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Category: Middle East

  • MIL-OSI Economics: MSCI and Moody’s to Launch Independent Risk Assessments for Private Credit Investments

    Source: Moody’s

    Headline: MSCI and Moody’s to Launch Independent Risk Assessments for Private Credit Investments

    Solution to Promote Transparency and Strengthen Investors’ Private Credit Asset Allocation Strategies

    NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– MSCI Inc. (NYSE:MSCI) and Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) will jointly create a first-of-its-kind solution to provide independent risk assessments for private credit investments at scale.

    As the private credit market continues to evolve and grow, the need for consistent standards and better tools has become essential for investors to assess, compare and communicate the risk of their investments.

    MSCI offers a unique and comprehensive universe of high-quality private capital data, sourced from original documents provided by managers, including data on more than 2,800 private credit funds and 14,000+ individual underlying companies. As part of this joint offering, Moody’s will extend its flagship EDF-X models into MSCI’s private credit solutions. EDF-X delivers risk insights using best-in-class credit models and early warning signals to help investors assess the financial strength of public and private companies globally.

    The combination of Moody’s flagship EDF-X credit risk modeling solutions with MSCI’s universe of private credit investment data will produce proprietary third-party risk assessments for private credit investments available at the underlying company and facility level using transparent metrics.

    “As the private credit market evolves, investors are looking for trusted independent assessments to help benchmark credit risk and inform investments and monitor portfolios,” said Rob Fauber, President and CEO of Moody’s. “Our partnership with MSCI will play a critical role in providing these insights, helping market participants make informed decisions.”

    “The rapid growth of private credit continues to transform the global investment landscape while highlighting the need for increased transparency, consistent standards and independent risk assessment,” said Henry A. Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of MSCI. “We are proud to partner with Moody’s to deliver innovative solutions that can help drive greater clarity and confidence.”

    The solution will be distinct from the services provided by Moody’s Ratings, the credit rating agency, to the issuers in the private credit market.

    About Moody’s Corporation

    In a world shaped by increasingly interconnected risks, Moody’s (NYSE: MCO) data, insights, and innovative technologies help customers develop a holistic view of their world and unlock opportunities. With a rich history of experience in global markets and a diverse workforce of approximately 16,000 across more than 40 countries, Moody’s gives customers the comprehensive perspective needed to act with confidence and thrive. Learn more at moodys.com.

    About MSCI

    MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 50 years of expertise in research, data, and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process. To learn more, please visit www.msci.com.

    “Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

    Certain statements contained in this document are forward-looking statements and are based on future expectations, plans and prospects for Moody’s business and operations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve estimates, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated, expressed, projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Stockholders and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and other information in this document are made as of the date hereof, and Moody’s undertakes no obligation (nor does it intend) to publicly supplement, update or revise such statements on a going-forward basis, whether as a result of subsequent developments, changed expectations or otherwise, except as required by applicable law or regulation. In connection with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Moody’s is identifying certain factors that could cause actual results to differ, perhaps materially, from those indicated by these forward-looking statements. These factors, risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the impact of general economic conditions (including significant government debt and deficit levels, and inflation and related monetary policy actions by governments in response to inflation) on worldwide credit markets and on economic activity, including on the volume of mergers and acquisitions, and their effects on the volume of debt and other securities issued in domestic and/or global capital markets; the uncertain effectiveness and possible collateral consequences of U.S. and foreign government initiatives and monetary policy to respond to the current economic climate, including instability of financial institutions, credit quality concerns, and other potential impacts of volatility in financial and credit markets; the global impacts of the Russia – Ukraine military conflict and the military conflict in Israel and the surrounding areas on volatility in world financial markets, on general economic conditions and GDP in the U.S. and worldwide, on global relations and on the Company’s own operations and personnel; other matters that could affect the volume of debt and other securities issued in domestic and/or global capital markets, including regulation, increased utilization of technologies that have the potential to intensify competition and accelerate disruption and disintermediation in the financial services industry, as well as the number of issuances of securities without ratings or securities which are rated or evaluated by non-traditional parties; the level of merger and acquisition activity in the U.S. and abroad; the uncertain effectiveness and possible collateral consequences of U.S. and foreign government actions affecting credit markets, international trade and economic policy, including those related to tariffs, tax agreements and trade barriers; the impact of MIS’s withdrawal of its credit ratings on countries or entities within countries and of Moody’s no longer conducting commercial operations in countries where political instability warrants such actions; concerns in the marketplace affecting our credibility or otherwise affecting market perceptions of the integrity or utility of independent credit agency ratings; the introduction or development of competing and/or emerging technologies and products; pricing pressure from competitors and/or customers; the level of success of new product development and global expansion; the impact of regulation as an NRSRO, the potential for new U.S., state and local legislation and regulations; the potential for increased competition and regulation in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the EU; exposure to litigation related to our rating opinions, as well as any other litigation, government and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries to which Moody’s may be subject from time to time; provisions in U.S. legislation modifying the pleading standards and EU regulations modifying the liability standards applicable to credit rating agencies in a manner adverse to credit rating agencies; provisions of EU regulations imposing additional procedural and substantive requirements on the pricing of services and the expansion of supervisory remit to include non-EU ratings used for regulatory purposes; uncertainty regarding the future relationship between the U.S. and China; the possible loss of key employees and the impact of the global labor environment; failures or malfunctions of our operations and infrastructure; any vulnerabilities to cyber threats or other cybersecurity concerns; the timing and effectiveness of our restructuring programs, such as the 2022 – 2023 Geolocation Restructuring Program; currency and foreign exchange volatility; the outcome of any review by tax authorities of Moody’s global tax planning initiatives; exposure to potential criminal sanctions or civil remedies if Moody’s fails to comply with foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that are applicable in the jurisdictions in which Moody’s operates, including data protection and privacy laws, sanctions laws, anti-corruption laws, and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to government officials; the impact of mergers, acquisitions, such as our acquisition of RMS, or other business combinations and the ability of Moody’s to successfully integrate acquired businesses; the level of future cash flows; the levels of capital investments; and a decline in the demand for credit risk management tools by financial institutions. These factors, risks and uncertainties as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause Moody’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated, expressed, projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements are described in greater detail under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of Moody’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and in other filings made by the Company from time to time with the SEC or in materials incorporated herein or therein. Stockholders and investors are cautioned that the occurrence of any of these factors, risks and uncertainties may cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated, expressed, projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements, which could have a material and adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition. New factors may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict new factors, nor can the Company assess the potential effect of any new factors on it. Forward-looking and other statements in this document may also address our corporate responsibility progress, plans, and goals (including sustainability and environmental matters), and the inclusion of such statements is not an indication that these contents are necessarily material to investors or required to be disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking sustainability-related statements may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions that are subject to change in the future.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MSCI’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond MSCI’s control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

    Other factors that could materially affect MSCI’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements can be found in MSCI’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 9, 2025 and in quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed or furnished with the SEC. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if MSCI’s underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from what MSCI projected. Any forward-looking statement in this press release reflects MSCI’s current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to MSCI’s operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. MSCI assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

    For Moody’s Investor Relations:
    Shivani Kak
    Moody’s Corporation
    +1 212-553-0298
    Shivani.Kak@moodys.com

    For Moody’s Communications:
    Joe Mielenhausen
    Moody’s Corporation
    +1 212-553-1461
    Joe.Mielenhausen@moodys.com

    For MSCI Investor Relations:
    Jeremy Ulan
    MSCI
    +1 646 778 4184
    jeremy.ulan@msci.com

    Jisoo Suh
    MSCI
    +1 212 804 1598
    jisoo.suh@msci.com

    For MSCI Communications:
    pr@msci.com
    Melanie Blanco
    MSCI
    +1 646-220-4157
    melanie.blanco@msci.com

    Source: MSCI Inc.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Reps. Garcia, Frost, Ansari, and Dexter Arrive in El Salvador to Pressure Trump Administration To Abide By Supreme Court Order And Facilitate Return of Wrongly Deported Maryland Man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Garcia California (42nd District)

    San Salvador, El Salvador – Today, U.S. Representatives Robert Garcia, Maxwell Frost, Yassamin Ansari, and Maxine Dexter arrived in El Salvador to pressure the Trump Administration to abide by a Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man with protected legal status who was unlawfully deported by the Trump Administration. Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently detained in El Salvador despite having no criminal conviction in the United States, a direct violation of due process protected by the Constitution.  

    The Congressional members are in El Salvador to bring attention to President Trump’s illegal defiance of the binding and unanimous Supreme Court decision in Noem v. Abrego Garcia that demands the Administration facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return and due process in the United States. This visit comes after the Trump Administration admitted that Mr. Abrego Garcia’s detention was an “error” but refused to abide by a federal judge and the Supreme Court’s orders to facilitate Mr. Abrego Garcia’s return home. Members will also advocate for other detainees who are being held without due process. 

    This trip is not being financed by taxpayer dollars and comes after Chairman James Comer refused to approve Garcia and Frost’s request for an official CODEL.

    “While Donald Trump continues to defy the Supreme Court, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held illegally in El Salvador after being wrongfully deported,” said Congressman Robert Garcia. “That is why we’re here– to remind the American people that kidnapping immigrants and deporting them without due process is not how we do things in America. We are demanding the Trump Administration abide by the Supreme Court decision and give Kilmar and the other migrants mistakenly sent to El Salvador due process in the United States.”

     “Donald Trump and his Administration are running a government-funded kidnapping program– illegally arresting, jailing, and deporting innocent people with zero due process. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is Trump’s latest victim,” said Congressman Maxwell Frost. “As Members of Congress it is our responsibility to hold the President and Administration accountable for defying the constitution of the United States. Donald Trump and ICE are not above the law. Today it’s Kilmar, but tomorrow it could be anyone else. We cannot and will not let Donald Trump get away with this.” 

    “My parents fled an authoritarian regime in Iran where people were ‘disappeared’ – I refuse to sit back and watch it happen here, too. Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s illegal abduction and President Trump’s complete disregard of due process and a unanimous Supreme Court ruling are deeply disturbing. We should all be appalled by this treatment by the United States government,” said Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari. “I’m in El Salvador to advocate for the Trump Administration to facilitate his safe return home, and make sure Trump’s attack on our Constitution and due process stops now. Trump has already threatened to illegally deport ‘home-growns’ and American citizens. If this can happen to Mr. Abrego Garcia, it can happen to any of us. This is a constitutional crisis. ”

    “What happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not just one family’s nightmare—it is a constitutional crisis that should outrage every single one of us,” said Congresswoman Maxine Dexter. “We will not rest while due process is discarded, and our constitutional rights are ignored. We will be loud in demanding that the Trump Administration abide by the Supreme Court’s decision and uphold the rule of law. Because if this can happen to Mr. Abrego Garcia, it can happen to anyone.”

     ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbPU became the driver of discussions at the international economic congress

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The 10th St. Petersburg International Economic Congress was held. The main topic was “Labor and the Transformation of Society: Knowledge, Creativity, Noonomics.” The event was organized by the S. Yu. Witte Institute for New Industrial Development together with the Free Economic Society of Russia with the participation of the Economics Section of the Social Sciences Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Department of Global Problems and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the assistance of the World Association of Political Economy and the International Union of Economists. This significant event brought together more than a thousand leading scientists, experts, and representatives of the business community from Russia and 12 countries, including China, India, Greece, Great Britain, Canada, Turkey, Austria, Hungary, and others.

    At the plenary session, the Director of the Witte Institute of Industrial Development and the President of the Free Economic Society of Russia Sergei Bodrunov noted that over 10 years of work, SPEC has achieved significant results – both theoretical and practical, and has become a provider of scientific thought into practice. SPEC-2025 received numerous greetings from scientists, public and government figures: the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov, the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov, the head of the UN group in Russia Vladimir Kuznetsov, the President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin. They all emphasized the high importance of such events for uniting the country’s intellectual potential and expert discussion of fundamental problems of economic science, the development of practical mechanisms for solving pressing problems.

    In his greeting to the participants of SPEC-2025, the rector of SPbPU and chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy pointed out the importance of consolidating the efforts of the scientific and expert community to solve the problems of Russia’s socio-economic development.

    “Traditionally, the congress brings together researchers from various fields – economists, sociologists, philosophers, lawyers, historians, education specialists and representatives of the exact sciences. Key issues of the global economy, social structure and problems of strategic development of Russia are discussed here. Today, the country faces difficult geopolitical tasks. The system of international relations and the structure of world economies are undergoing significant changes. In these conditions, it is especially important to develop theoretical and practical proposals for the transformation of national institutions, to consolidate the efforts of scientific communities in order to ensure the implementation of national development goals of the country,” Andrei Ivanovich noted.

    The congress was attended by Abel Aganbegyan (Corresponding Member of the British Academy, Honorary Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Vice President of the Russian Economic Society), Sergey Glazyev (current member of the Board for Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission), Vladimir Okrepilov (member of the Presidium of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of St. Petersburg) and other renowned economists.

    The forum participants discussed key challenges of our time — from personnel shortages and digital transformation to technological sovereignty and the development of the creative economy. Plenary sessions and round tables featured reports on innovations in the agricultural and industrial sectors, the prospects of artificial intelligence, strategic planning, and new approaches to macroeconomic modeling.

    Polytechnic University was represented at the congress by the IPMET delegation consisting of representatives of the institute’s structural divisions. Our colleagues took an active part in the work of the forum. Some moderated sections, some made reports, and students had a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the latest research and discuss current issues with leading experts.

    Director of the Higher School of Business Engineering Igor Ilyin not only acted as a moderator of the section “Structural, Technological and Digital Transformation of Industry in Russia”, but also presented a report on the implementation of digital technologies in the process architecture of enterprises and organizations. As part of SPEC-2025, Igor Vasilyevich headed the section, which brought together leading experts, representatives of industrial companies and scientists. The main focus of the section was on discussing current trends, challenges and prospects for digital transformation in Russian industry.

    “Digital transformation is not just the introduction of new technologies, it is a change in the entire business logic, processes and approaches to management. And successful transformation requires a comprehensive approach, including both technological and organizational changes,” Igor Vasilyevich emphasized.

    In his report, Igor Vasilyevich presented an analysis of modern digital technologies and their impact on the process architecture of enterprises. He focused in detail on such relevant areas as artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital twins, the Internet of Things (IoT) and confidential cloud computing. The practical examples presented in the report included cases from the medical and energy industries, which are being worked on within the framework of close cooperation between the Higher School of Business and the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Research and Education on Technological and Economic Problems of Energy Transition (CIRETEC-GT) headed by Igor Vasilyevich and business partners of the Institute of Mechanics and Electronics and Telecommunications.

    Teachers and students of the Higher School of Industrial Management also took an active part in the forum. Associate Professor Olga Ergunova and Senior Lecturer Andrey Somov made presentations. Also, student reports were presented by HSPM Master’s students Maria Belova and Diana Yakimenko, who demonstrated a high level of research training. The reports were presented in specialized sections devoted to the digitalization of the economy, intellectual work and the transformation of production and social practices.

    The report by Marina Yanenko, professor at the Higher School of Service and Trade, presented an analysis of the impact of artificial intelligence on the process of market transformation, changes in business requirements for the knowledge and skills of specialists, and the emergence of new needs for the content of labor. Marina Borisovna noted that the growing availability of artificial intelligence makes it a key tool in a wide variety of economic sectors and formulated recommendations for improving competitive strategies in the labor market in the context of the development of artificial intelligence.

    The Higher School of Engineering and Economics was represented by the Head of the Research Laboratory “Digital Economy of Industry” Professor Alexander Babkin, Professor Irina Rudskaya, Associate Professor Lyudmila Guzikova and Associate Professor Nikolai Dmitriev. Lyudmila Aleksandrovna participated as a moderator of the seminar “New and Old Challenges of the Russian Labor Market: Adaptation Strategies of Various Socio-Demographic Groups”, and also spoke at this seminar with a report on the topic “Implementation of the Principles of Noonomics in a Unified Interregional System of the Labor Market for Specialists with Higher Education”. Alexander Vasilyevich took part in the plenary session and also made a report on the topic: “Strategizing the Digital Transformation of the Intelligent Cyber-Social Industrial Ecosystem Based on Industry 6.0”, noting that in modern conditions, issues of developing strategic approaches to the integration of advanced technologies and the creation of sustainable, human-oriented production systems are relevant.

    This year, representatives of the Department of Economic Theory of the IPMEiT took an active part in the work of the congress: Associate Professor Elena Milskaya, Associate Professor Anna Strizhak, Associate Professor Ekaterina Afonichkina, Associate Professor Olga Naumova, as well as 47 students in the areas of “Economic Security”, “Economic Statistics”, “Customs”.

    “We really enjoyed the event, we learned a lot of new things, the ideas and topics of the speakers inspired us to study individual economic issues in detail. It was great that we could choose the literature ourselves and take it for study. I would also like to emphasize the relevance of each problem raised at the congress, this is what aroused special interest. It was interesting to listen to the reasoning of professors and prominent figures in economics. We thank the organizers and want to say a huge thank you to Elena Andreevna Milskaya, who gave us a chance to become participants in the congress. It is great that our educational program in macroeconomics goes beyond the university!” – noted student of group 3753801/40002 Yulia Arteyeva.

    SPEC-2025 has once again confirmed its importance as a leading platform for discussing strategic challenges and opportunities in the knowledge economy. The participation of IPMET representatives in such a large-scale scientific event emphasizes the university’s sustainable aspiration for scientific leadership, integration into the expert community and the development of young scientists.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Offshore detention is inhumane — I know because I lived it

    Source: Amnesty International –

    On my first day in offshore detention, I was given a number. Benham Satah became FRT009 — or Foxtrot Romeo Tango Zero Zero Nine, as the guards would use the military alphabet. It was one of the many ways they treated us like criminals or prisoners of war.

    When I fled Iran in 2013, I never imagined I would end up on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. I risked my life to get from Indonesia to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. When you need to flee, you grab the first opportunity you get — and this boat was mine.

    Europe’s nations have proposed establishing refugee ‘return hubs’ in third-party countries outside their jurisdiction for failed asylum seekers. But they should think twice.

    After four days at sea, we finally saw dry land. But my relief turned to horror as the guards were already there, waiting to detain us. And after 25 days in detention there, we were then handcuffed, dragged on to a plane by four giant security guards. They wouldn’t tell us where we were heading.

    It felt like we were being kidnapped.

    When we finally arrived in Papua New Guinea, they took us to the Lombrum military compound, where we were detained in 3-square-meter rooms, each with a bunk bed and a third camp bed. There was just enough space to lie down.

    Then, I was transferred to my final destination of Manus Island — the detention camp for men only. We were over 500 in a facility that was built for 200. There were LGBTQ+ individuals, unaccompanied children, vulnerable people left alone with no real protection to survive in a dangerous environment.

    It was so hot in the camp. The only reprieve came in the evenings, when the temperature would drop slightly. And even though we were surrounded by the ocean, with the camp just meters from the shore, I never actually heard the lapping of waves — the generator clattered like a helicopter day and night, drowning out the sea.

    It smelled so bad there. The Australian caseworkers admitted they wouldn’t even bring an animal to the camp. There were 10 toilets and 10 showers for 500 people, and this caused problems every day. The rubbish was left to sweat and ferment in the tropical heat. They would set off smoke bombs to kill mosquitos. The whole camp stank of chemicals. Despite this, all these years later, I still have malaria in my blood.

    There were 14 deaths recorded in the years I was on Manus Island. I still see their faces — especially my roommate’s, Reza Barati. He was murdered before my eyes, while in the custody of the Australian government. [According to eyewitness reports, Barati was beaten to death by guards and other contractors.]

    People died of preventable deaths there. Everyone suffered from mental or physical health problems. The only treatment we received was paracetamol and water. I remember Hamid (whose name has been changed to protect his identity). He never received proper treatment, as there was no doctor in the medical center here. They amputated both his legs in the capital, Port Moresby. He died from septicemia.

    But we weren’t just denied treatment on Manus, those in charge were also inexplicably reckless with vaccinations. I was an interpreter for a friend, FRT001, who came on the same boat as me. I witnessed him receive 60 vaccines in under a month. We tried to stop them, but if you refused a vaccine, they would call the Emergency Response Team.

    My friend was eventually sent back to Iran where he died not long after.

    Ukrainian refugees are protected by the French government — every refugee should be treated that way.

    People would self-immolate with petrol in detention. We were beaten. At times the violence was extreme, and you could be assaulted for no reason. When a packet of cigarettes can guarantee your safety, you understand how cheap human life can be.

    With offshore detention, the Australian government paid Nauru and Papua New Guinea to do its dirty work. There was no law there, and they could do what they wanted without fear of the courts. We were denied access to lawyers. We were out of sight, out of mind — exactly as was intended. 

    I tried to take my life several times on Manus, and the memories still give me nightmares. I lost almost seven years of my youth in detention. Those are days I will never get back. I still take a lot of tablets just to get through the day.

    Everyone I know who went through this “offshore detention” scheme has since been diagnosed with PTSD. I think we need a new term for what we experienced, like Manus disease or offshore detention syndrome. Even people who just spent a month there are still suffering.

    Not knowing when you’ll leave — it’s worse than any prison sentence. It destroys your mental health.

    Nowadays, I work with the Salvation Army, and volunteer to help Ukrainians in France who fled Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian refugees are protected by the French government — every refugee should be treated that way. They should be given a chance to live and build a future. I also provide support and counseling for people on Manus Island and those who left but are still suffering.

    I still have my own struggles with depression and mental health, but helping others in my situation lifts me up.

    It was torture what the government did to us. They were saying it was deterrence, but it never worked. It hasn’t stopped people from trying to get to Australia to seek protection because they have no choice. Instead, it has become a stain on Australian history.

    I hope no European country ever adopts this policy.

    Benham Satah coordinated this piece with Amnesty International.

    This piece was first published by Politico here

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s Brazil visit becomes important on many counts

    Source: Government of India

    Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s Brazil visit becomes important on many counts

    Participates in the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting; also initiates important steps towards strengthening agricultural trade, technology and innovation between India and Brazil

    Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasizes on promoting production and export of soya in India

    Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan intends to upgrade Indian farmers by enabling them the benefits of global technologies

    Joint efforts will strengthen global food security: Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan

    Shri Shivraj Singh expresses concerns for small farmers in the BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting

    Posted On: 20 APR 2025 6:36PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan is schedule to return from his Brazil visit on Monday morning, 21 April. His Brazil visit is important on many counts. Besides leading the Indian delegation at the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, the Union Minister’s visit is an important step towards strengthening agricultural trade, technology and innovation between India and Brazil. During Brazil visit, the Union Minister stressed on promoting production and export of soya in India. He intends to upgrade Indian farmers by enabling them the benefits of global technologies. He said that joint efforts of various countries will strengthen global food security.

    During his Brazil visit, Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh mainly expressed his concerns related to small farmers of India. He said that unless the small farmers are protected and empowered, the goal of global food security will remain incomplete. The Union Minister said that India is fully committed to inclusive, equitable and sustainable agriculture. Echoing the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, he said that India always follow the message of trust and cooperation with all countries. He called for enhanced cooperation in agricultural technology, innovation, capacity building and trade facilitation so that farmers and agricultural enterprises of various countries can benefit. On the BRICS platform, India called for further strengthening cooperation in agricultural technology transfer, research, food processing and trade.  Shri Chauhan’s address, on behalf of India, focused on global food security, empowerment of small farmers, agricultural innovation and technological cooperation and advancing partnership with BRICS countries.

    Altogether, Shri Chouhan’s visit to Brazil is not just a diplomatic but also a concrete initiative towards technological innovation, production increase and global partnership for Indian agriculture, which can yield direct benefits to the farmers.

    The 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, held in Brasilia, was attended by Agriculture Ministers/Senior Officials from India, host Brazil and BRICS member countries including Russia, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. The main theme of the meeting was “Promoting inclusive and sustainable agriculture through cooperation, innovation and equitable trade among BRICS countries”.

    Besides participating in the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ meeting, Shri Chouhan’s visit is expected to give a new direction to agricultural cooperation between India and Brazil. This will boost agricultural trade between the two countries. The Union Minister expressed his desire to share knowledge with Brazil on climate-friendly soyabean varieties, mechanization, precision farming and sustainable agricultural practices. He also expressed his desire to learn from Brazil’s agricultural model, mechanization, irrigation and research and implement it in Indian agriculture so that maximum benefits can be transferred to the farmers.

    Cooperation in the areas of biofuel, bioenergy, supply chain integration and agricultural machinery was discussed during the meetings which would enable Indian farmers to have access to global technology. Joint efforts of the two countries will also strengthen global food security as Brazil has achieved tremendous growth in agricultural exports in the last 50 years, an inspiration for India as well.

    Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan also held bilateral meetings with Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Henrique Baquetta Favero and Minister of Agricultural Development and Family Agriculture, Luiz Paulo Teixeira. During these meetings, the issues of enhancing cooperation in the areas of agriculture, agro-technology, rural development and food security were discussed. The Union Minister also met 27 members of Brazil’s agribusiness community at Sao Paulo. During this meeting, possibilities of cooperation on agricultural trade, production technology, food processing, biofuel, technological innovation and supply chain integration were discussed.

    Union Minister Shri Chouhan visited soyabean production plant, tomato farm and other institutes in Brazil and closely observed the latest technologies related to mechanization, irrigation and food processing. Currently India imports soyabean oil, but now both the countries are jointly exploring the possibilities of investing and setting up technology and plants for soyabean production and processing. This can boost soyabean production and export in India. Shri Chouhan said that there is a plan to work together with Brazil to increase soybean production and processing in India. Besides, possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in mechanization and seed research will also be explored.

    Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s routine of planting a sapling every day continued in Brazil as well. He participated in the tree plantation drive at the Indian Embassy in Brasilia under the initiative ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, promoting environmental protection and respect for motherhood. Shri Shivraj Singh also met the Indian diaspora at Sao Paulo in Brazil and appreciated their role in bilateral relations. He said that this is the Amrit Kaal of our independence under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. In 2047, we will complete 100 years of independence and our goal is to make India a developed nation by then.

    Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh said, “During my stay in Brazil, I got the  opportunities to enrich myself with various experiences and techniques. We will utilize these technologies to increase production in India. I am confident that the mutual cooperation between India and Brazil will empower our farmers and give a new direction to global food security.”

    This visit is an important step towards India-Brazil agricultural cooperation, partnership with BRICS countries and accelerating innovation and sustainable growth in Indian agriculture, Shri Singh added.

    *****

    PSF/KSR/AR

    (Release ID: 2123055) Visitor Counter : 63

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: INDIAN AIR FORCE PARTICIPATES IN MULTINATIONAL EXERCISE DESERT FLAG-10 IN UAE

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 20 APR 2025 4:23PM by PIB Delhi

    A contingent of the Indian Air Force reached Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates to participate in Exercise Desert Flag-10, a premier multinational air combat exercise. The IAF is fielding MiG-29 and Jaguar aircraft in the exercise.

    Exercise Desert Flag is a multinational exercise being hosted by the UAE Air Force, with participating contingents from the Air Forces of Australia, Bahrain, France, Germany, Qatar Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, and the United States in addition to the Indian Air Force. The exercise is scheduled to take place between 21 April to 08 May 2025.

    The aim of the exercise is to undertake complex and diverse fighter engagements, with exchange of operational knowledge and best practices with some of the most capable Air Forces in the world. Participation in such exercises enhances mutual understanding interoperability, and strengthens military cooperation among the participating nations.

    The IAF’s participation underscores India’s commitment to strengthening defence ties and interoperability with friendly nations in the region and beyond.

    ***

    VK/JS/SM

    (Release ID: 2123037) Visitor Counter : 97

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Reform of the Security Council: Negotiations update -Press Conference | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    “The road to reform is undeniable complex,” Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform, Tareq AlBanai said, emphasizing “steady and meaningful steps” are taken “with continued constructive engagement, growing convergences around principles of transparency, inclusivity and accountability, and the momentum generated by the Pact for the Future.”

    Kuwaiti Ambassador AlBanai spoke to reporters today (17 Apr) as the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Council. He spoke on the status of the negotiations taking place in the UN General Assembly.

    Ambassador AlBanai said, “The Pack to the Future recognizes the centrality of a reformed Security Council in strengthening multilateralism and restoring trust in global governance.”

    “Notably, the Pack includes the most progressive and concrete commitment to Security Council reform since the 1960s. It aims to enhance the Council’s effectiveness and representativeness with a particular emphasis on addressing the historical injustice against Africa,” he added.

    The Chair of the negotiation group highlighted that the session of Security Council reform within the packet outlines three key actions.

    He explained, “The first action addresses areas of convergence and parameters for reform, such as improving the representation of underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups, including Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”

    “It also calls for intensified efforts to find agreement on the issue of categories of membership,” Ambassador AlBanai added.

    The second action focuses on the IGN process itself, he said, “encouraging the submission of additional models with a view toward developing and consolidated models in the future.”

    The Chair of the negotiation group added that the third action proposes interim concrete measures to enhance the Council’s capacity to maintain international peace and security in the meantime, “including the full implementation and adherence of article 273 and all provisions of the UN Charter as they relate to decision making processes in the Council.”

    The Kuwaiti Ambassador encouraged all Member States and negotiating groups to put forward new proposals or update to existing ones.

    “The spirit of reform requires both courage and creativity, and the active engagement of all delegations remains essential as we work to find consensus on core elements of the Security Council reform,” he concluded.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d-ibsaCzm4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI China: UAE and China deepen energy cooperation

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) inaugurated its Beijing office on April 18, aiming to strengthen business relationships with Chinese customers and partners. 

    ADNOC also announced three liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreements at the ceremony, including the largest LNG deal ever between China and the United Arab Emirates.

    Executives and officials from the UAE and China attend the inauguration ceremony for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s new China office in Beijing, April 18, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

    Senior officials and business leaders attended the ceremony, including representatives from ADNOC partners China National Petroleum Corporation, Zhenhua Oil and Wanhua Chemical Group. The new office will focus on sales and marketing activities in China, according to ADNOC.

    Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE minister of industry and advanced technology and ADNOC CEO, addresses attendees at the inauguration of ADNOC’s new China office in Beijing, April 18, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

    Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE minister of industry and advanced technology and ADNOC CEO, said the Beijing office marks a new chapter in the company’s long-term energy cooperation with Chinese partners and customers. 

    Al Jaber said ADNOC would use the new office and LNG agreements to “join hands with Chinese partners to further explore the potential of all aspects of the energy industry chain” and contribute to China’s energy security.

    The LNG agreements include a 15-year sales and purchase deal with ENN Natural Gas subsidiary ENN LNG (Singapore), which will supply up to 1 million metric tons of LNG annually from the low-carbon Ruwais project. This represents the largest LNG agreement ever between China and the UAE.

    In addition, ADNOC Trading, a wholly owned subsidiary of ADNOC, signed the other two LNG agreements with CNOOC Gas & Power Group and Zhenhua Oil.

    After years of close cooperation and strategic coordination, China has become an important importer of ADNOC’s products. ADNOC said it will continue to be a long-term, reliable energy partner for China, deepening business ties and promoting sustainable economic growth.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 12 killed, 30 injured in US airstrikes on market in Yemen’s capital

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The death toll from fresh U.S. airstrikes on a crowded market in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday evening has risen to 12, with at least 30 others wounded, Houthi-controlled health authorities said in a statement.

    According to Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the airstrikes targeted the Farwah market in the Shu’ub neighborhood, one of the busiest markets in Sanaa. Rescue operations are ongoing, with teams searching for survivors and victims beneath the rubble.

    The strikes were part of a broader wave of U.S. airstrikes that hit multiple locations in and around Sanaa on Sunday, the Houthi media outlet added.

    The incident came days after the deadly U.S. airstrikes on the Ras Isa fuel port in western Yemen late Thursday night that killed 80 people, wounded 170 others, and caused widespread damage to fuel storage infrastructure, leading to fuel spills into the Red Sea, according to local Houthi health officials.

    Tensions between the Houthi group and the U.S. military have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 to deter the group from attacking Israel and U.S. warships in the Red Sea.

    The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, said their attacks aim to press U.S.-backed Israel to stop the offensive against the Gaza Strip and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 69 pct of Gaza under Israeli displacement orders

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Sunday that 69 percent of the Gaza Strip is under active Israeli displacement orders.

    The Israeli army issued at least 20 displacement orders between March 18 and April 14, UNRWA said in a press statement, adding that the agency “currently operates 115 shelters across Gaza, housing more than 90,000 displaced people.”

    Some 420,000 people have been displaced again since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18, it said, warning that the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening due to Israeli shelling and the seven-week-long aid blockade.

    UNRWA stressed the need for an early ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza.

    Israel has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 2. It then ended a two-month ceasefire with Hamas on March 18 and resumed deadly air and ground assaults on the enclave.

    The renewed Israeli attacks have so far killed 1,827 Palestinians and injured 4,828 others, Gaza health authorities said Sunday, adding the death toll in the enclave since the war began in October 2023 has risen to 51,201, with 116,869 injured.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 21, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 21, 2025.

    A secret mathematical rule has shaped the beaks of birds and other dinosaurs for 200 million years
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathleen Garland, PhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University The faces of living and extinct theropod dinosaurs. Left: Riya Bidaye; right: Indian Roller model (NHMUK S1987) from TEMPO bird project – MorphoSource. Bird beaks come in almost every shape and size – from the straw-like beak

    Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (Climate Science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/EvaL Miko If heat rises, why does it get colder as you climb up mountains? – Ollie, 8, Christchurch, New Zealand That is an excellent and thoughtful question Ollie – why indeed?

    From the doable to the downright impossible: your guide to making sense of election promises
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Sciences, Monash University Three weeks into the federal election campaign and both major parties have already pledged to spend billions in taxpayer dollars if elected on May 3. But with so many policies announced — and surely more to

    Security without submarines: the military strategy Australia should pursue instead of AUKUS
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Palazzo, Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney For more than a century, Australia has followed the same defence policy: dependence on a great power. This was first the United Kingdom and then the United States. Without properly

    Prison needle programs could save double what they cost – our new modelling shows how
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Farah Houdroge, Mathematical Modeller, Burnet Institute ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock Needle and syringe programs are a proven public health intervention that provide free, sterile injecting equipment to people who use drugs. By reducing needle sharing, these programs help prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV

    ‘Puppy blues’: how to cope with the exhaustion and stress of raising a puppy
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide Lucigerma/Shutterstock Caring for a new puppy can be wonderful, but it can also bring feelings of depression, extreme stress and exhaustion. This is sometimes referred to as “the puppy blues”, and can begin anytime

    A survey of Australian uni students suggests more than half are worried about food or don’t have enough to eat
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Kent, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Wollongong StoryTime Studio/ Shutterstock Being a university student has long been associated with eating instant noodles, taking advantage of pub meal deals and generally living frugally. But for several years, researchers have been tracking how students are

    Low effort, high visibility: what bumper stickers say about our values and identity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University Justin Sullivan/Getty You may have seen them around town or in the news. Bumper stickers on Teslas broadcasting to anyone who looks: “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy.” You

    How a new ‘Fishheart’ project is combining science, community and Indigenous art to restore life in the Baaka-Darling River
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Hooker, Senior Lecturer and Coordinator, Health and Medical Humanities, University of Sydney A new state-of-the-art tube fishway technology called the “Fishheart” has been launched at Menindee Lakes, located on the Baaka-Darling River, New South Wales. The technology – part of the NSW government’s Restoring the Darling-Baaka

    Election Diary: Coalition makes ‘law-and-order’ pitch, with plan to invest proceeds of drug crime into communities
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As it seeks to gain some momentum for its campaign, the Coalition on Monday will focus on law and order, announcing $355 million for a National Drug Enforcement and Organised Crime Strike Team to fight the illicit drug trade. A

    Newspoll steady as both leaders’ ratings fall; Labor surging in poll of marginal seats
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With less than two weeks to go now until the federal election, the polls continue to favour the government being returned. Newspoll was steady at 52–48 to

    Caitlin Johnstone: ‘I want a death that the world will hear’  –  journalist assassinated by Israel for telling the truth
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Israel assassinated a photojournalist in Gaza in an airstrike targeting her family’s home on Wednesday, the day after it was announced that a documentary she appears in would premier in Cannes next month. Her name was Fatima Hassouna. Nine members of her

    Indicators of alien life may have been found – astrophysicist explains what the new research means
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Whittaker, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University Darryl Fonseka/Shutterstocl What do you think of when it comes to extra terrestrial life? Most popular sci-fi books and TV shows suggest humanoid beings could live on other planets. But when astronomers are searching for extra-terrestrial life, it

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 20, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 20, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: China boosts public health with immunization progress

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    This photo taken with a mobile phone shows a volunteer (R) helping Yemeni businessman Sufyan Marwan Sufyan Mohanmmed take vaccine reservation receipt for his daughter from a machine by scanning a QR code at a community health service center in Yiwu, east China’s Zhejiang province, March 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    China has made significant progress in vaccine development and immunization, marked by a growing portfolio of domestically produced vaccines and remarkable public health results.
    These achievements were highlighted at the 2025 National Vaccines and Health Conference, held over the weekend in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province in central China, and attended by nearly 3,000 public health officials and medical professionals.
    Over the past years, China has achieved notable breakthroughs in vaccine technology. Milestones include the successful development of homegrown HPV and Ebola vaccines, as well as advances in pneumococcal conjugate vaccines against 13 types of bacteria and shingles vaccines.
    Several Chinese vaccines have received prequalification from the World Health Organization, enabling their distribution in partner countries of the Belt and Road Initiative.
    These advancements underscore a broader shift in China’s vaccine industry — from focusing primarily on domestic needs to increasingly contributing to the global vaccine supply chain, according to Wang Yunfu, head of the Health Commission of Hubei province.
    The global biotechnology landscape has also helped accelerate this transformation, as the participants pointed out. In recent years, breakthroughs in technologies such as mRNA platforms, viral vectors, and nanoparticle delivery systems have opened up unprecedented opportunities for vaccine research and development, significantly improving both efficiency and immune response.
    Alongside scientific innovation, China has placed strong emphasis on safety and regulatory oversight. In 2019, it became the first country to implement a comprehensive vaccine administration law, followed by updated immunization standards introduced in 2023.
    A nationwide traceability system has been set up, ensuring that every dose can be tracked from production to administration, enhancing transparency and public trust.
    China’s national immunization programs have yielded strong public health results.
    The country achieved polio-free status in 2000, eliminated neonatal tetanus by 2012, and has reported no locally transmitted diphtheria cases since 2007. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen among children under five declined from nearly 10 percent in 1992 to just 0.3 percent in 2020.
    Routine vaccination coverage has remained above 90 percent nationwide, supported by an extensive healthcare infrastructure that ensures every township has at least one vaccination unit.
    Efforts to expand access and improve service delivery remain a central priority. “Public health should be protected through more accessible and higher-quality vaccine services,” said Li Bin, president of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, adding that this goal was reflected in the conference’s theme.
    For example, in Hubei, girls aged 14 are now eligible for free HPV vaccination, and immunization for newborns is being integrated into the birth registration process to ensure early and timely coverage.
    Looking ahead, China is preparing to refine its immunization strategy and services further.
    Health authorities are considering dynamic adjustments to the national immunization program to prioritize vaccines with high cost-effectiveness or those associated with costly diseases. In some regions, pilots may allow the use of personal health insurance accounts to cover non-mandatory vaccines, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for the public.
    Digital tools will also play an increasing role in modernizing immunization services. Electronic vaccination records are being shared across provinces, while artificial intelligence (AI) is assisting with appointment scheduling. Big data platforms are improving vaccine inventory management and logistics.
    Yin Zundong, head of the Immunization Program Center at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, emphasized the role of advanced data technologies.
    “With the help of big data and AI, disease surveillance and early warning systems can become more accurate and efficient,” Yin said. “In the future, data-driven tools will enable precise assessments of vaccine protection efficacy.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: UN Chinese Language Day celebrated in Yemen’s Aden

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Yemen held its first celebration of UN Chinese Language Day in the southern port city of Aden on Sunday, an event organizers said marked a significant step in cultural exchanges with China amid Yemen’s long-running conflict.

    The event, organized under the auspices of the Chinese Embassy and held at Aden University’s Faculty of Languages and Translation, gathered Yemeni officials, academics, and students, including the first cohort studying Chinese in the city.

    Shao Zheng, the Chinese Embassy’s charge d’affaires, addressed the attendees via video link. “Under the theme ‘Chinese: A Gift Across Time and Space,’ we gather today to experience the unique charm of the Chinese language and witness the depth of cultural exchanges between China and Yemen,” Shao said.

    He noted that Chinese is one of the world’s oldest languages, carrying “the story of Chinese civilization spanning 5,000 years.”

    Mohamed Aqeel Attas, Aden University’s vice-rector, highlighted the launch of Chinese language instruction alongside the celebration. “This represents a remarkable achievement, especially considering Yemen’s current challenging circumstances,” Attas stated, adding the university’s commitment to building partnerships with Chinese institutions.

    Chinese language classes began at the faculty in the second half of 2024, according to Dean Jamal Al-Jaadani. He cited China’s status as the world’s second-largest economy, its role as a permanent UN Security Council member, and student enthusiasm as drivers for introducing the language.

    The celebration featured calligraphy demonstrations and cultural performances. It was followed by Yemen’s first “Chinese Bridge” language proficiency competition for college students, an international contest assessing language skills and cultural knowledge.

    Academics and students emphasised the growing importance of Sino-Arab ties. “The flourishing economic and political ties between China and Arab nations … underscore the importance of deeper engagement with Chinese language and culture,” said Abdulnasser Mohammed Al Naqeeb, a translation professor at the university.

    Zaid Awad, a student, noted the practical benefits: “The expanding diplomatic relations … have created significant demand for qualified translators … This skill opens new professional opportunities for Yemeni youth.”

    UN Chinese Language Day has been observed annually on April 20 since 2010, coinciding with “Guyu” (Grain Rain) in the traditional Chinese calendar to honour Cangjie, credited legendarily with inventing Chinese characters.

    Yemen has been devastated by conflict since late 2014, leading to what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. For many young Yemenis in the impoverished nation, learning foreign languages represents a pathway to improved employment prospects.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: ‘Sinners’ tops N. American box office on opening weekend

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Warner Bros. Pictures’ horror film “Sinners” took the top spot at the North American box office on its opening weekend with an estimated three-day cume of 45.6 million U.S. dollars, data from measurement firm Comscore showed on Sunday.

    Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers who return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

    The film has received a near-perfect approval rating of 98 percent based on 241 reviews on the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. It also earned an “A” on an “A+” to “F” scale from audiences polled by the market research firm CinemaScore.

    Overseas, “Sinners” took in 15.4 million dollars for a global total of 61 million dollars through Sunday.

    In a close second, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ fantasy comedy film A Minecraft Movie generated 41.3 million dollars on its third weekend for a North American cume of 344.6 million dollars.

    Rounding out the top three, Angel Studios’ animated film The King of Kings earned 17.3 million dollars on its second weekend for a North American total of 45.3 million dollars.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Iran serious in talks with US, seeks no delay

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Sunday the country is serious in its indirect negotiations with the United States and wants no delay in the diplomatic process.

    Gharibabadi made the remarks at a meeting with the members of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Tehran, the official news agency IRNA quoted the committee’s spokesperson, Ebrahim Rezaei, as saying.

    Gharibabadi said that Tehran and Washington, during their second round of indirect talks in the Italian capital Rome on Saturday, discussed and agreed on “the overall framework, agenda, and (subsequent) technical talks.”

    According to Rezaei, the deputy foreign minister has stressed that “all sanctions (on Iran) should be lifted in a way that benefits the Iranian people economically,” while emphasizing that Tehran would not negotiate on its right to enrich uranium, which he said is “among the red lines.”

    The Rome talks and the previous round of Iran-U.S. dialogue that took place in the Omani capital Muscat on April 12 have centered on Tehran’s nuclear program and the removal of Washington’s sanctions.

    The talks, hailed by both sides as “constructive,” followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran if the Middle Eastern country does not accept his offer for talks outlined in a letter sent to Iran’s leadership in early March.

    Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with six major countries — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States — in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

    However, the United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions, prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments. Efforts to revive the nuclear deal have not achieved substantial progress. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: UN envoy ‘gravely concerned’ over US airstrikes in, around Yemen’s fuel port

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg on Sunday voiced his grave concern over recent U.S. airstrikes in and around the Ras Isa fuel port northwest of Yemen’s Red Sea city of Hodeidah.

    “Echoing the (UN) Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres), I am gravely concerned about the impact of the U.S. airstrikes in and around Ras Isa port on civilians, particularly truck drivers and port workers, as well as on civilian infrastructure,” Grundberg wrote on social media platform X.

    The cycle of attacks on the Red Sea by Houthis and the United States “jeopardizes peace efforts and risks drawing Yemen further into the regional conflict,” he wrote, urging restraint, de-escalation, and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure by all sides in accordance with international law.

    Attacks on the Red Sea must stop with “credible guarantees” that protect it from “becoming a prolonged arena of conflict,” which are “essential” for keeping Yemen “from sliding further away from peace” and for global security, he wrote.

    In the deadliest raid since the renewed U.S. airstrikes in mid-March, the U.S. army launched a series of attacks on Thursday night targeting and destroying the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa fuel port and concrete tanks storing imported fuel. According to an update from Houthi-run health authorities early Saturday, at least 80 people were killed and 150 others wounded.

    Among the casualties were port workers and five paramedics, who were reportedly killed in a second wave of airstrikes while arriving on ambulances to assist the wounded.

    Early Saturday, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, vowed to retaliate against the renewed U.S. airstrikes. The group said later in the day that it shot down two U.S.-made MQ-9 drones in 24 hours. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Russia, Ukraine swap 492 prisoners of war

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Russia and Ukraine on Saturday exchanged 492 prisoners, said the Russian Defense Ministry.

    It said that 246 Russian servicemen were “returned from Kiev-controlled territory,” while 246 Ukrainian prisoners were freed as well.

    It added that Russia has handed over 31 wounded prisoners to Ukraine in exchange for 15 Russian soldiers requiring urgent medical care.

    The swap followed a negotiation process mediated by the United Arab Emirates, the ministry said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Iran’s FM says indirect talks with US ‘constructive’

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said the negotiations with U.S. delegations in Rome were held in a “constructive” atmosphere and are making progress, according to Iran’s IRIB news agency.

    He made the remarks at the end of the second round of the Omani-mediated indirect talks between Iranian and U.S. delegations, headed by him and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff respectively, on Iran’s nuclear program and removal of Washington’s sanctions.

    Araghchi described the four-hour meeting as “good” and “forward-moving,” adding that both sides had reached a better understanding of several key principles and objectives.

    He also noted that technical negotiations at the expert level are set to begin in Oman by Wednesday, where the details of the agreement’s framework may be discussed.

    He added that the negotiators would meet in Oman next Saturday again to discuss the result of the experts’ work.

    The just concluded indirect talks were the second round between U.S. and Iranian delegations. The first round of the talks was held last Saturday in the Omani capital Muscat, which were described by both sides as “constructive.”

    The talks followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran if the Middle Eastern country does not accept his offer for talks outlined in a letter sent to Iran’s leadership in early March.

    Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with six major countries — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States — in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

    However, the United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions, prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments. Efforts to revive the nuclear deal have not achieved substantial progress.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Israeli PM says Hamas rejects deal to return half of living hostages

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday evening that Hamas had rejected a proposal for the return of half of the living hostages in Gaza by demanding the end of the war and an Israeli military retreat from Gaza.

    “If we capitulate to the dictates of Hamas now, all the great achievements of the war … will disappear,” said Netanyahu in a recorded video statement.

    In the statement, the Israeli prime minister also dismissed the idea that Israel could deceive Hamas into freeing all the hostages and then resume the war, arguing that the international community would not accept such a move.

    Earlier in the day, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a new video showing an Israeli hostage held in Gaza.

    The four-minute video features Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot speaking on a landline phone, seemingly making a call to his family to continue their efforts for his release.

    “My health is not good. I am screaming for death. Please, do this for me,” he said at the end of the recording.

    The Al-Qassam Brigades concluded the video with the message, “They will not return except in a capacity,” in reference to the hostages.

    It remains unclear when the video was recorded.

    Israeli media reported that the video’s release triggered demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beersheba, and Haifa, where thousands called on the government to secure the release of captives without delay.

    Meanwhile, Israel’s military operation has been continuing in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its armored forces killed more than 40 Hamas militants in the Rafah area, southern Gaza Strip, over the weekend.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 69 pct of Gaza under Israeli displacement orders: UN agency

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Sunday that 69 percent of the Gaza Strip is under active Israeli displacement orders.

    The Israeli army issued at least 20 displacement orders between March 18 and April 14, UNRWA said in a press statement, adding that the agency “currently operates 115 shelters across Gaza, housing more than 90,000 displaced people.”

    Some 420,000 people have been displaced again since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18, it said, warning that the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening due to Israeli shelling and the seven-week-long aid blockade.

    UNRWA stressed the need for an early ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza.

    Israel has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 2. It then ended a two-month ceasefire with Hamas on March 18 and resumed deadly air and ground assaults on the enclave.

    The renewed Israeli attacks have so far killed 1,827 Palestinians and injured 4,828 others, Gaza health authorities said Sunday, adding the death toll in the enclave since the war began in October 2023 has risen to 51,201, with 116,869 injured.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: CBB announces new Executive Management appointments

    Source: Central Bank of Bahrain

    Published on 20 April 2025

    Manama, Bahrain –  20 April 2025: The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has announced several new appointments to its executive management team as part of its new organizational structure, as follows:

    Effective 20 April 2025:

    • Yousif Rashid Al-Fadhel – Advisor to the Governor

    Effective 1 May 2025:

    • Hesa Abdulla Al Sada – Executive Director – Central Banking & Macro-Prudential Oversight
    • Abeer Shaikh Ebrahim Al Saad – Executive Director – Policy & Enforcement
    • Mohamed Abdulla A. Karim – Executive Director – Corporate Services
    • Mohamed Fayez Al Sadek – Executive Director – Market Development
    • Noora Hasan Abdulghani – Executive Director – Supervision

    Commenting on the appointments, HE Khalid Humaidan, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, said: “We congratulate our colleagues on these appointments, which support the Board of Directors’ decision to adopt the new organizational structure. This step will contribute to achieving the CBB’s objectives of developing capable leadership competencies that will play a vital role in the development and growth of the financial services sector.”

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  • MIL-OSI Global: 80 years after atomic bombs devastated Japan, Donald Trump’s actions risk nuclear proliferation

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jamie Levin, Associate Professor of Political Science, St. Francis Xavier University

    The policy of every American president since Harry S. Truman has been to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

    They have not always been successful. The world’s most powerful weapons spread, with nine countries now possessing them. But no United States president has actively sought their further proliferation, as the belligerent policies of Donald Trump are now set to do.

    In 2018, during his first term as president, Trump tore up the Iran nuclear deal, which had successfully placed limits on the enrichment of weapons-grade materials in exchange for sanctions relief.

    Iran has since accelerated its nuclear weapons program. Estimates now put Iran within months or even weeks of producing several bombs.

    A short time later, after a series of escalating threats, Trump suggested that North Korea had agreed to denuclearize. Talks ensued, but a deal never materialized.

    In fact, Trump failed to stop, let alone roll back, North Korea’s ambitious nuclear weapons programs. North Korea is now said to possess at least 50 warheads as well as the means to deliver them.

    No longer an ally

    Under the second Trump administration, the world is facing a rapidly growing proliferation risk of a different kind, one that is found not only among the usual suspects in Iran and North Korea, but also among a long list of U.S. allies who once basked in American security guarantees.

    Merely two months into Trump’s second term, America’s European allies have grown increasingly concerned that the U.S. is no longer a reliable ally.

    That’s due to his suspension (and then reinstatement) of weapons transfers and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, an explicitly prioritized rapprochement with Russia, open denigration of its NATO allies, suggestions that the U.S. would not come to their defence if attacked, and his active and repeated threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Canada, Greenland and Panama.

    Against this backdrop, Trump’s guiding Project 2025 principles advocate escalating nuclear testing, breaking a long-held taboo.

    Once protected by its nuclear umbrella, America’s closest allies are now threatened by it. Europe’s loss of confidence in the U.S. is so severe that finding alternatives has now become part of serious discussions in capitals across the continent. France and the United Kingdom are poised to fill the void by extending their nuclear deterrence to the likes of Germany and Poland.

    The scene in Asia

    But the risk of proliferation is greatest in East Asia. On the campaign trail in 2016, Trump mused that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear weapons. “It’s only a matter of time,” he said.

    That time is unfortunately now.

    While Trump has been busy burning bridges in Europe and North America, his allies in East Asia — South Korea and Japan — have been watching the implosion of the U.S.-led international order in dismay. They have no alternative to the American nuclear umbrella but to build their own deterrent capabilities.

    Polls now show that more than two-thirds of South Koreans support their country’s acquisition of nuclear weapons independent of the U.S. Key figures across the political spectrum as well as a growing chorus of academics and journalists have also openly floated the idea of nuclearization.

    To address South Korea’s growing anxiety and check its nascent nuclear ambitions, the previous Joe Biden administration launched a bilateral initiative called Nuclear Consultative Group in 2023.

    It established a regular mechanism between the two countries to discuss the state of the nuclear umbrella and perform joint defence exercises. This measure went a long way to quiet the voices calling for South Korean nuclearization — until Trump returned to the White House.

    South Korea

    Trump’s so-called America First foreign policy has given every reason for South Korea to once again question the reliability of U.S. security guarantees. If the Trump administration is willing to throw its oldest and closest allies in the North Atlantic under the bus, there is little reason for South Koreans to place their continued faith in the U.S.

    As important as South Korea has been to an American grand strategy, it has always been a second-tier ally and its bilateral alliance with the U.S. was never as important as NATO or as special as the Canada-U.S. relationship. South Korea is much more vulnerable to abandonment, and it now appears to be expandable in the second Trump administration.

    Going nuclear is not a question of means for South Korea. It has one of the most advanced civilian nuclear industries in the world, with 24 reactors in operation and more than enough scientific know-how to churn out weapons in a short time, estimated at six to 12 months.

    The question has always been one of political will, the absence of which has rested on American security assurances. With the Trump administration actively demolishing security guarantees to its closest allies, South Korea may conclude that the only viable path to its continued existence in the post-American world is acquiring nuclear weapons.

    Japan

    South Korea’s nuclearization would likely lead to a domino effect, triggering a new wave of nuclear proliferation across the region. If South Korea makes a dash for the bomb, Japan will have no choice but to follow suit.

    Japan has a full nuclear fuel cycle, including a uranium enrichment plant, spent-fuel reprocessing facilities, nine tons plutonium and 1.2 tons of enriched uranium that can be easily fashioned into thousands of nuclear bombs in as little as six months.

    While the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have long served as a guardrail against nuclearization in Japan, that moral taboo was sustained by a credible U.S. nuclear umbrella. And once the nuclear genie is out of the bottle, Taiwan will have every incentive to resurrect its earlier clandestine nuclear weapons program and seek its own deterrence capability.

    Catastrophic dangers

    While going nuclear may be individually rational for the East Asian countries, the collective outcome for the region and beyond is fraught with catastrophic risks.

    The world is now grappling with the most dangerous collective action problem because the solution that has worked so well for decades — credible American security assurance — is eroding.

    In upending the very international order that the U.S. established, the Trump administration is not merely chipping away at the global security architecture underpinned by myriad American security guarantees. It’s imploding the post-Second World War security order from within and the moral, political and institutional bulwark against nuclear proliferation.

    In this predatory, zero-sum world of Trumpian foreign policy, putting America First necessarily means putting everyone else last — and, along the way, inadvertently fuelling nuclear proliferation.

    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. 80 years after atomic bombs devastated Japan, Donald Trump’s actions risk nuclear proliferation – https://theconversation.com/80-years-after-atomic-bombs-devastated-japan-donald-trumps-actions-risk-nuclear-proliferation-254459

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: CBB Hosts Webinar on New Fit and Proper Requirements for Licensees

    Source: Central Bank of Bahrain

    Published on 20 April 2025

    Manama, Bahrain – 20 April 2025: The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) recently organised a webinar introducing the latest requirements to appoint board members and senior management of licensed financial institutions. This follows the issuance of the “Fit and Proper” requirements under the CBB Rulebook, which aim to strengthen corporate governance frameworks and the efficiency of leaders within the Kingdom’s financial services sector.

    The session began with a welcome speech from Mrs. Noora Abdulghani, Acting Executive Director of Banking Supervision at CBB, who highlighted the main goals of the module including clearer regulations to support sector growth. She stated: “The updated requirements come as part of the CBB’s efforts to strengthen regulatory policies under the Financial Services Sector Development Strategy 2022-2026. Through extensive industry input, we were able to set the “Fit and Proper” framework in line with global benchmarks, making chief executives directly responsible for ensuring the suitability of individuals holding senior management positions.”

    During the webinar, Mrs. Shireen Al Sayed, Director of Regulatory Policy at CBB, detailed the practical application mechanisms and criteria for evaluating candidates for leadership positions. She commented: “Our new framework reflects a significant shift from our previous approach, whereby licensees are now encouraged to take on a more proactive role, while also having a single, more cohesive CBB Rulebook module that is applicable across the sector.”

    The webinar welcomed various CEOs and compliance officers who were introduced to the updated regulations, ensuring the smooth application of the CBB’s framework. This initiative also reflects its ongoing transparency efforts, by streamlining processes and contributing to an efficient financial ecosystem.

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  • MIL-OSI Economics: CBB holds second Board meeting for 2025

    Source: Central Bank of Bahrain

    Published on 20 April 2025

    Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – 20 April 2025 – The Central Bank of Bahrain’s (CBB) Board of Directors held its second meeting for the year 2025, chaired by Mr. Hassan Khalifa Al Jalahma on Sunday, 20 April 2025.

    The Board reviewed the topics on the agenda and approved the new organizational structure, which reflects the CBB’s dual mandate of maintaining the stability of the financial sector and developing strategies that ensure its development and growth. The Board acknowledged that this structure contributes to achieving the CBB’s objectives and preparing leadership competencies that will contribute to the development and advancement of this vital sector.

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  • MIL-Evening Report: Caitlin Johnstone: ‘I want a death that the world will hear’  –  journalist assassinated by Israel for telling the truth

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone

    Israel assassinated a photojournalist in Gaza in an airstrike targeting her family’s home on Wednesday, the day after it was announced that a documentary she appears in would premier in Cannes next month.

    Her name was Fatima Hassouna. Nine members of her family were also reportedly killed in the bombing. She was going to get married in a few days.

    The documentary is titled Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, and it’s about Israel’s crimes in Gaza.

    In an Instagram post from August of last year, Hassouna wrote the following:

    ‘If I die, I want a loud death. I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group; I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place.’

    Hassouna said she viewed her camera as a weapon to change the world and defend her family, making the following statements in a video shared by Middle East Eye:

    ‘As Fatima, I believe that the image and the camera are weapons. So I consider my camera to be my rifle. So many times, in so many situations, I tell my friends, Come and see, it’s not bullets that we load into a rifle.

    ‘Okay, I’m going to put a memory card into the camera. This is the camera’s bullet, the memory card. It changes the world and defends me. It shows the world what is happening to me and what’s happening to others.

    ‘So I used to consider this my weapon, that I defend myself with it. And so that my family won’t be forgotten. And so I can document people’s stories, so that my family’s stories too don’t just vanish into thin air.”


    ‘I want a death that the world will hear’      Video/Audio: Caitlin Johnstone

    Israel saw Hassouna’s camera as a weapon too, apparently.

    As Ryan Grim observed on Twitter:

    ‘For this to have been a deliberate act — which it plainly was — consider what that means. A person within the IDF saw the news that Fatma’s film was accepted into Cannes. He/she/they then proposed assassinating her. Other people reviewed the suggestion and approved it. Then other people carried it out.’

    Israel has been murdering a record-shattering number of journalists in Gaza while simultaneously blocking any foreign press from accessing the enclave because Israel views journalists as its enemy.

    And Israel views journalists as its enemy because Israel is the enemy of truth.

    Israel and its Western backers understand that truth and support for Israel are mutually exclusive. Those who support Israel are not interested in the truth, and those who are interested in the truth don’t support Israel.

    That’s why the light of journalism is being aggressively snuffed out in Gaza while Israel massively increases its propaganda budget to sway public opinion.

    It’s why journalists like Fatima Hassouna are being assassinated while the Western propaganda services known as the mainstream press commit journalistic malpractice to hide the truth of Israel’s crimes.

    It’s why Western journalists are banned from Gaza while Western institutions are silencing, deporting, firing and marginalising those who speak out about Israel’s criminality.

    Israel and truth cannot coexist. Israel’s enemies know this, and Israel knows this. That’s why Israel’s primary weapons are bombs, bullets, propaganda, censorship, and obstruction, while the main weapon of Israel’s enemies is the camera.

    Fatima Hassouna’s death has indeed been heard. All these loud noises are snapping more and more eyes open from their slumber.

    Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025

    Union Finance Minister to attend Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank

    FM will also take part in G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meetings besides bilateral meetings with many countries and organisations

    Smt. Sitharaman will participate in multilateral dialogues on various fora to showcase India’s economic dynamism

    Posted On: 19 APR 2025 5:11PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on an official visit to USA and Peru beginning 20th April, 2025. During the visit to the USA, the Union Finance Minister will visit San Francisco and Washington D.C. from 20th to 25th April, 2025.

    In the course of her two-day visit to San Francisco beginning 20th April 2025, the Union Finance Minister will deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at the Stanford University, San Francisco, on ‘Laying the foundations of Viksit Bharat 2047’ followed by a fireside chat session.

    Smt. Sitharaman will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a Roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco. Smt. Sitharaman will also participate in an event featuring Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there.

    During her visit to Washington D.C., USA, from 22nd to 25th April 2025, Smt. Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the 2ndG20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governor (FMCBG) Meetings, Development Committee Plenary, IMFC Plenary, and Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) meeting.

    On the sidelines of the Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., Smt. Sitharaman will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from several countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and USA; besides meeting EU Commissioner for Financial Services; President, Asian Development Bank (ADB); President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA); and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    During her maiden visit to Peru from 26th to 30th April 2025, the Union Finance Minister will lead an Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance and business leaders, highlighting the strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between the two nations.

    Beginning her visit in Lima, Union Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman is expected to call on the President of Peru, H.E. Ms. Dina Boluarte, and Prime Minister of Peru, H.E. Mr. Gustavo Adrianzén, besides holding bilateral meetings with the Peruvian Ministers of Finance and Economy; Defence; Energy and Mines; and also holding interaction with local public representatives.

    In the course of her visit to Peru, the Union Finance Minister will chair the India-Peru Business Forum meeting with prominent business representatives in attendance from both India and Peru. Smt. Sitharaman will also hold an interaction with the Indian investors & businesses currently operating in Peru, as well as the Indian Business delegation visiting Peru.

    Given Peru’s importance in the global supply chain of critical minerals and precious metals, discussions during these engagements are also expected to explore avenues for greater collaboration in the mining sector, particularly to strengthen India’s resource security and facilitate value-chain linkages between the two economies.

    The Union Finance Minister will also participate in a community event at Lima, where she will interact with the Indian diaspora living in Peru.

     

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    NB/KMN

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitates First Commercial Sea shipment of Indian pomegranates from Maharashtra to USA

    Source: Government of India

    Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitates First Commercial Sea shipment of Indian pomegranates from Maharashtra to USA

    14 Tons of Indian pomegranates exported from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra to New York, USA

    Posted On: 19 APR 2025 9:39AM by PIB Delhi

    In a historic initiative towards introducing Indian Pomegranates to distant markets, a landmark commercial sea shipment of the prized Indian Bhagwa variety of Pomegranate has successfully arrived in New York, marking a significant milestone for India’s Fresh Fruits exports. With growing international demand for premium quality of Fresh Fruits, the arrival of this shipment heralds the potential of Indian Pomegranates becoming a preferred choice in the competitive U.S. market.

    The Pomegranate season, which traditionally saw air freight as the primary mode of transportation, shifted gears in recent weeks to embrace the cost-effective and sustainable sea freight mode.

    After India had been granted market access by USA for Pomegranates, during the season in 2023, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO – India) and National Research Centre for Pomegranate, Solapur (NRCP) successfully conducted the trial shipment of Pomegranate to USA by air.  

    Owing to the success of the static trial to enhance the shelf life of Pomegranates for up to 60 days by APEDA in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Pomegranate, India had successfully flagged off its first trial commercial sea shipment of Pomegranates comprising of 4200 boxes i.e. 12.6 tons to the U.S. in collaboration with InI Farms from Irradiation Facility Center (IFC), Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), Vashi, Navi Mumbai in February, 2024.

    APEDA facilitated the USDA pre-clearance program for Pomegranates in December, 2024 which played a pivotal role in easing the logistical and regulatory hurdles for Indian agriculture exporters and enabled them to enter the U.S. market. APEDA’s proactive approach in inviting the USDA inspectors for the pre-clearance process three months in advance ensured the smooth and timely arrival of the shipment

    The inaugural sea shipment of 4,620 boxes of Indian Pomegranates, weighing approximately 14 tons reached the U.S. East Coast in the second week of March, well within five weeks of the point of departure. The shipment was met with exceptional enthusiasm in New York. The arrival quality was reported as “excellent” and customers were captivated by the remarkable visual appeal and the superior eating quality of the Indian Bhagwa variety of Pomegranates.

    Chairman, APEDA, Shri Abhishek Dev remarked, “Government of India has been at the forefront in promoting Indian fresh fruits for the global market. APEDA has been supporting the export of Indian fruits like Mangoes and Pomegranates to USA by funding the pre-clearance program. Indian farmers will achieve better realisation when their fruit gets exported to premium international markets like USA. Indian mangoes have already reached annual exports of around 3500 tons and we hope that Pomegranates will also reach such strong numbers in the years to come”.

    This consignment was sent by Kay Bee Exports, a leading exporter of fruits and vegetables from Mumbai and a registered exporter with APEDA. The Pomegranates in this consignment were directly sourced from the farms of Kay Bee Exports, ensuring that the benefits of this export reach Indian farmers at the grassroots level.

    “We are thankful to APEDA for facilitating exports of Indian Pomegranates to USA. APEDA’s efforts have ranged from securing market access to setting up export protocols, co-ordinating with multiple stake-holders and organising the pre-clearance program in conjunction with USDA. Kay Bee is specialised in Pomegranates and hope to offer the best fruit that India has to offer. Our customers expect the best fruit quality and we always strive to do so” said Mr. Kaushal Khakhar, CEO, Kay Bee Exports on the successful shipment.

    “While Indian Pomegranates have always been recognized for their taste, this shipment has proven that with the right quality and consistency, Indian fresh fruits can meet the discerning tastes of the American consumer,” said a representative from the Indian export consortium. “We are delighted with the reception in the market and are confident that this successful arrival will pave the way for an increase in volumes in the coming seasons.”

    Looking ahead, the industry is optimistic that with continued marketing efforts and strategic promotional campaigns, Indian Pomegranates can carve a niche for themselves in the premium U.S. market. In light of the growing success, industry stakeholders sought APEDA’s continued support in launching promotional campaigns for the Indian Pomegranate in the coming year, with the aim of educating U.S. consumers on the fruit’s exceptional eating quality and diverse culinary applications.

    India, being the second-largest producer of horticulture crops, sees major Pomegranate production in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. APEDA has established Export Promotion Forums (EPF) specifically for Pomegranates, aimed at boosting exports and removing supply chain bottlenecks. These EPF forums include representatives from the Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, state governments, national referral laboratories and the top ten leading exporters, ensuring a collaborative effort in promoting Pomegranate exports.

    In the financial year 2023-24, India exported 72,011 metric tons of Pomegranates worth USD 69.08 million. This year, there has been a significant growth in Pomegranate exports from India registering a growth of 21% with a value of USD 59.76 million in the period April – January, 2024-2025. Key export destinations include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bahrain, Oman and USA.

    Indian Pomegranates, particularly the Bhagwa variety, are renowned for their rich flavour, deep red colour and high nutritional value. These Pomegranates are packed with antioxidants and vital nutrients, making them a popular choice among health-conscious consumers worldwide.

    The Government of India’s commitment to promoting the export of fresh fruits and vegetables, despite their perishable nature, is evident in their development of sea protocols to retain product attributes when exporting to long-distance destinations. This initiative not only reinforces India’s position in global markets but also directly supports Indian farmers by creating sustainable export opportunities.

    The steady supply of high-quality fruit, coupled with continued marketing initiatives, will undoubtedly position Indian Pomegranates as a desirable choice for American consumers, ensuring their place on the U.S. retail shelves in years to come.

     

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    Abhishek Dayal/Nihi Sharma

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: WAVES 2025 Animation Film makers Challenge announces top 42 finalists

    Source: Government of India

    WAVES 2025 Animation Film makers Challenge announces top 42 finalists

    WAVES brings to the fore a global showcase of original Animation, VFX, AR/VR & Virtual Productions

    Talented finalists of animation film-making competition to pitch their projects in WAVES 2025

    Posted On: 19 APR 2025 12:03PM by PIB Mumbai

    : Mumbai, April 19, 2025

    The finalists of the Animation Film Makers Competition (AFC) being held as part of the ‘Create in India Challenge Season-1’ of WAVES 2025 has been announced. The best 42 projects, focussing on original storytelling across the entire spectrum of animation, encompassing traditional animation, VFX, Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR), and virtual production, have made it to the final round. These talented participants will now have the opportunity to pitch their original projects during the WAVE Summit which will be held in Mumbai from May 1-4, 2025. The top 3 winners will each receive a cash prize of up to INR 5 Lakhs.

    The selection of the top-42 finalists was the result of a rigorous nine-month evaluation process led by the Dancing Atoms team, in collaboration with the WAVES team. The  dedicated efforts of the participants were complemented by the discerning expertise of an esteemed panel of national and international jury members, including:

    ●     Anu Singh

    ●     Farrukh Dhondy

    ●     Dan Sarto

    ●     James Knight

    ●     Jan Nagel

    ●     Gianmarco Serra

    ●     Indu Ramchandani

    The talented finalists, who will now have the opportunity to pitch their original projects in Mumbai, are: Abhijeet Saxena, Anika Rajesh, Anirban Majumder, Anuj Kumar Choudhary, Arundhati Sarkar, Atreyee Poddar, Bhagat Singh Saini, Bhagyashree Satapathy, Bimal Poddar, Catharina Dian Wiraswati S, Gadam Jagadish Prasad Yadav, Gargi Gawthe, Harish Narayan Iyer, Harshita Das, Hirak Jyoti Nath, Isha Chandna, Jacqueline C Ching, Jyothi Kalyan Sura, Khambor Batei Kharjana, Kishore Kumar Kedari, Kiruthika Ramasubramanian, Makam Neha, Martand Anand Ugalmugle, Nandan Balakrishnan, Piyush Kumar, Prasanth Kumar Nagadasi, Prasenjit Singha, Richa Bhutani, Rishav Mohanty, Rohit Sankhla, Sandhra Mary, Sangeeta Poddar, Segun Samson, Shreeyaa Vinayak Pore, Shreya Sachdev, Shrikant S Menon, Srikanth Bhogi, Shubham Tomar, Shweta Subhash Marathe, Sundar Mahalingam, Sukankan Roy, Triparna Maiti, Tuhin Chanda, Vamsi Bandaru, Vetriveare.

     

    The potential economic impact of their projects is significant, with each animated VFX feature film capable of generating employment for 100-300 individuals. WAVES AFC 2025 represents a crucial investment in creative talents of India, fostering job creation and global opportunities. The competition’s ambition extends to fostering international co-productions.

    This groundbreaking global initiative, supported by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and spearheaded by Dancing Atoms, marks the first time all four verticals of the AVGC sector are represented under one umbrella in such a competition.

    WAVES AFC 2025 garnered an overwhelming response, receiving approximately 1900 registrations and 419 diverse entries from amateur enthusiasts, talented students, and seasoned professionals worldwide. This enthusiastic participation underscores the competition’s vital role in identifying and nurturing fresh creative voices within the animation industry.

    Beyond showcasing talent, the initiative has prioritized mentorship at all stages. All contestants, regardless of their final selection, benefited from invaluable masterclasses led by renowned industry leaders such as Academy Award winner Guneet Monga, acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda, and Saraswathi Buyyala. These sessions focused on refining pitching skills and navigating the complexities of the industry. These projects will be pitched to various OTT platforms and key industry players. Dancing Atoms Studios founder Saraswathi Buyyala is actively engaging with embassies from 17 countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom) to facilitate collaborations for these top- 42 projects. In order to promote these projects, meetings are also being scheduled with prominent distributors. The top 42 projects represent a diverse spectrum, including 12 feature films, 9 TV series, 3 AR/VR experiences, and 18 short films, offering a rich variety for potential viewers and collaborators.

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s crucial support has been instrumental in elevating AFC WAVES 2025 to its current stature. The dedication to fostering original storytelling within the animation, VFX, AR/VR, and virtual production sectors has provided invaluable resources and recognition, empowering emerging talent on a significant platform. This  competition and its rigorous screening processes and enriching learning opportunities, underscored the government’s commitment to nurturing India’s creative potential in the dynamic world of animation. Each selected entry offers a unique narrative and showcases diverse creative approaches, including compelling international submissions. Going forward, the future of animation, VFX, AR/VR, and virtual production storytelling will unfold at WAVES AFC 2025.

    About WAVES

    The first World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), a milestone event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, will be hosted by the Government of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from May 1 to 4, 2025.

    Whether you’re an industry professional, investor, creator, or innovator, the Summit offers the ultimate global platform to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute to the M&E landscape.

    WAVES is set to magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. Industries and sectors in focus include Broadcasting, Print Media, Television, Radio, Films, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Sound and Music, Advertising, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms, Generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR).

    Have questions? Find answers here  

    Stay updated with the latest announcements from PIB Team WAVES

    Come, Sail with us! Register for WAVES now

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Thompson and Secretary Rollins Tour Central Pennsylvania

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Glenn Thompson (5th District Pennsylvania)

    HARRISBURGH, Pa. – Today, U.S. Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson and Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Brooke Rollins toured central Pennsylvania and participated in a roundtable with local agricultural stakeholders with Senator Dave McCormick, Representatives Dan Meuser, Rob Bresnahan, and Lloyd Smucker.

    This morning, at Talview Farms in Lebanon, Representative Thompson, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Senator Dave McCormick, and Representative Dan Meuser highlighted one of Pennsylvania’s proudest traditions: our dairy industry.

    Stacey and Brent Copenhaver, the dedicated owners of Talview Farms, shared their insights on how to better support Pennsylvania producers and the vital need to pass legislation like the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, a bill that provides essential nutrients to our students and supports family farms like Talview.

    Next, Congressman Thompson, Secretary Rollins, Senator McCormick, Congressman Meuser, and Congressman Bresnahan toured Bell & Evans in Fredericksburg. This family-run operation, known for its organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free chicken, has been a staple in the community for decades and employs 1,800 residents. Here, owner Scott Sechler and his family discussed the challenges facing the poultry industry, including bird flu and the measures they’re taking to mitigate these outbreaks. 

    While in Myerstown, Congressman Thompson, Secretary Rollins, Senator McCormick, Congressman Meuser, and Congressman Bresnahan held a roundtable where they engaged with local farmers and various stakeholders on topics including the upcoming farm bill, forestry, nutrition assistance, specialty crops, conservation efforts, and many more.
     

    In Paradise, Congressman Thompson, Secretary Rollins, Senator McCormick, Congressman Meuser, Congressman Bresnahan, and Congressman Smucker met with Bank of Bird-in-Hand to discuss opportunities to expand credit availability to our nation’s producers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 20, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 20, 2025.

    Mediawatch: Jailed Australian foreign correspondent’s life spread across the big screen
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    Palestinian solidarity vigil at Easter in NZ as Israeli bombing rages in Gaza
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    Did Australia back the wrong war in the 1960s? Now Putin’s Russia is knocking on the door
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    Trump executive orders roll back ocean fisheries protections in Pacific
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    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 19, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 19, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –