NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: At AI Summit, diplomats and Pharrell mull destiny of tech revolution

    Source: United Nations 4

    Economic Development

    AI is already transforming our world but its power rests “in the hands of a few”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Tuesday in Paris, in an appeal for countries to use the revolutionary technology together, “to bridge the gap between developed and developing countries – not widen it”.

    Addressing the AI Action Summit against the glittering backdrop of the Grand Palais museum in the French capital, the UN chief warned that the growing concentration of AI capabilities risked deepening geopolitical divides. “Global guardrails” must be agreed and deployed urgently and best practices shared, Mr. Guterres insisted, in the interests of solidarity, equitable policies and fair business.

    With national leaders, tech CEOs and even Pharrell Williams looking on, the UN chief also called for clean energy solutions, as AI data centres already place “an unsustainable strain” on our planet.

    “It is crucial to design AI algorithms and infrastructures that consume less energy and integrate AI into smart grids to optimize power use,” he insisted. “From data centres to training models, AI must run on sustainable energy so that it fuels a more sustainable future.”

    The rapidly developing field of AI should help to accelerate universally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and not “entrench inequalities”, Mr. Guterres continued.

    Unfounded fears

    Also at the summit to discuss AI’s possibilities and perils, singer-superstar Mr. Williams rejected concerns that it might make humans redundant or take people’s jobs. “There’s just too much fear around it,” he said.

    “We wouldn’t use AI to help us write a song,” he added, insisting that the tech “wouldn’t replace creativity…You know, there was a whole thing around the year 2000 as well, but we’re fine, we survived that.”

    Representing US interests, Vice-President JD Vance said that $450 billion of investment in the sector was planned. He cautioned against overly stringent controls. “Excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry as it’s taking off,” he added.

    Soundcloud

    Commercial edge

    Offering insight into how AI is evolving, Choi-Soo-yeon, head of South Korean AI giant Naver, explained that what people want today is “not websites, but information” that is more relevant to their needs.

    “By understanding users underlying intent and context, AI will recommend products their users really want,” she said. “This is expected to create a commerce platform where various tastes to end personalities coexist and are actively connected.”

    The UN’s role in AI

    Highlighting the UN’s mission to ensure that no one is left behind by this new technology, Mr. Guterres pointed to the Global Digital Compact on AI governance which Member States agreed to in September last year. The Compact “brings the world together around a shared vision: one where technology serves humanity, not the other way around,” the Secretary-General said, as he urged all countries to support the creation of an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI.

    Equally important is the establishment of a Global Dialogue on AI Governance featuring all UN Member States, “to align [AI] governance efforts around the world and reinforce their interoperability, uphold human rights in AI applications and prevent misuse…We must prevent a world of AI ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots,’” the UN chief insisted.

    Energy angle

    Addressing the need to square the circle of energy-hungry AI data centres, Fatih Birol, Executive director of the intergovernmental International Energy Agency (IEA) confirmed that electricity demand trends have already been impacted by data centres and other key AI infrastructure requirements.

    “There is no AI without energy,” he said, noting that “thousands” of data centres are going to be built. “This is the challenge for governments to find electricity in a clean way, in a sustainable way and in an affordable way.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal immigrant convicted as part of India-based fraud conspiracy scheme targeting the life savings of elderly victims in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A southern Illinois jury convicted an illegal immigrant from India for his involvement in an imposter scam, in which victims across the Midwest were defrauded out of more than $400,000. 

    The jury convicted Nirav B. Patel, 44, an Indian citizen, of one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud and one count of illegal entry into the U.S. by an alien.

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working aggressively to prosecute illegal immigrants who break our laws and exploit elderly victims,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “An imposter scammer may call, text, or email to convince you they are someone in authority, but government agencies typically initiate conversation with you through the mail. Unexpected contact or demands through any other method are more than likely a scam.”

    Patel was convicted of acting on behalf of an imposter scam, in which the fraudsters pose as government officials to manipulate and exploit elderly victims for money. Patel traveled to the victims’ residences to pick up cash and assets to support the conspiracy.

    The scheme targeted elderly victims with text messages and emails purportedly warning that their Amazon accounts had been compromised. When the victims followed up on the messages, they were redirected to coconspirators posing as federal agents who convinced the victims that they were victims of identity theft who needed to withdraw their life savings to be held in phony U.S. Treasury or FTC trust accounts for safekeeping. In reality, the money was stolen and ultimately transferred to accounts controlled by the scammers in India.

    In addition to the fraud charges, Patel was also convicted for entering the U.S. illegally. Evidence showed that Patel snuck into the U.S. near Vancouver and moved throughout Washington, Tennessee, Georgia, New Jersey and elsewhere. Patel took the witness stand and testified that he moved to the Chicago suburbs, because he was able to acquire an Illinois driver’s license despite being in the U.S. unlawfully. Soon after, he began driving on behalf of the fraud scheme.

    “This conviction represents a significant victory in our fight against fraud schemes that target vulnerable elderly victims,” said HSI Chicago acting Special Agent in Charge Daniel Johnsen. “Patel’s reprehensible actions, along with his illegal presence in our country, underscore the critical importance of our efforts to protect our communities and bring such criminals to justice. We remain steadfast in our commitment to dismantling fraud conspiracies and ensuring that those who exploit others are held accountable for their crimes.”

    Patel was arrested in Edwardsville in April 2023 when he attempted to pick up $35,000 in cash from a retiree. In total, Patel personally made six trips picking up, or attempting to pick up, $403,400 from elderly victims in Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois.

    Patel could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 for conspiracy and each of the wire fraud counts. His sentencing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on May 29 at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.

    The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Edwardsville Police Department, the Merrill Wisconsin Police Department, the Lincoln County Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office, and the Franklin Indiana Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter T. Reed and Steve Weinhoeft are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Towanda, Illinois, Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Prison for Paying Adults to Sexually Assault Children During Online Video Chats

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PEORIA, Ill. – A Towanda, Illinois, man, Triston Michael Roberts, 22, was sentenced on February 4, 2025, to fifteen years’ imprisonment, to be followed by a ten-year term of supervised release, after being convicted of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He also must register as a sex offender once he is released.At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the government established that between April 2023 and February 2024, Roberts used his cellphone to visit online platforms where he located adults offering to engage in sexual acts with children in exchange for money. Roberts used a screen record function on his phone to produce videos of the child sex abuse as it occurred. During the video chat sessions, Roberts provided monetary “tips” in exchange for the performance of specific acts of sexual abuse. Roberts also communicated directly with a prepubescent minor and sent her lewd photographs of himself. At Roberts’s request, the minor female sent him sexually explicit photographs.During the execution of a search warrant at Roberts’s residence, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the Illinois State Police located three child pornography images and 82 child pornography videos on Roberts’s phone, in addition to the videos that Roberts produced.Roberts was charged by criminal complaint in February 2024 and indicted eight days later. He entered a guilty plea to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in September 2024. Roberts has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest.The statutory penalties for sexual exploitation of a minor are 15 to 30 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by five years to a life term of supervised release.“Preventing the exploitation of children is a top priority for our office,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. “Predators like the defendant inflict long-lasting trauma on child victims. We are committed to seeking justice in these cases and are grateful to our federal and local law enforcement partners for their dedicated work in investigating these crimes.”“This case underscores our relentless dedication to protecting children from exploitation,” said HSI Chicago acting Special Agent in Charge Daniel Johnsen. “The abhorrent actions of Roberts have caused severe harm, and his conviction ensures he will face justice for his vile offenses. We are committed to leveraging all resources at our disposal to prevent such heinous acts and ensure the safety and well-being of our communities.”“Preying on children is a despicable crime, and ISP special agents are committed to relentlessly pursuing justice and safety for all children every day,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly.The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Illinois State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.The case against Roberts was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tiptonville, Tennessee, Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PEORIA, Ill. – A Tiptonville, Tennessee, man, Jerry Braddy, 45, was sentenced on February 4, 2025, to ten years in federal prison, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release, for attempted enticement of a minor. He also must register as a sex offender once he is released.

    At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the government established that between June 2, 2024, and June 12, 2024, Braddy communicated via an online platform with an individual he believed to be the stepfather of a nine-year-old child. Braddy agreed to meet the child and stepfather in Bloomington, Illinois, in order to engage in a sexual encounter with the minor. Federal law enforcement agents, with assistance from the McLean County Sherriff’s Office, arrested Braddy when he arrived at the location.

    Braddy was charged by criminal complaint in June 2024 and indicted five days later. Braddy pleaded guilty in August 2024. He has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest.

    The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are a minimum of ten years to life imprisonment, followed by a minimum of five years to a maximum life term of supervised release.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.

    The case against Braddy was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Braddock Felon Charged with Possession of Firearm and Ammunition

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Braddock, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating a federal firearms law, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    The one-count Indictment named Terrance Chatman, 33, as the sole defendant.

    According to the Indictment, on or about December 11, 2024, Chatman possessed a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of four prior felonies, including on murder, robbery, criminal conspiracy, and firearms charges. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

    The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Royal Navy shipbuilding drives growth in Scotland

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Home of Royal Navy Type 31 frigates production supports 2,500 Scottish jobs.

    Scottish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contributed to the government’s Defence Industrial Strategy today as the Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle MP, visited the home of Royal Navy Type 31 frigate production. 

    Local Scottish SMEs took part in a roundtable discussion at manufacturer Babcock’s site at Rosyth about the upcoming Strategy, emphasising the government’s commitment to fostering growth in the defence sector.

    The event, hosted by Minister Eagle, provided a platform for SMEs to explore challenges and opportunities within the shipbuilding industry, reinforcing the Strategy’s goal of ensuring defence investment supports UK-wide prosperity.

    With the consultation running until the end of February, the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy seeks to grow a faster, more integrated, more resilient supply chain. Babcock has invested around £200 million in its Rosyth facilities over the last decade, including the development of a state-of-the-art assembly hall that enables the simultaneous construction of two Type 31 frigates.  

    The Type 31 programme, managed by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), demonstrates the breadth of the UK’s shipbuilding skills, innovation and capability.

    Ongoing contracts like Type 31 are a key part of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, safeguarding national security whilst raising living standards across the UK with good, skilled, productive jobs.   

    Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle MP, said:

    It was great to visit Rosyth and witness first-hand their world-class shipbuilding programme which will strengthen our national security into the future, whilst boosting jobs and small and medium-sized businesses across Scotland. 

    This Government is working swiftly to develop a new Defence Industrial Strategy, in partnership with industry, innovators and workers, to drive jobs and growth in every nation and region of the UK, supporting our Plan for Change.

    Awarded to Babcock in November 2019, the contract for five Type 31 frigates has secured a legacy of shipbuilding activity at Rosyth, one of the UK’s largest waterside manufacturing and repair facilities. The programme continues to sustain and create 2,500 skilled jobs, reinforcing Scotland’s vital contribution to national defence capabilities. 

    The T31 class is based on Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design, the parent design for the Type 31 frigate, which is adaptable to meet the needs of export customers, demonstrated in successes with Poland and Indonesia. International interest in further exports of the AH140 remains strong. 

    Babcock officially commenced construction on HMS Formidable at the end of last year, marking the third of five Type 31 Inspiration Class frigates being built for the Royal Navy. Flexible and adaptable by design, the Type 31 is a general-purpose frigate that will undertake missions such as interception, disruption, intelligence gathering, defence engagement and providing humanitarian support.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Utah auction set to support conservation work in Alberta

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: Digital Tails Group, Llc. and Bowmo Inc., Announce Introduction of Engineering Solutions and Case Studies

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — bowmo™, Inc. (OTC: BOMO), a New York City based company powered by AI and XR/VR technologies aiming to provide fully customizable SaaS Platforms to multiple industries (https://bowmo.com) (“bowmo,” “the Company”) and its recent merger partner OWNverse/Digital Tails Group (“DTG”), are pleased to announce release of an expanded family of engineering and industrial automation solutions for industrial manufacturing, healthcare, energy, automotive and aerospace.

    Digital Tails Group developed solutions that include 3D Configurators, CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) Automation, XR (Extended Reality) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) designed to make manufacturing simpler and more efficient. Key system capabilities for engineering industries include 3D product visualization, and integrations with ERP, CAD and PLM systems.

    Typical customer benefits include streamlined manufacturing and design processes, rapid product customizations and ordering, reduced error rates, and increased sales conversion rates.

    Aleksey Shestakov, Chairman of the Board of OWNverse/Digital Tails and the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of bowmo, Inc. summarized, “By integrating several core technologies like 3D visualization, extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) into an intuitive CPQ solution, we are able to rapidly configure customer solutions that deliver significant ROI and value.”

    Michael R. Neece, Chief Product Officer of bowmo Inc, stated, “Bowmo’s ‘One Platform for Multiple Verticals‘ product strategy is now revealing the significance of integrating AI, 3D/XR, Blockchain and workflow automation into a single platform that can be rapidly configured for specific needs of multiple industry verticals.”

    You can learn more about this latest family of engineering innovations from bowmo and OWNverse/Digital Tails Group at: https://digital-tails.group/industrial-cpq-solution.

    About bowmo, Inc.
    Bowmo Inc., (OTC: BOMO) is a New York City–based AI-powered software and services company that incorporates a novel set of technologies to build a platform that will deliver solutions for multiple industries. Bowmo’s flagship product seamlessly integrates AI and extended reality (XR) technologies to revolutionize recruitment and human resource (HR) processes.

    Building upon our multi-vertical platform, bowmo is poised to introduce a suite of future products catering to the needs of cybersecurity, SaaS sales, retail, sports, media/entertainment, and real estate sectors. This expansion underscores bowmo’s commitment to diversifying revenue streams and addressing diverse industry needs through advanced technological solutions. bowmo’s platform harnesses AI, machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), blockchain, extended/augmented/virtual realities (XR) and process orchestration.

    About Digital Tails Group, LLC.
    Digital Tails Group (“DTG,” the “Company”) is an IT company specializing in software development using 3D technology, extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI). The DTG expertise in advanced technologies ranges from virtual reality (VR) experiences to smart AI algorithms, enabling us to help our clients improve their competitive strength through the application of advanced UI and knowledge technologies.

    About OWNverse, LLC.
    OWNverse is a virtual platform company that develops unique tools for creating targeted products and services for virtual spaces (“Metaverses”) by using the technology stack available through widely used Web2 platforms driven by AI.

    OWNverse allows for the integration of such tools to elevate the dimensionality of products and services, while offering such products and services within the spatially immersive 3D Internet—Web3.

    OWNverse aims to empower all users to become co-creators of the content. The main OWNverse ideology is to supply proven tools to users to provide real value for businesses and create virtual communities in numerous business sectors.

    Additional Information and Where to Find It
    Additional information is available on the Company’s website: https://www.bowmo.com. In addition, other information related to the Company is available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: Michael E. Lakshin, Chairman of the Board and President, Michael.Lakshin@bowmo.com.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
    This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by the use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “continue,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, BOMO’s ability to successfully execute its expanded business strategy, including by entering into definitive agreements with suppliers, commercial partners and customers; general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various software programs, changes in future customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technical advances and delivering technological innovations, regulatory requirements and the ability to meet them, government agency rules and changes, and various other factors beyond BOMO’s control. Except as may be required by law, bowmo, Inc. undertakes no obligation, and does not intend, to update these forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

    Contact:
    Michael E. Lakshin
    Chairman of the Board and President
    Michael.Lakshin@bowmo.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies is an annual economic policy conference, held in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, organized by the Ministry of Finance of Saudi Arabia and the IMF Regional Office in Riyadh. The conference will convene a select group of emerging markets’ ministers of finance, central bank governors, and policymakers, as well as public and private sector leaders, international institutions, and academia. It will offer a unique platform to exchange views on domestic, regional, and global economic developments and discuss policies and reforms to spur inclusive prosperity and build resilience supported by strong international cooperation.

    The sessions with an asterisk (*) will be streamed live on this page.

    Agenda

    Day 1: February 16, 2025

    09:30-09:40 – Opening remarks by H.E. Mohammed Al-Jadaan (Minister of Finance, Saudi Arabia) and Kristalina Georgieva (Managing Director, IMF) *

    09:40-10:00 – Keynote Lecture: Emerging Markets Amid Structural Shifts in the World Economy

    The keynote address will discuss global trends and their potential implications for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), as well as the role of international cooperation.

    • Keynote Address: H.E. Pan Gongsheng (Governor, PBOC)

    10:00-10:50 – Emerging Markets: Policy Challenges Amid Structural Shifts in the World Economy

    The panel will delve into EMDEs’ policy challenges in the context of the rising uncertainty and the changing global economic landscape. Specifically, it will cover the implications for EMDEs of (i) more frequent external shocks; (ii) elevated uncertainty; and (iii) structural challenges in the context of high debt, weak growth, energy transitions, and new technologies.

    • Moderator: Jihad Azour (Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF)

    Panelists:

    • H.E. Olayemi Cardoso (Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria)
    • José De Gregorio (Dean, School of Economics and Business, University of Chile)
    • H.E. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari (Minister of Finance, Qatar)
    • Jin Liqun (President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank)

    10:50-11:10 – Coffee break

    11:10-12:10 – High Debt-Low Fiscal Space—Fiscal Consolidation and Multilateral Solutions to Debt Restructuring

    Maintaining or restoring debt sustainability in EMDEs is a challenging task in the context of elevated debt, higher interest rate and weak potential growth, as well as significant spending pressures (e.g., related to sustainable development goals, defense, energy transitions, and economic diversification). The panelists will discuss the pace of the ongoing pivot towards fiscal consolidation and ways to garner support for politically difficult reforms. Potential debt restructuring mechanisms from both creditor and debtor perspectives will also be highlighted.

    • Moderator: Ryadh Alkhareif (IMFC Deputy, Saudi Arabia)

    Panelists:

    • H.E. Mohammed Al-Jadaan (Minister of Finance, Saudi Arabia)
    • Mauricio Cárdenas (Professor, Columbia University, former Minister of Finance, Colombia)
    • H.E. Situmbeko Musokotwane (Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zambia)
    • H.E. Anton Siluanov (Minister of Finance, Russia)

    12:10-13:00 – Lunch

    13:00-14:00 – Monetary Policy and Capital Flows Amid Elevated Uncertainty

    The session will discuss the path of future monetary policy in EMDEs, considering the spillovers from monetary policy in advanced economies and potential swings in global market sentiment, as well as the uncertainty around the implications for inflation, the neutral rate, and capital flows of the changing economic landscape.

    • Moderator: Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas (Economic Counsellor, Director of the Research Department, IMF)
    • Author: Hélène Rey (Professor, London Business School)

    Discussants:

    • H.E. Fatih Karahan (Governor, Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye)
    • H.E. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput (Governor, Bank of Thailand)

    14:00-15:00 – Resilience of the Financial System in Emerging Markets

    The panel will focus on the implications of the changing global landscape for financial stability in emerging markets, as well as the policy priorities.

    • Moderator: Tobias Adrian (Director, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF)

    Panelists:

    • H.E. Ayman Mohammad Al-Sayari (Governor, SAMA)
    • H.E. Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al Thani (Governor, Qatar Central Bank)
    • H.E. Taleh Kazimov (Governor, Central Bank of Azerbaijan)
    • H.E. Andriy Pyshnyi (Governor, National Bank of Ukraine)

    19:30-21:30 – Dinner hosted by the Ministry of Finance of Saudi Arabia

    Day 2: February 17, 2025

    09:00-10:00 – Navigating Trade Tensions and Uncertainties

    Against the backdrop of mounting risks and uncertainty, the session will discuss (i) how geoeconomic fragmentation and geopolitical risks are affecting trade and investment globally and in EMDEs; (ii) how EMDEs can adapt to these developments and mitigate risks; (iii) what policies to enhance trade and investment flows; and (iv) what changes to the current global trade system to respond to EMDEs’ needs.

    • Moderator: Indermit Gill (Chief Economist, World Bank Group)

    Panelists:

    • H. E. Adebayo Olawale Edun (Minister of Finance, Nigeria)
    • H.E. Nadia Fettah (Minister of Economy and Finance, Morocco)
    • H.E. Sergii Marchenko (Minister of Finance, Ukraine)

    10:00-11:00 – Productivity in EMDEs: Challenges and Opportunities

    Compared with the pre-pandemic period, the medium-term growth outlook has worsened significantly, including in EMDEs. The projected slowdown jeopardizes income convergence and could also lead to widening income inequality within countries. Against this backdrop, the session will take stock of EMDEs’ growth outlook, including the main headwinds, and discuss the potential challenges and opportunities from shifts in the economic landscape (e.g., AI).

    • Moderator: H.E. Muhammad Al Jasser (President, Islamic Development Bank)
    • Author: Leslie Teo (Director, AI Products, AI Singapore; Former chief economist and head of investment strategy, GIC Singapore)

    Discussants:

    • H.E. Faisal F. Alibrahim (Minister of Economy and Planning, Saudi Arabia)
    • Santiago Levy (Senior Fellow, Brookings)
    • H.E. Federico Sturzenegger (Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Argentina)

    11:00-11:20 – Coffee break

    11:20-12:20 – Closing Panel: A Path for Emerging Market Resilience *

    The concluding panel will focus on (i) how EMDEs should deal with shocks in the short term, taking into consideration the persistence of some global shocks; (ii) identifying the main trade-offs for fiscal and monetary policymakers to build resilience, maintain stability and spur growth (“rise strong”); and (iii) how the underlying concerns behind “anti-globalization” pressures can be addressed to revitalize global economic integration.

    • Moderator: Kristalina Georgieva (Managing Director, IMF)

    Panelists:

    • H.E. Muhammad Aurangzeb (Minister of Finance, Pakistan)
    • H.E. Rania Al-Mashat (Minister of Planning, Development, International Cooperation, Egypt)
    • H.E. Fernando Haddad (Minister of Finance, Brazil)
    • H.E. Mehmet Şimşek (Minister of Finance, Türkiye)
    • H.E. Hon. John Mbadi Ng’ongo (Minister of Finance, Kenya)

    12:20-12:40 – Closing remarks by H.E. Mohammed Al-Jadaan (Minister of Finance, Saudi Arabia) and Kristalina Georgieva (Managing Director, IMF) *

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: South Africa’s history uncovered: the 1,000-year gap they don’t teach in school

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Peter Delius, Professor emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand

    Were you told that gold mining in southern Africa started after 1852? Or that the export of iron, steel, copper and gold began in the late 19th century? Or that South Africa became integrated into a global trading system only after 1652? Or that the first powerful state in South Africa was the Zulu kingdom?

    If you learned that any of these things were true, you are like most South Africans, who have missed out on at least a thousand years of the country’s history.

    Both radical and conservative historians have focused heavily on colonial history, a story starting at the Cape and playing out within colonial boundaries. As a result, South Africa’s past has been compressed into a shortened timeline and a limited geography. That shorter version is what’s taught at schools and universities.

    If we abandon 1652 – when the first Dutch settlers arrived in the Cape – as the key historical starting point, and go back a thousand years and cast our gaze 2,000km north of Table Mountain, a very different story unfolds.

    Our research is attempting to rethink South African history. As many years of work in the interior show, along with our new focus on a central southern African trading landscape, Thulamela, the formative steps in South Africa’s history began here, along the Limpopo River.

    Early cooperative relationships

    Two thousand years ago, San hunter gatherers were the primary occupants of the region around the Limpopo River valley, an area around the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers that includes Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Contrary to popular opinion, these groups weren’t living in isolated bands. They were connected through regional networks of exchange spanning hundreds, even thousands, of kilometres.

    At this time, South Africa was on the brink of fundamental change. From about 350 AD, Bantu-speaking, iron-using, livestock-owning farmers began to settle the Soutpansberg, south of the Limpopo River. They initially established mainly cooperative relationships with the San, especially in hunting and trading.



    Read more:
    Archaeology shows how hunter-gatherers fitted into southern Africa’s first city, 800 years ago

    These farmers introduced a key innovation into the region – the production of metal tools, weapons, currency and jewellery. These goods were for their own use and for expanding trade networks.

    At the start, iron was the most important metal but over time, copper and gold became more and more significant. The farmers were skilled in locating and extracting these ores, which, in the case of gold and copper, often involved shaft mining. Metal production also demanded pyrotechnical knowledge to smelt ores and to fashion metals into functional and decorative forms.

    Local trade, global connections

    Another crucial development took place in the 7th century AD. The Indian Ocean world connected to the expanding regional trade networks which had linked the coast and the interior. The transoceanic sailors and traders were initially motivated by the growing demand for ivory in Asia and the Middle East.



    Read more:
    South Africa risks losing rich insights into an ancient farming society

    This external demand brought exotic glass beads and cloth deep into the interior, through African traders and rulers. A node in the system was Chibuene, a large coastal trading settlement on the Mozambican coast near modern Vilanculos. From here, beads and cloth travelled south, to the vicinity of Durban in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and across the interior, past the Okavango delta to places such as the Tsodilo hills west of the delta’s panhandle in Botswana.

    Between the 10th and 15th centuries, the market for gold boomed – especially in Egypt, Persia, India and China. Southern Africa played an important role in meeting this demand because of the rich gold reserves of the Zimbabwe plateau and the adjacent region of the Limpopo valley.

    So, it is clear that an economic and mineral revolution took place long before Europeans settled South Africa’s Cape. Colonial processes of globalisation and the mineral revolution in the 19th century trailed far in the wake of African involvement in the vast Indian Ocean economy through their hunting, mining, smelting and artisanal skills.

    Rise of states

    Indian Ocean trade contributed to major transformations in the interior. The wealth it generated led to social stratification and the emergence of a distinct ruling class. Leaders’ economic, political and spiritual power intensified. These processes found expression in the establishment in 1220 of Mapungubwe, in the middle Limpopo Valley, and the first state in southern Africa.



    Read more:
    New book on Mapungubwe Archive contests history of South African world heritage site

    Over the centuries that followed, linked but shifting patterns of demand gave rise to major states like Great Zimbabwe, Thulamela, and later the Venda Kingdom, the Pedi Kingdom and the Zulu Kingdom.

    The little-known trading state, Thulamela, was located in the north of what’s now the Kruger Park. From 1250 to 1650 it was a key node of production and exchange. But for many decades the site was ignored. When intensive research finally started in the 1990s it made very limited progress in revealing the form and nature of the state. But renewed and interdisciplinary research at the site and surrounding areas has already produced new insights into the history of Thulamela and promises to generate many more in the near future.

    New windows to a past

    Given this deep history of powerful kingdoms connected by an underlying but dynamic economic system, we have to let go of the idea that the Zulu Kingdom, which formed in the early 19th century, was the first powerful state in what was to become South Africa. In fact, it was a relatively recent example of much deeper and wider transformations.

    It was only in the 19th century that expanding colonial capitalism and settlement fuelled by the “second” mineral revolution penetrated the interior and encountered its kingdoms and trading opportunities.

    The interaction between the two worlds culminated in a hard-fought struggle over trade, land and labour. While the African kingdoms were ultimately defeated and traders and craftsmen were displaced, their impact on the shape and nature of South African society is still felt today.

    A challenge to historians now is to deepen our understanding of this missing millennium, and of pre-colonial transformations.

    Researchers need to pay greater attention to a wider range of documentary sources (beyond those in English) and to oral traditions. Collaboration with scholars working on archaeology, historical linguistics and genetics will also tell us more about the forces that have shaped our present.

    Linell Chewins received funding from the National Research Foundation for her Masters.

    Tim Forssman receives funding from the National Research Foundation.

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

    – ref. South Africa’s history uncovered: the 1,000-year gap they don’t teach in school – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-history-uncovered-the-1-000-year-gap-they-dont-teach-in-school-248244

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: As global leaders, Canada and Norway’s co-operation is timely in the face of surging energy demand

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ian H. Rowlands, Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo

    In March 2023, Canada and Norway issued a joint statement on bilateral co-operation. Notably, the statement emphasized a commitment to “achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, to promoting research collaboration and to increasing trade and investment in clean technologies and renewables that help enable a green and just transition.”

    Co-operation on energy transitions offers a timely way to strengthen this bond from 2025 onwards, more than ever in light of unfolding events on the global stage.

    Canada and Norway have a long history of strong collaboration: they have had formal bilateral relations since 1942, were founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 and the Arctic Council in 1996 and co-signatories to the Canada-European Free Trade Association’s Free Trade Agreement since 2008.

    Canada’s and Norway’s geographical and socio-economic similarities are striking, and help explain this active kinship.

    An opportune moment

    Unfolding geopolitical developments — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s continued rise and U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term — make it desirable to deepen connections between Canada and Norway.

    As researchers in environmental policy, we argue that this collaboration should focus on advancing the energy transition. Here, both countries are faced with tremendous opportunities, but also difficult decisions that require political gumption. There are national elections that will take place in each country this year, which makes this a particularly opportune political moment to address this concern.

    Both these climate-ambitious petro-powers have great potential to co-create pathways for prosperity. Both could conceivably implement advanced energy transition strategies that focus on the use of fossil fuel reserves judiciously and purposefully to finance climate change goals.

    The National Bank of Canada envisioned something like this in a 2023 report, continuing discussions that date back at least a decade. The report concluded that:

    “Similar to Norway, Canada is well positioned to benefit from both an economic and environmental standpoint if its existing energy resources can be leveraged to finance the transition to green energy.”

    Meanwhile, Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global crossed US$1.7 trillion in 2024, bearing testament to the financial strength the country has derived from the petroleum era.

    Electrification

    The connections between fossil fuel wealth and a climate-friendly transition show much potential. However, too often those advocating for continued exploitation of carbon-based resources fail to acknowledge the accelerated phaseout timetable needed for greenhouse gas emission reductions. The use of natural gas as a transition fuel, for instance, requires a long-term plan for carbon neutrality. Without that, deployment effectively locks in decades of additional emissions.

    We are all for using national resources for wealth creation if they quicken fossil fuel phase-down. But investments that impede this — such as state support for offshore wind development to electrify offshore oil rigs in Norway — are not only counter-productive, but also hypocritical.

    The real promise these countries hold for the energy transition is in the call to electrify (almost) everything. This approach simultaneously uses two pathways: “greening” the electricity grid with low-carbon energy sources, and moving fossil fuel energy demand onto these clean electricity grids.

    Digitalization, which refers to the wider socioeconomic changes inextricably linked to the shift from analog to digital systems, should also be seen as a parallel priority to enable real-time co-ordination of electricity demand and supply across coupled sectors.

    Global leadership

    Both countries already have relatively green grids. In Canada, almost 80 per cent of electricity was generated by carbon-free sources in 2023; in Norway, the equivalent figure was greater than 98 per cent. These figures measure up favourably compared to many other countries: about 60 per cent of the world’s electricity is supplied by fossil fuels, mainly coal and natural gas.

    For context, these green and greener grids have been achieved in an era of relatively flat electricity demand in many parts of both countries. But that is changing: sector demands like mobility, heating and data centres are already proving to be significant, new consumers of electricity. Huge quantities of additional electricity have to be rapidly generated while maintaining system stability.

    Electricity demand is expected to double in both countries by 2050, reaching 1,300 TWh in Canada (more than doubling the 2023 amount of just under 600 TWh), and 260 TWh in Norway (137 TWh in 2023).

    How these two frontrunner states replace existing carbon-fuelled infrastructure and meet the anticipated growth in electricity demand is of global interest.

    Energy strategy

    In policy terms in both Canada and Norway, this strategy to electrify (almost) everything is well underway. Canada’s climate change action plan includes commitment to a green grid by 2050, and implementing Clean Electricity Regulations.

    Norway is closing in on its target of 100 per cent vehicle sales being electric. And this June, the country is hosting the United Nations-supported Internet Governance Forum, which is an area critical to the sustainable energy transition.

    Solar panels in a park in Oslo, Norway.
    (Shutterstock)

    Actions need to follow ambitions, especially in industrial processes like steel-making where deployable solutions appear further down the horizon.

    Stronger bilateral collaboration could also result in positive outcomes in geopolitical developments in the Arctic. Rapidly consolidating trade relations more broadly has rarely been so important from a political perspective. Building this collaboration along energy transition synergies presents advantages that remain gravely underexploited.

    This is likely due to the political and economic status and sway that petroleum incumbents have held. But the twin transition of low-carbon electrification and digitalization offers Canada and Norway a chance to co-operate and lead their global regions into a new era of greener energy.

    Building upon their shared geographies, structures, experiences and values, the time is ripe for collaboration on the sustainable energy transition. This could include government officials, individuals from utilities and regulators, industry representatives, members of civil society and Indigenous organizations, researchers and academics.

    Together, Canada and Norway have the potential to work in tandem to move towards a more prosperous and sustainable global future.

    Ian H. Rowlands is a member of the Board of Directors of Waterloo Region Community Energy.

    Siddharth Sareen has received funding from the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, JPI Climate and JPI Urban Europe programmes of the European Commission.

    – ref. As global leaders, Canada and Norway’s co-operation is timely in the face of surging energy demand – https://theconversation.com/as-global-leaders-canada-and-norways-co-operation-is-timely-in-the-face-of-surging-energy-demand-248283

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How narrow views of romance inform which marriages are seen as legitimate

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jennifer A. Selby, Professor, Religious Studies and Political Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland

    Legislation and scrutiny of ‘fraudulent marriage’ subtly position romance as a proxy to assess narrow liberal ideals. (Shutterstock)

    Valentine’s Day is sold to us as a moment to celebrate romance: we should buy cards, roses and chocolates. Go for fancy, dimly lit dinners with our significant others. Make loving declarations.

    Romance can enhance our lives. Studies have shown the benefits of romance, from companionship to improving our physical, sexual and mental health.

    However, romance can also be mobilized to judge and surveil relationships, and determine which are valid and which are not. Numerous countries, including Canada, have laws against what they deem as fraudulent marriages.
    To consider the impact of these laws, and to study the colonial legacies within them, I conducted a study of the marriage (and for many, migration) experiences of people of Algerian origin in three contexts: Ghazaouet and Tizi Ouzou in Algeria, a Parisian suburb called Petit-Nanterre and in Montréal from 2011 to 2019. My findings drew on almost 200 personal interviews focused on the marriage partner preferences and ceremonies of my participants.

    I was particularly interested in a comparison between France and Canada, where monitoring romance has served as a way to gauge the sincerity of marriages among migrants for whom citizenship is at stake.

    Laws targeting fraudulent marriage

    In an effort to curb a seeming rise in fraudulent marriages in immigration family sponsorship requests, governments in France and Canada introduced legislation in the 2000s to promote greater surveillance of and penalties for marriage fraud.

    In France, this began in 2008 with a law to curb “love fraud with a migratory aim.” Passed in the same year, Canada’s law centred on impeding “bad faith” marriages.

    Such legislation often comes with penalties. In France, if one is found guilty of being party to a fraudulent marriage, the penalty can be annulment, five to 10 years in prison, fines or deportation. The impetus for such laws is the unquantified sense that a growing number of foreign nationals take advantage of family unification immigration pathways through disingenuous relationships.

    The state’s involvement in France is more acute because the burden of assessment falls primarily on marriage officiants and immigration officers. Civil marriages there must take place in a municipal office and prior to a religious marriage.

    A 2010 directive to French marriage officiants is especially revelatory of this surveillance. Evidence of financial and sexual intimacies act as evidence of a sincere marriage. Romance is seen as a reflection of a spontaneous and uncalculated relationship.

    Of course, there is no evidence that expressions of romance in an early marriage are signs of success; divorce occurs for almost half of marrying couples, whether couples are transnational or not. Figures in Canada indicate a slightly higher divorce rate than in France.

    In Montréal, one can be married outside of a municipal office. Still, my participants in that city shared similar stories of pressures to perform specific sexual politics in the presence of state officials.

    One man whose wife wore a hijab was interrogated by first responders about the husband’s involvement when she fainted, while pregnant, outside a grocery store. Bewildered by the situation, he answered their questions about whether theirs was a forced marriage (it was not). In retrospect, he said he would have declined this line of questioning and focused their attention on his wife.

    Arranged marriages

    One of my notable findings is that many marriages in my sample were quasi-arranged — organized with the assistance of family members (often mothers). Yet, these types of marriages often fall outside idealized ideas of romance, rendering these couples more vulnerable to being accused of fraud.

    I also found that potential scrutiny from immigration officials did not impede interest in a transnational marriage partner. Many of my interviewees liked the idea of a partner of the same religion or culture, and who spoke Arabic or Tamazight. In addition, for many, a cosmopolitan transnational life linking Algeria with France or Québec was appealing.

    Depending on their gender, social class, religiosity, families and personalities, individuals grapple with these politics differently. The social contexts of a Parisian suburb and Montréal further shaped a participant’s sense of longing and belonging. Fewer Algerian women in Montréal were interested in such arrangements. Invariably, however, individuals of Algerian origin in both contexts knew that transnational unions were highly scrutinized.

    Despite the attention granted to curbing marriage fraud, the data suggest that few marriages are annulled. The spectre of this surveillance is greater than its enforcement.

    Unfairly penalizing migrants

    Legislation and scrutiny of marriages seen as fraudulent subtly position romance as a proxy to assess narrow liberal ideals. Some scholars have called this phenomenon a push for a “sexual democracy,” where women’s bodies are subtly expected to remain visible and sexually available as signs of their putative equality.

    Perhaps unexpectedly, niqab bans in both France and Québec further reflect these values. Full-face veils are, tellingly, depicted as lacking sexual agency and individualism, and impeding a cisgender woman’s ability to attract men.

    Narrow views of what kind of romance should be legitimized and celebrated are not limited to governments. Such views also manifest in consumer culture and in the wedding industry, and are desired and performed by many of us, including among my research participants in arranged marriages. Romance’s pervasiveness, desirability and seeming spontaneity mask its politics.

    As we enjoy romantic gestures on Valentine’s Day, we should also consider the cultural specificity of these tropes and their potentially exclusionary politics in determining whose relationships are deemed legitimate. Entrenchments of patriarchal chivalry, monogamy, consumerism and narrow gender roles can run in tandem.

    Jennifer A. Selby receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. How narrow views of romance inform which marriages are seen as legitimate – https://theconversation.com/how-narrow-views-of-romance-inform-which-marriages-are-seen-as-legitimate-247085

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Further progress on York Station Gateway project

    Source: City of York

    Credit: John Sisk & Son

    Published Tuesday, 11 February 2025

    Upcoming works on the Station Gateway project have been confirmed as the project progresses.

    In recent weeks paving has been laid and footpath and kerb improvements are happening near to the Blossom Street Junction. This is creating new high quality public realm in the area where Queen Street Bridge used to be.

    Contractors John Sisk & Son have announced upcoming dates to local residents, including some night working during February and March. The work involves using machinery but every effort is being made to keep noise and disruption to a minimum. Night work will start on Monday 17 February and will be from 7.30pm until 5am on weeknights.

    During weeknights on the weeks commencing 17 February and 24 February, work will take place opposite the station portico to dig out existing footways and roads so that they can be resurfaced and improved as part of the changes to public spaces in the area. While this is taking place two-way traffic lights will be in place while the overnight works are happening.

    Access to the station and nearby properties is being maintained. Further night works are planned mid-March and more details on these will be shared in the coming weeks.

    Councillor Kate Ravilious, Executive Member for Transport, said:

    “It’s fantastic to see the difference that is being made to the area as work continues and really exciting to see the transformation.

    “We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused. Our contractors will be doing all they can to minimise disruption.

    “Local businesses, including the station, remain open for business throughout these works.”

    This major project is being delivered in partnership by City of York Council, Network Rail, LNER and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority alongside contractor for the highways works for the project John Sisk & Son, and is part funded by the UK government.

    The ambitious project will completely transform the station frontage, providing an improved transport interchange, as well as revamping the public space around the station. The scheme will also create an improved setting for the City Walls and other heritage buildings in the area.

    Find the latest information on the project.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: In Khabarovsk, Yuri Trutnev held meetings on the implementation of master plans and met with investors

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on the implementation of long-term plans for the integrated socio-economic development of the Khabarovsk urban agglomeration and the urban district “City of Komsomolsk-on-Amur” for the period up to 2030

    February 11, 2025

    Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on the implementation of long-term plans for the integrated socio-economic development of the Khabarovsk urban agglomeration and the urban district “City of Komsomolsk-on-Amur” for the period up to 2030

    February 11, 2025

    Yuri Trutnev inspected the new modular multifunctional sports hall at School No. 9 in Khabarovsk and attended a training session for children’s sports groups in Kyokushin karate and other martial arts

    February 11, 2025

    Yuri Trutnev inspected the new modular multifunctional sports hall at School No. 9 in Khabarovsk and attended a training session for children’s sports groups in Kyokushin karate and other martial arts

    February 11, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on the implementation of long-term plans for the integrated socio-economic development of the Khabarovsk urban agglomeration and the urban district “City of Komsomolsk-on-Amur” for the period up to 2030

    During a working visit to Khabarovsk Krai, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev held meetings on the implementation of long-term plans for the comprehensive socio-economic development of the Khabarovsk urban agglomeration and the urban district “City of Komsomolsk-on-Amur” for the period up to 2030, on the implementation of major investment projects in the region, and also visited a number of social facilities.

    “In accordance with the instructions of the President of Russia, master plan activities are being implemented in the Khabarovsk agglomeration and Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Khabarovsk Krai. The development plans for the two cities include 48 activities for 414 billion rubles. More than 124 billion rubles have already been allocated from budgets at all levels for the implementation of activities until 2030,” Yuri Trutnev opened the meeting on the implementation of master plans.

    The master plans of the Khabarovsk agglomeration and Komsomolsk-on-Amur were approved by the President of Russia in 2023. Of the 84 objects of the master plans of the Khabarovsk Territory, four have been completed, ten are being designed, 21 are under construction, and 49 are in the planning stage. As part of the implementation of the master plans in Khabarovsk in 2024, 16 trolleybuses and 10 trams were purchased, and preferential financing was approved through VEB.RF for the construction of the Far Eastern bus cluster. New microdistricts with developed social infrastructure and rental housing are being built in the Northern District. Under the Far Eastern concession, projects have begun to build the Far Eastern Art Museum and the Far Eastern Children’s Recreation and Health Center.

    “We will complete the design in the first half of the year. I gave instructions to begin preparing the construction sites. The new museum will open to visitors in the first quarter of 2028. Its halls will display over 15 thousand works of art. The first children’s camp created in the region in the post-Soviet period will be completed in 2027. The company has begun preparing the construction site. Once commissioned, the camp will be able to accommodate over 5 thousand children per year,” said Dmitry Demeshin, Governor of Khabarovsk Krai.

    In Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the reconstruction of the embankment will be completed in March, and the innovative interactive center “Euristics” is planned to be launched. “The long-term plan for Komsomolsk-on-Amur provides for the revitalization of iconic spaces. It was decided to allocate more than 400 million rubles from the regional reserve fund for the restoration of the Stroitel cultural center. The design and estimate documentation is ready. The work will take two years,” the head of the region specified.

    Yuri Trutnev noted the need to complete the construction of social facilities, including a children’s hospital complex and an inter-district oncology dispensary in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and asked Dmitry Demeshin to pay special attention to them.

    Funds are allocated for the implementation of master plans from the presidential single subsidy. As explained by the Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov, the Presidium of the Government Commission on the Socio-Economic Development of the Far East supported three events: the creation of the Far Eastern Children’s Recreation and Health Center, the construction of the Far Eastern Art Museum building, and the fifth stage of the construction of the unified embankment.

    The creation of a “Far Eastern quarter” in the Zheleznodorozhny district of Khabarovsk was discussed. The project was developed to support integrated development.

    During a meeting on the implementation of major investment projects in the region, Yuri Trutnev noted that Khabarovsk Krai is one of the leaders in attracting investment in the Far East. “Here, 145 investment projects are being implemented with state support. More than 15.3 thousand jobs have been created, 63 enterprises have been introduced. Our priority task is to ensure the timely and successful implementation of investment projects, providing comprehensive support to investors,” Yuri Trutnev opened the meeting.

    The meeting discussed projects in the fields of mining, logistics, tourism, construction and transport infrastructure. A-Steel presented a project to build a mining and processing plant based on the Milkan iron ore deposit. Amur Minerals, a resident of the priority development area, is building a mining and processing plant at the Malmyzhskoye deposit in the Nanai district. Elga Management Company LLC is creating the Pacific Ocean railway and a sea coal terminal near Cape Manorsky. VB Khabarovsk presented a project to build a high-tech warehouse complex, the implementation of which is planned for the new integrated investment site of the priority development area Khabarovsk – Severnaya. The development of the Kholdomi mountain resort was discussed. The Etalon financial and construction group held a presentation of the Khabarovsk-City project. Projects for the development of port infrastructure were also discussed.

    Yuri Trutnev visited the regional branch of the Voin center. The Khabarovsk branch of the Voin center opened its doors on May 11, 2023 and has already achieved significant success. If in 2023, 1,413 people completed its educational programs, then in 2024 it has already trained 3,067 cadets. Over the entire period of its work, the branch team has held about 200 military-patriotic events in educational institutions of the region, master classes with employees of law enforcement agencies, and exhibitions.

    On the same day, the Deputy Prime Minister inspected the new modular multifunctional sports hall at School No. 9 in Khabarovsk and attended a training session of children’s sports groups in Kyokushin karate and other types of martial arts. The facility is one of six being built in Khabarovsk under the “50 Sports Halls in Far Eastern Schools” program at the initiative of three-time Kyokushin karate world champion Khaid Mantayev together with the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and with the personal support of Yuri Trutnev. The new sports hall is equipped with all the necessary equipment and was built as part of the social development plan for economic growth centers in Khabarovsk Krai using funds from the presidential single subsidy provided by the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East. The modular hall with an area of 360 square meters will be able to accommodate about 30 sports fans at a time. The sports hall will include mini-football, basketball, volleyball, karate, taekwondo and judo. In the future, there are plans to open hand-to-hand combat and gymnastics sections here, as well as install a boxing ring.

    Yuri Trutnev also visited a site in the village of Blagovatnoye where it is planned to create a training ground for UAV operators and conduct classes as part of the development of a system of patriotic education and military-sports training.

    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 Canada: Women and Girls in Science: Ministers Fir and Sawhney | Déclaration des ministres Fir et Sawhney au sujet de la Journée internationale des femmes et des filles de science

    “On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we celebrate the brilliance and resiliency of women who are transforming the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Their groundbreaking work pushes innovation and inspires future generations to dream big.

    “Through initiatives like the Women in STEM Scholarship, Alberta’s government supports women and girls in their pursuit of careers in these essential fields. This scholarship provides funding to help women overcome barriers and excel in education and careers where their talents have often been overlooked. Through community grant programs, Alberta’s government is also supporting non-profit organizations that offer programming that gives girls opportunities to explore STEM, like the grant we announced for Western Mechatronics Association to continue their programming that helps young girls engage with robotics and other STEM-related topics.

    “By empowering girls to pursue their passions in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, we unlock their potential and build a future driven by bold ideas.”

    Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women

    “Inspiring women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are leading innovation in Alberta – but there’s more to achieve. On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I encourage every girl and young woman to dream big and explore these exciting fields that offer endless opportunities for creativity, problem-solving and leadership.

    “Through targeted supports, we can ensure that every Albertan has the opportunity to pursue a post-secondary education and make their mark on the world.

    “Alberta proudly partners with several organizations that support women and youth in preparing for successful careers. By investing in bright-minded young women, we are making a strategic investment in Alberta’s future.

    “Women in Alberta are not just imagining the future of science – they’re building it. Let’s empower more young women to lead the way. Together, we’re shaping a province that thrives on talent, innovation and limitless potential.”

    Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education

    Madame Tanya Fir, ministre des Arts, de la Culture et de la Condition féminine, et madame Rajan Sawhney, soulignent la Journée internationale des femmes et des filles en science.

    « À l’occasion de la Journée internationale des femmes et des filles de science, nous célébrons la brillance et la résilience des femmes qui transforment la science, la technologie, l’ingénierie et les mathématiques. Leurs travaux remarquables stimulent l’innovation et inspirent les générations futures à voir grand. 

    « Grâce à des initiatives telles que la bourse Women in STEM, le gouvernement de l’Alberta soutient les femmes et les jeunes filles dans leur poursuite d’une carrière dans ces domaines essentiels. La bourse aide les femmes à surmonter les obstacles qui s’imposent à elles et à exceller dans les études et les carrières où leurs talents ont souvent été négligés. Grâce à des programmes de subvention communautaires, le gouvernement de l’Alberta soutient également des organismes sans but lucratif dont les programmes permettent aux filles d’explorer les STIM, comme la subvention que nous avons annoncée pour la Western Mechatronics Association, qui permet à l’association de continuer à offrir ses programmes en appui aux jeunes filles qui s’intéressent à la robotique et à d’autres sujets liés aux STIM.

    « En donnant aux filles les moyens de poursuivre leurs passions dans les domaines des sciences, de la technologie, de l’ingénierie ou des mathématiques, nous libérons leur potentiel et bâtissons un avenir animé par des idées audacieuses. »

    Tanya Fir, ministre des Arts, de la Culture et de la Condition féminine

    « Des femmes inspirantes dans les domaines des sciences, de la technologie, de l’ingénierie et des mathématiques sont à la tête de l’innovation en Alberta, mais il reste encore beaucoup à faire. En cette Journée internationale des femmes et des filles de science, j’encourage toutes les filles et les jeunes femmes à voir grand et à explorer ces domaines passionnants qui offrent des possibilités infinies de créativité, de résolution de problèmes et de leadership.

    « Grâce à des programmes d’aide ciblés, nous pouvons faire en sorte que chaque Albertaine ait la possibilité de poursuivre des études postsecondaires et de laisser sa marque dans le monde.

    « L’Alberta est fière de s’associer à plusieurs organismes qui aident les femmes et les jeunes filles à se préparer à une carrière réussie. En investissant dans les jeunes femmes à l’esprit brillant, nous réalisons un investissement stratégique dans l’avenir de l’Alberta.

    « Les femmes de l’Alberta ne se contentent pas d’imaginer l’avenir de la science, elles le construisent. Donnons à davantage de jeunes femmes les moyens de montrer la voie. Ensemble, nous façonnons une province qui prospère grâce au talent, à l’innovation et à un potentiel illimité. »

    Rajan Sawhney, ministre de l’Enseignement postsecondaire

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: CUPE National attacks: Joint statement

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa’s history uncovered: the 1,000-year gap they don’t teach in school

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Peter Delius, Professor emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand

    Were you told that gold mining in southern Africa started after 1852? Or that the export of iron, steel, copper and gold began in the late 19th century? Or that South Africa became integrated into a global trading system only after 1652? Or that the first powerful state in South Africa was the Zulu kingdom?

    If you learned that any of these things were true, you are like most South Africans, who have missed out on at least a thousand years of the country’s history.

    Both radical and conservative historians have focused heavily on colonial history, a story starting at the Cape and playing out within colonial boundaries. As a result, South Africa’s past has been compressed into a shortened timeline and a limited geography. That shorter version is what’s taught at schools and universities.

    If we abandon 1652 – when the first Dutch settlers arrived in the Cape – as the key historical starting point, and go back a thousand years and cast our gaze 2,000km north of Table Mountain, a very different story unfolds.

    Our research is attempting to rethink South African history. As many years of work in the interior show, along with our new focus on a central southern African trading landscape, Thulamela, the formative steps in South Africa’s history began here, along the Limpopo River.

    Early cooperative relationships

    Two thousand years ago, San hunter gatherers were the primary occupants of the region around the Limpopo River valley, an area around the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers that includes Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Contrary to popular opinion, these groups weren’t living in isolated bands. They were connected through regional networks of exchange spanning hundreds, even thousands, of kilometres.

    At this time, South Africa was on the brink of fundamental change. From about 350 AD, Bantu-speaking, iron-using, livestock-owning farmers began to settle the Soutpansberg, south of the Limpopo River. They initially established mainly cooperative relationships with the San, especially in hunting and trading.

    Read more: Archaeology shows how hunter-gatherers fitted into southern Africa’s first city, 800 years ago

    These farmers introduced a key innovation into the region – the production of metal tools, weapons, currency and jewellery. These goods were for their own use and for expanding trade networks.

    A map showing some of the prominent trading sites in the East African trade network: 1: Kilwa; 2: Tsodilo Hills; 3: Khami; 4: Great Zimbabwe; 5: Initial gold reefs; 6: Chibuene; 7: Schroda, K2 and Mapungubwe; 8: Thulamela and Makahane; 9: Dzata/Venda Capital; 10: KwaGandaganda and Ndondwane (labeled from north to south). Author supplied

    At the start, iron was the most important metal but over time, copper and gold became more and more significant. The farmers were skilled in locating and extracting these ores, which, in the case of gold and copper, often involved shaft mining. Metal production also demanded pyrotechnical knowledge to smelt ores and to fashion metals into functional and decorative forms.

    Local trade, global connections

    Another crucial development took place in the 7th century AD. The Indian Ocean world connected to the expanding regional trade networks which had linked the coast and the interior. The transoceanic sailors and traders were initially motivated by the growing demand for ivory in Asia and the Middle East.

    Read more: South Africa risks losing rich insights into an ancient farming society

    This external demand brought exotic glass beads and cloth deep into the interior, through African traders and rulers. A node in the system was Chibuene, a large coastal trading settlement on the Mozambican coast near modern Vilanculos. From here, beads and cloth travelled south, to the vicinity of Durban in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and across the interior, past the Okavango delta to places such as the Tsodilo hills west of the delta’s panhandle in Botswana.

    An aerial view of an ancient residential enclosure in Thulamela. Author supplied.

    Between the 10th and 15th centuries, the market for gold boomed – especially in Egypt, Persia, India and China. Southern Africa played an important role in meeting this demand because of the rich gold reserves of the Zimbabwe plateau and the adjacent region of the Limpopo valley.

    So, it is clear that an economic and mineral revolution took place long before Europeans settled South Africa’s Cape. Colonial processes of globalisation and the mineral revolution in the 19th century trailed far in the wake of African involvement in the vast Indian Ocean economy through their hunting, mining, smelting and artisanal skills.

    Rise of states

    Indian Ocean trade contributed to major transformations in the interior. The wealth it generated led to social stratification and the emergence of a distinct ruling class. Leaders’ economic, political and spiritual power intensified. These processes found expression in the establishment in 1220 of Mapungubwe, in the middle Limpopo Valley, and the first state in southern Africa.

    Read more: New book on Mapungubwe Archive contests history of South African world heritage site

    Over the centuries that followed, linked but shifting patterns of demand gave rise to major states like Great Zimbabwe, Thulamela, and later the Venda Kingdom, the Pedi Kingdom and the Zulu Kingdom.

    The little-known trading state, Thulamela, was located in the north of what’s now the Kruger Park. From 1250 to 1650 it was a key node of production and exchange. But for many decades the site was ignored. When intensive research finally started in the 1990s it made very limited progress in revealing the form and nature of the state. But renewed and interdisciplinary research at the site and surrounding areas has already produced new insights into the history of Thulamela and promises to generate many more in the near future.

    New windows to a past

    Given this deep history of powerful kingdoms connected by an underlying but dynamic economic system, we have to let go of the idea that the Zulu Kingdom, which formed in the early 19th century, was the first powerful state in what was to become South Africa. In fact, it was a relatively recent example of much deeper and wider transformations.

    It was only in the 19th century that expanding colonial capitalism and settlement fuelled by the “second” mineral revolution penetrated the interior and encountered its kingdoms and trading opportunities.

    Pottery is common at Iron Age sites and their decorations are specific to groups and periods. Author supplied

    The interaction between the two worlds culminated in a hard-fought struggle over trade, land and labour. While the African kingdoms were ultimately defeated and traders and craftsmen were displaced, their impact on the shape and nature of South African society is still felt today.

    A challenge to historians now is to deepen our understanding of this missing millennium, and of pre-colonial transformations.

    Researchers need to pay greater attention to a wider range of documentary sources (beyond those in English) and to oral traditions. Collaboration with scholars working on archaeology, historical linguistics and genetics will also tell us more about the forces that have shaped our present.

    – South Africa’s history uncovered: the 1,000-year gap they don’t teach in school
    – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-history-uncovered-the-1-000-year-gap-they-dont-teach-in-school-248244

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s remarks at AI Action Summit [scroll down for all-English version]

    Source: United Nations – English

    strong>[Bilingual, as delivered]

    Excellences,
     
    Permettez-moi tout d’abord de remercier le Président Macron et le Premier ministre Modi d’avoir organisé ce Sommet pour l’action sur l’intelligence artificielle.
     
    Mesdames et Messieurs,
     
    Allons droit au but.
     
    Regardons le monde qui nous entoure au-delà de ceux qui sont dans cette salle.
     
    Notre réunion pose une question fondamentale sur notre rapport à l’intelligence artificielle.
     
    Sommes-nous prêts pour l’avenir ?
     
    La réponse s’impose d’elle-même.
     
    Non.
     
    Nous ne sommes peut-être même pas prêts pour le présent.
     
    En un battement de cils, l’Intelligence Artificielle a quitté l’univers de la science-fiction pour devenir une force puissante qui révolutionne notre monde.
     
    Transformant nos modes de vie, de travail et d’interaction.
     
    Alimentant des avancées majeures dans l’éducation, la santé, l’agriculture…
     
    Mais mettant également à l’épreuve nos valeurs communes et nos droits fondamentaux.
     
    Le pouvoir de l’intelligence artificielle impose d’immenses responsabilités.
     
    Aujourd’hui, ce pouvoir est entre les mains d’une poignée de personnes.  
     
    Tandis que certaines entreprises et certains pays se lancent dans une course effrénée avec des investissements sans précédent, la plupart des nations en développement se retrouvent laissées pour compte.
     
    Cette concentration grandissante des capacités en matière d’intelligence artificielle menace d’aggraver les clivages géopolitiques.
     
    Nous devons empêcher l’émergence d’un monde de “nantis” et de “démunis” de l’Intelligence Artificielle.
     
    Nous tous devons travailler ensemble pour que l’Intelligence Artificielle puissent combler le fossé entre les pays développés et les pays en développement – et non le creuser.
     
    Elle doit accélérer le développement durable – au lieu de perpétuer les inégalités.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    The United Nations offers an inclusive, transparent and effective platform for AI solidarity.
     
    And we are working to strengthen that platform.
     
    The Global Digital Compact, adopted at the Summit of the Future, established the first universal agreement on the governance of AI.
     
    It brings the world together around a shared vision:
     
    One where technology serves humanity, not the other way around.
     
    The creation of an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI will be central to translating this vision into reality.
     
    By pooling global expertise, this Scientific Panel will promote a common understanding of AI risks, benefits and capabilities, and opportunities and help bridge knowledge gaps.
     
    I urge everyone to support its creation without delay.
     
    Member States also agreed to establish a Global Dialogue on AI Governance – within the United Nations – to ensure that all countries have a voice in shaping the future of AI.
     
    Through the Global Dialogue, we can align governance efforts around the world and reinforce their interoperability; uphold human rights in AI applications and prevent misuse.
     
    The UN provides an inclusive forum for cooperation, complementing existing mechanisms such as the OECD AI Principles, G7 and the Global Partnership on AI – as well as regional efforts by the African Union, European Union, ASEAN and the Council of Europe.
     
    And I am confident that discussions at this Summit will help enrich this Dialogue.
     
    The Compact also calls for building AI capacity in developing nations.
     
    This is not only about technology diffusion.
     
    We need concerted efforts to build sustainable digital infrastructure at an unprecedented scale;
     
    Foster talent and train workforces to develop, deploy and maintain AI systems;
     
    And ultimately, empower peoples and nations to become not just users, but active participants in the AI revolution.
     
    A global AI capacity-building network, as proposed by my High-Level Advisory Body on AI, is an economic necessity and a moral imperative.
     
    Today’s launch of Current AI, a public interest partnership, is an important contribution.
     
    I will soon present a report on innovative voluntary financing models and capacity-building initiatives to help all countries harness AI as a force for good.
     
    Finally, we know that AI can be a force for climate action and energy efficiency.
     
    But we also know AI power-intensive systems are already placing an unsustainable strain on our planet.
     
    So it is crucial to design AI algorithms and infrastructures that consume less energy and integrate AI into smart grids to optimize power use.
     
    From data centres to training models, AI must run on sustainable energy so that it fuels a more sustainable future.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    I began with a question.  Let me end with a few more. 
     
    Who decides what problems AI should or should not resolve?
     
    Who benefits most from its deployment?
     
    Who bears the cost of its mistakes?
     
    These questions affect everyone – so the answers must also involve everyone.
     
    It is in all our interests for governments and technology leaders to commit to global guardrails, share best practices, and shape fair policy and business models.
     
    The whole world benefits when development banks and the philanthropic community provide catalytic funding to jumpstart capacity-building worldwide.
     
    And we all stand to gain when academia and thought leaders help us navigate through this complex landscape.
     
    AI is not standing still.
     
    Neither can we.
     
    Let us move for an AI that is shaped by all of humanity, for all of humanity.
     
    In other words, let’s make sure we are ready for the future… right now.
     
    Thank you.
     
    ***
    [all-English]
     
    Excellencies,
     
    Let me begin by thanking President Macron and Prime Minister Modi for convening this AI Action Summit.
     
    Ladies and gentlemen,
     
    Let’s get straight to the point. 
     
    Let’s look at the world around us beyond those who are in this room.
     
    This meeting poses a fundamental question about our relationship with Artificial Intelligence:  
     
    Are we ready for the future?
     
    The answer is easy.
     
    No. 
     
    We may not even be ready for the present.
     
    In what seems like the blink of an eye, AI has gone from the stuff of science fiction to a powerful force that is transforming our world.
     
    Reshaping the way we live, work, and interact.
     
    Fueling breakthroughs in education, healthcare, agriculture…
     
    But also testing our shared values and rights.
     
    The power of AI carries immense responsibilities.
     
    Today, that power sits in the hands of a few.
     
    While some companies and some countries are racing ahead with record investments, most developing nations find themselves left out in the cold.
     
    This growing concentration of AI capabilities risks deepening geopolitical divides.
     
    We must prevent a world of AI “haves” and “have-nots”.
     
    Nous tous devons travailler ensemble pour que l’Intelligence Artificielle puissent
     
    We must all work together so that artificial can bridge the gap between developed and developing countries – not widen it.
     
    It must accelerate sustainable development – not entrench inequalities.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    The United Nations offers an inclusive, transparent and effective platform for AI solidarity.
     
    And we are working to strengthen that platform.
     
    The Global Digital Compact, adopted at the Summit of the Future, established the first universal agreement on the governance of AI.
     
    It brings the world together around a shared vision:
     
    One where technology serves humanity, not the other way around.
     
    The creation of an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI will be central to translating this vision into reality.
     
    By pooling global expertise, this Scientific Panel will promote a common understanding of AI risks, benefits, opportunities and capabilities, and help bridge knowledge gaps.
     
    I urge everyone to support its creation without delay.
     
    Member States also agreed to establish a Global Dialogue on AI Governance – within the United Nations – to ensure that all countries have a voice in shaping the future of AI.
     
    Through the Global Dialogue, we can align governance efforts around the world and reinforce their interoperability; uphold human rights in AI applications and prevent misuse.
     
    The UN provides an inclusive forum for cooperation, complementing existing mechanisms such as the OECD AI Principles, G7 and the Global Partnership on AI – as well as regional efforts by the African Union, European Union, ASEAN and the Council of Europe.
     
    And I am confident that discussions at this Summit will help enrich this Dialogue.
     
    The Compact also calls for building AI capacity in developing nations.
     
    This is not only about technology diffusion.
     
    We need concerted efforts to build sustainable digital infrastructure at an unprecedented scale;
     
    Foster talent and train workforces to develop, deploy and maintain AI systems;
     
    And ultimately, empower peoples and nations to become not just users, but active participants in the AI revolution.
     
    A global AI capacity-building network, as proposed by my High-Level Advisory Body on AI, is an economic necessity and a moral imperative.
     
    Today’s launch of the AI Foundation for Public Interest is an important contribution.
     
    I will soon present a report on innovative voluntary financing models and capacity-building initiatives to help all countries harness AI as a force for good.
     
    Finally, we know that AI can be a force for climate action and energy efficiency.
     
    But we also know AI power-intensive systems are already placing an unsustainable strain on our planet.
     
    So it is crucial to design AI algorithms and infrastructures that consume less energy and integrate AI into smart grids to optimize power use.
     
    From data centres to training models, AI must run on sustainable energy so that it fuels a more sustainable future.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    I began with a question.  Let me end with a few more. 
     
    Who decides what problems AI should or should not solve?
     
    Who benefits most from its deployment?
     
    Who bears the cost of its mistakes?
     
    These questions affect everyone – so the answers must also involve everyone.
     
    It is in all our interests for governments and technology leaders to commit to global guardrails, share best practices, and shape fair policy and business models.
     
    The whole world benefits when development banks and the philanthropic community provide catalytic funding to jumpstart capacity-building worldwide.
     
    And we all stand to gain when academia and thought leaders help us navigate through this complex landscape.
     
    AI is not standing still.
     
    Neither can we.
     
    Let us move for an AI that is shaped by all of humanity, for all of humanity.
     
    In other words, let’s make sure we are ready for the future… right now.
     
    Thank you.
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: London Assembly Member Hirani urges transports chiefs to remove scaffolding eye sore from Willesden Green Station

    Source: Mayor of London

    Krupesh Hirani, London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, has written to Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL), to express concerns about a programme of works which appears to have stalled at Willesden Green tube station.

    The letter has the support of Willesden Green councillors, Cllr Saqlain Choudry, Cllr Janice Long and Cllr Tom Miller who are calling for the removal of the scaffolding, which has been a hazard and eyesore for residents for over a year.

    The three-story scaffolding located outside the station exit on Walm Lane occupies a large part of the pavement, restricting pedestrian access to the high street.

    The diagonal elevation of the structure restricts movement for pedestrians with sight impairments and mobility issues. The obstruction affects wheelchair users and parents with prams and pushchairs who need to navigate a sharp turn to travel past the station.

    Issues are compounded during rush hour, when a bottleneck is created by pedestrians queuing at the busy 260, 266 460 and N266 route bus stop also located by the station.

    The imposing structure creates an unpleasant and unwelcoming environment due to its size and scale, whilst unsightly hoardings built around the structure have created blind spots which lead to a fear of crime.

    John McGeachy, Campaigns Manager at Age UK London said: “The needs of pedestrians should always be put first when it comes to any footpath obstruction. Expecting older people who might have a mobility or visual impairment, or any disabled person to navigate around obstructions is not reasonable, and in many cases, dangerous. Blocked pavements are one of the most common frustrations for the older Londoners we talk to. Ensuring our walkways are clear must be a priority for those responsible, in this case, TfL and Network Rail, and we would hope that the situation is addressed immediately.”

    John McGeachy, Campaigns Manager at Age UK London said: “The needs of pedestrians should always be put first when it comes to any footpath obstruction. Expecting older people who might have a mobility or visual impairment, or any disabled person to navigate around obstructions is not reasonable and, in many cases, dangerous. Blocked pavements are one of the most common frustrations for the older Londoners we talk to. Ensuring our walkways are

    clear must be a priority for those responsible, in this case TfL and Network Rail, and we would hope that the situation is addressed immediately.

    Cyreeta Donaldson, RNIB’s Regional Campaigns Officer for London, said: “Pavement obstructions have adverse effects on blind and partially sighted people; increasing the risk of injury, stress, isolation due to self-exclusion from areas known for street clutter, and danger from having to step in the road to get past obstacles on the pavement.

    “Inconsistency in this has a negative impact on blind and partially sighted people’s ability to access their work, community, and key services such as healthcare. Everyone in society benefits from more clarity and consistency in managing and avoiding street clutter.”

    Krupesh Hirani, London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow said: “The structure is a hazard and a complete eyesore. No active work is taking place.

    The delay in completing the works and removing the scaffolding is completely unacceptable and is having a detrimental impact in on the local area.

    Disabled residents and parents with pushchairs are struggling to navigate through the structure when it’s dark and during rush periods.

    I’m calling on Network Rail and TfL to work together to complete the works and remove the structure, which is a complete monstrosity.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Budd, Markey Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prepare for AI Public Health Threats

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced the Strategy for Public Health Preparedness and Response to Artificial Intelligence Threats Act. 

    The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a strategy for public health preparedness and response to address the risks of misuse of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly with regard to the development of biological or chemical weapons.

    Senator Budd said in a statement:

    “As AI grows in power and influence, we may face the real prospect of AI-generated threats like biological or chemical weapons. We cannot be caught flat-footed on these threats and should begin to prepare now. I’m glad to work with Senator Markey to face potential AI threats head on.”

    Senator Markey said in a statement:

    “The federal government has fallen behind before in addressing the grave risks posed by emerging technologies. We can’t make the same mistake with the technologies of our future. Paired with robust federal investment in research, this legislation would ensure that our federal government and leading experts not only understand the grave risks of artificial intelligence to our health and safety, but are ready to act with the urgency this moment requires. I thank Senator Budd for his partnership ensuring that the federal government prepares for the public health and national security risks for artificial intelligence before it’s too late.”

    Background:

    Artificial intelligence is a rapidly developing technology with the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives. However, AI poses potential threats to public health. 

    For example, a 2019 study published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence explored how AI could be used to design new chemical weapons. The paper’s authors found that AI could be used to quickly and efficiently design new compounds that were highly toxic. 

    Another study, conducted by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found Large Language Models (LLMs) in chatbot platforms can help people without laboratory training to develop viruses highlighted as pandemic threats. 

    These research papers suggest that there is a potential for AI to be used to develop chemical and biological weapons.

    Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek was able to “provide instructions for a bioweapon attack.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM, Partners Appeal for USD 81 Million to Assist Over One Million Migrants in Horn of Africa, Yemen, and Southern Africa

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    11 February 2025, Nairobi –The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 45 humanitarian and development partners are appealing for USD 81 million to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to over one million migrants — including women and children — and the communities that host them in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Republic of Tanzania, Kenya and Yemen. The funding request falls under the Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa (MRP), coordinated by IOM.

    Hundreds of thousands of migrants embark each year on dangerous irregular journeys, primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia, aiming to reach Gulf nations including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via Djibouti and Yemen. On another route, migrants travel through Kenya, Tanzania, and other Southern African nations, with the hope of reaching South Africa.

    These perilous and life-threatening journeys are largely taken by migrants who are desperately searching for work because of grinding economic hardship and poverty, and in some cases because of violence and political instability at home. Also, climate shocks and disasters are increasingly becoming a migration driver.

    “Every day, countless women, men and children face deadly risks along the Eastern and Southern migration routes in Africa,” said Amy Pope, IOM’s Director General. “Without immediate support for migrants and the communities that host them, suffering will deepen, tensions will rise, and life-saving aid will remain out of reach. The time to act is now—we must step up to protect lives, strengthen protection systems, and tackle the root causes of displacement.

    Last year 446,000 movements were tracked along the Eastern Route, 10 percent of which were by children, according to the IOM Regional Data Hub for East, Horn and Southern Africa. On the route migrants are often subject to life-threatening conditions, including starvation and dehydration. According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, at least 559 people lost their lives along the Eastern and Southern routes in 2024, while many more deaths are known to go unreported. Women and girls, who make up nearly a third of the tracked movements, often risk facing sexual and gender-based violence. Migrants also often face violence, exploitation, and abuse, and risk being targeted by human traffickers and arbitrary detention.

    According to MRP partners, over 1.4 million migrants and the communities that host them along these routes will need assistance this year. The needs include food, non-food items, medical care, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, psycho-social support, along with voluntary return and reintegration support. 

    MRP partners have been responding to the needs of migrants and host communities on the routes, while working to support governments in the region, civil society and other partners to address immediate needs, and also to address the root causes of irregular migration.  But the MRP remains chronically underfunded. In 2024, an appeal for USD 112 million was launched, but it remains 80 percent underfunded.

    “Migration is a global phenomenon that requires global solutions. We must work together to create a world where migration is a choice, not a necessity, and where all migrants are treated with dignity and respect” said Dr. Abera Adeba, Executive Director, Agar Ethiopia Charitable Society.

    “Children and adolescents on the move in Eastern and Southern Africa face immense challenges and perils along migration routes. Children are three times more likely than adults to experience violence, exploitation and abuse during their journeys,” said Alison Parker, Deputy Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, UNICEF. “The Migrant Response Plan presents a critical inter-agency support framework to collaboratively address these vulnerabilities, coordinate the provision of services to migrants and host communities and safeguard children and their families, throughout their migration journey.”

    “With the steady deterioration of the economic and instability context in East and Horn of Africa, the motivation to move out is at a new peak,” said Mutuku Nguli, Chief Executive Officer, Counter Human Trafficking Trust East Africa.  “This reality has further weakened the community support structures along the transit routes while at the same time aggravating the risk factors associated with irregular migration in Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa routes. This appeal therefore offers the best opportunity to rescue the situation”.

    Note to Editor

    To learn more about the Regional Migrant Response Plan (MRP): https://www.mrp-easternroute.com/ 

    MRP section in the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO): https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-humanitarian-overview-2025-enarfres

    Link to the GHO: https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/world/global-humanitarian-overview-2025-enarfres

    For more information, please contact

    In Nairobi : ronairobimcu@iom.int, +254 797 735977

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Navy Closure Task Force Shares Progress at Red Hill

    Source: United States Navy

    Tanks 7 & 8 Pressure Washing:
    The Navy began pressure washing tanks 7 and 8, the first two tanks to be pressure washed at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF), in January. The pressure washing process, approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), includes using a mixture of 3% Simple Green cleaning solution and 97% water. After pressure washing, the cleaning solution is rinsed off, collected, analyzed, and disposed of in accordance with DOH approved waste management requirements. The surface of each tank is then visually inspected by the Navy contractor. Upon completion of the inspection, NCTF-RH personnel will conduct a quality assurance check, after which a third party, independent quality validator will inspect and certify the tanks surfaces as clean. The Navy will submit a cleaning report for final approval by the regulatory agency before beginning the tank decommissioning process.

    Tanks 3 & 4 Degassing Operations:
    The Navy is preparing tanks 3 and 4 for degassing operations later this month. They will be the fifth and sixth tanks to be ventilated since the project began on October 1, 2024. Hourly updates of Air Quality Monitoring (AQM) will be provided by NCTF-RH throughout the ventilation process on its mobile app, with daily summaries on its website (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil). The tanks are ventilated and cleaned in staggered pairs to safely prepare each tank for the sludge removal, pressure washing and decommissioning processes.

    According to AQM results, Volatile organic compound (VOC) levels, which are pollutants emitted as gases and include a variety of chemicals, have consistently remained below DOH’s regulatory standard limit of 38 parts per million (PPM) by volume with an average of 0.1 PPM by volume total VOCs since the start of ventilation. For questions or concerns, contact the Navy Call Center at 808-210-6968.

    BWS Discussion on Drinking Water:
    The Navy hosted a meeting with members of the Drinking Water Swarm Team and Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) at the Military and Family Support Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, December 10, 2024. Representatives from the Navy, Army, Hawaii DOH, EPA, and BWS and its consultants attended the technical discussion.

    The meeting provided participants a deeper insight into the Swarm Team’s technical memo released in April 2024. The event facilitated productive dialogue among all parties and enabled an in-depth technical discussion about the Navy’s findings, supporting data and the scientific rigor supporting the Navy’s long term drinking water monitoring program.

    A full recording of the meeting is available on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Safe Waters website (www.jbphh-safewaters.org), the NCTF-RH website (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/Media/Videos/) and the NCTF-RH YouTube page (www.youtube.com/@NCTF-RH/featured).

    Spill Drill Exercise:
    NCTF-RH exercised spill response under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) framework and principles during two spill drill tabletop exercises on December 6, 2024, and January 28, 2025. The exercise rehearsed roles, responsibilities, and actions that would mitigate environmental and community impacts in the event of a spill at the Red Hill facility.

    “Let’s Talk Red Hill” Podcast: NCTF-RH released the following seven episodes of the podcast series hosted by Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Marc Williams in December and January:
    – Episode 13: Redaction
    – Episode 12: Waste Management
    – Episode 11: Pressure Washing
    – Episode 10: Looking Ahead in 2025
    – Episode 9: 2024 in Review – Progress on Red Hill Closure
    – Episode 8: Integrated Master Schedule
    – Episode 7: Frequently Asked Questions

    The weekly series offers experts the chance to share the latest updates and insights on the Navy’s progress in closing the RHBFSF. The series can be found on the NCTF-RH YouTube page (www.youtube.com/@NCTF-RH/featured), the NCTF-RH website (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/Media/Videos/), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) website, and the NCTF-RH mobile app.
    Open House: The next NCTF-RH open house is at Alfred Los Banos Hall at Ke`ehi Lagoon Memorial, 2685 North Nimitz Highway, Honolulu, HI, on March 12, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. The open house theme is “NCTF-RH at One Year.” The open house will feature information about NCTF-RH activities over the past year and those planned for 2025 and beyond.

    Navy Releases 2025 Community Engagement Plan: The Navy published the 2025 Community Engagement Plan that outlines NCTF-RH’s robust and inclusive public engagement program, in accordance with the EPA’s 2023 ACO amendment. The plan represents the Navy’s commitment to a continued interactive relationship with the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) community, both on and off base, with regards to the safe and deliberate closure of the RHBFSF and enhanced water resiliency at JBPHH. The plan is available for viewing on the Commander Navy Region Hawaii website (https://cnrh.cnic.navy.mil/).

    Engagements: In December and January, NCTF-RH leadership and staff participated in or attended the following engagement events:

    INDOPACOM Hawaii State Legislature brief
    Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative (WAI) meeting
    Governor’s Water Committee meeting
    Military Affairs Council (MAC) meeting
    Biannual Military Affairs Council State of the Indo-Pacific
    Hawaii State Legislature Opening Day 2025
    Governor Josh Green’s State of the State Address 2025
    Participated in seven neighborhood boards
    Held eight drinking water information booths

    Additionally, Deputy Commander of NCTF-RH Rear Adm. Marc Williams, met with Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and his staff during a site visit to the RHBFSF. During the visit, they discussed environmental assessments, water monitoring initiatives, and the Navy’s commitment to safely and deliberately close the RHBFSF.

    NCTF-RH is committed to working with all government agencies and community stakeholders to safely and deliberately close the RHBFSF underground storage tanks and associated piping system, conduct long-term environmental remediation, and ensure continued access to safe drinking water in compliance with all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.

    For more information about NCTF-RH, visit https://www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/ or download our free mobile app by searching for “NCTF-Red Hill” in the Apple App store or Google Play store. For imagery, video and other digital media please visit our DVIDS site here: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NCTF-RH.
    SAFE. DELIBERATE. ENGAGED. COMMITTED. – NCTF – RH –

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: USNS Kanawha awarded Navy Unit Commendation for efforts while deployed to U.S. Central Command

    Source: United States Navy

    The crew earned the NUC for their efforts during the ship’s recent deployment to the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.

    “Despite being caught off guard by the sudden deployment, the crew of USNS Kanawha rose to the challenge as Military Sealift Command has done for the past 75 years, answering the call of duty with professionalism and dedication,” said First Officer Anthony Canseco, USNS Kanawha’s Officer-in-Charge. “Operating in a contested environment, we quickly adapted to heightened threats, ensuring vital fuel deliveries to U.S. and allied forces in the region.”

    “The crew’s resilience and commitment underscored MSC’s longstanding tradition of supporting global naval operations, even in the most demanding circumstances,” he added.

    The NUC is awarded to any ship, aircraft or other unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that has distinguished itself by outstanding heroism in action against enemy forces and is the second highest unit award in the U.S. Navy; behind the Presidential Unit Citation.

    Portions of the NUC citation Kanawha’s crew earned read as follows:

    “The Secretary of the Navy takes great pleasure in presenting the Navy Unit Commendation to U.S. Central Command set forth in the following: for outstanding performance in action against terrorist forces from October 19, 2023 to May 30, 2024. The personnel of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and its operational forces combatted highly kinetic and asymmetric threats regional stability,” the citation reads.

    “They protected vital global commerce through two strategic maritime chokepoints, defended key allies and partners, deterred aggression, and forged partnerships founded in trust and unity of effort against violations of international law,” it continued. “They provided a crucial naval presence in the region at a pivotal moment in history.”

    While deployed Kanawha safely executed, without incident, 111 at-sea replenishments, delivering more than 30 million gallons of marine diesel fuel and aviation fuel, along with 4,696,274 gallons of marine grade oil, transferred 3,389 critical cargo pallets, and transported five personnel while supporting 14 U.S. Navy ships and 12 allied ships from six countries.

    “For the crew of USNS Kanawha, receiving the Navy Unit Commendation is a profound honor that recognizes their hard work, dedication, and the sacrifices they have made,” according to Canseco. “Spending months away from family, friends, and loved ones, they have endured long hours and challenging conditions to ensure mission success in a contested environment. This award is not just a symbol of their excellence in service, but also a tribute to the personal sacrifices they have made to support the fleet and protect vital maritime routes.”

    USNS Kanawha was forward deployed for 264 days and traveled 55,539 nautical miles.
    “While the time away is never easy, this recognition reinforces their commitment to duty and the proud legacy of Military Sealift Command in answering the nation’s call,” Canseco stated.

    In addition to the NUC, specific crewmembers received individual awards for outstanding performance during the deployment.

    The following Kanawha CIVMARs were awarded the Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal, which is an award presented to civilian government employees who go above and beyond in their work: First Officer Anthony J. Canseco, Operations Chief Nicholas Petrone, Chief Engineer Able C. Reyes, 1st Engineer Alexander Bacalso, Cargo Engineer Hesham Mohamed and Deck Machinist Gerardo B. Gonzales.

    “The crew is excited to be recognized today and the morale of the crew is really high too,” said Third Mate Alexander Robinson, one of the Kanawha CIVMARs recognized during the ceremony. “We were deployed on a short notice to for a difficult deployment and it was nice to have USNS Kanawha credited just as USNS Supply recently was.”

    In addition, multiple Kanawha CIVMARs were presented the Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medal for outstanding performance during the deployment.

    Ship Bosun Theo Niang, Cargo Bosun Heberito Santos, Able Seaman Previn R. Byrd Jr, Able Seaman William R. Stephens, Third Officer Alexander Robinson, Bosun David Generette, Able Seaman Atiya Wooden, Chief Electrician Randy A. Rosero and Engine Utilityman Ardrian T. Lincoln were awarded Navy Civilian Achievement Medals.

    The Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medal is awarded to Department of the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps civilians who, while serving in a capacity within the Navy or Marine Corps, are to be recognized for sustained performance or specific achievement of a superlative nature at the equivalent level of the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal awarded to military personnel.

    Canseco offered some advice for CIVMARs who will be sailing in a contested environment.

    “For CIVMARs deployed to a contested environment, preparation and adaptability are key,” Canseco said. “Stay informed on the latest threat assessments and operational procedures and always follow security protocols to ensure both personal safety and mission success.”

    “Trust in your training, your shipmates, and the expertise of the Navy and MSC leadership to navigate challenges effectively. Mental resilience is just as important as physical readiness—remain focused, stay vigilant, and lean on the camaraderie of your crew. Above all, remember that your role is critical to sustaining naval operations,” he added.

    Kanawha is part of MSC’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF) who are the supply lines to U.S. Navy ships at-sea. These ships provide virtually everything that Navy ships require to remain on station at sea including fuel, food, fleet ordnance, dry cargo, spare parts, mail and other supplies. CLF ships enable the Navy fleet to remain at sea and combat ready for extended periods.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes the 2024 Article IV Consultation with Qatar

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    February 11, 2025

    Washington, DC: On January 27, 2025, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation[1] with Qatar.

    Growth normalization after the 2022 FIFA World Cup continued, with signs of strengthening activities more recently. Real GDP growth is projected to improve gradually to 2 percent in 2024–25 supported by public investment, spillovers from the ongoing LNG expansion project, and strong tourism. Medium-term growth is expected to accelerate to 4¾ percent on average, boosted by the significant LNG production expansion and initial gains from implementing reforms guided by the Third National Development Strategy (NDS3). Headline inflation will likely ease to 1 percent in 2024 and converge to around 2 percent over the medium term.

    With lower hydrocarbon prices, both the current account and fiscal surpluses narrowed in 2023, to 17 percent of GDP and 5½ percent of GDP, respectively. The twin surpluses moderated further in 2024. Over the medium, as Qatar’s LNG production expands massively, both the current and fiscal accounts will likely remain in surpluses, albeit declining as a share of GDP, as hydrocarbon prices are projected to fall.

    Banks are well-capitalized, liquid, and profitable, with the capital adequacy ratio of close to 20 percent and return on equity of 14½ percent, respectively, in the third quarter of 2024. Since the implementation of QCB measures to reduce banks’ net short-term foreign liabilities, banks’ non-resident deposits declined significantly, and banks have lengthened the average maturity and diversified further the sources of foreign funding. The sector-wide NPL ratio remained broadly unchanged at slightly below 4 percent and the provisioning coverage ratio is relatively high at above 80 percent.   

    Qatar has started to implement the ambitious Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) to build a more diversified, knowledge-based and private sector-driven economy. Guided by NDS3, reform momentum has strengthened significantly, including to attract and retain high-skilled expatriate workers, foster innovation, promote public-private partnerships, and further improve the business efficiency. Qatar is well positioned to leverage digitalization and AI for productivity gains, and the nation’s climate agenda is advancing.

    Risks to the outlook are broadly balanced. Main downside risks stem from the global headwinds, including a sharper-than-expected global growth slowdown, increased volatility in global financial conditions and commodity prices, and further worsening of geopolitical tensions. The regional conflict has had limited impact on Qatar but adds further to the downside risks through lower tourism and capital inflows, and more volatile hydrocarbon prices. Domestic downside risk stems mainly from further weaknesses in the real estate sector, although strong tourism and policy measures introduced in 2023 could mitigate the risk. Over the medium and long term, supply in the global natural gas market is expected to expand significantly, potentially putting downward pressure on prices. On the upside, sustained high hydrocarbon prices and accelerated NDS3 reforms would strengthen the outlook. However, if ambitious NDS3 initiatives lead to resource misallocation, both the public finance and growth prospect would be affected.

    Executive Board Assessment[2]

    Executive Directors agreed with the thrust of the staff appraisal. They welcomed Qatar’s continued resilience to external shocks and its favorable medium-term outlook, driven by significant increases in LNG production and the reforms under the Third National Development Strategy. Directors agreed that maintaining prudent macroeconomic policies and accelerating reform efforts would further solidify macroeconomic stability and resilience to shocks while boosting prosperity.

    Directors commended the authorities’ commitment to continued fiscal prudence and called for accelerating fiscal reforms. They recommended adopting a medium-term fiscal anchor to help ensure intergenerational equity, and reiterated the need to accelerate revenue diversification, particularly by introducing the value-added tax. Directors highlighted the importance of improving spending efficiency and composition, particularly by enhancing public investment management. They welcomed the ongoing efforts to strengthen fiscal institutions and adopt a full-fledged medium-term fiscal framework with enhanced fiscal risk management.

    Directors supported the authorities’ efforts to maintain financial stability and deepen domestic financial markets, while encouraging them to consider undertaking a Financial Sector Assessment Program update. They welcomed the newly introduced risk-based supervision and recommended formalizing the financial safety net and continuing to adjust macroprudential policies to mitigate potential macro-financial risks. Directors encouraged the authorities to sustain their progress in fighting financial crimes.

    Directors agreed that the exchange rate peg continues to serve Qatar well. They concurred that, as conditions allow, strengthening the operational framework would further enhance monetary policy transmission.

    Directors supported the authorities’ strategy to build a more diversified, private sector-led, and knowledge-based economy. They recommended fostering innovation and business efficiency and enhancing human capital by attracting and retaining more high-skilled expatriate workers, improving Qatari nationals’ employment in the private sector, and further increasing female labor force participation. Directors agreed that aligning domestic energy prices with export prices would benefit public finances and support climate goals. They also encouraged the authorities to close remaining data gaps, with the help of IMF capacity development.

    It is expected that the next Article IV consultation with Qatar will be held on the standard 12-month cycle.

    Qatar: Selected Macroeconomic Indicators, 2021-25
    (Quota: 735.1 million SDRs, November 2024)
    (Per capita income: U.S.$69,541, 2023)
    (Life expectancy at birth: 81.6 years, 2022)
    (Population: 3.1 million, 2023)
    Projections
    2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
    Production and prices (percent change)
    Real GDP (2018 prices) 1.6 4.2 1.2 1.7 2.4
    Hydrocarbon 1/ -0.3 1.7 1.4 1.4 3.0
    Nonhydrocarbon 2.8 5.7 1.1 1.9 2.1
    CPI inflation (average) 2.3 5.0 3.0 1.0 1.4
    Public finances (percent of GDP)
    Revenue 29.6 34.7 32.8 26.2 28.7
    Expenditure 29.4 24.3 27.3 25.9 26.2
    Current 18.3 15.6 17.5 17.2 17.5
    Capital 11.1 8.8 9.7 8.7 8.7
    Central government fiscal balance 0.2 10.4 5.6 0.3 2.5
    Money (percent change)
    Broad money 1.4 17.4 1.1 4.1 5.6
    Credit to private sector 9.5 7.4 4.9 5.5 6.1
    External sector (percent of GDP unless otherwise noted)
    Exports 58.7 68.6 60.4 58.7 60.1
    Imports 34.1 31.6 33.9 33.4 35.1
    Current account balance 14.6 26.8 17.1 16.6 15.5
    in billions of U.S. dollars 26.3 63.1 36.5 37.0 35.2
    External debt 161.4 115.5 123.2 118.1 116.8
    Central Bank’s reserves 23.5 20.1 24.2 24.5 25.4
    in months of next year’s imports 6.6 7.7 8.1 8.0 7.9
    Exchange rate (per U.S. dollar) 2/ 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6
    Real effective exchange rate (percent change) 3/ -2.6 6.5 0.2 -0.5 …
    Sources: Qatari authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.
    1/ Includes crude oil, natural gas, propane, butane, and condensates.
    2/ January 6, 2025
    3/ November 2024.

    [1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

    [2] At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chair of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country’s authorities. An explanation of any qualifiers used in summing up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Angham Al Shami

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/02/11/pr25034-qatar-imf-executive-board-concludes-the-2024-article-iv-consultation

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Investment in City Economic Development

    Source: Scotland – City of Dundee

    Investment designed to drive forward economic development in Dundee is set to be discussed by councillors. 

    Funding from external sources would be used to support ongoing initiatives like employment programmes, while it could also assist commercial companies spinning out from biomedical research. 

    A report to be considered on Monday (Feb 17) shows that £2.44 million of funding has been awarded to Dundee City Council from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for 2025-26. 

    Councillors will hear that over the last three years, the council has used UKSPF to support the delivery of key economic development interventions. 

    These include Discover Work, the Dundee Partnership’s employability programme, and local business support through Business Gateway.   

    To ensure that these services can continue to deliver to clients without interruption, and that staff are retained, it is necessary to confirm the ongoing funding for these projects at the earliest opportunity.   

    Delivery models including Challenge Funds, partnership approaches, procured services and regionally focused initiatives would remain the same as previous years. 

    Meanwhile, a separate report recommends the use of legacy funding from the  Business Loans Scotland scheme to bolster the city’s life sciences sector. 

    Opening of the Dundee Life Sciences Innovation Hub in 2025 creates an imperative to maximise the pipeline of spinout companies and to remove barriers to translating innovative research into commercial opportunity and job creation. 

    Councillors are being asked to give the go-ahead to the reinvestment of the £137,000 legacy funding into a Proof of Concept (POC) Fund Programme in partnership with University of Dundee, with the aim of catalysing life science and healthcare sector spinout companies. 

    They will hear that the pilot phase of the POC scheme has been funded in 2024/2025 by £100,000 from Dundee’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation matched in kind by Dundee University. 

    Both reports will be considered by the Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Commitee at its next meeting. 

    Committee convener Councillor Steven Rome said: “We are determined to improve the economy of Dundee through a range of measures with our partners and these two reports show the efforts we are making. 

    “UKSPF has enabled us to deliver key employability programmes, and city partners are focusing on key issues such as increasing the number of our young people in positive destinations. 

    “This is a crucial initiative for the future of our city. 

    “We also want to see academic innovation translated into commercial success, and the Proof of Concept programme will help fledgling companies to find their way.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Visits U.S. Africa Command

    Source: United States AFRICOM

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany, on Feb. 11, 2025, as part of his first overseas trip in office. The visit included meetings with Gen. Michael E. Langley, AFRICOM commander, and other senior leaders, as well as a town hall where the secretary engaged directly with military
    and civilian personnel, discussing key priorities, regional security
    challenges, and the department’s vision moving forward.

    “[Insert Quote Here]”

    The visit to AFRICOM was part of a broader engagement that also included a stop at U.S. European Command (EUCOM). During both visits, the secretary met with senior leaders to discuss strategic priorities, regional threats, and cooperation with allies and partners. He emphasized the Department of Defense’s commitment to enhancing lethality, improving force readiness, and strengthening partnerships to counter emerging threats and maintain
    stability.

    Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, AFRICOM is one of seven U.S. geographic combatant commands, responsible for military engagement across 53 African nations. Working with partners and allies, the command counters malign actors and transnational threats, responds to crises, strengthens African security forces, and supports U.S. government efforts in Africa to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability, and
    prosperity.

    For more information about U.S. Africa Command, visit

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Intellectual Property: SafeGlam

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Intellectual Property: SafeGlam

    From personal experience to SafeGlam: Why business graduate Giorgia Flora Aloi chose to launch a platform to educate consumers about counterfeit goods.

    Giorgia Flora Aloi is a business graduate, who recently completed her Master’s in Applied Imagination at Central Saint Martin’s. During this time, she investigated the growing issue of counterfeit beauty products sold on social media platforms. For her final project, Giorgia developed SafeGlam – an online learning platform which educates consumers on the dangers of counterfeit cosmetics and how to identify them.

    Giorgia’s inspiration came from a personal experience. She and her sister both unknowingly purchased a foundation from Kiko Milano from a social media marketplace. Upon opening the product, Giorgia immediately recognised it was fake due to the product being overly oily and carrying a strong smell. Following this, Giorgia’s mother suffered an allergic reaction after applying to her skin. This experience sparked her interest in counterfeit cosmetics, particularly the harmful and unregulated ingredients often found in these products.

    Finding support for SafeGlam

    Determined to move forward with SafeGlam, Giorgia realised she needed credible insights to:

    1. Understand the broader impact of counterfeit beauty products.
    2. Ensure the platform’s content was accurate, reliable, and impactful.

    During her research, Giorgia discovered the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) ‘Choose Safe, Not Fake’ campaign, which focused on counterfeit beauty and hygiene products. After reaching out to the IPO’s Enforcement team, Giorgia was guided to valuable research and resources that strengthened the evidence behind her project. Credible information from trusted sources, such as government departments, gave her platform the authority and reliability needed to connect with users effectively.

    The impact of SafeGlam

    With the support of verified insights, Giorgia created a clear, engaging and impactful platform that raises awareness of counterfeit beauty products. SafeGlam contributes to a fundamental objective of the IPO Counter-Infringement Strategy. This is to educate consumers about the risks of fakes and how to spot them, to prevent the spread of dangerous counterfeit goods.

    The IPO recognises that supporting initiatives like SafeGlam helps strengthen critical messages to reach new audiences. Giorgia’s peer-to-peer approach effectively connects with younger consumers, making education on counterfeit products more relatable and effective.

    What’s next for Giorgia and SafeGlam?

    “SafeGlam is stepping into the future with a clear mission: educate, empower and protect beauty enthusiasts around the world. Through podcasts, educational videos and partnerships we’re building a stronger, more informed community. This paves the way for a safer, smarter and more transparent beauty world”- Giorgia Flora Aloi

    Take Action

    Visit SafeGlam today to learn about the dangers of counterfeit beauty products and explore the IPO website for information on the effect of counterfeit goods.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Universal Periodic Review 48: UK Statement on Bolivia

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    UK Statement at Bolivia’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Delivered on 21 January 2025.

    Thank you, Mr President, 

    The United Kingdom thanks the Bolivian delegation for setting out its efforts to protect human rights and welcomes progress by Bolivia since its last review in 2019. We look forward to Bolivia developing further improvements in key areas. 

    We recommend that Bolivia: 

    1. Increase oversight and scrutiny as part of a wider plan to ensure the independence, impartiality and integrity of the Bolivian judiciary, in the next five years.   

    2. Strengthen and develop the training and capacity building of law enforcement and the judiciary, to enable the implementation of those laws designed to protect women and girls from violence and exploitation.  

    3. Takes steps to ensure greater legal and practical protection for journalists to enable them to fulfil their roles free from legal, political and economic pressure or harassment. 

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Increase in HIV testing in community settings

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Community testing in 2023, including nightclubs and festivals, rose by 7% compared to 2022.

    A new report published by the UK Health Security Agency shows HIV testing in community settings continues to be a vital tool to diagnose HIV in those who might not visit traditional testing outlets such as sexual health clinics.

    In 2023, testing in community settings such as nightclubs, festivals and voluntary sector premises, increased by 7% compared to 2022.

    The HIV testing in community settings in England report also found nearly a quarter of all tests were reported among individuals being tested for HIV for the first time. It also highlights the impact of National HIV Testing Week, noting that there was a 22% increase in the number of tests carried out in this time compared to 2022.

    Dr Tamara Duretić, Head of HIV Section at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    HIV can affect anyone, no matter your gender or sexual orientation. It’s good to see HIV Testing Week once again highlighting the hugely important role regular testing plays in helping to prevent new infections, alongside condom use.

    Testing allows people to have access to free prevention interventions such as PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) and, should you test positive, ensures timely access to treatment that saves lives and prevents the virus being passed on.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: How are we tackling crime in your local area?

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    We are delivering 13,000 police officers, special constables and PCSOs across the country, including a named, contactable officer in your area.

    Our mission to keep your streets safe

    We’re putting police officers back on the beat to prevent crime and help communities. 

    Our milestone for safer streets is to deliver 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles. 

    This means a named, contactable officer in every community to respond to local issues. You can also have your say on the police’s priorities for your area.

    Visible policing is one of the best ways to prevent crime and make your streets safer.

    If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police

    How you can report non-emergencies

    Report crimes online or by calling 101 if they are not an emergency.

    You can also call 101 to give information to the police or make an enquiry.

    If you live in Scotland you can search by postcode to find and contact your local policing team.

    If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101.

    Asking us for an update or need to update a report?

    You can contact some police forces online to get an update or add something to a report: find out if you can do it online.

    Crimestoppers

    If a crime has been committed, you can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers.

    If you’re not sure who to contact

    Use the Act Now! Guide to help you decide who you should report the problem to.

    How to deal with anti-social behaviour

    Anti-social behaviour could include:

    • vandalism
    • graffiti
    • dumped rubbish
    • rowdy neighbours
    • abandoned cars
    • persistent dog barking
    • alcohol related nuisance

    You can report anti-social behaviour through:

    Police

    Call 101 to report a non-emergency incident to the police. You can also report anti-social behaviour on the Police.UK website.

    Report anti-social behaviour at Police.UK.

    Local council

    Check your local council’s website to find out what types of anti-social behaviour you can report. 

    Find your local council.

    Your housing provider – council or housing association tenants

    If you or your neighbours are having problems in your building, report it to your council or housing association.

    Your housing provider should have told you how to report anti-social behaviour. If not, call them and ask to speak to their anti-social behaviour team.

    Your housing provider – private tenants

    If the anti-social behaviour is caused by someone with whom you are sharing a house in a private tenancy, report this to your landlord.

    Request an anti-social behaviour case review

    If you are a victim of persistent anti-social behaviour, you can request an anti-social behaviour case review. This was formerly known as a community trigger.

    The review allows agencies, including the police, local authorities and housing providers, to:

    • share information about the case
    • review what action has been taken
    • decide whether there are more actions that can be taken

    Find out how to apply for an anti-social behaviour case review in your area from your local police force or local council website.

    Find your local police force.

    Find your local council.

    Get support and advice

    These organisations can give advice on anti-social behaviour in England and Wales:

    ASB Help

    Victim Support

    Victim Support in Wales

    Our Watch

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –