camps have been opened in Ernakulam to accommodate those displaced by the floods.

    —IANS

  • Trump golfs in Scotland as Epstein questions persist

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump kept a low profile on his Scottish golf course on Saturday, ahead of meetings with top British and European leaders, as questions swirled at home about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

    Trump arrived on Friday on a visit that has triggered protests in Scotland, with hundreds lining the streets of the capital Edinburgh waving placards saying: “NOT MY PRESIDENT.”

    The U.S. leader told reporters on arrival that he would visit his two golf properties in Scotland – one in Turnberry on the west coast where he is playing on Saturday and the other near Aberdeen on the country’s eastern coast. He is also due to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Scottish leader John Swinney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a “highly respected woman.”

    Von der Leyen headed to Scotland on Saturday, ahead of the meeting, with two top U.S. officials flying in from Washington and officials on both sides expressing cautious optimism that a framework trade agreement could be reached.

    Trump will meet with von der Leyen at 1530 GMT on Sunday, the White House said.

    Frustrated by continued questions about his administration’s handling of investigative files related to Epstein’s criminal charges and his 2019 death in prison, Trump on Friday told reporters to focus on bigger issues and other people.

    “You make it a very big thing over something that’s not a big thing,” Trump said. “Don’t talk about Trump. What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency.”

    Trump, normally a master at changing the subject when a topic stings politically, has been unable to shake off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.

    The U.S. president was spotted on the golf course on Saturday morning, but had no public events on his schedule. Reporters and supporters were kept away by enhanced security.

    The White House said Trump was golfing with his son, Eric Trump, and the U.S. ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, and his son. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was also on the course.

    White House officials hope some time out of the limelight will allow the Epstein controversy to die down, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

    GAZA CONCERNS

    Away from the golf course, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh, with some holding up placards with images of Trump with Epstein. Others in the crowd held pro-Palestinian signs.

    Cat Cutmore, 31, an Edinburgh resident, said she felt compelled to protest Trump’s visit given her deep concerns about the worsening situation in Gaza after 21 months of war and what she sees as the U.S. president’s attacks on democratic principles. She chafed at his warm reception by Scottish and British officials.

    “There comes a point where if you roll out the red carpet to somebody who has put citizens of his own country and people who are seeking asylum into prison camps, you’re complicit,” she said.

    Janet MacLeod Trotter, another Edinburgh resident and an author of historical fiction, said she was particularly angry that Trump was capitalising on his mother’s name, which she shares.

    On the trip, Trump will open a golf course near Aberdeen named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the United States.

    “We’re just fed up with the way that he’s using political clout to browbeat people around the world … He’s coming here and using that as a gimmick to help his business interests,” Trotter said.

    Gabriele Negro, an Italian who works at the University of Edinburgh, said he was there to send a signal that he, like others, did not agree with Trump’s immigration policies and stance on Gaza.

    Trump bought the Turnberry property, which includes a hotel and golf course, for $60 million in 2014, in the hope of returning the course to the rotation for the Open Championship, but said his visit was “not about that.”

    It has not hosted the event since 2009 amid concerns about the lack of accommodation and infrastructure for an event that draws hundreds of thousands.

    -Reuters

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sudan’s militant coalition announces parallel government

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    KHARTOUM, July 27 (Xinhua) — A political coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Intervention Force (RIF) announced on Saturday the formation of a parallel government in Sudan, raising fears of further fragmentation of the country already suffering from civil conflict for more than two years.

    “The leadership of the Founding Alliance of Sudan has agreed to appoint Mohammed Hassan al-Taishi as prime minister of the peace government,” the alliance’s spokesman, Alaa El-Din Nugood, said in a televised address broadcast via Telegram.

    According to the statement, RRF commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo was appointed head of the presidential council, the highest sovereign body in the new government, and PPLM-N leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu was appointed his deputy.

    An anonymous source in the alliance told Xinhua that the SRF received 42 percent of the seats in the parallel government, while the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North received 33 percent. The remaining 25 percent were divided among other groups in the alliance.

    Political analyst Abdel Khalek Mahjoub said the announcement of a parallel government would further complicate Sudan’s political crisis.

    “There are serious concerns that Sudan could face the threat of splitting, given the existence of two governments. This reality worsens the political situation in the country,” he said.

    Having two governments, he said, exacerbates the geographic divide, which could eventually lead to permanent division, as seen in some other countries.

    In February, the RSF signed a founding charter with various political and armed groups, laying the foundation for a parallel government.

    The RSF currently controls most of the Darfur region in western Sudan and part of the Kordofan region.

    Sudan remains locked in a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RRF, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Thai state media: Clashes continue in Thailand-Cambodia border areas

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

    Gunfire continued to be heard along the Thailand-Cambodia border in the early hours of Sunday, the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand reported, citing Thai army sources.

    The broadcaster later reported that at 6:40 a.m. local time, Cambodian artillery shells hit a civilian house in Surin province. Heavy weaponry could still be heard sporadically as of 7:00 a.m. local time.

    Clashes in the border areas between Cambodia and Thailand began on Thursday, with both sides accusing each other of violating international law.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Floods can’t stop the fun — China’s ‘Village Super League’ roars back

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

    China’s renowned “Village Super League,” also known as Cun Chao, has made a triumphant return with a gratitude-themed restart ceremony staged in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, on late Saturday, drawing tens of thousands of spectators. The celebration comes after devastating floods weeks ago, when the stadium and much of the county were submerged in floodwaters.

    Four matches, including three friendship matches, were held on Saturday, of which many players from all walks of life contributed to the flood fighting in late June.

    International stars, Roberto Baggio from Italy and Roberto Carlos from Brazil, also showed up during the halftime. “Although China is half a globe away from Europe, here I can feel that the passion for football is exactly the same,” said Baggio on the scene.

    Li Sha, head of the county cultural center and a member of the event’s organizing committee, said that in just one month, Cun Chao is back in full swing. “This would not have been possible without nationwide support.”

    An aerial drone photo taken on July 26 shows the restart ceremony of the “Village Super League,” also known as Cun Chao, staged in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province in southwest China. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

    Launched in May 2023, Cun Chao has become one of China’s most prominent grassroots football events. Boosted by the sports event, Rongjiang County, home to a population of 385,000, attracted 7.6 million tourists in 2023 and over 9.4 million in 2024.

    The third season kicked off in early January this year, with over 3,000 players from 108 village teams competing for the champion.

    On June 24 and 28, rain-triggered floods hit the county hard, leading to the suspension of the league. The floods impacted 145,000 people and prompted 92,000 evacuations. Six people were killed.

    This combined photo shows the newly re-constructed football field of the “Village Super League” in Rongjiang County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, July 25, 2025 (Top, aerial drone photo) and the field under the impact of severe flooding on June 25, 2025 (Bottom, aerial drone photo). (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

    GRATEFUL RETURN

    At the ceremony in the newly renovated stadium with donated turf, repaired lighting and rebuilt corridors, a performance titled “Rebirth” reenacted scenes of firefighters, armed police, electricians and medical workers from nationwide joining in the rescue.

    “When floods raged, seeing rescuers from across China made us feel assured,” said 55-year-old Yang Changrong, a performer from the Changba residential community, one of the worst-hit areas.

    Yang recalled that the rescuers worked in extreme heat, carrying supplies by hand where vehicles could not reach. “When exhausted, they simply rested by the roadside. It was heart-wrenching yet inspiring.”

    Figures show that over 30,000 rescuers rushed to aid the county and donations — nearly 80 million yuan (about 11 million U.S. dollars) in funds and 2.2 million relief items — poured in for the disaster relief work.

    Liang Xiaolei attended the ceremony as part of the parade team that participated in the relief efforts.

    The veteran rescuer called Rongjiang’s flood fight an experience that moved him the most. “From elderly folks to schoolchildren, everyone pitched in — cooking meals and clearing rubble,” he said. “Every time we opened the boxed meals and saw the tightly packed food, we felt their care.”

    Cheerleading squad in ethnic costumes attend the restart ceremony of the “Village Super League,” also known as Cun Chao, staged in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province in southwest China, July 26, 2025. (Photo by Long Jianrui/Xinhua)

    REBUILDING HOPE

    The restart of the league, a major sign of Rongjiang’s post-disaster recovery, has brought strong hope to people in their efforts to restore normal life.

    As the football matches are back on schedule, hotels are fully booked, and schools have been made available to temporarily accommodate about 6,000 visitors.

    Wearing the iconic yellow costume of the Brazilian national team, He Yufeng from Chongqing Municipality headed to Rongjiang with his family to see Roberto Carlos and watch the matches.

    Also an amateur player, the 37-year-old plays football every weekend in Chongqing. “The atmosphere here is great. I’ll come back to play with my team if I get the chance,” he said.

    Roberto Baggio (R) and Roberto Carlos (L) attend the “Village Super League,” also known as Cun Chao, staged in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province in southwest China, July 26, 2025. (Photo by Long Jianrui/Xinhua)

    Fruit vendor Yan Jiafu, who suffered much economic loss in the floods, reopened his shop after obtaining a 500,000 yuan government-subsidized loan in mid-July. “Cun Chao has brought back our confidence,” he said.

    The county has coordinated with banks to provide financial support and state-owned properties to waive six-month rentals to related businesses. As of Friday, more than 90 percent of some 6,800 affected businesses had reopened.

    After the gratitude-themed restart, Rongjiang will resume the league with full force and host all the delayed matches, said Xu Bo, the county’s Party chief.

    “Bearing gratitude in mind, we will move on, bringing Cun Chao’s passion, vitality and joy to people across the country again,” Xu said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 2025 World AI Conference kicks off in Shanghai

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

    2025 World AI Conference kicks off in Shanghai

    Updated: July 27, 2025 09:04 Xinhua
    This photo taken on July 26, 2025 shows the opening ceremony of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in east China’s Shanghai. The event kicked off here on Saturday. More than 1,000 officials and representatives of industries, universities and research institutes from home and abroad attended the opening ceremony. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Visitors view a robot for quality checking at the exhibition area of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in east China’s Shanghai, July 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An electric vertical take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft is pictured at the exhibition area of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in east China’s Shanghai, July 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A visitor interacts with a humanoid robot at the exhibition area of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in east China’s Shanghai, July 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Peace and plenty blossom in east China’s revolutionary heartland

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

    An aerial drone photo shows people cycling among plum blossoms in Changxing County, Huzhou City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, March 2, 2025. (Photo by Wu Zheng/Xinhua)

    Over eighty years ago, the rolling hills where Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces converge echoed with gunfire as New Fourth Army soldiers repelled Japanese invaders. Today, those same landscapes pulse to a new rhythm: the drumbeat of high-quality development.

    In the verdant hills of Guangde City, Anhui, stands the solemn grave of martyr Zheng Dafang. In a local battle in March 1944, Zheng, then a 23-year-old soldier, sacrificed his life while leading a charge against retreating Japanese invaders.

    The soil once hallowed by his sacrifice now nurtures an advanced manufacturing cluster the young martyr could never have envisioned in his wildest dreams.

    Within the fully automated production facility of Guangde Yatai Automobile Intelligent Braking System Co., Ltd., a smart monitoring platform continuously tracks real-time production metrics while a fleet of over 300 robotic arms operate round-the-clock.

    “Our fully automated process enables us to manufacture brake discs with significant advantages in cost-effectiveness and reliability,” said Wu Xinzhong, general manager of Guangde Yatai.

    The company’s brake disc output surpassed 10 million units in 2024, accounting for approximately one-tenth of the country’s market share, supplying prominent new energy vehicle manufacturers such as Geely and BYD, according to Wu.

    The firm anchors Guangde’s signature automotive ecosystem — a constellation of 77 major parts producers that collectively generated 13.62 billion yuan (about 1.91 billion U.S. dollars) last year.

    From assembly lines to heritage trails, a quiet renaissance is unfolding across the tri-province borderlands. Rural and red tourism now surge alongside advanced manufacturing, drawing vitality from revolutionary legacies and pastoral beauty.

    In Zhejiang’s Changxing County, summer unveils idyllic countryside vistas where general Su Yu’s troops once garrisoned.

    “Weekends are fully booked until September,” said 38-year-old Wang Yunlu, who runs a homestay in Yangfeng Village. “Parents from nearby cities like to bring their kids here to hike the old guerrilla trails, fish the streams, and fall asleep under the same stars the soldiers once watched.”

    Between boutique homestays, teahouses and farm-to-table kitchens, the village has re-invented itself as an experience economy. “Our villagers’ per capita disposable income hit 46,000 yuan in 2024,” said Li Yan, party secretary of the Yangfeng village.

    Across the provincial border into Jiangsu, the city of Liyang operated as the nerve center for New Fourth Army operations throughout Southern Jiangsu during wartime, directing resistance efforts from its Shuixi village headquarters.

    Today, Liyang’s No. 1 Road — winding through densely forested mountains and marked by red, yellow and blue lines — has become one of eastern China’s signature scenic routes.

    This 365 km artery links over 220 rural attractions and connects seven neighboring counties, transforming the landscape into a seamless tourism circuit. Viewing decks, campgrounds and cafes dot the road, enriching traveler experiences.

    By binding once-isolated hamlets, the route has lifted nearly 100,000 villagers into renewed prosperity. In 2024 Liyang welcomed 30 million visitors and generated nearly 35 billion yuan in tourism revenue.

    Better roads and a booming rural-travel market are also giving Liyang entrepreneurs new reasons to return home; to date, 26 returnee projects have secured 5.98 billion yuan in investment.

    “Future initiatives will deepen revolutionary heritage engagement through curated thematic routes,” said Liu Li, deputy director of Liyang’s transportation bureau. “We’re transforming historical legacy into dynamic cultural tourism assets and economic catalysts.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Overseas products to make it cheaper to build

    Source: New Zealand Government

    From tomorrow, thousands of additional building products including plasterboard, cladding systems, external doors, and windows will all be easier to use in construction sites across New Zealand, Mr Penk says

    Our government is laser focused on economic growth, which drives more jobs and increasing wages. We want to see a construction boom, and this is an important step.

    Quality overseas building products have been given the green light for New Zealand construction, ending costly monopolies on a small number of products that are currently used in New Zealand, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.

    “It is 50 per cent more expensive to build a standalone home in New Zealand than in Australia. That is frankly outrageous. 

    “These changes have the potential to reduce total building costs by thousands of dollars when building a home. 

    “For example, New Zealand has some of the most expensive plasterboard in the world. Kiwis pay around 38 per cent more than Australia for plasterboard, 47 per cent more than the UK, and 67 per cent more than the US for the same products.

    “And 97 per cent of the plasterboard that we must currently use is made by one established company. You may recall that in 2022, when that company ran into difficulty, prices for plasterboard soared and some builders were reported to pay six times the normal amount so they could finish the job.

    “That changes tomorrow.

     

    “This Government is pulling every lever it has to drive economic growth and building materials is one of many areas where a good dose of competition might do the trick.

     

    “There are thousands of well-made, high performing products that have been tested against rigorous international standards but have faced barriers for uptake here, purely because they have not been specifically tested against our own standards. From tomorrow it will be much easier to use plasterboard manufactured in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Europe and the United States.

    “This Government is serious about lowering the cost of building and helping Kiwis into homes faster. 

    “Tomorrow we are releasing the first version of the Building Product Specifications document which lists international standards for products like plasterboard, cladding, windows and external doors.

    “Later this year additional pathways will go live enabling more high-quality building products to be used including over 200,000 plumbing products through the Australian Watermark scheme. 

    “This is just the beginning of our work to open the door to more building products, lower the cost of homes and turbo charge the construction sector and there will be more to come.”

    Notes to editor:

    • The Building Product Specification document will be published on Monday and will be updated over time to include more trusted international product standards:  https://www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/building-product-specifications
    • Standards and specifications contained in the BPS have been assessed to ensure they are equivalent or better than current requirements and won’t alter the level of performance set by the New Zealand Building Code.
    • Two other pathways to enable greater use of overseas building products are being developed: endorsements of overseas standards by the Minister of Building and Construction, and recognition of products certified overseas as complying with New Zealand’s Building Code.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Roswell, Georgia, Man Sentenced for Threatening Former FBI Director Christopher Wray

    Source: US FBI

    ATLANTA – John Woodbury, 35, of Roswell, GA, has been sentenced to seventeen months in prison after pleading guilty to transmitting threats to injure then-FBI Director Christopher Wray.                                       

    “My office has zero tolerance for threats against law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Threatening to harm public servants who enforce our criminal laws weakens the foundation of our society and will be punished accordingly.”

    “The functioning of our democracy requires that our country’s public servants be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “The sentencing of John Woodbury is yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to holding those accountable who threaten public officials.

    According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 7, 2023, Woodbury posted a message on 4chan.org that threatened violence against then-FBI Director Wray. In his message, Woodbury posted Director Wray’s purported home address and wrote: “Let’s show them what a fucking ‘Nazi’ . . . looks like. . . . It’s time to burn these mother fuckers down and hang them from trees. Hit them where it fucking hurts. Hit Chris at his home. Make his family fear stepping one foot outside their god damn door.”   

    Earlier today, United States District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty sentenced Woodbury to seventeen months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Woodbury was convicted of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, after he pleaded guilty on April 18, 2025.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: China begins gradual rollout of free preschool education, lifting burden on young families

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

    China begins gradual rollout of free preschool education, lifting burden on young families

    BEIJING, July 26 — China is taking concrete steps to introduce free preschool education, as part of broader efforts to ease rising child care costs for young families amid mounting demographic challenges facing the country.

    The move follows a commitment China made during its annual legislative session earlier this year to gradually implement free preschool education nationwide.

    In its latest directive, which was issued on Friday, the central government has urged local governments to draw detailed implementation plans swiftly, and to allocate necessary subsidies.

    It has also emphasized the need to expand preschool infrastructure, raise the salaries and welfare of kindergarten teachers, and improve support for children’s physical and mental well-being.

    The prospect of free preschool has drawn praise from parents. Ms. Tan, a working mother in Beijing whose 3-year-old daughter is set to enter kindergarten this fall, described the policy as a timely “gift.” If fully implemented, she said, it could save her family at least 9,000 yuan (1,260 U.S. dollars) a year.

    Kindergarten costs in China vary widely by region and type. In Beijing, public preschools typically charge less than 10,000 yuan a year, though competition for places can be fierce. Tuition at private kindergartens ranges from a few hundred to several thousand U.S. dollars per month.

    China currently provides nine years of compulsory education, covering primary and middle school. This system, which has been in place since 1986, ensures that all school-age children receive basic education. The ongoing push to make preschool education free is seen as a meaningful step to extend that guarantee to younger children.

    “The policy would reduce the financial burden of childrearing and education further, potentially encouraging more families to have children,” said Song Jian, deputy director of the Population Development Studies Center at Renmin University of China.

    Beyond easing the financial burden on families, education experts said the policy could help bridge disparities in early childhood education between urban and rural areas, and among children from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

    “It gives every child a fairer start in life, laying a stronger foundation for future academic and personal development,” said Gao Bingcheng, an associate researcher at the China National Academy of Educational Sciences.

    According to the latest data from China’s Ministry of Education, there were 253,000 kindergartens nationwide in 2024, at which a total of 35.8 million children were enrolled.

    While kindergarten typically begins at the age of 3 in China, authorities are now also turning their attention to infants and toddlers, who have traditionally been cared for at home.

    As part of a broader effort to support families, the government is ramping up nursery care services for children under 3, aiming to relieve the pressures on working parents and improve early childhood development.

    According to guidelines released in early July which focus on expanding affordable child care, China plans to offer 4.5 child care places per 1,000 people by the end of 2025, adding 660,000 new subsidized places.

    For parents like Tan, the availability of affordable day care for children under 3 is a decisive factor in family planning. “It’s a key consideration in whether or not I have a second child,” she said.

    Thanks to increased government investment, more subsidized nursery spaces and programs are now available, offering families like Tan’s greater access and affordability.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: District governance: New approach to tackling air conditioner leaks

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Troubleshooting is key to uncovering the hidden culprit behind dripping air conditioners.

    In the scorching summer, people turn on their air conditioner for comfort. But if they are not maintained properly, this can lead to environmental problems such as dripping water, especially during the evening when most people are home. This not only causes noise but also poses potential health risks.

    Investigation-enhancing tool

    The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has recently introduced new technology using cameras with infrared night-vision function to assist teams in tracking down the source of the dripping during nighttime.

    Food & Environmental Hygiene Department Health Inspector Tam Yee-wan describes the challenges inspectors face during nighttime investigations:

    “When our team conduct investigations during the night, sometimes we face difficulties due to insufficient lighting or air conditioners being blocked by clothes drying racks. Our new series of infrared night-vision cameras can clearly capture the source of dripping water from high-rise buildings in dark environments, significantly improving the efficiency of nighttime investigations.”

    Currently, the FEHD has equipped all its 19 district offices with these devices, capable of detecting the source of dripping water up to 20 floors high. The newly introduced second-generation device can observe such problems up to 40 floors high.

    Widespread problem

    According to the data from the FEHD, complaints about dripping air conditioners have been on the rise in recent years, increasing from approximately 31,000 cases in 2023 to about 34,000 last year, especially in old urban districts like Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong.

    Yau Tsim Mong District Councillor Ann Au stated that such areas face significant challenges due to ageing buildings and facilities. As there is no communal drainage system for many of these old buildings, wastewater from the air conditioners drips directly onto the streets below, which not only affects environmental hygiene but also causes nuisances to citizens.

    City-wide operation

     

    To step up the FEHD’s efforts to address this environmental issue, it has conducted a city-wide operation from May to September.

    Assistant Director of Food & Environmental Hygiene (Operations) Wan Chi-shun shared more information on how the operation works.

    “We have adopted a multipronged approach, including publicity and education as well as law enforcement. We have also selected 30 black spots of dripping air conditioners in various districts which are affecting citizens who queue up for buses on the streets. Our staff will conduct enforcement actions at these black spots at least once a week at different times of the day.”

    He highlighted that such stringent enforcement will be maintained throughout the summer and extra manpower will be deployed to support areas with more black spots.

    As of mid-July, the FEHD has issued about 700 nuisance notices in this targeted operation.

    Public education

    In addition to law enforcement, public education is also important. As such, the FEHD actively collaborates with the Home Affairs Department and district councillors to enhance awareness about the matter through community networks.

    Yau Tsim Mong District Councillor Chung Chak-fai stressed that the district council is willing to serve as a bridge, co-ordinating residents, community organisations and the FEHD in tackling the issue.

    Industry participation

    For private housing estates, the FEHD has been working with property management agents, inviting them to participate in a scheme to assist in handling such complaints. If the property management agents cannot resolve the complaints, the FEHD will intervene by taking up the case for follow-up action.

    An average of more than 80 property management agents and over 200 private housing estates participate in the scheme each year. The scheme has successfully handled over 4,000 related complaints in five years.

    Property Management Services Authority Chairperson James Wong encourages the industry to actively participate in the scheme as there are clear advantages to having property management agents follow up on these key issues.

    “As property management agents thoroughly understand residential facilities, they can identify the issues quickly. Plus, their familiarity with the residents can enhance communication and reduce conflicts.”

    Preventive measures

    Mr Wong also pointed out that the property management agents should proactively conduct inspections, post notices and promote regular maintenance to prevent leaking air conditioners.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Pollution, melting microbes, undamming rivers, risks for elders: 4 key climate issues

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    From ancient microbes awakening in melting glaciers to toxic pollutants unleashed by floods, the dangers are no longer distant or theoretical. They are here, and they are growing.

    The Frontiers Report 2025, released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), highlights four critical areas where environmental degradation intersects with human vulnerability: legacy pollution, melting glacier microbes, undamming rivers and climate risks for an ageing population that is growing.

    The report paints a vivid picture of how climate change is not only altering ecosystems but also exposing communities – especially the most vulnerable – to new and intensifying dangers. Some issues may be local or relatively small-scale issues today, but have the potential to become issues of regional or global concern if not addressed early, the report warned.

    UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said action must be taken “to protect people, nature and economies from threats that will only grow with each passing year”.

    Here’s what’s at stake and why it matters to all of us:

    UN Nepal/Narendra Shrestha

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres visits the Annapurna base camp in Nepal in 2023. (file)

    Melting glacier microbes

    Climate scientists are saying many glaciers will not survive this century unless action is taking to slow the melting rate caused by climate change. That means those living downstream will face a tide of floods alongside threats posed by reactivated microbes in a warming cryosphere or frozen parts of the Earth.

    Frozen in ice sheets, glaciers and permafrost are bacteria, fungi and viruses. While most are dead, some are dormant and some are active. As global temperatures hit record highs, these microorganisms will become more active in many ecosystems. Even if the melting can be slowed down by mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, efforts must assess and prepare for possible threats from potential pathogens.

    Also crucial is documenting and preserving cryospheric microorganisms, which can shed light on the history of climate and evolution, help in finding therapies for diseases and develop innovative biotechnologies.

    © UNICEF/Felipe Chic Jiménez

    Indigenous communities in the Amazonía region in southern Colombia. (file)

    Dismantling dams

    In the Colombian Amazon, river water levels have dropped by up to 80 per cent, restricting access to drinking water and food supplies, leading to shuttering 130 schools, increasing children’s risk of recruitment, use and exploitation by non-State armed groups and resulting in increased respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, malaria and acute malnutrition among youngsters under age five.

    Part of what is making the problem worse in Colombia and other hot spots around the world are the plethora of dams operating at a time when climate change is triggering droughts around the world. Drought is keeping more than 420,000 children out of school in Brazil, Colombia and Peru alone, according to a report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

    As such, there is a growing need to remove dams and other barriers to rehabilitate river ecosystems, a process increasingly initiated by local communities, Indigenous Peoples, women and youth. Rivers and streams can recover remarkably once barriers are gone, but other stressors, from pollution to climate change, need to be addressed in parallel. Understanding the restoration outcomes of barrier removal is necessary not only to guide future removals, but also to inform decisions about existing and future barriers.

    © ADB/Samir Jung Thapa

    Elderly people suffer disproportionately from climate change consequences.

    Climate risks for the elderly

    Older people face increased risks during extreme weather and suffer more from ongoing environmental degradation. As the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts ever more hot weather, the elderly are suffering disproportionately, as seen in rising numbers of deaths and illnesses amid recent heat waves around the world.

    At the same time, the world’s ageing population is growing: the global share of people over 65 years old will rise from 10 per cent in 2024 to 16 per cent by 2050. Most of them will live in cities, where they will be exposed to extreme heat and air pollution and experience more frequent disasters.

    Older people are already more at risk, so effective adaptation strategies will need to evolve to protect these older populations.

    © UNOCHA/Pierre Peron

    A family outside their flood damaged home in N’Djamena, Chad. (file)

    Legacy pollutants

    Flooding has crippled communities in all regions of the world as the number of extreme weather events climb. Among the hidden dangers are legacy pollutants that have been secreted into the ground over time and released as extreme rainfall and floods wash away sediments and debris.

    The Pakistan floods of 2010, flooding in the Niger Delta in 2012 and Hurricane Harvey off the coast of Texas in 2017 are all examples when floodwaters stirred up sediments, releasing heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants.

    Evaluating sediments to understand hazards, rethinking flood protection to lean on nature-based solutions and investments in natural remediation of contaminated sediments are all options to deal with this problem.

    Read the full Frontiers Report here.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Shooting at Munno Para West

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man has died after a shooting incident at Munno Para West.

    Just after 11pm on Saturday 26 July, police were called to a house on Stebonheath Road after reports of a disturbance.

    A struggle has occurred between two men at the house after one of the men made threats with a firearm.

    Patrols arrived and found a 53-year-old Taperoo man dead from a gunshot wound, believed to be from a gun in his possession.

    The gun was recovered nearby.

    A 31-year-old man from the house is assisting police with their enquiries.

    There are no other persons sought over the matter.

    Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Larsen Launches ‘Share Your Story’ Webpage

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

    Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced a ‘share your story’ webpage where community members can tell him directly how Republicans’ Big Ugly Law will impact their lives: larsen.house.gov/shareyourstory

    Rep. Larsen announced this webpage during his speech at Snohomish County Indivisible’s “Families First” rally. A recording of his remarks is available here, and below is an excerpt:

    “The Republicans do not care about working families. They care about the richest Americans and the largest corporations, and the Big Ugly Law is a clear indication of that. It puts big corporations first, and it puts you all last…

    “We’ve got to start now thinking about, and building the case, to reverse the worst impacts of the Big Ugly Law… and that’s where you all come in. The health care and food assistance cuts will be rolled out slowly over the next couple years… Hearing from you all about the impacts is going to be important.

    “I want you to pull out your phone right now if you’re interested… and go to larsen.house.gov/shareyourstory. You story about yourself, about your family, matters to me.

    “Just this year I’ve received about 209,000 separate emails and communications from people in the district, seven months in to this Congress. Last Congress, over 24 months, I received 290,000 communications…

    “The share your story website is very important… Please, you can help me fight back… You can help Congress fight back by sharing your story about the impacts of the Big Ugly Law.” 

    The Big Ugly Law contains the largest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in U.S. history. More than 328,000 people in Washington state will lose their health care because of the legislation, and 57,000 people could lose some or all of their food assistance.

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    MIL OSI USA News –