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Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ3: Addressing measures of United States aimed against China’s shipping industry

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is a question by the Hon Yim Kong and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 28):

    Question:

    Last month, the United States released the findings of the “Section 301 Investigations” under the Trade Act of 1974 and announced that port fees would be imposed on vessels owned or controlled by Chinese entities (including Hong Kong entities), including vessels whose owner or operator is headquartered in Hong Kong and vessels of which more than 25 per cent of the equity interest is held by a citizen or citizens or the Government of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the fourth largest shipping register in the world, with over 1 100 maritime-related companies currently operating here. Some preliminary analyses have pointed out that such maritime companies will be faced with risks such as an upsurge in operating costs and a decline in market competitiveness, and ship leasing and ship financing businesses will also be affected by knock-on impacts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) whether the Government has systematically assessed the negative impact of the aforesaid measures of the United States on Hong Kong’s shipping and maritime-related industries, and formulated a cross-departmental collaboration plan to safeguard Hong Kong’s status as an international shipping centre, as well as companies’ legitimate rights and interests;

    (2) whether it will provide targeted relief measures to the affected companies engaged in shipping, ship leasing and so on, or provide certain financial support for them to adjust their route deployments; and

    (3) whether it has proactive measures to attract “non-US” ship operators or relevant high-end maritime service providers to carry on developing their business in Hong Kong?

    Reply:

    President,

    The United States (US) Government announced on April 17 this year the results of its Section 301 Investigations against Chinese maritime, logistics and ship building industries and decided to impose port fees on vessels owned or operated by Chinese (including Hong Kong and Macao) companies, and vessels built in China for the use of US ports. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has immediately issued a press release to express its strong opposition to the decision, particularly for the fact that the measures are blatantly discriminatory, deliberately dividing the international maritime community and undermining the spirit of international solidarity and co-operation.

    The HKSAR Government is highly concerned about the incident and the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) has been maintaining close liaison with the industry to assess the situation and respond as needed. With regard to the various parts of Hon Yim’s question, my reply is as follows:

    (1) The US authorities has announced that the port fees will take effect on October 14 this year. For a vessel of 50 000 net tonnage, it will be charged US$2.5 million per entry into a US port, thereafter increased annually reaching US$7 million in April 2028. Each vessel will be charged up to a maximum of five times per year. The fees are indeed detrimental to others without beneficial to oneself, not only undermining the interests of the US port industry, cargo owners and consumers but also unfairly increasing the costs of Hong Kong’s shipping companies on their business operations routing to and from the US ports.

    Hong Kong is an international maritime centre supported by our country. Over the years, Hong Kong has attracted shipping companies of different capital backgrounds from all over the world to operate in the city by virtue of our “one country, two systems”, bilingual common law as well as a free and open business environment. Each of these shipping companies has its own specific business portfolio and clientele. The extent to which they will be affected would depend on the share of the US market in their respective portfolios and their scope for adjusting shipping routes and business portfolios. It is therefore difficult to generalise the situation.

    Recently, we have been visiting the shipping companies one after another, and the industry has reflected that the business environment in Hong Kong is indeed unrivalled and that the Hong Kong’s ship registry has brought an edge to their ships in terms of quality assurance and international reputation. The industry is striving to identify solutions to the incident, and we do not underestimate the pressure faced by them due to various commercial considerations. On the strength of our country’s strong backings, the HKSAR Government will render its full support to the Hong Kong’s shipping companies to cope with the challenges. At the same time, we urge the industry to stay confident and avoid making hasty decisions under short-term geopolitical pressures at the expense of the long-term development opportunities in Hong Kong.

    (2) We understand from the affected companies that they consider financial subsidies from the Government neither financially sustainable nor an effective solution to the problem. In contrast, the industry hopes that the Government can better consolidate the edges for the maritime sector operating in Hong Kong.

    In recent years, the Government has introduced a number of measures to enhance the competitiveness of the maritime industry, which has indeed saved up for a rainy day and enhanced the industry’s resilience in coping with the complex external circumstances. We will capitalise on our strengths via a systematic and proactive approach to reinforce the local maritime industry chain internally as well as to expand market opportunities in our country and the world externally. We would have four key areas of work in future, including strengthening the maritime ecosystem, leading the industry to seize the opportunities arising from green shipping, deepening Hong Kong’s role as an international exchange platform, and expanding opportunities in Mainland and overseas markets:

    (i) Strengthening the maritime ecosystem, including the introduction of a half-rate tax concession for commodity traders and enhancement of the existing tax concessions for the maritime industry, for which the legislative bill is to be submitted to the Legislative Council in the first half of next year; continuing to provide green cash incentives and implementing the Block Registration Incentive Scheme for Hong Kong-registered ships;

    (ii) Supporting and leading the industry to seize the opportunities arising from green shipping. The TLB has promulgated the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering at the end of last year, with a view to promoting Hong Kong into a high-quality green maritime fuel bunkering centre by, inter alia, providing collaborative platforms for catalysing green maritime fuel supply and trading, thereby equipping the industry to cope with the international trend of green transition.

    (iii) Deepening Hong Kong’s role as an international exchange platform for facilitating interfaces between the local and overseas industry and expanding global business opportunities. The Government has been actively deepening collaborations with the international maritime organisations. The Hong Kong Maritime Week last year has been one of the most international editions ever where the key organisations like the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Maritime Organization had staged events in Hong Kong. These organisations have confirmed their continued participation in the Hong Kong Maritime Week this year and there would also be other international organisations staging events in Hong Kong for the first time.

    (iv) Assisting and leading Hong Kong shipping companies to expand opportunities in Mainland and overseas markets, capitalising on Hong Kong’s connectivity. This include establishing a “rail-sea-land-river” intermodal transport system with the Mainland for securing more cargo sources for Hong Kong, as well as utilising the port community system to be launched in January next year for connecting with the international maritime community, thereby assisting the industry to further enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

    In addition, the Government will soon set up the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Development Board to be chaired by a non-official and provided with dedicated team and resources for enhancing its research, promotion and manpower training capabilities, so as to provide more effective support to the Government in promoting the development of Hong Kong’s maritime industry.

    (3) The aforementioned measures will significantly enhance Hong Kong’s business environment and attractiveness, reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as an international maritime centre. We will continue to step up external promotion on the advantages of operating in Hong Kong through the Marine Department’s service points located in seven different continents and Invest Hong Kong’s network at home and abroad. The Marine Department will also set up a new dedicated team in the Middle East in the fourth quarter of this year for targeted promotion towards the emerging markets there.

    Thank you, President.

    Ends/Wednesday, May 28, 2025
    Issued at HKT 18:25

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Killing is part of their life’: the men raised on violence who are both perpetrators and victims as South Sudan faces return to civil war

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Heidi Riley, Adjunct Research Fellow, University College Dublin, and Affiliate Researcher in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London

    *Some pseudonyms are used to protect the identities of interviewees.

    “I saw a lot of suffering.” The old man, Lokwi, gestures towards the woman cooking beside their hut as he talks. “The husband of this woman … was killed here.”

    The woman is Lokwi’s sister-in-law. He is recalling the day in 1988 when his brother was killed by soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Lokwi was still a child when the SPLA captured the town of Kapoeta and surrounding settlements, where he lived with his family. The day his brother was killed, everybody was forced to leave:

    There was nothing good that day … They burned all the villages and the soldiers attacked the civilians. People were scattered.

    South Sudan – a central African country of around 11.5 million people split in half by the White Nile – suffered decades of conflict prior to gaining independence from the rest of Sudan in 2011. While independence brought optimism, this was thwarted two years later by internal disputes among the ruling parties that led to a resurgence of the violence.

    While a ceasefire was brokered in 2018 and a power-sharing agreement signed between opposing political factions, there has been a lack of political will to implement it. The dire economic situation, worsening food insecurity driven by climate change and political instability, and legacies of ethnic rivalries continue to perpetuate ethnically motivated violence and distrust between communities. In April, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, warned that the world’s youngest nation is once again on the brink of civil war.

    Amid this resurgence of violence, Lokwi – who is from the Toposa community – continues to be haunted by memories of the attack that killed his brother. Sitting under the shade of a tree in the village where it took place, he explains how he fled into the bush and survived for days on wild fruit until, starving, he managed to get to the town of Narus, where he was given some food by a local Dinka man.

    When Lokwi finally returned to his village, he found everything destroyed by fire – huts, livestock and granaries “all burned”. Whereas he decided to start again and rebuild the village, his surviving brother, now living in Narus, promised “never to step in this land again because of the memories and pain”.

    Today, Lokwi works as a peace activist in South Sudan. He spends a lot of time encouraging people in his village and the surrounding area to engage in peaceful dialogue with rival groups – and to resist violence. With an expression of concern, he explains the difficulties he faces in dissuading young men from engaging in violence:

    When I tell them to stop the conflict … we have homes and families who listen and stay calm, but other individuals like the [male] youths don’t listen, they still create problems.

    South Sudan’s long history of cattle raiding

    Over the course of 2024, Anna Adiyo Sebit and three other South Sudanese researchers interviewed more than 400 men and women from South Sudan’s Toposa and Nuer communities as part of the XCEPT programme. This programme, based at King’s College London, seeks to understand the role that conflict-related trauma plays in influencing who engages in violence and who doesn’t.

    As well as inter-ethnic fighting, South Sudan has a long history of cattle raiding. Cattle are central to the pastoralist communities which make up over half of the population, including ethnic groups such as the Dinka, Nuer and Toposa.

    In most rural households, financial capital is typically held in livestock, mainly cows – which are also required for dowry payments and as compensation for any crimes committed. This places high value on cattle ownership, meaning that raiding and inter-community disputes over cattle are common.

    Among South Sudan’s rural households, much of the financial capital is held in cows.
    Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

    And whereas these disputes were once fought with sticks, stones and spears, years of political conflict have left the country awash with guns – so cattle raiding has become a lethal activity. As one old man who described himself as a “retired warrior” explained:

    In our grandparents’ and grand ancestors’ [time], in battles or fighting we used stones, pangas, sticks, spears and arrows. [At this time there were] rare fights or raids waged against [other] tribes … But after the introduction of AK-47 machine guns, it accelerated [to] higher numbers of raids and increased casualties in both communities.

    Among these pastoralist communities, gender norms determine that where women and girls are tasked with maintaining domestic life, including sustaining subsistence farming and constructing huts, men are expected to keep and secure cattle. Many young men are active in cattle camps, which are in areas with better pastures where cows are taken to graze – but can be vulnerable to raids from other ethnic groups.

    In many parts of rural South Sudan, young men are expected to fight to secure and protect their livelihood – including achieving the required “bride price” for their marriage to go ahead. Successful cattle raids can earn a young man respect among his peers.

    But the trauma of experiencing violence from a young age, as so many of these young men have, is likely to be a factor in the perpetuation of various forms of violence in adulthood, including the prevalence of revenge killings.

    The high rates of violence are also having a devastating impact on women and girls in South Sudan. According to a 2024 UN Population Fund study, 65% of women and girls have experienced some form of gender-based violence, of which intimate partner violence is the most prevalent. The UN Mission in South Sudan has also reported a steep increase in sexual violence and abductions of women and girls by armed groups in 2024.

    Aware of the prevalence of violence against women by cattle youth, Lokwi speaks of confronting the issue at community meetings in his village where he brings together members of rival communities:

    The youths are also part of the meeting. Everybody is given the chance from both communities to talk, and we tell them ‘stop killing women in the bush’. I tell them that women are the ones who give birth to generations, and [ask]: ‘Why do you kill women?’ [Some] will feel touched and listen and stop – but there are other individuals [for] whom killing is part of their life … They will still kill women.

    Masculine expectations

    In South Sudan, like many countries, masculine expectations that associate men with being the provider or protector, and with characteristics of strength, stoicism and bravery, play an important role in how men experience trauma and the coping mechanisms they use.

    Men are often socialised into suppressing emotions such as sadness or hurt. As a result, alternative outlets for dealing with trauma and stress can manifest in more violent or aggressive emotions.

    I have spent many years researching how societal expectations of masculinity play into the way men respond to traumatic experiences. In narratives of wartime suffering, our understanding of male trauma is often overshadowed by the association of masculinity with the perpetration of violence.

    While not all men suffering from trauma respond in the same way, research by the Brazilian NGO Promundo has found that men and boys are more likely than women and girls to exhibit maladaptive coping behaviour such as risk-taking, low physical activity, withdrawal and self-harm – or violence in its multiple forms. There is also evidence that rates of alcohol and substance abuse are higher among men affected by trauma or high levels of stress.

    Psychological studies suggest a link between masculine norms, emotional restriction, and PTSD symptoms. As such, men are less likely to seek help or open up to others about the difficulties they are experiencing. This in turn increases their risk of developing negative coping mechanisms.

    During conflict or in situations of acute food insecurity, daily stresses through an inability to fulfil masculine expectations can become particularly acute – and lead to increasingly violent behaviour. This pattern emerges in many of the interviews conducted for the XCEPT project.

    SPLA soldiers in 2016: the head of the UN mission in South Sudan has warned the country is back on the brink of civil war.
    Jason Patinkin (Voice Of America) via Wikimedia Commons

    Eric, from the South Sudan state of Eastern Equatoria, lost his father when he was ten. His father was a fairly wealthy man but after his death, that wealth was passed on to Eric’s uncles on his father’s side, rather than his mother or her three co-wives. (The tradition of inheritance passing to male relatives is reflective of women’s lack of economic independence in rural South Sudan.)

    Eric was then required to respect his uncles as stepfathers as they became the de facto authority over his mother, her co-wives and their children. As the oldest son, he endured years of beatings from his stepfathers, as well as witnessing violence by them against his mother.

    Upon reaching adulthood, Eric said he realised he was able to escape the “catastrophic mistreatment from his stepfathers” and needed to “adventure” for his own survival. However, due to food shortages, survival meant engaging in cattle raiding.

    On his first raid, his “warrior group” secured a herd of cattle by killing the cattle owner. Eric was granted four cows – but apart from one, these had to be handed over to his stepfathers. As he explained:

    On my arrival, people in my village were excited to see me back without any injuries and I brought these cows. On [the] spot, my stepfathers took them. As in [the] culture of Toposa, anything from your enemies belongs to elder people. I was only left with one cow.

    On his second raid, Eric secured 30 goats, of which his stepfathers allowed him to keep ten.

    Aware of the suffering that this raiding had caused and now with an established reputation as a “warrior”, Eric then stepped back from raiding and used the ten goats to breed more. This gave him the resources for marriage and to start a family – but he carried the legacy of his involvement in the killings during past raids, and the knowledge that he was now a target for retaliatory violence. He explained:

    So far, I have killed six enemies; hence am also included as a warrior in my community. I do not want them [the enemy] to know my name because they will kill me if they know me.

    For Eric and many other men like him in South Sudan, it is difficult to show emotions such as sadness or fear, as this could be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Our researcher and interviewer, Anna Adiyo Sebit, describes the expectations placed on men in her culture: “As a man, even when someone dies, you do not shed a tear, especially in front of women. Instead, you cry from your heart inside.”

    The trauma of war

    Ten years ago, while conducting fieldwork in Nepal for my PhD and book, I interviewed more than 60 former members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to examine how their participation in the civil war – known as the People’s War – affected notions of masculinity within the armed group.

    While I never asked about trauma or psychological difficulties, it became clear these were present for many of the men – just never explicitly spoken about. Instead, they would talk about their sense of disillusionment or lack of ability to fulfil societal expectations of masculinity – all the while, carefully keeping their emotions in check.

    These emotions would only surface in more casual conversations over tea or food, following the formal interviews. In these moments, the men revealed a more vulnerable side – often expressing sadness, frustration, and a desire to share their more personal stories.

    It was a clear shift from the displays of hardened masculinity in their narratives of the battlefield. Some of these informal exchanges hinted at signs of PTSD – for example, in their descriptions of flashbacks, sleep difficulties and short temperedness. One young man who was extremely polite and courteous became very fidgety after the end of the interview. He told me: “In the night I can’t sleep, because I hear bomb blasts inside my head.”

    Another, clearly proud of his role in the People’s War, recounted his bravery on the battlefield. Yet, when he spoke of the six months of torture he had endured in police custody, his composure faltered and he struggled to hold back tears. He showed me a photo of his three-year-old child, saying: “This is why I will never return to battle.”

    What I encountered was men who appeared uneasy about expressing emotions as this runs contrary to masculine expectations, but were also frustrated at a lack of outlets to tell their story.

    During one interview with a former PLA member in the western district of Bardiya, I noticed a group of ex-PLA fighters gathered at the boundary of his home after they had heard an interview was taking place. As my interpreter and I were leaving, a thin man at the front of the crowd began shouting aggressively at us.

    Having initially assumed his anger was directed at my presence in the area, I realised it stemmed from his frustration at not being selected for an interview. “Why does everyone always want to interview you?” he shouted at the man I had just spoken to. The former fighter’s anger, fuelled by alcohol, appeared to reflect his frustration at lacking a platform to share his own story.

    From Nepal in 2016 to South Sudan in 2024, amid the violence and trauma of war and the daily expectations of masculinity associated with being a provider and protector, there appeared to be few outlets through which these men could talk freely about their emotions, tell their stories, and admit their mental health difficulties.

    Many of the men interviewed in South Sudan had been involved in violent clashes involving killings at some point in their lives. In interviews carried out in Kapoeta North, a county in eastern Equatoria, some men reported having constant flashbacks to the sounds of gunshots – when they tried to sleep at night, these sounds would “become real”, stopping them getting any proper rest:

    Sometimes you can wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself trembling as if these people are coming for you.

    One man explained how he would get up in the night to follow a “black shadow” like a ghost. When community members would run after him to stop him, he would become “hostile and behave like he wants to kill everyone” – because, he explained, he saw his friend being killed on the battlefield and the memory of this would not leave him, especially in the night.

    A woman described how, when young men are involved in “killing”, their “mind is not functioning well”. Contextualising this claim she explained: “There was this man who got traumatised due to the ongoing conflict of raiding. He fought many battles until the gunshot sound affected his brain and made him crazy.”

    She then described a man who could not accept his friend had died in a cattle camp raid and insisted on returning to the battlefield, even though the community told him not to. “After confirming [his friend’s death] he ran mad and became confused. We say that such a person had his heart broken by the incident he witnessed, and we say he is mad.”

    Men whose companions have been killed can become fixated on revenge, as Sebit explains, “It will torture their mind until they go and avenge the death of the person that was killed.” Some will encourage them to take revenge but others, like Lokwi, are trying to discourage revenge killings and working towards peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue.

    Societal expectations of masculinity

    The link between societal expectations of masculinity, trauma and violent behaviour among men is important in better understanding ongoing insecurities in rural South Sudan. A man is supposed to own cows in order to gain respect from their community. Without these, they can be rejected – leading to feelings of isolation, despair and a fear of ridicule.

    As noted by another elderly interviewee: “If a man does not go for raiding, he will be cursed by elders. [In contrast], if he comes back with cows, people will celebrate – and if he dies, people will say he died as a warrior.”

    It can be a vicious circle. If you do not get cows when you raid another community, this may lead to further feelings of shame – driving the young men to put themselves at further risk. In a state of stress and having grown up in a culture of conflict, they may regard themselves as having no choice but to risk death in the quest for cows. Those who have been orphaned or do not have other family members to support them can be particularly vulnerable to this.

    A young boy brandishes an immitation pistol made of mud in South Sudan’s capital, Juba.
    Richard Juilliart/Shutterstock

    Such concerns about masculinity emerge in many of the interviews with young men in South Sudan – and also in discussions with support workers there. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is one of the few organisations in South Sudan who have run trauma awareness training for men. A local CRS programme manager, Luol, explained to me in an online meeting how men’s worries about marriage rights can spiral into acts of violence:

    What is actually happening in [young men’s] brains is they are thinking: ‘Okay, I am 18 or 17 years old now, in the next two years I have to have my partner at home, but I don’t have resources. [So] the best way to get resources is to raid or steal people’s properties.’ This is the thinking of war. This is the thinking of a person who has been exposed to conflict – that the best way to get resources is to raid from somebody.

    In another meeting, Luol described his experience of facilitating trauma awareness programmes with men. He explained that “many of the men have participated in cattle raiding and have seen horrific kinds of events such as, seeing somebody [being] killed, and [they] can be traumatised because [they] participated in that war [raid].”

    Luol described one young man who came and spoke to him after the first day of training:

    He wanted to testify that he’s now recovering from his trauma because he participated in the war and he saw children and women being killed and when he returned home, he saw [in] his own children, the children who were killed, and he cried, he felt ashamed for participating and playing a part in this. And he was trying to recover from that effect of trauma. And that’s very common. Most of the young men who participate in war come back traumatised.

    The importance of such outlets for men to come and talk together about their emotions was emphasised in our meeting. For cultural reasons, neither individual counselling sessions nor sessions including women would be acceptable to the men.As noted by another local CRS staff member :

    If women are in that group, the men are likely not to talk about [trauma] because of masculinity issues. They don’t want the women to hear men accepting weakness or vulnerability … But if the men are talking alone [about] their life they will say: ‘Yes, this is what happened to me, and this is how we can move forward.’

    While these sessions are not supposed to be a form of restorative justice or “amnesty” for crimes committed, Luol explained that opening up about feelings of guilt in the small group is helpful in addressing “displaced anger” that can manifest in continued violence in the community, clan or in the family.

    CRS Trauma Awareness and Social Cohesion programmes also encourage discussions of alternatives to violence or cattle raiding, presenting a longer-term life vision for those present. According to one attendee, his less traumatised brain allows for rational thinking such as: “If I start cultivating this year and I want to marry in two or three years’ time, I’ll be able to produce the crops, sell them in the market, and then buy cows if I need to buy cows.”

    The programme was piloted in South Sudan’s Greater Jonglei State in 2014 using CRS private funding. Three years later it secured funding from USAID after “demonstrating its value”. In 2020, with additional funding from the EU, the programme was expanded to areas of Eastern Equatoria. While the programme has now ended with the completion of its funding cycle, CRS continues to seek future funding to re-establish the initiative.

    Soldiers celebrate the anniversary of South Sudan’s independence day, which briefly brought peace.
    Richard Juilliart/Shutterstock

    ‘Everything gets destroyed’

    While recognising that most men do not engage in violence, the reality is men are overwhelmingly responsible for violence when it does occur. This is the case in South Sudan as in all countries. It is therefore vital to engage with men, not just as perpetrators of violence but as potential peacemakers.

    Unfortunately, gender stereotyping within the humanitarian and donor sector has resulted in a lack of trauma response targeted at men. Instead, men and boys tend to be framed as perpetual perpetrators of violence and discrimination – as “emasculated troublemakers” not worth engaging with, or at best by the “men can cope by themselves” narrative.

    Wider research by XCEPT has found that out of 12 humanitarian organisations interviewed in northern Syria, northern Iraq and South Sudan, only two had programmes specifically targeted at men. The situation appears little changed from the conclusion reached in the 2021 Promondo report, which stated:

    This de-prioritisation of boys and men in emergency response is rooted in donors’ and international organisations’ lack of political will to meaningfully acknowledge that vulnerability exists beyond women and girls … Chronic inattention to boys and men has resulted in programs, services and spaces not being sufficiently tailored to meet their needs.

    This not only has an impact on men and boys’ wellbeing. It also fails to take on board the reality that unaddressed trauma among men correlates with increases in community violence, revenge killings, cattle raiding and gender-based violence suffered by women and girls. As an international CRS staff member explained:

    Unless donors have a way of facing [the reality of trauma] and addressing it in all interventions, all the money we’re spending on health programs and infrastructure programs and education programs and whatever it is, it’s just money down the drain. Because eventually, everything gets destroyed in violence.

    For you: more from our Insights series:

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    Heidi Riley receives funding from the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme, funded by UK International Development from the UK government. (Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.) She also received funding from the Irish Research Council for the Nepal research mentioned. Sincere thanks to Anna Adiyo Sebit, expert researcher with Catholic Relief Services in South Sudan, for her fieldwork and other contributions to this article.

    – ref. ‘Killing is part of their life’: the men raised on violence who are both perpetrators and victims as South Sudan faces return to civil war – https://theconversation.com/killing-is-part-of-their-life-the-men-raised-on-violence-who-are-both-perpetrators-and-victims-as-south-sudan-faces-return-to-civil-war-256177

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Regular Screening for Depression May Benefit High Schoolers

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts have steadily increased among high school students in the U.S. over the past decade and a half, a University of Connecticut researcher reports. The concerning increase should change how and who we screen for depression or suicidal behaviors.

    Adolescents are the age group most likely to commit suicide in the U.S. Although the absolute risk is low, every incident is a tragedy. Identifying youth with suicidal thoughts and offering them support and interventions is the best method we have for preventing suicidal behaviors. Unfortunately, the number of high schoolers reporting feeling sad or hopeless enough to have trouble participating in normal activities has steadily increased from 2007 through 2021, UConn School of Medicine psychiatric epidemiologist T. Greg Rhee reports in two papers, one just published on May 28 in American Journal of Psychiatry and the other this past February in The Lancet.

    Among teens with symptoms of depression, the number reporting suicidal thoughts increased by about 1.3% every other year, from 41.2% in 2007 to 51.7% in 2021.

    Not only are more teens experiencing episodes of depression more frequently, but even teens who engage in few or no risky behaviors are reporting more depressive symptoms. The study used data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that surveys U.S. high school students. They looked at YRBS data spanning 2007 to 2021, including responses from 119,654 students. The study classifies risky behaviors as including exposure to bullying or violence, substance use, sexual activity, unhealthy behaviors related to weight, and a lack of physical activity.

    The results from the researchers’ analysis were particularly disturbing because they indicated almost any teen could be affected.

    “Even if you don’t engage in any risky behaviors, you can still have suicidal ideation,” Rhee says.

    The Lancent study focused on trends in depressive symptoms among high school students with and without risky behaviors. The American Journal of Psychiatry study focused on trends in suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among high school students. Taken together, the two studies suggest that even teens with no risk factors could benefit from regular screening for depressive symptoms or suicidal behaviors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Women’s Rugby World Cup Trophy coming to York

    Source: City of York

    Published Tuesday, 27 May 2025

    Ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the newly-revealed trophy will be coming to York on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 of June.

    As part of the ‘Trophy Tour’ this summer, a fully branded Land Rover Defender will bring the new trophy into the city, for members of the public to see.

    On Sunday 1 and Monday 2 June the trophy will be displayed on Parliament Square, and during the evening of 2 June it will be taken to York Rugby Club from 6pm to allow local sports teams and organisations to enjoy the visit.

    Welcoming the trophy to the city, Cllr Pete Kilbane, Executive Member for Economy and Culture, said:

    We’re thrilled to be hosting several exciting games as part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup later this summer.

    “Supporting this leg of the Trophy Tour is a great way to continue our amazing year of sport, and a great opportunity to celebrate the recent news that York is one of England’s most active cities. Our residents have shown how much love and support they have for sport, from grassroots all the way through to professional and international level competition”.    

    Interested residents and visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the trophy don’t need to book a space, just turn up at Parliament Square between 10:30am and 3.30pm on 1 June, or between 10am and 3pm on 2 June.

    During August and September York Community Stadium will host six matches, including USA Vs Australia, South Africa Vs Italy and New Zealand Vs Spain.

    Anyone interested in watching any of the Women’s Rugby World Cup games can find more information, and buy tickets, at www.rugbyworldcup.com/2025/en.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Interview with Alexey Overchuk for Rossiyskaya Gazeta

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Alexey Overchuk: Developing the economy together with Eurasian partners is more profitable than doing it alone

    S. Bolotov: What were the countries striving for when they agreed to establish the union and did they manage to get what they wanted?

    A. Overchuk: The Eurasian Union is an economic integration association of five states of Northern Eurasia. If we proceed from the theory of integration, then the development of economies and the improvement of people’s living standards depend on freedom of trade and accessibility to large foreign markets. Russia is a large market, due to which it is an economic center of attraction for neighboring economies. For the countries of the region, Russia is the geographically closest country, whose trade accessibility is determined by its decision to develop common markets for goods, services, capital and labor with them. At the same time, Russia receives benefits not only from economic integration, but also other advantages. By promoting the well-being of our neighbors, we create conditions for our own creative development, and this is no longer just an economic category.

    The processes taking place in the post-Soviet space have deeper roots than the framework of interaction defined by the EAEU law. In some ways, this promotes the development of integration, and in others, it slows it down. Therefore, the joint advancement of the countries of the Eurasian five is a constant testing of a possible path of coordinated development based on mutual respect for interests and consensus decision-making. States never have completely coinciding interests, so the results of integration do not always coincide with their expectations, but all participants share an understanding of the fundamental reasons for integration and receive benefits from it.

    Imagine if we didn’t have the EAEU today? It would mean that we are fenced off from our closest neighbors by customs barriers and technical regulations. Manufacturers from Russia and partner countries would incur much higher costs for moving goods across borders, and they would need to specifically adapt their products to the requirements of individual country markets. As a result, they would have worse competitive conditions in the markets of neighboring countries and less income.

    The GDP growth in the EAEU member states in recent years speaks for itself – plus 4.4% for the EAEU as a whole in 2024. This is significantly higher than the global average rate, estimated at 3.3%.

    Our countries are jointly strengthening transport and logistics connectivity both within the EAEU and with our closest neighbors. The plan to connect the EAEU with China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative is being implemented, and we are jointly developing the “North-South” international transport corridor, as well as other transcontinental land routes that allow us to better realize our competitive advantages in Greater Eurasia.

    Last year, we took a very important step towards stimulating the development of industrial cooperation ties and creating conditions for the inclusion of small economies of the union in this process.

    GDP growth in the EAEU member states speaks for itself – 4.4% in 2024 against the world average of 3.3%

    The EAEU has moved to practical support for industry by subsidizing the interest rate on loans for projects involving representatives of three or more EAEU member states. Business is beginning to master this tool, which allows for lower lending costs. The first projects have already been approved.

    The issue of extending similar support measures to agriculture is currently being considered at the Eurasian Economic Commission. I do not rule out that in the future we will put forward a proposal to stimulate the strengthening of cooperative ties in the construction of transport and logistics facilities.

    S. Bolotov: Economists say that a market of at least 300 million people is needed for serious investments in modern production to pay off. The USA, the European Union, China or India have such a population and market, but the EAEU countries have about 185 million people. Where can we find more consumers?

    A. Overchuk: Our union is a large common market, where all five member states are interested in the growth of their economies. To do this, it is necessary not only to create better conditions for doing business in the common domestic market, but also to promote goods from the EAEU for export. Access to foreign markets is necessary to gain advantages from the economy of size, increase sales and income growth, and to do this, it is necessary to negotiate better conditions with foreign partners. When it comes to concluding free trade agreements, our five countries together have a stronger negotiating position.

    The EAEU already has such agreements with Vietnam and Serbia, and another one has been in force since May 15, 2025, with Iran. This is in addition to our 185 million people, plus approximately another 190 million. We are now close to signing agreements with two countries, and negotiations are still underway, which will also improve the accessibility of foreign markets for EAEU producers. Of course, there is no direct calculation here, each agreement is unique and in each case covers certain product positions, but in general, this expands the opportunities for investment recoupment.

    At the same time, it is not only free access to the market and its capacity that are important. Interest in purchasing the final imported product also depends on the participation of a particular country in the international supply chain, the availability of investments and corresponding jobs on its territory. Then you get a competitive product that will be produced, bought and consumed. This is precisely why we are developing industrial cooperation and transport connectivity both within the EAEU and the CIS, and with the countries of Greater Eurasia.

    S. Bolotov: How big can a free trade area become?

    A. Overchuk: Perhaps we should not speak in terms of creating a large free trade zone. The signing of each agreement is the result of an agreed balance of benefits and losses that may arise if it comes into force. There are economies with which our five, for various reasons, will probably not come to such decisions very soon.

    At the same time, we see that Eurasia has enormous creative potential, where the countries of the north and south strive for development and do a lot for this. There are such international associations as the SCO and ASEAN, BRICS, building relations on mutual respect of the participating parties. For our part, we consider the EAEU as the center of economic crystallization of Northern Eurasia, which has achieved a high level of social and economic development, and has also generally solved the problems of food and energy security. This makes our five an attractive partner for the countries of the Global South, which still cannot overcome the consequences of colonial dependence on the countries of Western Europe.

    Eurasia has enormous creative potential, where the countries of the north and south strive for development and do a lot for this

    Many of these countries are drawn to Russia. We see this both from the number of world leaders who visited our country on May 9 and from the participation and discussions within the framework of the Russia-Africa forums. These are dozens of states with a population of billions of people, and each of them has its own characteristics and interests. The world is diverse, and approaches to building mutually beneficial and respectful relations can be much more variable than the creation of free trade zones.

    In 2015, President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin put forward the initiative of the Greater Eurasian Partnership. Its implementation involves the creation of an open integration circuit on the Eurasian continent through the consolidation of the efforts of all states and regional associations based on the EAEU, SCO and ASEAN. This is about linking national and regional projects, creating conditions for socio-economic progress and equalizing the levels of development of individual countries based on strengthening transport and logistics connectivity, technological re-equipment and strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties. This is a major civilizational project that is just beginning to take shape, and work on it is more comprehensive than negotiations on the creation of free trade zones with individual countries.

    S. Bolotov: And the EAEU itself does not plan to expand?

    A. Overchuk: The attractiveness of international integration associations is determined by their benefits for the participating states and how they position themselves. The EAEU is a young integration association, it is only ten years old. It is still in the formation stage. Many issues still need to be resolved, and much still needs to be agreed upon.

    The business community and people in the five EAEU countries are beginning to realize the advantages of union integration. They see that intra-union trade has fewer barriers and is more convenient than trade with third countries, which is proven by its faster growth rates. This is especially noticeable in the example of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, which joined somewhat later and in a short time, thanks to the accessibility of a large market, have significantly raised their economies and living standards. The economy of Kazakhstan is actively developing, where a large number of significant industrial, energy, and transport and logistics investment projects are being implemented and where agriculture is reaching a new level. Belarus, with which Russia has deep integration relations within the Union State, is successfully developing high-added-value production. In the context of the formation of a multipolar world, the growth of tariff barriers, the decline in the effectiveness of the WTO system, the breakdown of international supply chains and the growth of economic threats, all countries of the world will strive to find regional partners with whom they can establish sustainable integration ties. As global challenges mount, our neighbors will want greater predictability for their economies and will see the EAEU as a kind of “safe haven” where they are treated with respect and their interests are taken into account.

    It is also necessary to understand that our integration association is developing on the basis of a balance of interests of the five member states. It has already managed to turn into a very complex system, has formed its own law, has acquired requirements and is actively promoting international trade and economic relations. The accession of new states to the union will already be a more complex process than, for example, several years ago. If someone decides to go this way, then they will have to do a lot to comply with our standards and rules.

    At the same time, when coordinating the possibility of joining a particular country, member states will decide what level of integration and with whom best meets their interests. We also understand that this is a mutual process. For our part, by granting interested countries the status of an observer state, we allow them to get a better idea of the internal structure of the EAEU and make a more informed choice. Today, Iran, Uzbekistan and Cuba are observers of the EAEU.

    Along with this, due to deep historical, cultural, humanitarian and economic ties, there is a high degree of integration with the CIS member states, which allows them to a large extent to receive similar integration advantages from proximity to Russia. The EAEU member states form the backbone of the CIS, which predetermines the trajectory of convergence of the EAEU and CIS law. Such work is underway.

    The EAEU is open not only to the countries of the post-Soviet space. In addition, the EAEU member states are already adopting multilateral agreements that are accessible for accession by states that are not part of our integration association. So there are many ways for mutually beneficial integration.

    S. Bolotov: Prices for gas, other fuel and raw materials, as well as food from Russia for partners in the EAEU are significantly lower than on the international market. Will it not turn out that our country will give them more than it receives in return?

    A. Overchuk: These are our allies and closest neighbors. Our well-being largely depends on their proximity to Russia. We are interested in our countries developing together, their standard of living rising, their economy growing, and us all prospering together. If the EAEU consists of successful countries connected by numerous threads, then we will ensure our peaceful development. Accessibility of resources and a common market are the basis for the common well-being of us and our neighbors.

    Such mutual dependence imposes a special responsibility on Russia as the largest economy in our integration. It is necessary to calculate the consequences of decisions taken for countries that have transferred part of their sovereignty to the level of the EAEU. Therefore, we have introduced a rule to check all regulatory legal acts being prepared for compliance with the law of the union.

    S. Bolotov: No one objects to the free movement of goods, but when it comes to labor migration, doubts arise. Will this not harm Russia’s national interests?

    A. Overchuk: This is indeed a very complex topic, and there are different points of view. The demographic situation, demand for labor and its cost are such that in order to develop the economy and curb inflation, it is necessary to attract labor migrants. Of course, part of this problem can be solved by introducing advanced technologies and increasing labor productivity, but this is a longer-term solution that requires investments, which are especially expensive today.

    On the other hand, all over the world, and Russia is no exception, the influx of labor migrants creates problems caused not only by the peculiarities of the labor market, but also by cultural differences, ignorance of laws and the language barrier, which leads to the formation of isolated national diasporas, an increase in crime and conflict situations. We are all watching how the replacement of the indigenous population in Europe is taking place, and many do not feel positive about it. The question is how to make the problems of labor migration less painful for society.

    The EAEU law helps to relieve some of the tension associated with the movement of labor between countries. It allows citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia working outside their countries to enjoy the same rights as citizens of the country where they live and work. They are subject to the same personal income taxes. The absence of differences in the treatment of citizens of the EAEU member states creates better conditions for the integration of these people into our society, affects their quality of life, makes them confident in their rights, less dependent on diasporas, and largely cuts the ground from under the feet of crime associated with labor migration. This largely explains why we would like to expand the EAEU at the expense of countries that send us the largest number of labor migrants.

    Of course, there are differences due to traditions and culture. Knowledge of the language of the host country is also very important. Historically, in the former USSR, Russian is the language of interethnic communication, which, in addition to familiarization with the great Russian literature, culture, science and education, allows people from different countries to communicate with each other, live side by side, develop together, conduct business, work, negotiate and avoid conflicts.

    Unfortunately, perhaps, in all post-Soviet countries the establishment of independence was associated with distancing from Russia and a reduction in the use of the Russian language. Attempts to displace the Russian language from the spheres of education, culture and public administration are still ongoing. To a large extent, this is facilitated by countries unfriendly to us, striving to reduce Russia’s influence in the region by dividing our peoples and perfectly understanding the importance of the Russian language as a link between the entire space of Northern Eurasia.

    At the same time, knowledge of foreign languages opens access to new knowledge, cultures and better employment conditions. In our region, the truth is that the successful development of post-Soviet countries is directly dependent on their proximity to Russia, access to the Russian education system, culture and ability to communicate with each other in Russian.

    Today, having received some negative experience, our neighbors are coming to understand the importance of the Russian language and the Russian education system for their further development. There is a growing awareness that the distance from Russia has had a negative impact on the quality of education. Hence, neighbors are seeing an increased demand for children to study in schools with instruction in Russian, especially if the classes are taught by teachers who have come from Russia.

    That is why we receive requests to send Russian teachers, conduct internships in Russia for Russian language teachers, build Russian schools that operate according to Russian educational standards, organize branches of Russian universities, increase quotas for admission of young people to Russian universities, hold days of Russian culture, support Russian theater in their countries, and much more. And this is what our departments are actively engaged in today.

    The Russian language is the common heritage of all countries of Northern Eurasia, and the International Organization for the Russian Language was established by the CIS member states to disseminate and protect it.

    We must not fall for the bait of those who, acting on the principle of “divide and rule”, seek to distance post-Soviet states and people from Russia, who just over thirty years ago had the same passports as us and who continue to gravitate towards Russia. Many can still say that we were born in the same country, we are united by a common history, values and belonging to a single civilization, they want their children and grandchildren to think the same way – this is what we strive to preserve. So why follow the lead of those who seek to destroy it? Therefore, we patiently carry out creative work to preserve and spread the Russian language, our education and culture in the countries of the former USSR.

    It is these efforts that will provide the level of knowledge necessary for the conflict-free integration of labor migrants into our society. And this is most important, since the success of economic integration and the common future of our countries depend on the relations between people.

    Historically, in the former USSR, Russian is the language of interethnic communication

    S. Bolotov: What is better for Russia, to be the most European country in Asia or the most Asian country in Europe?

    A. Overchuk: Our history spans many centuries, during which the peoples inhabiting Northern Eurasia, including the Slavs, absorbed much from both Asia and Europe. At the same time, unlike the Western civilization that places itself above others and the colonial empires built by the Europeans, the peoples of our countries developed at the expense of their own resources and mutual trade, generously shared among themselves, as was the case under the USSR, even the latter, and carefully treated the traditions and culture of all the peoples inhabiting the vast space from the Carpathians to the Pacific Ocean. This is precisely why a unique civilizational community of peoples was formed in Northern Eurasia, which for many centuries has retained the ability to self-recovery, maintain human relationships and develop together.

    The Mongol Empire, which had united this vast space, broke up into separate uluses, leaving behind elements of state administration and a financial system that still exist today, memories of the Great Silk Road, and a tolerant attitude towards diverse cultures and religions. Parts of this eastern empire were gathered by the Moscow Principality into the Russian Empire, which took much from the West and passed the baton to the Soviet Union, under which the peoples who inhabited it, having made a leap in their social and economic development, formed the basis that allowed them to transform into new independent states.

    Modern Northern Eurasia, of which Russia is a part, consists of independent states that are united by a common great history, values, trade and economic ties and belonging to a unique Eurasian civilization that cannot be called either Asian or European. And the task of Eurasian integration is to preserve this heritage and create conditions for a common prosperous future for the numerous peoples inhabiting this vast space.

    Source – “Rossiyskaya Gazeta”

    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 Africa: President Ramaphosa highlights importance of US Working Visit

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has underscored the significance of his recent working visit to the United States, telling Parliament that the engagement was both necessary and timely, given the critical role the US continues to play in South Africa’s economic landscape. 

    “The United States continues to play such a big role in the life of our economy. It was necessary and important for us to go and engage with them, because many of our people’s jobs are dependent on our economic dealings with the United States,” President Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.

    The President was responding to questions from Members of the National Assembly, with economic growth and the cost of living being among issues for deliberation.

    Last week, the President concluded a successful working visit to the United States of America, supported by a delegation of Ministers, eminent South Africans, business and labour. 

    The visit was aimed at resetting and revitalising bilateral relations between South Africa and the US.

    The President explained that the objective of the trip was to engage with the US government to discuss tariffs, investments, and other related matters. It was also to encourage the US President to attend the G20 Summit which South Africa will host and to promote investment by American companies in South Africa and South African companies in the US. 

    He reiterated that the primary goal of the working visit was to reset the relationship between the two countries, recognising the significant economic and political ties. 

    The delegation aimed to address the deteriorating relationship, which was a concern for many in South Africa, and to ensure mutual economic benefits.

    “The issue of relations between South Africa and the United States was an issue that occupied many people’s minds in our country, and many had raised concerns about the deteriorating relationship between our two countries, having recognised the important role that both our countries play in each other’s economy, apart from various political relations, diplomatic relations, and we realised that the impact on our country’s economy would be adverse unless we were able to repair or reset the relationship between our two countries,” the President said. 

    The President highlighted the importance of the United States as a trading partner, with over 600 American companies invested in South Africa, and vice versa.

    READ | SA and US have ‘everything to gain’ from closer relations

    On the economic and sectoral impact, President Ramaphosa detailed that the sectors that would be affected by the relationship with the United States including the agriculture and automotive sector.

    He added that the visit aimed to protect jobs and investments in these sectors by maintaining strong economic ties.

    “A number of our jobs, some of the sectors that would be affected would be agriculture, the auto sector and steel and aluminium sector, and a number of other sectors that make machines, and the mining sector, where we sell critical minerals to the United States, would be adversely affected if the relations were not straightened out. So it was to this end that we were motivated to reset that relationship,” the President explained.

    President Ramaphosa said the second objective was to set up a process of engagement between the United States and South Africa. 

    “There had hitherto been a process of disengaging, where we were no longer really engaging at government level to deal with issues that governments normally deal with on an ongoing basis. And we wanted to engage on tariffs, on investments and related matters,” the President said.

    G20 and resetting relations

    On the Group of Twenty (G20) the President said that the trip aimed to highlight the significance of the G20 process and to encourage US participation.

    “The third objective was to discuss the G20 and to highlight the important role that a country like the United States, which is the largest economy in the world, plays in the activities of the G20 which we are so deeply immersed in and having the responsibility of leading and that it’s important for the United States to engage with the G20 process, and ultimately to entice the leader of the United States to come to the leaders’ summit at the end of the year,” the President said. 

    The President emphasised that despite public perceptions, the delegation had meaningful discussions with President Trump and his representatives, fostering ongoing engagement. 

    He added that the engagement process initiated after the trip has led to discussions on tariffs and investments, indicating a positive reset of relations.

    The reset of relations is believed to have been achieved, with ongoing discussions expected to continue through the G20 process.
    “We do believe that we achieved those objectives. The engagement with the American government has started soon after we left Washington…and there are discussions that are happening in relation to tariffs, in relation to investments, and we’ve believed that we have reset the relationship. 

    “Despite what we could have seen on television, we were able to have a much more meaningful discussion and meeting with President Trump and his representatives during the quiet room where we had lunch together and had meaningful exchanges on a number of issues. And we do believe that the engagement will continue through the G20 process,” the President said.  – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: SCIO organizes media trip to Chongqing and Hubei

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

    SCIO organizes media trip to Chongqing and Hubei

    China SCIO | May 28, 2025

    From May 18 to 23, the State Council Information Office (SCIO) organized a media trip to China’s Chongqing municipality and Hubei province. The journalist group attended press briefings there and visited enterprises, ports, logistics parks, and other sites, observing the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

    The journalists included foreign correspondents from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, and Japan.

    Reporters watch a drone light show in Chongqing, May 18, 2025. [Photo by Liu Jian/China SCIO]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: APO Group Celebrates Africa Day with a Bold Reminder: We’ve Been Leading Strategic Communications across the Continent for Almost Two Decades

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 28, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Africa Day is here, bringing with it the flood of inspirational quotes, curated pan-African playlists, and the sudden resurgence of brands eager to celebrate the continent, if only for a day.

    But for some of us, Africa is not a campaign. It’s not a market. It’s home.

    At APO Group, we don’t just “show up” for Africa Day. We’ve been here, every day, for almost two decades, amplifying African stories, building brands and reputations, and connecting the continent to the world.

    Africa is not a monolith. It is 54 nations, over 2,000 languages, and countless nuances that demand deep respect. Understanding it takes commitment.  And APO Group, the leading, award-winning pan-African media relations and communications consultancy, has it.

    APO Group has helped thousands of African CEOs land global coverage, launch pan-African unicorns, and turn local brands into international headlines. This Africa Day, we’re not launching a campaign. We’re just reminding everyone that if you want to do communications in Africa, it helps to know Africa.

    At a time when global PR firms headquartered in the USA are announcing their new Africa-focused teams — complete with four pins on a map and a flurry of buzzwords — APO Group is celebrating the one thing no one can copy overnight: authentic, home-grown, on-the-ground experience.

    From Dakar to Dar es Salaam, Cairo to Cape, APO Group’s pan-African team has been delivering real impact across the continent; not just in press releases, but in powerful results. With expert consultants in every region, local insights and expertise, and a reputation built on trust, APO Group is more than a communications consultancy.  It is Africa’s most established strategic communications powerhouse.

    “Africa Day is a reminder of what makes this continent extraordinary – its people, its voices and its unstoppable momentum”, said Rania El Rafie, Vice President of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at APO Group. “Africa is more than a continent to us — it’s our home, our expertise, and our commitment.” “While others are hiring team members for Africa, our people are already embedded in the culture, language, and industries that drive the continent forward.”

    With clients spanning multinational corporations, African companies and organisations, public sector institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders, APO Group has earned its reputation as the leading communications partner of choice for organisations serious about Africa. What sets us apart is our remarkable performance:

    • A network that spans all 54 African countries, with local experts in every region;
    • Strategic guidance grounded in local insight;
    • A legacy of hundreds of successful campaigns, from strategic communications to crisis response;
    • Longstanding media partnerships that foster transparency, credibility, and positive storytelling.

    “We believe great communication in Africa starts with listening, not just broadcasting. And it takes consistency, not just campaigns,” said Laila Bastati, Chief Commercial Officer at APO Group. “This is why we’ve built trust with stakeholders from all over, by showing up year after year, and delivering every time.” While others are just mapping out how to enter Africa’s fast-moving markets, APO Group is already there — co-creating growth stories with African businesses, institutions, and communities.

    “For us, Africa isn’t a new frontier — it’s the centre of everything we do,” added Bastati. “Our track record speaks for itself. This Africa Day, we’re building on a legacy.”

    APO Group is reflecting on a proven track record and preparing for the next decade of growth and storytelling that elevates Africa on the global stage.

    “This Africa Day, we’re not launching — we’re reaffirming,” said Bastati. “Reaffirming our commitment to the continent, to our clients, and to the people and stories that shape Africa’s future.”

    Work with the team that’s already there!

    Happy Africa Day. From Africa’s strategic communications leader.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Samsung Launches One UI 8 Beta Program: The First-Generation Upgrade Starting With the New Galaxy Foldables

    Source: Samsung

    One UI 8 is coming, and early access is now available through its beta program — kicking off a new era of software intelligence that brings a true multimodal AI agent designed for various Samsung Galaxy form factors.
     
    One UI is Samsung’s integrated software platform, designed to help Galaxy devices simplify everyday routines and enhance productivity and convenience. Thanks to the mutual partnership between Samsung and Google, One UI 8 will debut on Samsung’s newest foldables this summer and will gradually expand to more Galaxy devices so users can now enjoy an enriched, more personalized mobile experience with the latest version of Android.
     
    Through open communication, Samsung and Google actively shared their respective design systems and real-time feedback with one another, accelerating software development that made One UI 8 one of the first UI platforms to adopt Android 16.
     
    In addition to being the first generation of upgrades to launch alongside new foldable devices, the launch of One UI 8 also initiates a new rhythm for Samsung’s software evolution with major UX and AI updates. You can get a first glimpse of this innovation by signing up for the beta program kicking off today, starting with the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra in Germany, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
     
     
    Personalized AI for Seamless, Natural Interactions

     
    The official rollout of One UI 8 will introduce an AI experience that will make your everyday smarter and more convenient by enhancing the AI features first introduced in the Galaxy S25 series. There are three main factors that realize this: multimodal capabilities, UX tailored to different device form factors, and personalized, proactive suggestions. Intelligent multimodality enables you to have natural, seamless communication with AI that understands what you’re looking at or watching in the moment. The updated UX is optimized for the unique form factors across the Galaxy product portfolio, boosting your everyday productivity and efficiency. One UI 8 will also recognize your context, offering personalized, proactive suggestions that support your unique daily routine. Features like Now Bar1 and Now Brief2 will deliver even more customized insights and suggestions to help you stay on top of tasks and support your daily routine, through curated AI information.
     
    This intelligent, personalized AI experience did not just come out of nowhere. It is made possible by robust security that safeguards your data. Samsung Knox Vault combines a dedicated secure processor with secure memory to isolate sensitive data from the rest of your user data and ensure that no one else can physically or remotely reach your personal information. One UI 8 also provides settings where you can choose to process data only on the device, as many of our Galaxy AI experiences use both on-device and cloud-based AI processing. With transparency and user choice at its core, One UI 8 will deliver a personalized AI experience without compromising privacy.
     
     
    Enhanced Everyday Convenience

     
    One UI 8 is not only about providing the AI experience, but also includes convenient, intuitive tools designed to make your day-to-day experiences with your mobile devices even more seamless. Auracast3 — a broadcast audio technology based on Bluetooth LE Audio4  — will support effortless audio connection via QR code scanning and sharing, allowing multiple Auracast devices5 — like Galaxy Buds3 and hearing aids — to join a shared audio stream without the hassle of a complex manual setup. Additionally, customer support at repair centers will be faster and more convenient, thanks to QR- and NFC-enabled support6 accessible right in Samsung Account. You can now register with QR or NFC without having to write any registration forms, reducing wait times and simplifying service requests.

     
    The Reminder app will be your travel supporter with more convenient and intuitive features. If you are planning a trip to New York with your family, you can manage all your reminders in one place as soon as you open the app with a UX that is easy-looking even for first-time users. You can also share a list of to-dos for your trip with the press of a button. When your hands are full of shopping bags, you can use your voice to add reminders on the go as it is voice enabled.
     
    Sharing memories with family and friends will also be easier than ever with enhanced Quick Share.7 A single tap of the Quick Share button in the Quick settings panel will let you instantly send and receive files.
     
    The future of Galaxy AI starts now. Sign up through the Samsung Members app to be among the first to experience the power of One UI 8.
     
     
    1 Availability of functions supported may vary by country and model. Some functions may require a network connection and/or Samsung Account login.
    2 Now Brief feature requires a Samsung Account login. Service availability may vary by country, language, device model or apps. Some features may require a network connection.
    3 The quality of the Auracast audio stream may vary depending on the application, network connection and other factors.
    4 Available on devices with Bluetooth 5.2 and above that support Auracast.
    5 Auracast Transmitter/Assistant supported devices: Samsung Galaxy flagship smartphones, tablets released in 2023 or later with Samsung One UI version 6.1 or above. Auracast Receiver supported devices: Galaxy Buds3, Buds3 Pro, Buds2 Pro. May require software update. Availability may vary by market and model.
    6 Available on 36 countries: U.S., Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam. Availability may vary by country. The feature availability will expand to more countries via further updates. The feature is available in limited number of repair shops, and will be expanded further afterwards. Available on with Android 10 or above, NFC availability may vary by device, Samsung Account app is available on devices with Android 10 or above. Availability may vary by NFC Memory support availability.
    7 Bluetooth Low Energy and Wi-Fi connection are both required for Quick Share. Number of devices Quick Share can share to at the same time may vary depending on the Wi-Fi chip hardware of the sharing device. Actual speed may vary depending on device, network condition and user environment.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt is ‘scared’ about Australia’s research capacity – this is why

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Lecturer (Law), Southern Cross University

    On Wednesday, Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt and economics professor Richard Holden gave a joint address to the National Press Club in Canberra. Their key message? Australia isn’t spending enough money on university research.

    Schmidt wants to ensure Australia can undertake research vital to our national interests.

    “I look around and I am scared,” Schmidt said. “The Australian government investment in its sovereign research capability was 50% higher 15 years ago as a fraction of GDP.”

    In his remarks, Holden warned, “we’ve become addicted to funding […] research capability through international student income”.

    If this sounds familiar, both Schmidt and Holden have made similar calls before. And their press club presentation follows constant and repeated repeated calls from the university sector for more funds.

    How much is Australia spending on research and how does this compare to other countries?

    How does Australia compare?

    When we look around the world, Australia is lagging when it comes to research spending. Australia spends roughly 1.7% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on all forms of research and development.

    Our research expenditure has also decreased every year since 2008, according to the Australian Academy of Science.

    Meanwhile, based on World Bank data, the United States spends about 3.59% of their GDP on research. China might only spend 2.56% of its GDP, but that’s 2.56% of around US$18.7 trillion (A$29 trillion) – meaning China spends about US$500 billion ($778 billion) on research annually.

    The OECD average (across 38 member countries) is 2.7%, a full percentage point higher than Australia. We’re also underspending compared to other nations smaller than us, including:

    – Finland has a population roughly one-fifth of Australia and spends 2.96% of its GDP on research

    – Sweden has a population of about 10 million and spends 3.41%.

    Australia’s top research universities (the Group of Eight), argue Australia needs to work towards a target of 3% GDP to “underwrite national prosperity”.

    The funding we have is unstable

    Australia’s university research funding also lacks stability.

    Government only funds part of university research – so universities have to come up with the rest. This adds a layer of vulnerability to our research system.

    One of the key sources of university-generated funding is international student fees.

    This means if there are cuts to overseas students – as we saw during COVID and as we see now due to federal government policy changes – there is a flow-on impact on research funding.

    Repeated calls for more funds have been ignored

    Universities have been asking for more money for years and these requests have been ignored by both sides of politics.

    But while the requests may not change, the global security context is shifting. As Schmidt told the press club,

    We can expect new technologies based around small-scale automated machines, hypersonic missiles and computer warfare to feature prominently if we are to have future conflicts between advanced economies.

    In such a case the research capability of a country will be incredibly important at influencing the overall winners and losers, because once the conflict starts, you ‘have what you got’.

    If we don’t properly fund universities to do cutting-edge research, such as quantum science, robotics and cybersecurity, researchers will go elsewhere to do their work. And some funders might not have Australian interests at heart.

    China, Russia and the European Union have leapt on US President Donald Trump’s recent decisions to defund or halt research programs, creating funds worth billions of dollars to woo scientists and scholars from the US to their own countries.

    What options do we have?

    The Albanese government has commissioned a strategic review of Australia’s research and development sector (led by Tesla chair Robyn Denholm), which is due to report by the end of the year. Part of its remit is to look at “mechanisms to improve coordination and impact of [research and development] funding and programs […].”

    In an ideal world, this will prompt the federal government up its funding of research, to match other countries. But previous unheard calls suggests this is unlikely.

    But we can also be more creative. Perhaps industry can fill the gap with an Australian “Silicon Valley” where emerging industries can be clustered with universities in research partnerships. This is what some authors have called “innovation precincts”.

    We could also look at prioritising industry-based PhDs, so postdoctoral students have a research job when they graduate. Or we could consider reallocating government funds going to other sources, such as defence, on topics of military or intelligence importance.

    This could see university funding pools become broader and deeper, more diversified and better suited to our national interests.

    Brendan Walker-Munro has completed paid consultancies for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. He receives funding from the Australian Government under the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technologies Partnership.

    – ref. Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt is ‘scared’ about Australia’s research capacity – this is why – https://theconversation.com/nobel-laureate-brian-schmidt-is-scared-about-australias-research-capacity-this-is-why-257717

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Set for Crucial Talks with German Chancellor Merz in Berlin

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to arrive in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the German government said, part of a diplomatic drive to end the war in Ukraine.

    Merz will receive Zelenskiy with military honours at the federal chancellery at noon (1000 GMT), a government spokesperson said in a statement.

    “The focus of the visit will be on German support for Ukraine as well as efforts to achieve a ceasefire,” he added.

    Ukrainian and Russian officials met this month for their first face-to-face negotiations since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its former Soviet neighbour in 2022, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war.

    The talks failed however to produce a ceasefire agreement and Russia unleashed three nights of massive aerial attacks on Ukraine over the weekend.

    With Trump signalling wavering support for Ukraine in recent months, Germany could play an increasingly important role as the country’s largest military and financial backer after the United States.

    Merz, a conservative who took office this month, has vowed to take more of a leadership role in ensuring support for Ukraine than his Social Democrat predecessor Olaf Scholz.

    He visited Ukraine with other European leaders within days of becoming chancellor and on Monday endorsed Ukraine’s right to launch long-range missile strikes into Russian territory – in contrast with Scholz’s cautious rhetoric on the issue.

    Merz on Tuesday dampened hopes for a quick resolution to the war. “Putin and Russia clearly have at the moment no interest in a ceasefire, or a peace deal,” he said.

    “This means, as a consequence, that Ukraine must continue to defend itself — and that we must actually intensify our efforts to enable Ukraine to do so.”

    The war, Merz said, was not just about Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

    “The political order that we jointly established with Russia after 1990 is being fundamentally called into question,” he said.

    Germany is not expected, however, to announce new weapons deliveries to Ukraine given that the new government has said it would no longer publicly detail what arms it is sending Ukraine, preferring a stance of “strategic ambiguity.”

    Russia accused Ukraine on Tuesday of significantly increasing drone and missile attacks on Russian territory over the past week using Western-supplied munitions.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Quigley, Garbarino Introduce Bill to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05)

    On Wednesday, Congressmen Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02) introduced the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act of 2025, legislation to support federal law enforcement in combating wildlife trafficking and ensure the proper placement and care of confiscated live animals.

    From 2015 to 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) handled 834 live wildlife interdiction cases, involving nearly 49,000 individual animals—an average of nearly 30 per day. Many of these animals require immediate medical care, secure quarantine, and long-term placement, often beyond the capacity of U.S. ports of entry.

    The USFWS and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) launched a limited pilot Wildlife Confiscations Network in Southern California in 2023. While the pilot has helped coordinate placement in more than 135 cases and provided care for over 4,100 animals, its scope remains geographically narrow and operationally constrained. The Wildlife Confiscations Network Act of 2025 would build on this initial framework and expand the program nationwide—ensuring law enforcement agencies across the country can access a coordinated, professional network of care for confiscated wildlife.

    “The Wildlife Confiscations Network has already placed over 4,100 confiscated animals into quality facilities,” said Quigley. “I am proud to introduce legislation that expands this law enforcement network nationwide, ensuring that law enforcement officers are not unduly placed in harms way, and animals receive the care they need.”

    “Our border agents and federal inspectors work tirelessly to stop illegal wildlife trafficking, but they lack the resources and infrastructure to properly care for seized animals,” said Garbarino. “This bill will strengthen the federal response, relieve logistical burdens on law enforcement, and ensure that trafficked animals are treated humanely and professionally.”

    Specifically, the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act of 2025 would:

    • Establish a Wildlife Confiscations Network within the Department of the Interior, in partnership with a professional zoological accrediting association;
    • Create a voluntary, nationwide program to coordinate the placement and care of confiscated wildlife seized at U.S. borders and ports of entry;
    • Designate a single point of contact to assist federal law enforcement in placement coordination;
    • Maintain a database of qualified facilities—including zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, rescues, and rehabilitation centers—that can provide immediate and long-term care;
    • Create a review committee to evaluate applications from facilities seeking to join the Network;
    • Authorize $5 million annually from FY2026 to FY2030 to implement and operate the Network.

    The bill is endorsed by 58 leading organizations across the conservation and zoological community, including the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Wildlife Conservation Society, National Aquarium, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, and Biologists Without Borders. Other supporters include Akron Zoological Park, Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, Birmingham Zoo, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, California Academy of Sciences, Center for Great Apes, Charles Paddock Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Dazzle Africa, Delaware Zoological Society, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, Detroit Zoological Society, Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Great Plains Zoo, Houston Zoo, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park, Lemur Conservation Foundation, Lincoln Park Zoo, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Lockwood Animal Rescue Center, Louisville Zoo, Museum of Life and Science, Nashville Zoo, Niabi Zoo, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Oakland Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, The Phoenix Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Racine Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Francisco Zoological Society, Santa Barbara Zoo, SEE Turtles, Sequoia Park Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium, Turtle Conservancy, Wild Tomorrow Fund, Inc., Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Defense, Wildlife Jewels, Woodland Park Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, and Zoo Knoxville.

    “We are grateful to Congressmen Garbarino and Quigley for sponsoring the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act,” said Dan Ashe, president and CEO for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “This bill will allow an already proven program to go national, permitting law enforcement officers at the border to focus on catching criminals and curbing wildlife trafficking, while our expert Wildlife Confiscation Network partners provide emergency medical treatment, critical rehabilitation, and new homes focused on the wellbeing of these confiscated, and often traumatized, animals. When law enforcement and animal experts collaborate, we can put the criminals behind bars, help rehabilitate the animal victims of wildlife trafficking that are ripped from their homes, and reduce the impact on wild populations of threatened and endangered species. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums looks forward to working with Congress to pass this important bill.”

    The full text of the bill can be found here. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Djokovic makes winning start to French Open bid, Medvedev ousted

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

    British underdog Cameron Norrie delivered the biggest upset of the 2025 French Open so far in a nail-biting five-set win over former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday.

    Ranked 81st in the world, Norrie knocked out 11th seed Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 after three hours and 53 minutes on court.

    “It was a crazy match,” said Norrie. “I was really happy with how I handled the match and how I had to fight literally every point to have a chance with him. It was just pure emotion at the end and pure instinct. It was a good throw.”

    The 29-year-old Briton, who won the 2021 Indian Wells title and reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2022, called it “one of [his] best wins.”

    “For me, outside of [Carlos] Alcaraz, [Jannik] Sinner and Novak [Djokovic], [this] would be probably the fourth-toughest draw for me in terms of matchups and players. Extremely good win, especially my record with [Medvedev] No. 11, in a Slam, beating him in five sets is impressive for me.”

    Novak Djokovic returns a shot during the men’s singles first round match between Mackenzie Mcdonald of the United States and Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros, Paris, France, May 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

    While Norrie stole the spotlight, other top seeds advanced with convincing wins. Novak Djokovic, fresh off securing his 100th career title, eased past American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany also cruised through with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over American Learner Tien.

    Not all seeded players progressed. Bulgaria’s 16th seed Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire from his match against American qualifier Ethan Quinn. Dimitrov had taken a two-set lead (6-2, 6-3) before losing the third 2-6 and withdrawing due to injury.

    In the women’s draw, second seed Coco Gauff breezed past Australia’s Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2. The American will next face 18-year-old Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova.

    Russia’s sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva also advanced with a composed 6-4, 6-3 win over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa.

    In women’s doubles, China’s Yuan Yue and New Zealand’s Lulu Sun earned a hard-fought first-round victory, defeating Anna Blinkova and Mayar Sherif 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 after more than two hours. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai meets delegation led by US House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Details
    2025-05-27
    President Lai meets and hosts luncheon for delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero of Guam
    On the morning of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero of Guam and her husband, and hosted a luncheon for the delegation at noon. In remarks, President Lai noted that this is the governor’s first trip to Taiwan, fully demonstrating the Guam government’s support and high regard for Taiwan. The president said that Guam, being the closest United States territory to Taiwan, is an important bridge for collaboration between Taiwan and the US. He stated that aside from promoting tourism, we can also explore even more opportunities for collaboration in other areas to further advance industrial development for both sides. He said that, as we begin a new chapter, we look forward to working together to generate even more momentum in bilateral cooperation and exchanges. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a warm welcome to Governor Leon Guerrero and her delegation. Last year, I transited through Guam en route for visits to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific. The enthusiastic reception I received from the government, legislature, people, and members of our overseas community in Guam was very touching and left me with a deep impression. During the morning tea reception hosted by Governor Leon Guerrero, we joined in singing our respective national anthems, as well as the Fanohge CHamoru. I also received at the Guam Legislature a copy of a Taiwan-friendly resolution it passed on behalf of the people of Taiwan. And I still remember to this day the striking scenery of the governor’s house and the warm reception I received there. It is therefore a great pleasure to meet with all of you today here at the Presidential Office. This is Governor Leon Guerrero’s first trip to Taiwan. Your visit fully demonstrates the Guam government’s support and high regard for Taiwan. As we begin a new chapter, we look forward to working with you to generate even more momentum in bilateral cooperation and exchanges. Taiwan and Guam are like family. We share the Austronesian spirit and culture. Our wide-ranging and mutually-beneficial collaboration is very fruitful. And now, we are facing the challenges of climate change, public health and medicine, and regional security together. The world is rapidly changing and tensions in the Indo-Pacific continue to rise. But if we combine our strengths, come together as one, and enhance cooperation, we can maintain regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Last Tuesday, I delivered an address on my first anniversary of taking office. I mentioned that for many years, Taiwan, the US, and our democratic partners have actively engaged in exchange and cooperation. Taking a market-oriented approach, we will promote an economic path of staying firmly rooted in Taiwan and expanding the global presence of our enterprises while strengthening ties with the US. Guam is the closest US territory to Taiwan. It is an important bridge for collaboration between Taiwan and the US. Last month, we were pleased to see United Airlines officially launch direct flights between Taipei and Guam. I believe this will benefit tourism and economic and trade exchanges for both sides. In the area of health care, many hospitals in Taiwan already offer referral services to patients from Guam. Both Governor Leon Guerrero and I have backgrounds in medicine. It is my hope that Taiwan and Guam can continue to work hand in hand to create even more positive outcomes from cooperation in public health and medical services. During the governor’s visit, aside from promoting tourism, we can also explore even more opportunities for collaboration in other areas. There is potential for more exchanges in aquaculture, food processing, hydroculture, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and recycling. This will further advance industrial development in Taiwan and Guam. In closing, I thank Governor Leon Guerrero and all our distinguished guests for backing Taiwan. I wish you all a smooth and successful visit.  Governor Leon Guerrero then delivered remarks, saying that she is very happy to come to Taiwan. She said that after learning during President Lai’s visit to Guam last year that he is a medical doctor, she felt more relaxed because healthcare colleagues are one in their endeavor to help enhance the health and well-being of people. She then expressed her heartfelt appreciation for the invitation to Taiwan.  Governor Leon Guerrero said that as they learn more about opportunities for collaboration with Taiwan, they are humbled by the hospitality they have experienced. In both of our islands, she said, hospitality is more than just a custom – it forms a part of our identities. She noted that despite being nearly 2,000 miles apart, we are connected by the Pacific Ocean and common roots, and our ancestors both value family, community, and tradition. That is why being here today, she said, she feels a strong sense of familiarity, like reconnecting with old friends. The governor remarked that Taiwan has evolved so quickly in all areas of essential life, sustenance, economy, and prosperity, adding that Taiwan’s resources in such areas as health, education, data, AI, advanced technology, aquaculture, agriculture, and commerce enhance our economic stability. She stated her belief that in collaboration and support, and working with each other, we can gain prosperity, maintain freedom and democracy, and live in peace.  Governor Leon Guerrero stated that their delegation is here to see how they can partner with Taiwan to help raise the quality of life for both our peoples, mentioning that one special concern of theirs is tourism. Tourism, she said, is the most influential engine and driver for the economy and quality of life in Guam, but they cannot have a vibrant economy and tourism without air connectivity. She added that they are prepared to help in any way to provide incentives and low-cost fees so that they can get more airlines from Taiwan to establish permanent flight schedules to Guam, so as to drive development in Guam’s tourism industry. Governor Leon Guerrero then proceeded to introduce each of the members of her delegation before remarking that while they have been very busy on this visit they are always reminded of the freedom and democracy that the people must protect. She said she looks forward to a great, strong relationship between Taiwan and Guam in cooperation on social and economic issues, in culture, marketing, tourism, and freedom and democracy. Among those in attendance were First Gentleman Jeffrey A. Cook, Chief of Staff Jon Junior Calvo, Director of the Department of Administration Edward Birn, General Manager of the Guam Visitors Bureau Regine Biscoe Lee, Deputy Executive Manager of the Guam International Airport Authority Artemio “Ricky” Hernandez, Board of Directors Chairman of the Guam International Airport Authority Brian J. Bamba, Deputy General Manager of the Guam Economic Development Authority Carlos Bordallo, Director of Landscape Management Systems Guam Bob Salas, Chairperson of the Guam Chamber of Commerce Tae Oh, President of the University of Guam Anita Borja Enriquez, and Director of the Guam Taiwan Office Felix Yen (嚴樹芬). After the meeting, President Lai, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, hosted a luncheon for Governor Leon Guerrero, her husband, and the delegation.

    Details
    2025-05-27
    President Lai meets delegation from European Parliament
    On the morning of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation from the European Parliament. In remarks, President Lai thanked the European Parliament for continuing to pay close attention to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and voice support for Taiwan. The president expressed hope for an even closer relationship and diversified cooperation between Taiwan and the European Union. The president said that Taiwan and the EU can work together in such areas as semiconductors, AI, and green energy to create more resilient supply chains for global democracies and contribute to global prosperity and development. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome our guests to the Presidential Office. After being elected last year, MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Beatrice Timgren are making their first visits to Taiwan, demonstrating support for Taiwan through concrete action. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my sincerest welcome and appreciation. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the European Parliament for continuing to pay close attention to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Just last month, the European Parliament adopted resolutions with regard to annual reports on the implementation of the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy. These resolutions reaffirmed the EU’s steadfast commitment to maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The European Parliament also condemned China for continuing to take provocative military actions against Taiwan and emphasized that Taiwan is a key democratic partner in the Indo-Pacific region. It called on the EU and its member states to continue working closely with Taiwan to strengthen economic, trade, and investment ties. Once again, I thank the European Parliament for voicing support for Taiwan. Just as MEPs Pozņaks and Timgren are visiting Taiwan to strengthen Taiwan-EU exchanges, our Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) also led a delegation to Europe last year, marking the first in-person dialogue between high-ranking economic and trade officials of Taiwan and the EU. Moving ahead, we look forward to bringing Taiwan-EU ties even closer and to diversifying our cooperation. The EU is Taiwan’s largest source of foreign investment. Both sides are highly complementary in such areas as semiconductors, AI, and green energy. Through our joint efforts, we can create more resilient supply chains for global democracies and further contribute to global prosperity and development. Looking ahead, I hope that MEPs Pozņaks and Timgren will continue to make the case in the European Parliament for the signing of a Taiwan-EU economic partnership agreement. This would not only yield mutually beneficial development, but also consolidate economic security and boost international competitiveness for both sides. In closing, I am sure that you will gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan through this visit. Please feel welcome to come back as often as possible as we continue to elevate Taiwan-EU ties.  MEP Pozņaks then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great honor to be here and thanking everybody involved in arranging this trip that allows them the opportunity to better know Taiwan. He added that it is definitely not the last time they will be here, as Taiwan is a very beautiful country. MEP Pozņaks mentioned that he comes from Latvia, and despite their being on the other side of the world, they know how the Taiwanese people feel, because they also have a big neighbor who is claiming that Latvia belongs to them. Unfortunately, he said, there is already war in Europe, but he is confident that their situation is similar to Taiwan’s, adding that they have a neighbor who uses disinformation attacks. MEP Pozņaks said that we live in very challenging times, and that our choices will define the future of the world, asking whether it will be a world where the rule of law prevails or where physical power and aggression succeeds. Coming from a small country, he said he clearly understands that for them there is no other possibility; they must protect the world where the rule of law prevails. That is why now, he emphasized, it is very crucial for all democracies around the world to stick together to protect our freedoms, values, and democracy. MEP Timgren then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for meeting with them and saying it is a big honor. Noting that they arrived here two days ago and that while she really loves Taiwan, its food, and the good weather, she stated that the reason they are here is because of the values that we share, our good relationships, and solidarity with other democratic countries in the world, which is important for them in Europe and in Sweden. MEP Timgren, referring to MEP Pozņaks’s earlier remarks, said that they face a big threat from Russia that is discernible even in the European Parliament. Actually, she pointed out, there is a war inside Europe that shows us how important it is that we support one another. She said that the Russian people thought it would be easy to take over Ukraine, but it was not, because all European countries stepped up and provided weapons and support. And that is why, MEP Timgren said, it is important that democratic countries maintain good relationships and let China and Russia see that we have good relationships, because a part of defense is solidarity. In closing, she expressed her gratitude for having the honor to be here in this beautiful country.

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai hosts state banquet for President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Republic of Palau
    On the evening of May 20, President Lai Ching-te, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, hosted a state banquet at the Presidential Office in honor of President Surangel Whipps Jr. of the Republic of Palau and his wife. In remarks, President Lai said that he looks forward to working closely with President Whipps to promote tourism exchanges and sports cooperation so that Taiwan and Palau shine brightly together on the international stage. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: It is a pleasure to host this banquet tonight at the Presidential Office for President Whipps, First Lady Valerie Whipps, and the esteemed members of their delegation. Welcome to Taiwan. During my trips to Palau in 2022 and last year, President and First Lady Whipps received me with great hospitality. Wearing my island shirt, I enjoyed a very friendly reception from the people of Palau. It felt warm and friendly, just like being welcomed back home. The first time I visited Palau, President Whipps and I piloted a boat to the Milky Way lagoon. We both tried volcanic mud facial masks. We also fished together and enjoyed the breeze as we walked on the beach. Last year, on my second visit to Palau, I was honored to be invited to address the National Congress. I also observed the results of the close bilateral cooperation between our two nations. Due to its world-famous ocean scenery, Palau is sometimes referred to as “God’s aquarium.” And it is even possible to snorkel with sharks. It leaves a deep impression. Nothing compares to seeing Palau firsthand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and Palau launched a travel bubble that created a safe means of travel. Now, with the pandemic behind us, I hope that even more Taiwanese can tour Palau and gain a greater understanding of our diplomatic ally. In addition to tourism exchanges, I mentioned on my visit to Palau last year that I hoped Taiwan and Palau could promote sports cooperation by providing training away from home. Next month, Palau will be holding the Pacific Mini Games. And right now, Palau’s national baseball and table tennis teams are holding training sessions here in Taiwan. We will do our utmost to support Palau’s national players and we hope they stand out and achieve outstanding results in the events. I look forward to working closely with President Whipps so that Taiwan and Palau shine brightly together on the international stage. Thank you! Mesulang! President Whipps then delivered remarks, saying that it is truly an honor to be here once again one year after President Lai’s inauguration. Mentioning that this is his first state visit after being reelected to a second term, he said that it is important to be here among friends, and that we are more than friends, we are family. He thanked President Lai for the generous words and, most importantly, Taiwan’s enduring support. He remarked that our relationship continues to get stronger in each passing year. President Whipps said that President Lai’s diplomacy initiative, leadership, and vision deeply resonate with them. Diplomacy must be rooted in our shared values, he said, and an unwavering support for our allies and a commitment to a sustainable, inclusive development are all deeply appreciated by their people. President Whipps emphasized that, as we look into the future and the challenges that we face, from security to climate change, it is so important that we are united. He added that it is important for the world, and especially important for them in Palau, that they stand up for Taiwan, so that Taiwan can participate on international fora that address climate change, security, and health, because they know the world is better when Taiwan has a seat at the table. Mentioning that Palau will host the Pacific Islands Forum next year, President Whipps said that Palau remains committed to working closely with Taiwan to ensure a successful event, and that they will continue to speak up for Taiwan’s indispensable contributions as we stand together against any efforts to silence or isolate democratic partners. President Whipps said that our nations have navigated challenges and emerged stronger, bound by a partnership that is built on trust, respect, and hope for a better world. Whether it is in clean energy, education, smart medicine, or tourism, our shared journey is just beginning, he said, and we are stronger together.  Also in attendance at the banquet were Palauan Minister of State Gustav Aitaro, Minister of Public Infrastructure and Industries Charles Obichang, Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Senate Floor Leader Kerai Mariur, House of Delegates Floor Leader Warren Umetaro, High Chief of Ngiwal State Elliot Udui, Governor of Peleliu State Emais Roberts, and Governor of Koror State Eyos Rudimch.

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai and President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. of Palau hold bilateral talks and witness signing of cooperation agreements  
    On the afternoon of May 20, following a welcome ceremony with military honors for President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. of the Republic of Palau and his wife, President Lai Ching-te, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, held bilateral talks with President Whipps at the Presidential Office. The two leaders also jointly witnessed the signing of a technical cooperation agreement and an agreement on diplomatic staff training cooperation. In remarks, President Lai thanked Palau for standing firm in its backing of Taiwan’s international participation as geopolitical tensions continue to increase in the Pacific region. He added that he looks forward to the cooperative ties between Taiwan and Palau continuing to expand into even broader areas, allowing our economies and societies to further progress as we jointly advance peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I welcome our guests to Taiwan once again. Last year on May 20, President Whipps led a delegation to attend the inauguration ceremony for myself and Vice President Hsiao. I am delighted, on the anniversary of my first year in office, to meet with old friends of Taiwan again, as President Whipps returns for this visit. Taiwan-Palau relations have grown even closer in recent years thanks to the strong support of President Whipps. In 2022, during my term as vice president, I led a delegation to Palau as a demonstration of how our nations were together boosting tourism development as we jointly faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every time I visit Palau, and every time I meet with President Whipps, I feel very deeply that Taiwan and Palau are like family. We are both maritime nations and share a common Austronesian heritage and culture. We are also staunch partners in upholding such values as freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights. Last December, when I went on my first overseas trip since taking office, one of the nations I visited was Palau. We celebrated the 30th anniversary of Palau’s independence and 25 years of diplomatic relations, underscoring our friendly ties. Taiwan and Palau enjoy close exchanges and cooperation in a range of areas, including climate change, education, agriculture and fisheries, healthcare, humanitarian assistance, sports, and culture. After this meeting, President Whipps and I will witness the signing of a technical cooperation agreement and an agreement on diplomatic staff training cooperation, demonstrating once again our diverse collaboration and strong friendship. I believe that by working together, Taiwan and Palau can contribute to each other’s development and overcome the regional and global challenges we currently face. In particular, as geopolitical tensions continue to increase in the Pacific region, Palau has wisely and courageously upheld democratic values and stood firm in its backing of Taiwan’s international participation. Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan, including at the United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, and the UN Ocean Conference. We have been deeply moved by this support. I thank President Whipps again for his high regard and support for Taiwan. I look forward to the cooperative ties between our nations continuing to expand into even broader areas. This will allow our economies and societies to further progress as we jointly advance peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. President Whipps then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great honor for him to be here, standing in this historic place – a symbol of strength, resilience, and the democratic spirit of the Taiwanese people. On behalf of the government of Palau, President Whipps extended heartfelt gratitude to President Lai and the people of Taiwan for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality toward him and his delegation. President Whipps then extended sincere thanks for President Lai’s visit to Palau in December – his second visit to Palau – and for having Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) attend his inauguration as a special envoy. He added that this also marks his third visit to Taiwan since President Lai took office, saying that this demonstrates the strength of our growing relationship. President Whipps indicated that the increased engagements and numerous entrepreneurs that President Lai has brought from Taiwan to Palau have resulted in fruitful visits, and that President Lai’s leadership represents hope, unity, and continued advancement of democracy and freedom, not only for Taiwan, but for the broader Indo-Pacific region. President Whipps went on to say that this visit to Taiwan reaffirms our deep friendship and shared values between our two nations. He emphasized that Palau and Taiwan are bound not by proximity, but by purpose, in that both are island nations and believe in human dignity, the rule of law, and the right of our people to determine their own futures. President Whipps stated that although we are celebrating 26 years of diplomatic relations, Taiwan has been a steadfast partner of Palau for decades, and that one of the MOUs they are signing further extends the relationship that began in December of 1984. From healthcare and medical missions, to education, agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, the private sector, tourism development, and climate resilience, he said, our cooperation has improved lives and strengthened our communities. The president also indicated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan stood with Palau, noting that both sides began the tourism bubble, and that President Lai came to Palau to reopen the two weekly direct flights that have now been increased to four. That solidarity will never be forgotten, he said. As the world faces growing uncertainty and complex challenges from climate change to global tensions, President Whipps said, this friendship becomes even more vital. The president concluded his remarks by expressing hope that both nations continue to stand together, work together, and advocate together for peace, prosperity, and for the right of small nations to be seen, heard, and respected. After the bilateral talks, President Lai and President Whipps witnessed the signing of the technical cooperation agreement and the agreement on diplomatic staff training cooperation by Minister Lin and Palauan Minister of State Gustav Aitaro. The delegation also included Palauan Minister of Public Infrastructure and Industries Charles Obichang, Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Senate Floor Leader Kerai Mariur, House of Delegates Floor Leader Warren Umetaro, High Chief of Ngiwal State Elliot Udui, Governor of Peleliu State Emais Roberts, and Governor of Koror State Eyos Rudimch.  

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
    In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era.  The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
    In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era.  The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • Trump administration moves to cut all remaining federal contracts with Harvard

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration plans to terminate the federal government’s remaining contracts with Harvard University, according to a letter sent to federal agencies on Tuesday.

    The letter, from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), directs all federal agencies to review and potentially terminate or reallocate their contracts with Harvard, which an official valued at about $100 million.

    Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The move marked the latest instance of the Republican administration attempting to undermine the financial stability and global standing of the oldest and wealthiest U.S. university after it pushed back on government demands for vast policy changes.

    The government has already terminated nearly $3 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school and moved last week to revoke its ability to enroll international students. Those roughly 6,800 students make up about 27% of Harvard’s total enrollment.

    A federal judge in Boston on Friday temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from revoking foreign student enrollment ahead of a Thursday hearing. During a brief hearing on Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Justice lawyer said the administration is complying with that order and was weighing its options.

    Even so, the Trump administration has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants.

    Several hundred demonstrators, including Harvard students and teachers, gathered at the university on Tuesday to show support for foreign students and protest the Trump funding cuts.

    Following graduation events led by Harvard President Alan Garber, one of the protesting students, Jacob Miller, climbed onto a makeshift stage and said the ban on international enrollments had nothing to do with combating antisemitism, which was given as one of the official reasons for the crackdown on foreign students. “We will not allow our identities to be invoked to destroy Harvard,” said Miller, who is Jewish. “If there is anything to learn from the Jewish history, it’s that when we push people out of our schools because of their identity, it’s a symptom of a morally bankrupt politics.”

    Another protest organizer, Harvard student Rae Trainer, said many international students were afraid to demonstrate because they risk deportations. Some international students recorded statements to be read by classmates who are U.S. citizens.

    The GSA’s letter accused the school of engaging in discriminatory admissions practices even after the U.S. Supreme Court, in its 2023 decision ending affirmative action in higher education, rejected Harvard’s use of race as an admissions factor to boost campus diversity.

    The letter from Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the GSA’s federal acquisition service, also accused Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard of discriminatory hiring practices and of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.

    The GSA sent the letter to federal agencies Tuesday morning, said an administration official familiar with the matter. The letter directs agencies to submit a list of contract cancellations by June 6 and says contracts for critical services would be transitioned to other vendors.

    Harvard, which is suing to challenge the administration’s actions, has argued that its rush to punish the school has run afoul of various procedures and violates free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment by trying to assert control over its staff, curriculum and enrollment.

    Garber, the Harvard president, said in an NPR interview released on Tuesday that despite campus problems that it needs to address, the administration’s decisions to cancel grant funding were “perplexing.”

    “As long as there has been a United States of America, Harvard has thought that its role is to serve the nation,” he said.

    (Reuters) 

  • MIL-Evening Report: Raining one week, dusty the next – how did a dust storm make it all the way to rainy Sydney?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tegan Clark, PhD Candidate, College of Systems and Society, Australian National University

    A false-colour satellite showing dust as a pink cloud Himawari-9 satellite, CC BY-SA

    Much to the surprise of Sydney-siders, a dusty haze settled over the city on Tuesday morning after a week of heavy rain.

    Satellite images reveal the dust storm formed in the Mid-North region of South Australia, east of Spencer Gulf, at around 11am on Monday. It then travelled through western Victoria into New South Wales, reaching Sydney approximately 18 hours later.

    It’s an odd time of year for a dust storm, but South Australia is in drought. The soil is very dry, bare and loose. So when a cold front with strong winds moved through SA earlier this week, it picked up lots of dust.

    This demonstrates how everything is interconnected in Australia, despite the nation’s huge size. Extreme weather events such as drought in one part of the country can cause trouble for people “downwind”, hundreds of kilometres away. Climate change is likely to further raise the risk of dust storms in the future.

    Sydney’s air quality tumbled after the dust cloud settled on the city | 7NEWS.

    The dust bowl era

    In the 1930s, prolonged drought in the United States coupled with poor land management practices caused devastating dust storms. This eroded valuable agricultural soils and forced many families off the land. All this took place across the Central Plains, which became known as the American Dust Bowl – later immortalised in Steinbeck’s book The Grapes of Wrath.

    Australia experienced its own smaller dust bowl about a century after British settlers arrived. Overgrazing in the late 1800s removed native vegetation from large parts of western New South Wales. Dust storm activity picked up dramatically from the late 1800s onwards and hit a maximum in 1944-45 during the World War II drought.

    Fortunately, the dust storms and drought experienced during the 1940s soon prompted a change in both policy and attitude. The focus of land management shifted from “taming the land” to more sustainable use, such as moving livestock around from time to time – allowing paddocks to rest and recover. The government also provided more financial support to manage drought.

    Growing awareness and the desire to protect environmental assets also led to development of the NSW Soil Conservation Service.

    Australia has continued to experience heightened dust activity and major dust storms after 1945. In 2009, Sydney awoke to what looked like apocalyptic scenes straight out of the movie Mad Max when a dust storm engulfed the city.

    The last big dusty period was the Black Summer of 2019-20. Parts of NSW such as Wagga Wagga and Sydney were shrouded in smoke and dust for days. But there were significantly fewer “dust storm days” compared to 1944-45. This is partly due to improved land management practices that value sustainability, including the revegetation of denuded land.

    The movie Mad Max featured apocalyptic dust storm scenes.

    More dust storms as the climate changes

    Around the world, climate change is expected to make dust storms more common globally.

    Recent research suggests southern Australia may experience longer and more frequent droughts in the future. Grazing and cropping will put extra pressure on the land.

    In addition, the cold fronts that typically trigger large dust storms are expected to intensify with climate change. This means a growing chance of major dust storms such as the one this week.

    Dust is a health hazard

    Dust consists of tiny particles, some smaller than the width of a single strand of hair. These particles may include sand, topsoil, pollen, microbes, iron and other minerals, lifted into the air.

    When these tiny particles enter the lungs, they can cause breathing difficulties and respiratory diseases such as asthma. Dust storms are also known to transport diseases such as Valley Fever.

    The 2009 dust storm in Sydney led to an increase in emergency hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, especially asthma.

    During the latest dust storm, health authorities warned people with respiratory issues to stay indoors and monitor symptoms.

    Developing early warning systems

    The 2019-20 dusty period and the current SA drought shows Australia can still fall victim to these major dust storms. But there are things we can do to be better prepared and more resilient.

    The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification suggests better ways to reduce harm from dust. These include improving land management practices, implementing early warning systems and improving monitoring of dust events.

    On the ground, NSW is well equipped to monitor dust through the DustWatch network. The air quality monitoring network acts as an early warning system, particularly for people in Sydney living downwind of sources interstate. But usually no more than 12-24 hours notice is provided. This means the authorities might might start to prepare to issue a warning when they detect poor air quality in Western NSW.

    However, these systems pale in comparison to the predictive capacity available in South Korea and Japan. There, alerts of dust storms and poor air quality can be issued days in advance.

    Using our eyes in the sky

    My PhD research project involves using satellites to deepen our understanding of where dust storms are coming from and where they might travel to.

    For instance the Himawari-8/9 satellite scans Australia every ten minutes, allowing us to track the evolution of dust events from start to finish.

    We can pinpoint almost the exact moment a dust storm begins. These areas can then be targeted using satellites to understand the conditions of the land causing dust storms to form and monitor high-risk areas for erosion in the future.

    Putting technology to good use will get us part of the way to a more resilient Australia. There is also a clear need to adapt to the changing climate in our nation’s grazing and cropping systems.

    Tegan Clark receives support from the Australian Government Research Training Program to undertake her PhD. She also works for Connected Farms, an ag-tech company. She is a volunteer with IncludeHer, a non-for-profit focused on gender equity in STEM education.

    – ref. Raining one week, dusty the next – how did a dust storm make it all the way to rainy Sydney? – https://theconversation.com/raining-one-week-dusty-the-next-how-did-a-dust-storm-make-it-all-the-way-to-rainy-sydney-251600

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Harris Statement on Present Vote

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Harris, M.D, released the followig statment on his present vote. 

    Statement:

    “I voted to move the bill along in the process for the President. There is still a lot of work to be done in deficit reduction and ending waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program.”

    For media inquiries, please contact Anna Adamian at Anna.A@mail.house.gov 

    # # # 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Harris Announces 2025 Art Competition Winner

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Harris, M.D., announced Madison Gorski of Kent Island High School as the winner of the First Congressional District of Maryland’s 2025 Congressional Art Competition. Entitled “He so loved the world” Madison’s work will be displayed in the halls of Congress for one year, and she will be honored at the annual award winner’s ceremony in Washington, D.C.

    Statement From Congressman Harris:

    “Congratulations to Madison on winning the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. I selected Madison’s artwork for its creativity, technical skill,  intrinsic beauty, and expression. This piece of art is also a reminder of the love, humanity, and sacrifice Jesus gave to the world. Thank you to all the talented high school students across my district who submitted artwork for the competition.”

    For media inquiries, please contact Anna Adamian at Anna.A@mail.house.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Can you SMELL the freedom?

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    About the U.S. Army:

    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Shorts #Army

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKOCX3GHmM

    MIL OSI Video –

  • Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of foreign students, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the cable that the department plans to issue updated guidance on social media vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants after a review is completed and advised consular sections to halt the scheduling of such visa appointments.

    The move comes as the Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of its wide-ranging efforts to fulfill his hardline immigration agenda.

    Several hundred protesters, including Harvard University students and professors, demonstrated in support of foreign students at the Harvard campus on Tuesday, while also protesting Trump administration efforts to cut off funding to the university.

    In the cable, first reported by Politico, Rubio said appointments that have already been scheduled can proceed under the current guidelines, but available appointments not already taken should be pulled down.

    “The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,” the cable said.

    A senior State Department official confirmed the accuracy of the cable.

    State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on reports of the cable, but said the U.S. will use “every tool” to vet anyone who wants to enter the United States.

    “We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” Bruce told reporters at a regular news briefing.

    The expanded social media vetting will require consular sections to modify their operations, processes and allocation of resources, according to the cable, which advises the sections going forward to take into consideration the workload and resource requirements of each case before scheduling them.

    The cable also advises consular sections to remain focused on services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas and fraud prevention.

    Trump administration officials have said student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, calling their actions a threat to U.S. foreign policy and accusing them of being pro-Hamas.

    Trump’s critics have called the effort an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    A Tufts University student from Turkey was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticizing her school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza. She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail.

    Last week, the Trump administration moved to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students. Those roughly 6,800 students make up about 27% of Harvard’s total enrollment.

    The Republican president’s administration has moved to undermine the financial stability and global standing of the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university after it pushed back on government demands for vast changes to its policies.

    (Reuters) 

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Cantwell, Health Care Providers and Advocates Slam Republican Health Care Cuts Threatening to Kick Nearly 14 Million Americans Off Their Health Insurance—Including 274,000 People in WA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    At least 274,000 people in Washington state could lose their health insurance under the Republican plan through steep cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, according to nonpartisan estimates
    Parent of young Washington state resident on Medicaid: “It is absolutely devastating to think that a singular vote from a group of people who don’t know Nate, and don’t fully understand the terrifying impact losing Medicaid could have, could take this all away from him, all in the name of reducing waste.”
    *** VIDEO OF FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE***
    ***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL FROM EVENT HERE***
    Seattle, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, held a press conference laying out how Republicans’ reconciliation bill that passed through the House this week will be devastating for Washington state’s health care system and the 1.95 million people across Washington state who rely on Apple Health, Washington state’s Medicaid program, and the 300,000+ Washingtonians who access coverage through the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace (Washington Healthplanfinder).
    The legislation passed by House Republicans last week would cut nearly $1 trillion from America’s health care system and is the largest cut to Medicaid in history. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the legislation will lead to 13.7 million Americans getting kicked off their health insurance—between the drastic cuts to Medicaid and the sabotage of the Affordable Care Act and refusal to expand tax credits Democrats passed to lower health insurance premiums.
    At least 274,000 people in Washington state could lose their health insurance under the Republican plan, according to estimates based on the nonpartisan CBO’s analysis. That includes approximately 194,000 people in Washington state who will lose Medicaid coverage, and approximately 79,000 people who will lose ACA coverage. This figure doesn’t even account for the more sweeping health care cuts that House Republicans slotted in and passed at the last minute in the early morning of May 22nd. Among other things, Republicans’ bill would institute work reporting requirements, which have been proven not to increase employment and just strip health care coverage from people who are already working or exempt—this would put more than 620,000 Washingtonians at risk of losing their health care coverage or having it delayed because of a wall of new paperwork. The Republican bill would also reduce the federal match rate by 10 percent for states like Washington that provide health care coverage to noncitizens—this would be a devastating $460 million annual loss in federal Medicaid funding for Washington state, or nearly a $2 billion loss over the next four years. Additionally, the Republican bill includes a provision to defund Planned Parenthood, threatening the closure of up to 200 health centers across the country. Planned Parenthood runs 26 health centers in Washington state. Republicans are advancing the legislation through the budget reconciliation process, which only requires a simple majority to pass in both chambers of Congress.
    “The legislation Republicans are pushing through Congress is the largest cut to Medicaid in American history—let that sink in. In Washington state, we are looking at: at least 194,000 people losing their Apple Health coverage under this bill. And that number rises to a quarter of a million people in our state getting kicked off their health care if you include all the ways Republicans are sabotaging the ACA in this bill and letting important health care tax credits for middle class families expire. Under Republicans’ bill, Washington state would lose an estimated 2 billion dollars in federal Medicaid funding over the next four years—that’s catastrophic for our state’s budget,” said Senator Murray. “Altogether, the health care cuts in Republicans’ mega-bill will mean hospitals and nursing homes shutting down—especially in rural areas—millions of people getting kicked off Medicaid or their coverage under the Affordable Care Act, people blocked from accessing the benefits they are rightly eligible for because of a new wall of paperwork and red tape, Planned Parenthood health centers closing their doors, kids with disabilities losing out on the care they need, medical debt skyrocketing, and insurers leaving the Marketplace, leaving families and small business owners with little or no options for coverage. Needless to say—all of that means higher costs and less access to care for everyone, not just people on Medicaid.”
    “For the life of me I do not understand how some of the same Republicans who represent the areas of our state most reliant on Medicaid ever looked at this bill, looked at what it would do to the people they serve and said, ‘count me in!’ The fact of the matter is not complicated. Republicans want to pass a bill that will hurt the middle class and working families, to give a handout to some of the richest companies on the planet. Republicans know that is bad policy. They know that is massively unpopular—they know they are adding trillions to the national debt. That is why they are trying to jam this through with as little scrutiny as possible. Remember, we managed to stop Trump and Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act back in 2017. Public outcry matters—we have seen that even this administration is not totally immune from public pressure. We need to show Republicans that the American people are watching, and they will have to answer to their constituents,” Senator Murray continued.
    “The people here in Washington who have to deal with this issue — who know that their rural hospitals could go under, or their health clinics could be affected, or the cost of care could go up in their communities and make everything more expensive — they know that we also have to stop this legislation. We need to say to the President of the United States: He has to stop trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. He cannot propose ideas that literally will leave these providers without resources,” Senator Cantwell said. “We do not need to have Robin Hood in reverse. We do not need to steal from Medicaid the stability of our health care system and give a tax break to big corporations. We need to stop this effort as soon as possible. Senator Murray and I will be fighting every day on the Senate floor to convince our colleagues that this is not only a wrongheaded approach — it is going to cost the American people.”
    One in five adults, three in five nursing home residents, and three in eight people with disabilities in Washington are covered by Apple Health. Medicaid provides health care for over 800,000 children in Washington state—nearly half of children—and more than 45 percent of births in Washington state are covered by Medicaid—in rural Washington, that number goes up to more than 70 percent on births. Medicaid is also largest payer for opioid use disorder treatment in Washington state. Washington state spends approximately $21 billion on Medicaid annually—approximately $8 billion of that is paid for by the state, and approximately $13 billion is paid for by the federal government.
    “As a physician, I see firsthand how lack of health insurance leads to delayed care, resulting in more death, more advanced diseases that are significantly more expensive to treat, and more economic burden. Denying access to health insurance shifts the financial burden to emergency services and public systems, ultimately increasing overall healthcare costs for taxpayers,” said Dr. Jesus Iniguez, Medical Director at Sea Mar Community Health Centers.
    “Nurses are present at every level of care delivery. We are on the front line, and deal with the consequences when patients avoid care because of a lack of coverage. These cuts are not only cruel – they are harmful to the stability of our entire healthcare system and will not only impact those who are on Medicaid. We will all feel it. The ripple effect of something as monumental as the cuts they are currently proposing would send shock waves throughout the entire health care system, reducing access to care for millions,” said Edna Cortez, a pediatric nurse and member of the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA).
    “If the bill that passed the US House last week becomes law, it will be one of the most devastating attacks on health care access in American history. By banning Planned Parenthood from seeing Medicaid patients, the bill targets our organization and the patients who rely on us for care every day. The people who passed this bill wish for Planned Parenthood health centers to close their doors, and for people to lose access to affordable health care – and for many, access to health care altogether. And if this bill becomes law, their unbelievably cruel wish will be granted. Health centers will close, maybe even here in Washington. Planned Parenthood Federation of America estimates that 200 health centers will close nationwide, 90 percent of which are located in states like Washington where abortion is still legal. As you’ve heard today, people will lose their insurance coverage through cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act,” said Brita Lund, Manager of Planned Parenthood Northgate Health Center. “Nearly 40 percent of our affiliate’s patients in Western Washington are Medicaid recipients. This is about much more than abortion, which already cannot be covered by federal Medicaid dollars. This money goes to birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing. All of which are now at risk. Every single day at the health center I manage in Northgate, we help people sign up for Apple Health and Medicaid. Not just help them access services – we ask them a few screening questions and then show them how to enroll in the program, because when they walked through the door, they did not have insurance – and many did not even know it was an option available to them. Our front desk receptionist is the longest tenured employee in our Planned Parenthood affiliate, and might be the longest tenured Planned Parenthood employee in the state. She estimates that she personally enrolls one to three people every single work day. Over her career of 36 years, that means she has likely enrolled more than 1800 people. And that’s just her. There are providers and staff like her at every Planned Parenthood health center in the country, and at places like Sea Mar, who help patients sign up for Medicaid. Because everyone deserves to get the care they need, no matter what. If this bill becomes law, hospitals will close. Clinics will close. Long term care facilities will close. And everyone, not just Medicaid recipients, will be punished.”
    “Nate is 20 years old and autistic. He has an intellectual disability and requires support throughout the day to ensure his needs are met, much of which he receives through Home and Community Based Waiver services. Nate has a job at our local neighborhood pizza shop, where he works four hours a week building pizza boxes and doing other odd jobs with the support of a job coach. He of course gets a paycheck for his work, but he also gets a free slice of pizza and a coke after every shift, which he loves. He adores his job and is so proud of the ways he contributes to his community. Building the life of his dreams, and filling his days with enrichment and social connection when school ends, will not be easy, but with the help of Medicaid services the way they are now, Medicaid services such as health insurance, employment support, personal care, and home and community based waiver services, we’re starting to see a pathway to making it a reality. It’s a steep one, but the pathway is there,” said Rachel Nemhauser, parent of Nate and the Director of Family Support Services at The Arc of King County. Nate is one of the almost 280,000 adults with disabilities on Medicaid in Washington state, and Rachel shared his story with his permission. “But if the proposed Medicaid cuts go through, this dream vanishes. It threatens to reduce or eliminate the job support he counts on, making it impossible for him to stay employed. It threatens to reduce his access to health care, making it harder for people with vulnerable health to stay healthy and continue to work. It threatens to create paperwork and administrative barriers so burdensome and complicated that it’s almost impossible not to make a mistake once in a while. It is absolutely devastating to think that a singular vote from a group of people who don’t know Nate, and don’t fully understand the terrifying impact losing Medicaid could have, could take this all away from him, all in the name of reducing waste.”
    Nationwide, nearly half of children in America are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicaid pays for nearly half of births in the U.S. Medicaid also pays for services for 2 in 3 nursing home residents and pays for home-based services for close to 2 million seniors—allowing them to age safely at home—as well as close to 3 million people with disabilities and other health conditions. Medicaid also covers 1 in 4 people with a mental health or substance use disorder, and serves as the largest payer for mental health and substance use services for communities nationwide amid an ongoing overdose and opioid epidemic made worse by an influx of fentanyl.
    Recent polling from KFF Health found 82 percent of adults think Medicaid funding should either increase or stay the same and large majorities of people across parties, those who voted for Trump in 2024, and adults living in rural areas say the program is “very important” for their local community. Polling from Hart Research found that 71 percent of voters who backed Trump said cutting Medicaid would be unacceptable, and voters overall were even more opposed to it.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks at today’s press conference are below:
    “Republicans are looking to make history of the absolute worst kind.
    “Last week, overnight, House Republicans passed the single largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in the history of our country.
    “Reading this bill, you realize pretty quickly why did this in the dead of night. At least 7.6 million people losing Medicaid coverage, millions more losing health coverage and seeing costs go up, students having their Pell Grants cut, not to mention the biggest cut to SNAP in history—all to help fuel up corporate jets and executive bonuses with tax cuts for billionaires.
    “But—bad news for Republicans—we are not going to let them keep the American people in the dark. We are going to put a bright and burning spotlight on this big, ugly, disaster of a bill. The legislation Republicans are pushing through Congress is the largest cut to Medicaid in American history—let that sink in.
    “In Washington state, we are looking at least 194,000 people losing their Apple Health coverage under this bill. And that number rises to a quarter of a million people in our state getting kicked off their health care if you include all the ways Republicans are sabotaging the ACA in this bill and letting important health care tax credits for middle class families expire.
    “Under Republicans’ bill, Washington state would lose an estimated 2 billion dollars in federal Medicaid funding over the next four years—that’s catastrophic for our state’s budget. And on top of all that Republicans’ bill would defund Planned Parenthood—a longtime goal of anti-abortion extremists that would be absolutely devastating for women’s health care in our state and across the country. Defunding Planned Parenthood would put 200 health centers at risk of closure across the country and put critical cancer screenings and birth control even further out of reach. And by the way, it would actually cost taxpayers money $300 million dollars over the next decade, according to nonpartisan estimates.
    “Altogether, the health care cuts in Republicans’ mega-bill will mean: hospitals and nursing homes shutting down—especially in rural areas; millions of people getting kicked off Medicaid or their coverage under the Affordable Care Act; people blocked from accessing the benefits they are rightly eligible for because of a new wall of paperwork and red tape; Planned Parenthood health centers closing their doors; kids with disabilities losing out on the care they need; medical debt skyrocketing; and insurers leaving the Marketplace, leaving families and small business owners with little or no options for coverage.
    “Needless to say, all of that means higher costs and less access to care for everyone, not just people on Medicaid. But I have to say, for the life of me, I do not understand how some of the same Republicans who represent the areas of our state most reliant on Medicaid—ever—looked at this bill, looked at what it would do to the people they serve, and said, “count me in!”
    “Now, it’s worth noting, House Republicans did make some last-minute changes, but not what you might expect. They made sure more people will lose their health care sooner. And they made sure it will be more expensive to get health coverage on the exchanges. Oh, and don’t forget they got rid of a tax on gun silencers. Seriously—of all things!?
    “The people at the top? The billionaires and biggest corporations? They are doing fine. You don’t need to shower them with money taken out of the pockets of struggling families.
    “And you know what? If you want to help American businesses, all you have to do is pass legislation to stop Trump’s trade war which is hurting businesses and driving up costs. Doesn’t that sound better than taking food from hungry kids to give Elon Musk another tax break? Doesn’t that make more sense than kicking seniors out of nursing homes? Doesn’t that seem a little more reasonable that cutting patients off from their health care?
    “The fact of the matter is not complicated. Republicans want to pass a bill that will hurt the middle class and working families, to give and handout to some of the richest companies on the planet. Republicans know that is bad policy. They know that is massively unpopular. They know they are adding trillions to the national debt. That is why they are trying to jam this through with as little scrutiny as possible.
    “But we are putting this heist on full blast and fighting back against it with everything we’ve got. Remember, we managed to stop Trump and Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act back in 2017.
    “So, my message to everyone is—now is the time to get loud, speak out, talk to your friends and family in Republican districts, call your Member of Congress. And remember, you are not powerless.
    “Public outcry matters—we have seen that even this administration is not totally immune from public pressure. We need to show Republicans that the American people are watching, and they will have to answer to their constituents.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Foreign Secretary Misri in US to strengthen strategic tech and trade ties

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with US Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler in Washington on Tuesday to discuss convening the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue at an early date and to explore deeper cooperation in critical and emerging technologies.

    The meeting is seen as a step forward in bolstering high-level collaboration between India and the United States in strategically vital sectors. Discussions focused on reinforcing existing institutional frameworks and accelerating joint initiatives in technology and trade.

    The Indian Embassy in Washington posted on X, stating, “Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to advance India-US cooperation in critical & emerging technologies. They also discussed early convening of the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue to deepen tech & trade collaboration.”

    Misri is currently on a three-day visit to the US, during which he will engage with senior members of the Trump administration. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit follows up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official trip to the US in February 2025.

    That visit marked the launch of the ‘India-US COMPACT’—Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology—a strategic framework introduced by PM Modi and US President Donald Trump to expand collaboration in defense, trade, and technology.

    It was Modi’s first trip to the US since Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025. He was among the first world leaders invited by the new administration, visiting within three weeks of the swearing-in.

    The visit also comes amid President Trump’s recent remarks claiming credit for mediating a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan earlier this month. However, Indian officials have strongly refuted the claim.

    New Delhi maintains that the ceasefire came about due to Pakistan’s appeals following intense Indian military operations during Operation Sindoor, which targeted Pakistani air bases. Officials have underscored that the pressure from India’s offensive left Islamabad with little choice but to seek de-escalation.

    External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar clarified last week that while the US had reached out to India between May 7 and 10, it was not acting alone, and multiple countries had engaged with New Delhi during the period.

    -IANS

  • MIL-OSI: GDS Announces Proposed Offering of US$450 Million Convertible Senior Notes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHANGHAI, China, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GDS Holdings Limited (“GDS Holdings”, “GDS” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: GDS; HKEX: 9698), a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in China, today announced the commencement of a proposed offering (the “Notes Offering”) of convertible senior notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$450 million due 2032 (the “Notes”), subject to market conditions and other factors, in a private offering to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Company expects to grant the initial purchasers in the Notes Offering an option to purchase up to an additional US$50 million in aggregate principal amount of the Notes, exercisable for settlement within a 13-day period, beginning on, and including, the first date on which the Notes are issued.

    The Company plans to use the net proceeds from the Notes Offering for working capital needs and the refinancing of its existing indebtedness, including potential future negotiated repurchases, or redemption upon exercise of the investor put right, of its convertible bonds due 2029.

    When issued, the Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of GDS. The Notes will mature on June 1, 2032, unless earlier redeemed, repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date.

    Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding December 1, 2031, the Notes will be convertible only upon satisfaction of certain conditions and during certain periods. On or after December 1, 2031 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert their Notes at their option at any time. Upon conversion, the Company will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, the Company’s American depositary shares, each representing eight Class A ordinary shares (the “ADSs”), or a combination of cash and ADSs, at the Company’s election. Holders may also elect to receive Class A ordinary shares in lieu of any ADSs deliverable upon conversion, subject to certain procedures and conditions set forth in the terms of the Notes. The interest rate, initial conversion rate and other terms of the Notes will be determined at the time of pricing of the Notes.

    The Company may redeem for cash all but not part of the Notes (i) in the event of certain tax law changes (a “Tax Redemption”) and (ii) if less than 10% of the aggregate principal of amount of notes originally issued (for the avoidance of doubt, including the notes issued upon the exercise of the initial purchasers’ option to purchase additional notes) remains outstanding at such time (a “Cleanup Redemption”). The Notes will not be redeemable before June 6, 2029, except in connection with a Tax Redemption or Cleanup Redemption. On or after June 6, 2029 and on or prior to the 40th scheduled trading day immediately prior to the maturity date, the Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part, for cash at the Company’s option at any time, and from time to time, if (x) the notes are “freely tradable” (as will be defined in the indenture for the Notes), and all accrued and unpaid additional interest, if any, has been paid in full, as of the date we send such notice and (y) the last reported sale price of the ADSs has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect on (i) each of at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including, the trading day immediately prior to the date the Company provides notice of redemption and (ii) the trading day immediately preceding the date the Company sends such notice (such redemption, an “Optional Redemption”). The redemption price in the case of a Tax Redemption, Cleanup Redemption or an Optional Redemption will equal 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the related redemption date.

    Holders of the Notes may require the Company to repurchase for cash all or part of their Notes on June 1, 2029. In addition, holders of the Notes have the option, subject to certain conditions, to require the Company to repurchase any Notes held in the event of a “fundamental change” (as will be defined in the indenture for the Notes). The repurchase price, in each case, will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the applicable repurchase date.

    The Company expects that certain purchasers of the Notes may establish a short position with respect to its ADSs by short selling its ADSs or by entering into short derivative positions with respect to its ADSs (including entering into derivatives with an affiliate of an initial purchaser in the Notes Offering), in each case, in connection with the Notes Offering. Any of the above market activities by purchasers of the Notes could increase (or reduce any decrease in) or decrease (or reduce any increase in) the market price of the Company’s ADSs or the Notes at that time, and the Company cannot predict the magnitude of such market activity or the overall effect it will have on the price of the Notes or its ADSs.

    The Company also announced today by separate press release that the Company has commenced a separate registered public offering (the “Delta Placement of Borrowed ADSs”) of a certain number of its ADSs (the “Borrowed ADSs”) that the Company will lend to an affiliate (the “ADS Borrower”) of an initial purchaser in the Notes Offering in order to facilitate privately negotiated derivative transactions by some holders of the Notes for purposes of hedging their investment in the Notes. The Company expects to enter into an ADS lending agreement (the “ADS Lending Agreement”) with the ADS Borrower pursuant to which the Company will lend the Borrowed ADSs to the ADS Borrower. The ADS Borrower or its affiliate will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of the Borrowed ADSs and the Company will not receive any of those proceeds, but the ADS Borrower will pay the Company a nominal lending fee for the use of those ADSs pursuant to the ADS Lending Agreement. The activity described above could affect the market price of the Company’s ADSs or the Notes otherwise prevailing at that time.

    The Company also announced today by separate press release that the Company has commenced a separate registered public offering (the “Primary ADSs Offering”) of 5,200,000 ADSs (the “Primary ADSs”), subject to market and other conditions. The underwriters in the Primary ADSs Offering will have a 30-day option to purchase up to 780,000 additional ADSs.

    Nothing contained herein shall constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, including the Notes, the Borrowed ADSs or the Primary ADSs, nor shall there be any offer or sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Delta Placement of Borrowed ADSs and the Primary ADSs Offering are being made only by means of separate prospectus supplements and accompanying prospectuses pursuant to an effective registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The closing of each of the Notes Offering, the Delta Placement of Borrowed ADSs and the Primary ADSs Offering is conditioned upon the closing of each of the other offerings and vice versa. If the Notes Offering is not consummated, the concurrent Primary ADSs Offering will terminate, the ADS loan under the ADS Lending Agreement will terminate, and the concurrent Delta Placement of Borrowed ADSs will terminate and all of the Borrowed ADSs (or ADSs fungible with the Borrowed ADSs or other substitute securities or property as provided for in the ADS Lending Agreement) must be returned to the Company.

    The Notes, the ADSs deliverable upon conversion of the Notes, if any, and the Class A ordinary shares represented thereby or deliverable upon conversion of Notes in lieu thereof, have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or any state securities laws, and are being offered and sold in the United States only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act.

    About GDS Holdings Limited

    GDS Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: GDS; HKEX: 9698) is a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in China. The Company’s facilities are strategically located in and around primary economic hubs where demand for high-performance data center services is concentrated. The Company’s data centers have large net floor area, high power capacity, density and efficiency, and multiple redundancies across all critical systems. GDS is carrier and cloud-neutral, which enables its customers to access the major telecommunications networks, as well as the largest PRC and global public clouds, which are hosted in many of its facilities. The Company offers co-location and a suite of value-added services, including managed hybrid cloud services through direct private connection to leading public clouds, managed network services, and, where required, the resale of public cloud services. The Company has a 24-year track record of service delivery, successfully fulfilling the requirements of some of the largest and most demanding customers for outsourced data center services in China. The Company’s customer base consists predominantly of hyperscale cloud service providers, large internet companies, financial institutions, telecommunications carriers, IT service providers, and large domestic private sector and multinational corporations. The Company also holds a non-controlling 35.6% equity interest in DayOne Data Centers Limited which develops and operates data centers in International markets.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “guidance,” “intend,” “is/are likely to,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “target,” “will,” and similar statements. Among other things, statements that are not historical facts, including statements about GDS Holdings’ beliefs and expectations regarding the Notes Offering, Delta Placement of Borrowed ADSs and the Primary ADSs Offering, the growth of its businesses and its revenue for the full fiscal year, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as GDS Holdings’ strategic and operational plans, are or contain forward-looking statements. GDS Holdings may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the SEC on Forms 20-F and 6-K, in its current, interim and annual reports to shareholders, in announcements, circulars or other publications made on the website of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Hong Kong Stock Exchange”), in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause GDS Holdings’ actual results or financial performance to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: GDS Holdings’ goals and strategies; GDS Holdings’ future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the market for high-performance data centers, data center solutions and related services in China and regions in which GDS’ major equity investees operate, such as South East Asia; GDS Holdings’ expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its high-performance data centers, data center solutions and related services; GDS Holdings’ expectations regarding building, strengthening and maintaining its relationships with new and existing customers; the results of operations, growth prospects, financial condition, regulatory environment, competitive landscape and other uncertainties associated with the business and operations of our significant equity investee DayOne; the continued adoption of cloud computing and cloud service providers in China and other major markets that may impact the results of our equity investees, such as South East Asia; risks and uncertainties associated with increased investments in GDS Holdings’ business and new data center initiatives; risks and uncertainties associated with strategic acquisitions and investments; GDS Holdings’ ability to maintain or grow its revenue or business; fluctuations in GDS Holdings’ operating results; changes in laws, regulations and regulatory environment that affect GDS Holdings’ business operations and those of its major equity investees; competition in GDS Holdings’ industry in China and in markets that affect the business of our major equity investees, such as South East Asia; security breaches; power outages; and fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and globally, and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in GDS Holdings’ filings with the SEC, including its annual report on Form 20-F, and with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release and are based on assumptions that GDS Holdings believes to be reasonable as of such date, and GDS Holdings does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    GDS Holdings Limited
    Laura Chen
    Phone: +86 (21) 2029-2203
    Email: ir@gds-services.com

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Ross Warner
    Phone: +86 (10) 6508-0677
    Email: GDS@tpg-ir.com

    Brandi Piacente
    Phone: +1 (212) 481-2050
    Email: GDS@tpg-ir.com

    GDS Holdings Limited

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Brooge Energy Limited Announces Proposed Sale of BPGIC FZE and BPGIC Phase III FZE

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brooge Energy Limited, (“BEL“) (NASDAQ: BROG), a Cayman Islands-based infrastructure provider, which is engaged in Clean Petroleum Products and Biofuels and Crude Oil storage and related services, today announced entering into a conditional sale and purchase agreement (the “Acquisition Agreement“) for the proposed sale of 100% of the total issued share capital of each of Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investments Company FZE (“BPGIC FZE“) and Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Company Phase III FZE (“BPGIC Phase III FZE“, collectively with their subsidiaries referred to as the “BPGIC Group“), to Gulf Navigation Holding PJSC (“GulfNav“) (the “Transaction“).

    Key highlights:  This acquisition is part of GulfNav’s long-term vision to become a key player in the energy sector by expanding its storage and logistics capabilities with BPGIC Group’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, which includes advanced facilities for the storage of fuel oil, crude oil, and petroleum products. These assets will complement GulfNav’s existing operations and allow them to provide an integrated storage and transportation solution. The integration of the two businesses is expected to drive operational efficiencies, enhance service offerings, and create substantial value for stakeholders.

    BEL’s Board of Directors commented, “We are pleased to be nearing the closing of our strategic transaction with GulfNav. After careful diligence by both parties, we have outlined the proposed terms and conditions the Board believes is in the best interest of ensuring long-term value creation for our shareholders.”

    Principal Terms and Conditions of the Acquisition Agreement

    Consideration Structure  

    The total consideration (the “Consideration“) payable under the Transaction amounts to c. USD 884 million (AED 3,245,000,000). This Consideration will be satisfied through the following means:

    1. Cash Consideration: c. USD 125.3 million (AED 460,000,000) in cash, which will be paid as follows:
      1. c. USD 65 million (AED 239,650,000) will be paid into the Completion Escrow Account (subject to any deductions of transaction expenses and for known leakage (if any)); and
          1. c. USD 60 million (AED 220,350,000) will be paid into an escrow account for the benefit of ASMA Capital Partners B.S.C.(c) (“ASMA“) in connection with the settlement of certain outstanding liabilities of BPGIC Holdings Limited (under liquidation) to ASMA’s subsidiary, MENA Energy Services Holdings Limited, in order to facilitate the conclusion of the Transaction.
            1. Consideration Shares: The allotment and issue on completion of 358,841,476 ordinary shares in the share capital of GulfNav, credited as fully paid, at a price of USD 0.34 (AED 1.25) per share, with a total subscription price of c. USD 122 million (AED 449 million).    
            1. Mandatory Convertible Bonds: c. USD 636 million (AED 2,336 million) to be satisfied by the issue by GulfNav on completion of Mandatory Convertible Bonds, which will convert into ordinary shares in the share capital of GulfNav in accordance with the terms of such Mandatory Convertible Bonds. The Mandatory Convertible Bonds (upon their conversion into shares in GulfNav) will entitle the holder to the same economic benefits as the Consideration Shares.

            The Consideration Shares and any Mandatory Convertible Bonds which will convert into shares in the share capital of GulfNav will be subject to a 12-month lock-up period from their date of issuance or conversion, as the case may be.

            The Consideration is expected to be distributed by way of dividend at an appropriate time following completion.

            Conditions to completion of the Transaction

            Under the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, completion of the Transaction is conditional upon customary conditions, including:

            (a)                Shareholder Approval – GulfNav’s shareholders passing a special resolution to approve the amendment of its articles of association to remove any foreign ownership restrictions;

            (b)               Regulatory Approval – GulfNav obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals of the Transaction, including an mandatory tender offer waiver, issuance and transferability of the Mandatory Convertible Bonds and the admission of the Consideration Shares;

            (c)                GulfNav Consents – GulfNav obtaining written consent to the Transaction from certain third parties;

            (d)               First Mandatory Convertible Bond Offering – GulfNav successfully completing a capital raise (via the issuance of mandatory convertible bonds to existing shareholders) in order to fund the Cash Consideration element of the Consideration;

            (e)                BEL Consents – BEL obtaining written consent to the Transaction from certain third parties, including bondholders;

            (f)                Settlement of Claims – BEL entering into formal agreements for the full and final settlement of certain claims related to the BPGIC Group; and

            (g)               Commercial Registration – completion of the commercial registration process with the Fujairah Free Zone Authority to transfer the shares of the BPGIC Group by BEL to GulfNav.

            Other noteworthy terms

            BEL and GulfNav will each provide a customary set of warranties, as is typical in transactions of similar nature. 

            Completion is expected to occur within five Business Days after the satisfaction (or, if capable of waiver, waiver) of any applicable conditions in accordance with the terms of the Acquisition Agreement.

            BEL and GulfNav will endeavor to complete the Transaction as soon as practicable, and in any event prior to the Long Stop Date, being the date falling three months from the date of the Acquisition Agreement unless otherwise agreed by the parties.

            Following completion, each  party is expected to have pro-rata representation on the board of directors of GulfNav in accordance with applicable laws and regulations in the United Arab Emirates.

            BEL expects to provide further information regarding the distribution of the Consideration to BEL’s shareholders and other beneficiaries nearer the time of completion.  The Consideration Shares and Mandatory Convertible Bonds and other securities of GulfNav have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act“), and may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The issuer of the securities has not registered, and does not intend to register, any portion of the offering in the United States, and does not intend to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

            About Brooge Energy Limited

            BEL is a Cayman Islands-based infrastructure provider which is engaged in Clean Petroleum Products and Biofuels and Crude Oil storage and related services. BEL conducts the business and operations through its subsidiary BPGIC FZE. BPGIC FZE is strategically located outside the Strait of Hormuz at the Port of Fujairah in the Emirate of Fujairah in the UAE. Its business differentiates itself from competitors by providing customers with fast order processing times, excellent customer service and high accuracy blending services with low product losses.

            About Gulf Navigation Holding PJSC

            GulfNav is a prominent maritime and shipping company based in Dubai, UAE. With a diverse fleet and comprehensive services, GulfNav is committed to delivering excellence in the maritime industry.

            Forward-Looking Statements

            This press release contains statements that are not historical facts and constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements reflect management’s current views based on certain assumptions, and they involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results, events or performance may differ materially from the forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors, and will be dependent upon a variety of factors, including risks described in public reports filed by BEL with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. BEL does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

            Investor Contact
            KCSA Strategic Communications
            Valter Pinto, Managing Director
            +1 212-896-1254
            BROG@kcsa.com

        The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, Lee, colleagues applaud U.S. Sentencing Commission’s amendment on supervised release

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), along with Representative Barry Moore (R-Ala.), released the following statement to applaud the United States Sentencing Commission’s unanimously finalized recent amendment to the United States Sentencing Guidelines regarding federal supervised release:
    “This is an important step by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. This amendment regarding federal supervised release better aligns our system with parts of our Safer Supervision Act. It is a meaningful move to restore federal supervision to the system that Congress originally intended and focus supervision on those who need it most. This is an illustration of how we can work together to improve our justice system by promoting rehabilitation, fairness, and public safety. We look forward to continuing this effort and ensuring that the entire Safer Supervision Act becomes law.”
    Federal supervised release is a form of supervision after incarceration that was originally designed to be used “for those, and only those, who [need] it,” according to the U.S. Supreme Court. Currently, however, supervised release is imposed in nearly every case, resulting in an overburdened system with more than 110,000 people in supervision at any moment, and nearly 50,000 people cycling into it each year. The result is a system that does not provide appropriate supervision to the high-risk individuals who most need it, while creating counterproductive burdens on low-risk individuals that inhibit their ability to reintegrate. 
    On April 30, 2025, the United States Sentencing Commission transmitted to Congress an amendment to the Guidelines that encourages courts to impose supervised release on the basis of individualized circumstances, provides courts with factors to consider in assessing potential early termination, and increases courts’ discretion on how to address supervised release violations. These changes are aligned with certain portions of the Safer Supervision Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that will ensure that supervision resources are directed in a way that best promotes rehabilitation and public safety. The Commission initially proposed this amendment in January, and the aforementioned members of Congress filed a comment in March in support of the Sentencing Commission’s proposal. The proposal received favorable comments at a public hearing in March from law enforcement and advocates across the political spectrum. The finalized amendment will go into effect on November 1, 2025.
    Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Photo & Video Chronology — May 25, 2025 — Kīlauea Episode 23

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea occurred on May 25, 2025. Over about six hours, from 4:15 p.m. to 10:25 p.m. HST, high fountains and lava flows erupted from both the north and south vents. Lava fountains from the north vent reached heights of more than 1,000 feet (300 meters). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: US Department of Labor recovers $594K in back wages, damages for 419 workers denied overtime by Florida construction contractor

    Source: US Department of Labor

    LEESBURG, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $594,313 in back wages and damages for 419 workers after a federal investigation found a Leesburg-based employer failed to pay workers all of their required overtime wages.

    An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined Amtex-NMS Inc., operating as Southeast Modular Manufacturing, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime provision by not paying workers time-and-a-half their regular rate for all hours over 40 in a workweek. Specifically, its rounding methods improperly reduced hours that resulted in unpaid overtime for hours worked over 40 per workweek.

    Investigators also discovered the employer violated federal recordkeeping requirements by failing to maintain complete and accurate records of workers’ wages and hours.

    “Some employers use a pay method referred to as rounding to produce even and balanced calculations of hours worked. While it can be a useful tool, it is the responsibility of all employers to ensure the use of rounding in their time systems is balanced and does not always round in the employer’s favor,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Vilma Bell in Orlando, Florida. “We encourage all workers and employers to contact their nearest Wage and Hour Division office with any questions regarding their rights and obligations under the law.”

    Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division and workers’ rights, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. 

    Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s free Android and iPhone Timesheet App. Employers and workers can contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE (487-9243). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett holds change of command ceremony

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    05/27/2025 04:37 PM EDT

    The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) held a change of command ceremony, Friday, on Coast Guard Base Honolulu. Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, presided over the ceremony in which Capt. Brian Whisler relieved Capt. Matthew Rooney as Midgett’s commanding officer.

    For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican national sentenced to federal prison for firearms violation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BEAUMONT, Texas –A Mexican national has been sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Maria Magdalena Chavez, 41, illegally residing in Port Arthur, pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 27, 2025.

    According to information presented in court, on September 11, 2024, Chavez was in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation in Nederland. During the stop, it was determined that Chavez had a firearm concealed in her bra.  Further investigation revealed Chavez was a Mexican national who had been previously removed from the United States.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Nederland Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy L. Coleman.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dunklin County Woman Sentenced for Aiding $565,000 Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge on Tuesday sentenced a money mule to fifteen months imprisonment for moving $565,000 in stolen funds.  

    Sheri L. Reeves acted as a money courier or “money mule,” transferring money obtained by fraud to others. On June 9, 2020, Reeves opened an account at a Bank of America branch in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and later added the name of the fraud victim to the account. Reeves’ co-conspirators used fraudulently obtained account information to access the victim’s account and transfer a total of $565,000 to Reeves’ account. She then sent the money to others using cashier’s checks obtained in Tennessee and Arkansas and via a CoinFlip cryptocurrency ATM in Dunklin County.  She also sent her account information to others and withdrew or attempted to withdraw the proceeds in cash or by check, her plea agreement says.

    Despite being warned by the FBI, Reeves continued to assist in the commission of financial crimes.  

    Reeves, 55, of Kennett, in Dunklin County, pleaded guilty in November in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of aiding and abetting bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. In addition to the sentence of fifteen months imprisonment, Reeves was ordered to pay $565,000 in restitution to the Bank of America, and to serve a term of five years supervised release upon her release from imprisonment.  

    The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuted the case.

    If you believe you are participating in a money mule scheme or a victim of one, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center at ic3.gov or contact your local FBI office.

    MIL Security OSI –