Category: Politics

MIL-Evening Report: Keith Rankin Essay – Barbecued Hamburgers and Churchill’s Bestie
Essay by Keith Rankin.

Operation Gomorrah may have been the most cynical event of World War Two (WW2). Not only did the name fully convey the intent of the war crimes about to be committed, it, also represented the single biggest 24-hour murder toll for the European war that I have come across.

Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

On the night of 27 July 1943, the RAF murdered 35,000, mostly working-class civilian residents living in the most densely populated part of Hamburg; a planned firebombing which started a sequence of events – a holocaust if not The Holocaust – that ended in Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. (Note The bombing of Hamburg foreshadowed the horrors of Hiroshima, National Geographic, 23 July 2021.) A holocaust is a “destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war” (Oxford Dictionary). [In The Holocaust, 31,000 Jews were shot dead in Kyiv in a single day in 1941; the worst single day of The Holocaust, I understand.]

Hamburg was, literally, a dry run for what came later; the aim was to maximise the number of barbecued civilians by, among other things, choosing perfect weather conditions for an experiment in incendiary murder. (Yes, I am literally using inflammatory language.) While the total death toll of the week-long operation has been estimated to be over 40,000, the toll arising from the night of 27/28 July 1943 represents about 85% of the total.

The Gomorrah chapter of Peter Hitchens’ The Phoney Victory, 2018, gives a documented account of the moral duplicity surrounding Churchill’s bombing campaign. For a full story of the Allies’ firestorm holocaust, see Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, 2022, by James M Scott. (John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, is a survivor of the Tokyo episode, the raid that killed more people – over 100,000 – than any other in a single arsonous assault.)

Sodom and Gomorrah

These twin ‘cities of the plain’, which, if they ever existed, are now either under the Dead Sea or east of there, in modern Jordan. The key chapter in the bible (Genesis, ch.19) mainly emphasises Sodom, though Gomorrah was reputedly as ‘sinful’. The biblical story is ghastly, in its misogyny as well as its extollation of extermination of ‘others’.

Genesis (ch.19) tells us, when Lot (Abraham’s nephew) found himself, in Sodom, hosting two Angels/men, ‘the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.”‘ The secret to understanding this is the biblical meaning of the word ‘know’; in this case the events took place in Sodom, and the guests had the appearance of ‘men’.

Lot replies: ‘”I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men …”.’ While the men of Sodom did not take up the offer – they favoured Lot himself – the angel-men saved Lot and his family. Then ‘When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be consumed in the punishment of the city.”‘ …

‘When they had brought [the four of] them outside, [the angel-men] said, “Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.” … Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.’ …

After the three survivors settled in a cave: ‘the firstborn [daughter] said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the world. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father.” … ‘Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.’ (Thus, the East Bank [of the River Jordan] was repopulated!!)

Hamburg came to be equated with biblical Sodom, as deserving victims for a particularly barbaric form of mass murder. Neither Churchill, nor his bomber commander Arthur Harris, could know that only 35,000 Hamburgers would die as a result of that night’s operation. There is reason to believe that Churchill and his savants were looking for many more than hundreds of thousands of Germans to be ‘de-housed’ over the incendiary bombing campaign. (Dehousing was the euphemism used by Churchill’s men; compare with ‘resettlement’ for the trip that the residents of the Warsaw Ghetto made to Treblinka.)

Hamburg and the Gomorrah holocaust

Why Hamburg? Basically, because it was there. Though it was/is a large industrial and mercantile port city, the terror target was workers, not the works which employed them. The National Geographic article notes, with gallows-humour irony: “After noticing that Brits whose homes were struck by bombs were less likely to show up to work, analysts determined that destroying Germany’s largest cities and towns would likely cripple Germany’s war efforts.” Hamburg was close to England, and could be reached without flying over occupied land. And Hamburg was defended by a radar system of sorts, though not as sophisticated as British radar. The first British bombing raid on Hamburg was very much a technology test-run; refer The Woman Whose Invention Helped Win a War – and Still Baffles Weathermen, Irena Fischer-Hwang, 28 November 2018, Smithsonian Magazine. The second British raid on Hamburg was the real thing, a particularly dry run to really get the Gomorrah holocaust underway.

Hitchens (p.178) says: “Winston Churchill speculated in a letter of 8 July I940 to his friend and Minister of Aircraft Production, the press magnate Lord (Max) Beaverbrook, that an ‘absolutely devastating exterminating [my emphasis] attack by very heavy bombers from this country upon the Nazi homeland would help to bring Hitler down’. Arthur Harris, later the chief of RAF Bomber Command, realised the significance of these extraordinary words … he kept a copy of this letter.”

Hitchens (p.181) citing Bishop Bell speaking in February 1944 in the House of Lords: “Hamburg has a population of between one and two million people. It contains targets of immense military and industrial importance. It also happens to be the most democratic town in Germany where the Anti-Nazi opposition was strongest. … Practically all the buildings, cultural, military, residential, industrial, religious – including the famous University Library with its 800,000 volumes, of which three-quarters have perished – were razed to the ground.” While dead and dazed people may have low morale, and therefore have an arguable incentive to wage a civil war against their own government, they – especially the dead – are uniquely unable to overthrow a ruthlessly militarised government.

We might note Hamburg’s anthropological links to England. At a time of high racial – indeed racist – sensibilities, Anglo-Saxon supremacy was a very real thing. The area of Germany around Hamburg is the ‘Hawaiki’ of the Anglo-Saxon people; Lower Saxony is the ancestral motherland of the English. The class-consciousness and revengeful bloodlust of the English political class outweighed their ethnic consciousness. This was not true for the German Nazis, for whom the English were racial equals; Hitler and his crew really did not want to kill English people. Nazi Germany wanted the United Kingdom to become a neutral country, as Ireland was, and as the United States was before December 1941. Nazi Germany’s policy was to enslave, resettle, and murder Slavs and Jews and Gypsies; not to kill or dehouse Englishmen and their families.

The ‘elephant in the room’ was Josef Stalin.

Hitchens (p.191): “There is little doubt that much of the bombing of Germany was done to please and appease Josef Stalin. Stalin jeered at Churchill for his failure to open a Second Front and to fight Hitler’s armies in Europe, and ceaselessly pressed him to open such a front – something Churchill was politically and militarily reluctant to do. Bombing Germany, though it did not satisfy Stalin’s demands for an invasion, at least reassured him that we were doing something, and so lessened his pressure to open a second front.”

Hitchens (p.198): “Overy [in The Bombing War 2014] recounts how on 28 March 1945 Winston Churchill, clearly growing sick of the violence he had unleashed as victory approached and the excuses for it grew thinner, referred (in a memorandum) to Harris’s bombing tactics using these exact words. He urged, none too soon, that attacks turn instead to oil and transport. Harris paid no attention, and right up until 24th April 1945, his bombers continued to drop incendiaries and high explosives on German cities, turning many thousands of civilians into corpses.” [Hitler committed suicide on 30 April 1945, and VE Day was 8 May.]

Point of Interest: Churchill contested three elections, all after VE Day, all using Great Britain’s ‘first-past-the-post’ plurality system. He won just one of those three, though even then – in 1951 – his party got fewer votes than a Labour Party seeking re-election at a time of great difficulty for left-wing parties worldwide. Churchill’s Conservative Party got way-fewer votes than Labour in 1945 and 1950. The pressure on Prime Minister Clement Attlee to call the UK snap election of 1951 (one-third of the way through the term of his elected Labour government) can be understood as a successful example of political cunning on the part of the British establishment; literally a King’s coup.

A Scale of ‘Evil’?

While I generally hesitate to use the word ‘evil’, it may still be useful to grade very powerful people on a zero-to-ten scale of malevolence. On zero we might have the pacifist version of Jesus. On ten would be some very powerful person who actively sought nuclear ‘Armageddon’ (which would destroy life, not just humanity). After recently reading some quite difficult literature about World War Two, this is where I would place five powerful leaders:
- 9: Josef Stalin
- 8: Adolf Hitler
- 7: Benito Mussolini, Winston Churchill
- 6: Harry Truman
I need to read more about Truman; though, his legacy seems to have been airbrushed much as Churchill’s has been, and I might decide to upgrade him to a 7.

I would also note that these leaders had their close and powerful henchmen, whose ‘evilness’ can also be rated on such a scale, for example:
- 9.5: Lavrenty Beria
- 9: Josef Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler
Overall regimes can be better or worse than their leaders. I would rate both Stalin’s ‘Communists’ and Hitler’s ‘Nazis’ as both 8.5. Thus, Stalin’s regime was not quite as bad as its two most notorious figures. And Hitler’s regime was even worse than Hitler; that’s certainly not being kind to Hitler! (Stalin’s atrocities, the equal of Hitlers, were mostly committed in peacetime; the vast majority of Hitler’s were committed in wartime.)

‘Favourites’ as intimate (though not necessarily sexual) friends of powerful leaders

Churchill’s regime was not as bad as Churchill. Though Churchill had two favourites, both active members of his regime – especially his ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ – who were worse than him (possibly worse in one case, and definitely worse in the other). The ‘possibly worse’ one was Brendan Bracken, Minister for Information. Bracken, the prototype for ‘Big Brother’ in George Orwell’s book Nineteen Eighty-Four, was Churchill’s Goebbels. Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ was a conflation of the Ministry of Information and Orwell’s wartime employer, the BBC. (Born in Ireland, Bracken was sometimes rumoured to have been Churchill’s ‘love child’, though that supposition is most likely untrue.) Surprisingly little has been written about BB.

The ‘definitely worse’ favourite was German born (Baden Baden) and educated (Darmstadt and Berlin) scientist, Frederick A Lindemann; who was granted the title Lord Cherwell in 1941. He built his career in Britain at Oxford University, becoming Professor of Physics there in 1919. He also became a bit of a wartime ‘test pilot’, managing to establish his loyalty to the United Kingdom. His close friendship with Churchill lasted decades, beginning in 1921.

Frederick Lindemann, aka Lord Cherwell

In my assessment, Lindemann is the closest individual yet to a ten-out-of-ten on the above-suggested scale of malevolence. Let’s say that, if World War Three comes and someone like Lindemann has as much access to the levers of power as Lindemann actually had, then the world would be a goner. (In Lindemann’s defence, it has been noted that he was fond of children and animals. Likewise, another man; one with a famous moustache.)

Frederick Lindemann exerted a beguiling influence over Churchill. When Churchill was not in power, in the 1930s, Lindemann ran a private think-tank for Churchill. In the 1930s he allegedly undermined the scientific development of radar, which proved critical to the defence of Britain from Luftwaffe attacks; indeed, Lindemann seems to have shown a lack of interest in military defence; his thing was the elimination or dehumanisation of ‘others’. Lindemann “was one of the first to urge the importance of atom bomb research” (Where to Read about Professor Lindemann, The Churchill Project, 6 May 2015); indeed “Following his 1945 return to the Clarendon Laboratory, Lindemann created the [United Kingdom] Atomic Energy Authority”, Wikipedia.)

I will illustrate the Lindemann problem with quotes from these three sources; some may argue that I have made a biased selection, but so be it:
- The Most Powerful Scientist Ever: Winston Churchill’s Personal Technocrat, Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 6 August 2010
- The ‘Gomorrah’ chapter of Peter Hitchens’ The Phoney Victory 2018
- The Prime Minister and the Prof, by Malcolm Gladwell (transcript), 13 July 2017
Mukerjee: “Known as the Prof to admirers (because of his academic credentials and his brilliance) and as Baron Berlin to detractors (thanks to his German accent and aristocratic tastes), Lindeman was responsible for the government’s scientific decisions.”

Mukerjee: “Lindemann attended meetings of the War Cabinet, accompanied the prime minister on conferences abroad, and sent him an average of one missive a day. He saw Churchill almost daily for the duration of the war and wielded more influence than any other civilian adviser.”

Gladwell: “I think that’s the crucial fact about Lindemann. One time he’s asked for his definition of morality and he answers, ‘I define a moral action as one that brings advantage to my friends.’ … The man who defined a moral action as ‘One that brings advantage to my friends,’ was best friends with Winston Churchill.”

Gladwell: “Lindemann becomes a kind of gatekeeper to Churchill’s mind.”

Mukerjee: “On most matters Lindemann’s and Churchill’s opinions converged; and when they did not, the scientist worked ceaselessly to change his friend’s mind.”

Mukerjee: “The mission of the S branch [Churchill’s nearest equivalent to DOGE] was to provide rationales for whichever course the prime minister, as interpreted by the Prof, wished to follow.”

Mukerjee: “Department heads ‘began to realize that, like it or not, the Prof was the man whom Churchill trusted most, and that all their refutations, aspersions, innuendos or attempts at exposure would not shift Churchill from his undeviating loyalty to the Prof by one hair’s breadth,’ wrote [economist] Harrod. So it was that the Prof would pronounce judgment on the best use of shipping space, the profligacy of the army, the inadequacy of British supplies, the optimal size of the mustard gas stockpile, the necessity of bombing German houses – and, when the time came, the pointlessness of sending famine relief to Bengal.”

Gladwell: “An argument took place at the highest reaches of British government. The question was what was the best use of the royal air force against the Germans? … One school of thought says, ‘Let’s use our bombers to support military activities, protecting ships against German U-boats, destroying German factories.’ The other school of thought argues that bombing ought to serve a bigger, strategic purpose. In other words, ‘Let’s use bombing to break the will of the German people, let’s make their lives so miserable that they give up.’”

Wikipedia: On dehousing, Lindemann says “bombing must be directed to working class houses. Middle class houses have too much space round them, so are bound to waste bombs”.

Gladwell on Lindemann’s dishonesty: “Lindemann’s memo to Churchill. It’s very matter of fact; it’s all about what the data says except for one thing. That’s not what the data says. The Birmingham-Hull study reached the exact opposite conclusion [about working-class morale] that Lindemann did.”

Gladwell: “Other experts [eg Henry Tizard] in the government, critics of strategic bombing, point out immediately that Lindemann’s numbers are ridiculous, five or six times too high, based on obvious errors.” [Hitchens (p.205) claims that the numbers of civilian casualties were only ten percent of what Lindemann had promised. If you multiply by ten the number of civilians – mostly workers, their families, slaves, and refugees – killed in the totality of the Gomorrah holocaust, you get a number bigger than deaths in The Holocaust; this would be a measure of Lindemann’s intent.]

Gladwell: “One of Lindemann’s friends said, ‘He would not shrink from using an argument which he knew to be wrong if, by so doing, he could tie up one of his professional opponents.’ Lindemann wanted strategic bombing, so Churchill went ahead and ordered the bombing of German cities.”

Gladwell: “Most historians agree that strategic bombing was a disaster. 160,000 US and English airmen and hundreds of thousands of German civilians were killed in those bombing campaigns. Many of Europe’s most beautiful cities were destroyed and German morale didn’t crack; the Germans fought to the bitter end. After the war, the Nobel Prize winning physicist Patrick Blackett wrote a devastating essay where he said that the war could have been won six months or even a year earlier, if only the British had used their bombers more intelligently.” [Note that the whole Gomorrah holocaust killed more Japanese civilians than German civilians; as noted in Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, the Hamburg dry run led more-or-less directly to the fire-bombings of almost every urban centre in Japan.]

Mukerjee: “‘Love me, love my dog, and if you don’t love my dog you damn well can’t love me,’ muttered a furious Churchill in 1941, after a member of the House of Commons had raised questions about the Prof’s influence.” [Gladwell: that “row occurred in 1942 and it occurred over strategic bombing”.]

Mukerjee: “Cherwell believed that a small circle of the intelligent and the aristocratic should run the world. ‘Those who succeed in getting what everyone wants must be the ablest,’ he asserted. The Prof regarded the masses as ‘very stupid,’ considered Australians to be inferior to Britons, advocated ‘harshness’ toward homosexuals, and thought criminals should be treated cruelly because ‘the amount of pleasure derived by other people from the knowledge that a malefactor is being punished far exceeds in sum total the amount of pain inflicted on a malefactor by his punishment.’” [Enjoyment arising from the punishment of the wretched outweighs the suffering of those wretched!]

Mukerjee: “Eugenic ideas also feature in a lecture that Lord Cherwell (then known as Professor Lindemann) had delivered more than once, probably in the early 1930s. He had detailed a science-based solution to a challenge that occupied many an intellect of the time: preserving for eternity the hegemony of the superior classes.”

Mukerjee: “New technologies such as surgery, mind control, and drug and hormone manipulations would one day allow humans to be fine-tuned for specific tasks. … ‘Somebody must perform dull, dreary tasks, tend machines, count units in repetition work; is it not incumbent on us, if we have the means, to produce individuals without a distaste for such work, types that are as happy in their monotonous occupation as a cow chewing the cud?’ Lindemann asked. Science could yield a race of humans blessed with ‘the mental make-up of the worker bee.’ This subclass would do all the unpleasant work and not once think of revolution or of voting rights: ‘Placid content rules in the bee-hive or ant-heap.’ The outcome would be a perfectly peaceable and stable society, ‘led by supermen and served by helots.’”

Mukerjee: “At least no one would demand votes on behalf of an ape. … To consolidate the rule of supermen – to perpetuate the British Empire – one need only remove the ability of slaves to see themselves as slaves.”

Gladwell: “How can you have a real debate against Churchill’s best friend? Friendship comes first.”

Gladwell: “The US starts sending over so many ships that, by late 1943 when the famine in Bengal is at its height, there’s actually a surplus of boats on the allied side. In fact, in 1943, the British actually start shipping wheat from Australia up through the Indian Ocean, just not to India. … British ships full of grain are sailing right past India on the way to the Middle East to be stored for some future, hypothetical need. They might even stop and refuel in Mumbai, but nothing leaves the ship. … Why is Lindemann [as Paymaster General] refusing to help? It doesn’t even make illogical sense. Indian soldiers, hundreds of thousands of them, are fighting the Germans in the Middle East and Africa. When other countries like Canada and the United States offered to send food to India, the British say, ‘We don’t want it.’ They turn down help. Lindemann seems completely unmoved by India’s plight.”

Gladwell: “Black people, according to a friend, filled him with a physical revulsion which he was unable to control. But I’m not sure that we’re seeing Lindemann here; I think we’re seeing Churchill. Churchill is the one with an issue about India. He’s obsessed with India. In the years leading up to the war, Gandhi is building his independence movement within India and Churchill hates Gandhi. Churchill is furious about the fact that Britain has to buy raw materials from India, meaning that the master is running up a debt with its supposed subject. … Why was Lindemann so adamant that England could not help India? Because Churchill was adamant that England could not help India and Lindemann was a loyal friend.”

CP Snow (1960), cited by Gladwell: “The Lindemann-Churchill relation is the most fascinating example of court politics that we’re likely to see.” [hmmm!]

Gladwell: “The best guess of how many died in the Bengal famine of 1943 is three million people. Three million. After the war, the British government held a formal inquiry into what happened, but the investigation was forbidden to consider, and I’m quoting, ‘Her Majesty’s government’s decision in regard to shipping of imports.’ In other words, they were asked to investigate the cause of the famine without investigating the cause of the famine.”

Hitchens (p.197): “Gas attacks were contemplated by Winston Churchill. … Overy writes ‘The RAF staff thought that incendiary and high-explosive raids were more strategically efficient [than gas or germ warfare], in that they destroyed property and equipment and not just people, but in any of these cases – blown apart, burnt alive or asphyxiated – deliberate damage to civilian populations was now taken for granted. This paved the way for the possibility of using atomic weapons on German targets in 1945’.”

It also paved the way for the potentially devastating anthrax attacks on Germany which would have taken place in 1944 had the American-led D-day offensive been unsuccessful; contamination from such attacks would have rendered parts of Germany uninhabitable for a human lifetime. (See my Invoking Munich, ‘Appeasement’, and the ‘Lessons of History’ 13 March 2025, which mentions both the Bengal famine and the anthrax program as well as the Hamburg holocaust.) The anthrax program bears the hallmark of Lindemann; the abandoned anthrax operation was dubbed Operation Vegetarian, in part a likely reference to Lindemann’s famed dietary obsessions.

Hitchens (pp.200-201): “It is surprising that Sir Max Hasting’s Bomber Command (first published in 1979) has not begun to change opinions. … Sir Max deserves much credit for the chapter in which he describes the indefensible destruction of the city of Darmstadt [south of Frankfurt] on 11 September 1944 (it was not, in any significant way, a military target). Hastings: ‘The first terrible discoveries were made: cellars crammed with suffocated bodies – worse still, with amorphous heaps of melted and charred humanity’.” (Lindemann went to school in Darmstadt. Victims most likely included his former classmates, teachers and their families.)

Hitchens (p.206), on the battle between Frederick Lindemann and Henry Tizard (the scientist who stood up to Lindeman, and paid a price): “Why is the only considerable account of this battle trapped inside [a] small, obscure volume that the reader must retrieve from deep in a few impenetrable scholarly libraries? Why is it not taught in schools? Why has nobody written a play about it? I suspect it is because this story, if well known, would undermine the shallow, nonsensical cult of Winston Churchill as the infallible Great Leader, a cult to which, surely, an adult country no longer needs to cling.”

Hitchens (p.205): “Tizard said that Lindemann’s estimate of the possible destruction was five times too high. He was supported by Patrick Blackett, a former naval officer who had become a noted physicist high in the scientific councils of the day. He would later win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and be ennobled as Lord Blackett. Blackett independently advised that Lindemann’s estimate was six times too high. ‘Both were slightly out. But they were nothing like as wrong as Lindemann was. Lindemann’s estimate of destruction was in fact ten times too high, as the postwar bombing survey revealed.” [The actual destruction of German cities was only one-tenth of what Lindemann had hoped and argued would be the case. Given the actual hundreds of thousands of barbecued German civilians, Lindemann had been arguing for millions.]

CP Snow (1960), cited by Hitchens (p.205): “It is possible, I suppose, that some time in the future people living in a more benevolent age than ours may turn over the official records and notice that men like us, well-educated by the standards of the day, men fairly kindly by the standards of the day, and often possessed of strong human feelings, made the kind of calculation I have just been describing. … Will they think that we resigned our humanity? They will have the right.” [Strikingly, although the post-war years have generally been regarded as ‘more benevolent’, the Gomorrah holocaust continues to ‘fly under the radar’. Indeed, so much so that Churchill’s speeches have been nominated as part of New Zealand’s schools’ draft English curriculum! (And that matter of Churchill was not raised by the New Zealand media; they were more interested in the ‘controversial’ possibility that Shakespeare might be compulsory.)]

Winston Churchill was not a nice man. His ‘favourite’ – Frederick Lindemann – was rather less nice.

Lessons

War itself is the problem, and the first casualty of war is truth. Drumbeating for war is cheap, and sabres are easily rattled. We stumble into wars without having any realistic idea how they might end; casual war becomes forever war. Wars involve multiple nasty people from the outset, and other similarly nasty people come to the fore during war, sometimes completely behind the scenes.

War changes much but solves little. World War Two was the first war in which civilians were targeted on an industrial scale. It ended, in Europe at least, in a Pyrrhic manner, with Josef Stalin’s USSR as the annihilist of Nazi Germany.

War in the modern age of globalisation means this and more. In a twenty-first century World War, while targeted civilians will be high on the murder list, the biggest death-counts are likely to be of untargeted civilians – residents of semi-belligerent and non-belligerent countries – and of completely guiltless non-human life forms.

If the Americans hadn’t successfully prosecuted D-Day (Operation Overlord) in 1944, I believe that Winston Churchill would have used the RAF to unleash his anthrax bombs. The Scottish island of Gruinard is only now becoming habitable, after eighty years of anthrax contamination. Imagine parts of Germany becoming uninhabitable – for nearly a century – had Operation Vegetarian been executed.

————-

Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of British High Commissioner to Ghana

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Change of British High Commissioner to Ghana

Mr Christian Rogg has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Ghana.

Mr Christian Rogg has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Ghana in succession to Ms Harriet Thompson who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Rogg will take up his appointment during July 2025.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Christian Stefan Rogg

Year	Role
2023 to present	FCDO, Director for Development and Open Societies
2021 to 2023	FCDO, Director for Development, Parliament, Coordination and Capability
2017 to 2021	Addis Ababa, Development Director
2015 to 2017	Kinshasa, Head of DFID
2012 to 2015	Abuja, Acting/Deputy Head of DFID
2009 to 2012	Hanoi, Acting/Deputy Head of DFID
2006 to 2009	Accra, Head of Governance and Growth Team, DFID
2003 to 2006	DFID, Head of Growth Team, Policy Division
2000 to 2003	DFID, Economic Adviser/Acting Team Leader, Private Sector Policy Department
2001	University of Oxford, Instructor, Department of Economics
1999 to 2000	DFID, Assistant Adviser, Business Partnerships Department
1999	University of Oxford, Researcher, Development Studies Centre
1998	Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, Assistant, Private Sector Department
1995 to 1997	PricewaterhouseCoopers, Washington, Consultant, Economics and Finance Division
1995	Senator Joe Lieberman’s Office, United States Senate, Legislative Intern
1994	SmithKline Beecham, Assistant to Director for Business Planning and Analysis
1993	Merrill Lynch, Frankfurt, Assistant to Financial Consultants
1990 to 1992	DG Bank, Frankfurt, Trainee

Media enquiries

Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

Telephone 020 7008 3100

Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

Published 17 April 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Economic Vision for Dundee

Source: Scotland – City of Dundee

A new vision to help drive Dundee’s economy forward for the future could be set to get the go ahead.

Public sector bodies would join forces with local businesses through the Dundee Business & Economic Forum to produce an action plan based around the concept of ‘Dundee’s Growth Story’.

Councillors will hear that the plan would identify opportunities that the city can build on to deliver economic growth.

These include the transition to a knowledge economy, culture and tourism, Dundee Waterfront, city centre investment and clean growth. Stimulating population growth, tackling unemployment, job creation, improving earning levels and supporting businesses with the transition to net zero are among the challenges that have been identified.

The Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Committee will be told that seven key themes will be explored.

These are:

• Promoting the city

• Growing the population and talent base

• Building the new Dundee

• Powering the entrepreneurial city

• Expanding the knowledge economy

• Community Wealth Building

Sustainable economic growth and diversification,

The plan will be discussed by council officials, business leaders and other stakeholders at the Dundee Economic Summit in June.

Once a plan is developed, a draft will be brought back to councillors.

Committee Convener Councillor Steven Rome said: “Already, through our City Plan and Council Plan, local partners are showing a real commitment to tackling economic challenges and developing new opportunities for the future.

“However, nobody is under any illusion about the scale of the task facing us and that is why it is so important that we leave nothing to chance. “Development of a new economic vision for the future of Dundee is more vital than ever given the scale of current events. I would like as many stakeholders and interested parties as possible to take part in the formulation of the plan.

“We will be keen to underline our commitment to fair work and sustainability as these are key parts of our drive to make the city a better place for everyone. “I look forward to hearing the input of partners and to seeing the plan take shape.”

The Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Committee meets on Monday April 21.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Think Asia Forum 2025 presents Asian wisdom

Source: China State Council Information Office

The Think Asia Forum 2025 was held on April 15 in Singapore with a strong critique of U.S. trade policies and calls for greater Asian cooperation, as over 40 experts from across the region gathered to address global governance challenges.

Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to Singapore, delivers the opening address for the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]

Cao Zhongming, the Chinese ambassador to Singapore, delivered a pointed opening address, condemning the recent U.S. tariff war against the world. “The reckless abuse of tariffs has severely violated legitimate rights of nations, undermined the rules-based multilateral trading system and disrupted the global economic order,” he told attendees. “Such unilateral and protectionist acts weaponize tariffs for selfish gains at the expense of global economic stability and Asian development.”

Ambassador Cao positioned China as a defender of multilateralism, stating: “China will continue taking resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests while opening its doors wider to the world.” He urged Asian nations to unite against protectionism and economic bullying, and strengthen cooperation to safeguard the stability of the global economic order, emphasizing that “development is a universal right of all nations, not the privilege of a select few.”

The forum was co-sponsored by China International Communications Group (CICG), Tsinghua University and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. Organizers included the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS), Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communication, the Center for International Security and Strategy, and the Institute for Global Industry, as well as NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.

Think tank experts and scholars from China, Singapore, Japan, India and other Asian nations gave speeches and engaged in in-depth discussions in front of approximately 200 audience members. The opening remarks were moderated by Zhou Qing’an, dean of Tsinghua’s School of Journalism and Communication, while the keynote speeches and special dialogue sessions were moderated by Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.org.cn and special research fellow at ACCWS.

President of Tsinghua University Li Luming highlighted Asia’s cultural ties as foundational for cooperation, stating, “Our civilizations provide enduring wisdom to address today’s challenges.”

Yu Yunquan, vice president of CICG and president of ACCWS, speaks at the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]

Yu Yunquan, vice president of CICG and president of ACCWS, observed that Asia and the world face growing instabilities and uncertainties. “The intensification of major-country competition and geopolitical tensions has raised widespread concerns,” he noted. Yu added that think tanks across Asia bear unique and critical responsibilities in advancing the region’s shared future, and can help regional countries enhance political mutual trust and align their interests.

“The U.S.’s recent erratic ‘tariff extortion’ demonstrates how instability, uncertainty and unpredictability have become the norm in our turbulent world. Such volatility is eroding the stable environment essential for all nations’ development and harming the welfare of people worldwide — including Americans,” Yu said, noting that Asia is home to many developing countries and emerging economies, with export-oriented industries that are particularly vulnerable to deteriorating international trade conditions. “We urge Asian nations to unite in supporting multilateralism and global trade development, ensuring our region remains both an anchor of stability and an engine of growth.”

Professor Ernst J. Kuipers, vice president of NTU Singapore, emphasized that higher education institutions serve as guardians of human civilization and carry a critical responsibility to advance global development amid today’s challenges and opportunities. “Science communication is essential to dispel misconceptions and cultivate rational consensus,” he said.

Zhu Guangyao, former Chinese vice minister of finance, warned of serious global challenges — from weakened multilateralism and climate setbacks to unregulated AI and rising geopolitical tensions. He called on Asian nations to build a shared future, promoting peace and cooperation to stabilize the region and support global development. Citing Asia’s economic strength, Zhu urged the region to uphold values of “peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness” to strengthen solidarity and institutional development while advancing trade, financial ties, regional free trade processes, digital economy collaboration and financial safety mechanisms to meet common challenges and drive inclusive growth.

Former Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office in Singapore Chan Soo Sen emphasized that amid global turbulence, Asian nations should draw upon traditional Asian wisdom — beginning with self-reflection and internal consolidation to build collective resilience. For Singapore, he said, facing risks of constrained international trade, it must strengthen social cohesion and government credibility to bridge potential divides and safeguard diversity and coexistence. He highlighted how Asia’s cultural emphasis on neighborly relations and cooperative spirit should guide enhanced regional collaboration to navigate an uncertain future together.

Alfred Schipke, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), believes Asia can become a key growth engine through deeper reforms and fewer barriers. With the rise of multipolarization, Asia should take on a larger role in trade, investment and financial cooperation, he explained, while countries must pursue stability through pragmatic partnerships to help reshape global governance.

(Left to right) Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.org.cn, moderates a special dialogue session between renowned historian Wang Gungwu, and Dong Qiang, dean of Yenching Academy at Peking University, at the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]

A highlight of the forum was the special dialogue between Wang Gungwu, renowned historian and former chairman of the East Asian Institute at NUS, and Dong Qiang, dean of Yenching Academy at Peking University, which explored how Asian wisdom can inform global governance.

Wang emphasized its openness and adaptability — absorbing new ideas, respecting diverse civilizations and rejecting extremism. Meanwhile, Dong noted that traditional wisdom can be reshaped into modern governance tools, with its strength lying in flexibility and responsiveness. Both agreed that Asian wisdom, rooted in openness and mutual respect, should contribute the strength of cultural civilization to the development of a more equitable global governance system.

Tuesday’s three parallel sessions featuring other speakers addressed themes of “Exchanges and Mutual Learning: The Coexistence of Diverse Asian Civilizations,” “Security and Stability: Asia’s Future in a Changing World” and “Development and Sharing: Asian Wisdom for Global Recovery,” reflecting the region’s push for greater collective influence amid global uncertainties.

Participants attending the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]

The forum concluded by launching a cooperation network of Asian think tanks, with ACCWS serving as secretariat to coordinate input from all parties and promote the network’s development.

MIL OSI China News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: A drama about Vladimir Mayakovsky will be filmed at the Moskino cinema park

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

IN cinema park “Moskino” decorations will appear that replicate the architecture of Moscow at the beginning of the 20th century. They will be needed for filming a drama about the life of Vladimir Mayakovsky.

A team of specialists headed by the chief artist of the cinema park, Sergei Fevralev, worked on the creation of the scenery for Moscow during the times of constructivism. He has dozens of sites to his credit, including those beloved by filmmakers and visitors to the cinema park, Moscow of the 1940s, Center of Moscow, Cowboy Town, Deaf Village, and others.

The author’s main task was to embody the ambitions of the artists of the 1910s–1930s — the founders of constructivism. Massive, clear and unusual forms of buildings became a vivid embodiment of the political and creative ideas of that time. For the realism of filming, real rails will be installed on the location, along which a tram from the early 20th century will run.

“The impetus for the emergence of constructivism was the rapid scientific and technological progress in the second half of the 19th century. The agrarian and rural world was replaced by industrial cities. People moved there en masse from villages, gender relations and family structure changed, the role of religious traditions faded, and faith in the power of technology grew stronger. Large-scale changes in society gave birth to a whole generation of radical artists and then architects who became the founders of constructivism. Our task was to embody these changes in the external appearance of the buildings of the new natural site and convey the dramaturgy through the scenery,” said Sergei Fevralev.

Filming of the biographical series about Vladimir Mayakovsky will begin in the summer of 2025. The plot will tell about the difficult relationship between the poet and the mysterious woman, whom he loved all his life. The production will be handled by the film company that created the film “One Hundred Years Ago”, the series “Fisher” and “Prestige”. The director of the project will be Ovez Narliev.

The Moskino cinema park is part of Sergei Sobyanin’s “Moscow – City of Cinema” project and an object of the Moscow cinema cluster, which is being developed by the capital Department of Culture. 24 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities have already been set up here, including the sets “Center of Moscow”, “Moscow in the 1940s”, “Vitebsk Station”, “Yurovo Airport”, “Cathedral Square of Moscow”, “Deaf Village”, “County Town”, “Cowboy Town”, “St. Petersburg Bar” and other sites.

The Moscow Film Cluster is an infrastructure facility, services and facilities for filmmakers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government as part of the Moscow — City of Cinema project. Its structure includes the Moskino Film Park, the Maxim Gorky Film Studio (sites on Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdaisky Proyezd), the Moskino Film Commission, as well as a film factory, a network of cinemas and the Moskino film platform.

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.

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152630073/

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK insurer charged with bribery in Ecuador
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

UK insurer charged with bribery in Ecuador

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) today accused a UK insurance company of failing to prevent international bribery.
Representatives of United Insurance Brokers Limited (UIBL) were ordered to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court next month.

The company is charged with failing to prevent associates from bribing state officials in Ecuador between October 2013 and March 2016.

The SFO alleges UIBL’s US-based intermediaries for Ecuador paid bribes in return for the awarding of re-insurance contracts worth US$38 million.

If this case proceeds to a contested trial, it will be the first time that an SFO “failure to prevent bribery” case is heard by a jury.

UIBL offered re-insurance services which insure against any losses caused by making significant and unexpected payouts for insurance policies.

This was sold to state insurers covering parts of the Ecuadorian public sector, including the state water and electricity companies.

UIBL received a US$6.2 million commission to provide these services, of which US$3.2 million was allegedly paid to intermediaries.

They are accused of subsequently paying bribes to an Ecuadorian official in exchange for the contract.

Nick Ephgrave QPM, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, said:

The SFO remains committed to stamping out international bribery wherever it may occur.

British companies have a duty to prevent the harm caused by bribery when doing business at home and abroad, to ensure that the UK remains a safe and fair place to do business.

Representatives of the company will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 7 May to face the charges.

Press Office

Email news@sfo.gov.uk

Out of hours press office contact number +44 (0)7557 009842

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Published 17 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: IronHusky updates the forgotten MysterySnail RAT to target Russia and Mongolia

Source: Securelist – Kaspersky

Headline: IronHusky updates the forgotten MysterySnail RAT to target Russia and Mongolia

Day after day, threat actors create new malware to use in cyberattacks. Each of these new implants is developed in its own way, and as a result gets its own destiny – while the use of some malware families is reported for decades, information about others disappears after days, months or several years.

We observed the latter situation with an implant that we dubbed MysterySnail RAT. We discovered it back in 2021, when we were investigating the CVE-2021-40449 zero-day vulnerability. At that time, we identified this backdoor as related to the IronHusky APT, a Chinese-speaking threat actor operating since at least 2017. Since we published a blogpost on this implant, there have been no public reports about it, and its whereabouts have remained unknown.

However, recently we managed to spot attempted deployments of a new version of this implant, occurring in government organizations located in Mongolia and Russia. To us, this observed choice of victims wasn’t surprising, as back in 2018, we wrote that IronHusky, the actor related to this RAT, has a specific interest in targeting these two countries. It turned out that the implant has been actively used in cyberattacks all these years although not reported.

Infection through a malicious MMC script

One of the recent infections we spotted was delivered through a malicious MMC script, designed to be disguised as a document from the National Land Agency of Mongolia (ALAMGAC):

Malicious MMC script as displayed in Windows Explorer. It has the icon of a Microsoft Word document

When we analyzed the script, we identified that it is designed to:

Retrieve a ZIP archive with a second-stage malicious payload and a lure DOCX file from the file[.]io public file storage.
Unzip the downloaded archive and place the legitimate DOCX file into the %AppData%CiscoPluginsX86binetcUpdate folder
Start the CiscoCollabHost.exe file dropped from the ZIP archive.
Configure persistence for the dropped CiscoCollabHost.exefile by adding an entry to the Run registry key.
Open the downloaded lure document for the victim.

Having investigated the CiscoCollabHost.exe file, we identified it as a legitimate executable. However, the archive deployed by the attackers also turned out to include a malicious library named CiscoSparkLauncher.dll, designed to be loaded by the legitimate process through the DLL Sideloading technique.

We found out that this DLL represents a previously unknown intermediary backdoor, designed to perform C2 communications by abusing the open-source piping-server project. An interesting fact about this backdoor is that information about Windows API functions used by it is located not in the malicious DLL file, but rather in an external file having the logMYFC.log relative path. This file is encrypted with a single-byte XOR and is loaded at runtime. It is likely that the attackers introduced this file to the backdoor as an anti-analysis measure – since it is not possible to determine the API functions called without having access to this file, the process of reverse engineering the backdoor essentially turns into guesswork.

By communicating with the legitimate https://ppng.io server powered by the piping–server project, the backdoor is able to request commands from attackers and send back their execution results. It supports the following set of basic malicious commands:

Command name	Command description
RCOMM	Runs command shells.
FSEND	Downloads files from the C2 server.
FRECV	Uploads files to the C2 server.
FSHOW	Lists directory contents.
FDELE	Deletes files.
FEXEC	Creates new processes.
REXIT	Terminates the backdoor.
RSLEE	Performs sleeping.
RESET	Resets the timeout counter for the C2 server connection.

As we found out, attackers used commands implemented in this backdoor to deploy the following files to the victim machine:

sophosfilesubmitter.exe, a legitimate executable
fltlib.dll, a malicious library to be sideloaded

In our telemetry, these files turned out to leave footprints of the MysterySnail RAT malware, an implant we described back in 2021.

New version of MysterySnail RAT

In observed infection cases, MysterySnail RAT was configured to persist on compromised machines as a service. Its malicious DLL, which is deployed by the intermediary backdoor, is designed to load a payload encrypted with RC4 and XOR, and stored inside a file named attach.dat. When decrypted, it is reflectively loaded using DLL hollowing with the help of code implemented inside the run_pe library.

Just as the version of MysterySnail RAT we described in 2021, the latest version of this implant uses attacker-created HTTP servers for communication. We have observed communications being performed with the following servers:

watch-smcsvc[.]com
leotolstoys[.]com
leotolstoys[.]com

Having analyzed the set of commands implemented in the latest version of this backdoor, we identified that it is quite similar to the one implemented in the 2021 version of MysterySnail RAT – the newly discovered implant is able to accept about 40 commands, making it possible to:

Perform file system management (read, write and delete files; list drives and directories).
Execute commands via the cmd.exe shell.
Spawn and kill processes.
Manage services.
Connect to network resources.

Compared to the samples of MysterySnail RAT we described in our 2021 article, these commands were implemented differently. While the version of MysterySnail from 2021 implements these commands inside a single malicious component, the newly discovered version of the implant relies on five additional DLL modules, downloaded at runtime, for command execution. These modules are as follows:

Internal module ID	Internal module name	Module DLL name	Module description
0	Basic	BasicMod.dll	Allows listing drives, deleting files, and fingerprinting the infected machine.
1	EMode	ExplorerMoudleDll.dll (sic!)	Allows reading files, managing services, and spawning new processes.
2	PMod	process.dll	Allows listing and terminating running processes.
3	CMod	cmd.dll	Allows creating new processes and spawning command shells.
4	TranMod	tcptran.dll	Allows connecting to network resources.

However, this transition to a modular architecture isn’t something new – as we have seen modular versions of the MysterySnail RAT deployed as early as 2021. These versions featured the same modules as described above, including the typo in the ExplorerMoudleDll.dll module name. Back then, we promptly made information about these versions available to subscribers of our APT Intelligence Reporting service.

MysteryMonoSnail – a repurposed version of MysterySnail RAT

Notably, a short time after we blocked the recent intrusions related to MysterySnail RAT, we observed the attackers to continue conducting their attacks, by deploying a repurposed and more lightweight version of MysterySnail RAT. This version consists of a single component, and that’s why we dubbed it MysteryMonoSnail. We noted that it performed communications with the same C2 server addresses as found in the full-fledged version of MysterySnail RAT, albeit via a different protocol – WebSocket instead of HTTP.

This version doesn’t have as many capabilities as the version of MysterySnail RAT that we described above – it was programmed to have only 13 basic commands, used to list directory contents, write data to files, and launch processes and remote shells.

Obsolete malware families may reappear at any time

Four years, the gap between the publications on MysterySnail RAT, has been quite lengthy. What is notable is that throughout that time, the internals of this backdoor hardly changed. For instance, the typo in the ExplorerMoudleDll.dll that we previously noted was present in the modular version of MysterySnail RAT from 2021. Furthermore, commands implemented in the 2025 version of this RAT were implemented similarly to the 2021 version of the implant. That is why, while conducting threat hunting activities, it’s crucial to consider that old malware families, which have not been reported on for years, may continue their activities under the radar. Due to that, signatures designed to detect historical malware families should never be discontinued simply because they are too old.

At Kaspersky’s GReAT team, we have been focusing on detecting complex threats since 2008 – and we provide sets of IoCs for both old and new malware to customers of our Threat Intelligence portal. If you wish to get access to these IoCs and other information about historical and emerging threats, please contact us at intelreports@kaspersky.com.

MIL OSI Economics –

April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: Renovation program: two residential complexes built in Kosino-Ukhtomsky district

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Two residential complexes were built under the renovation program in the Kosino-Ukhtomsky district. Their total area is over 20 thousand square meters. This was reported by the Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Department of Urban Development Policy Vladislav Ovchinsky.

“In total, the two new residential complexes will have 173 apartments with a total area of over 10,000 square meters. Five of them are for people with disabilities, with increased corridor and doorway widths and special plumbing. For the convenience of residents, elevators have been installed in the entrances, rooms for concierges and storage areas for strollers and bicycles have been equipped. The first floors are non-residential – in the future, social and household infrastructure facilities will open there. Active recreation and sports areas have appeared in the adjacent territory near the new buildings, and CCTV cameras and outdoor lighting have been installed for the safety and comfort of city residents,” noted Vladislav Ovchinsky.

The new buildings were erected on Chernoye Ozero Street (building 7 and building 8) in an area with developed urban and transport infrastructure. Nearby are bus stops (Chernoye Ozero Street, Kosinskaya Fabrika, Bolshaya Kosinskaya Street, 24, and Orenburgskaya Street), as well as educational institutions, a children’s clinic, a community center, shops, and cafes.

“The entire construction cycle of buildings under the renovation program was supervised by Mosgosstroynadzor. During this period, a total of 24 control and supervision events took place: inspectors checked the quality of construction work, finishing, installation of engineering systems and completed landscaping. Based on the results of the final inspections, the committee issued conclusions on the compliance of objects with design documentation and approved architectural solutions,” added the Chairman of the Committee for State Construction Supervision of the City of Moscow (Mosgosstroynadzor) Anton Slobodchikov.

Earlier Sergei Sobyanin told on resettlement under the renovation program in the Timiryazevsky district.

The renovation program was approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses.

Earlier Sergei Sobyanin instructed to double the pace of implementation of the renovation program.

Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction volumes. High rates of housing construction correspond to the goals and initiatives of the national project “Infrastructure for life”.

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.

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152694073/

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Public toilets could be the jewels in our cities’ crowns – if only governments would listen

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Tietz, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design, UNSW Sydney

A New South Wales Senate inquiry into public toilets is underway, looking into the provision, design and maintenance of public toilets across the state.

Whenever I mention this inquiry, however, everyone nervously laughs and the conversation moves on. It’s not something people feel comfortable talking about.

Yet, a public toilet goes to the heart of what a city provides for its inhabitants and visitors. It is a critically important piece of public infrastructure that sets the tone for public behaviour, expectations and conduct.

And we could be doing so much better with our public toilets.

An important first impression

Public toilets communicate social values. They show how we provide for our citizens and what we expect of them in return.

A public toilet is often the first thing someone new to a place sees and wants; it creates an important first impression.

As communication theorist Paul Watzlawick said, “One cannot not communicate.” Infrastructure is no exception.

So public toilets play an important social role and, through their design, help communicate and shape relationships between citizens.

As one person’s submission put it: ‘It’s important that public toilets don’t look like prisons’.
ThatHolisticMom888/Shutterstock

They not only provide relief for our urgent bodily needs; in them, we are equal humans. External hierarchies are largely removed.

Their appearance and design influences whether we feel cared for, trusted and appreciated, seen and acknowledged.

This is reflected in what members of the public have said to the current NSW senate inquiry. One submission, for instance, noted:

It’s important that public toilets don’t look like prisons.

If they are perceived as such, then the message is we can’t be trusted. We are assumed to damage or destroy them and behave like criminals.

Public toilets should be appealing, inviting, visually interesting – and anticipate and provide for the many different needs for which people visit them.

Designing and maintaining with this in mind means they’ll delight the user, rather than making them feel like a criminal.

Might that not then help inspire a sense of gratitude toward governments, ratepayers and taxpayers and, by extension, broader society?

Public toilet design can and should be beautiful.
Caito/Shutterstock

Costs, yes. But also benefits

Access to adequate public toilets is a basic right. But they are also used to administer medication, breastfeed, care for children, access drinking water and find a quiet place to rest. Public toilets are often the only private space in public.

So, how can a communal space like the public bathroom evolve accordingly? One issue emerging in several inquiry submissions so far is the issue of public toilets being routinely locked at night.

As one submission writer puts it:

We don’t have a curfew, we are aloud (sic) out at night. If you don’t want people pissing in the street, then leave them open.

Cost is the greatest concern. Councils know how much their toilet blocks cost, but not how many people use them.

A submission from Blacktown City Council states their 218 public toilets cost more than A$15 million annually, involving six staff and three vehicles to service these facilities.

This equals more than $68,800 per toilet per year.

On the other hand, good public toilets could help grow the economy. A submission by Guide Dogs Australia quotes Deloitte Access Economics estimates that inclusive public spaces could add $12.7 billion to Australia’s economy annually and boost GDP by about $1.2 billion through increased workforce participation.

And a submission by Bathurst Regional Access Committees notes:

The disability tourism trade is worth well over $8 billion dollars annually. Tourism is what keeps many regions alive.

Decent and accessible toilets may even help attract more people to a local area, activating public spaces and building community.

Flipping the toilet script

We need to flip the way we think about public toilets and those who clean them.

They must radiate thoughtful care, pride, civic engagement and delight.

Australian urban designer David Engwicht’s community consultation approach to public space provides a great blueprint. He advocates recognising that place making is similar to home making; it can create memorable and potentially transformative experiences. It can help bring us into the present, creating a feeling of rootedness and connection.

This stunning public toilet in Tokyo was designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.
Tada Images/Shutterstock

The toilet can transcend its shameful, dirty, grimy image and last resort status. It can become a privilege to maintain, clean and keep in pristine condition for the public good.

The public toilet could become a valuable asset, an attraction, a sought after destination, a jewel in the crown of the government’s public offering.

They could be pieces of enchanting infrastructure sponsors line up to support.

Tokyo toilets

The Tokyo Toilet project is a great example.

In this project, 17 toilets were designed by world-leading Japanese architects and designers and their cleaners’ uniforms by a famous fashion designer.

The toilets were equipped with custom high quality toilet paper, cleaned three times a day, and given their own stunning interactive website.

German filmmaker Wim Wenders even made a feature film, Perfect Days, about a man who cleans these toilets.

Credit: The Match Factory/YouTube.

These toilets, sponsored by the non-profit Nippon Foundation in collaboration with Shibuya City government and Shibuya Tourism Association, represent a highly innovative approach.

Here, the public toilet is celebrated as an international attraction, while providing an excellent service to the public.

Christian Tietz 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. Public toilets could be the jewels in our cities’ crowns – if only governments would listen – https://theconversation.com/public-toilets-could-be-the-jewels-in-our-cities-crowns-if-only-governments-would-listen-253526

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Commerce minister calls to expand service consumption

Source: China State Council Information Office

A staff member works at an oil-paper umbrella shop in Huangling Village of Wuyuan County, east China’s Jiangxi Province, July 3, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao has called for multiple measures to bolster service consumption, amid efforts to spur domestic demand and economic growth.

He made the remarks in a signed article published Wednesday in Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Expanding service consumption is an important lever for stimulating domestic demand across the board, a task that has been identified as the top priority for 2025 in China’s government work report, according to the commerce minister.

In recent years, service consumption has gained steam in China. Per capita service consumption expenditure in 2024 among residents rose 7.4 percent compared to the previous year, contributing 63 percent to the overall growth in per capita consumption expenditure.

China has tailwinds to expand service consumption, driven by the unlocking of market potential, upgrading consumption structure and accelerating industry development, according to Wang.

However, the minister cautioned that several challenges, such as the relatively low level of service industry openness, insufficient supply of high-quality services, and the room for improvement in consumption environment, still pose constrains on the sector’s expansion.

To further stimulate service consumption, the government plans to roll out policies that support sectors such as household services and digital consumption, Wang said, adding that support will also be directed toward industries related to tourism, ultra-high-definition, the sports events economy, and traditional Chinese medicine health services.

China will develop fiscal, tax, and financial policies to introduce targeted and practical measures, he said.

A fresh move in this direction, China on Wednesday unveiled a work plan to boost service consumption. The plan proposes 48 specific measures across a broad spectrum of industries, covering both main service sectors as well as new forms of business and new consumption scenarios.

MIL OSI China News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Records show emissions fell in 2023

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Environment & Ecology Bureau today released the 2023 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory for Hong Kong and updated the methodology for compiling its GHG emission inventory.

The bureau pointed out that the Government has used the Global Warming Potential (GWP) values set out in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) to compile the 2023 GHG emission inventory.

It has also updated previous GHG emission figures, using the new GWP values, in order to reflect annual variations and long-term trends.

In updating the methodology, the Government has complied with the requirement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Based on the calculation using AR5’s GWP values, Hong Kong’s total GHG emissions in 2023 amounted to about 34.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e), representing a decrease of about 20% compared with 2005 levels and a decrease of around 25% from the peak emissions in 2014.

Per capita GHG emissions amounted to approximately 4.58 tonnes in 2023, a new low since 1990, and 30% lower compared with 2005 and 2014. It is also about a quarter of the US level and 60% of the European Union level.

Carbon intensity in 2023 was 0.012 kg CO2-e per Hong Kong dollar GDP, about 46% lower than that in 2005.

Electricity generation continued to be the major source of emissions, generating 61% of total emissions in 2023. Other major emission sources were transport, accounting for 18% of the total, and waste management, which accounted for 8%.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Keepers of Memory: How the Volunteer Corps for the 80th Anniversary of Victory is Being Prepared

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Distributing St. George ribbons to passersby, telling people about the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, meeting veterans at train stations and airports – volunteers will do this and much more during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War.

More than five thousand people will help at patriotic events dedicated to the important date. The first training center of the International Volunteer Corps of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Russia was opened in Moscow to train them. More than 12 thousand Muscovites have already applied to join this corps.

mos.ru correspondents found out what future memory keepers are taught and why it is important to know about key military events.

Training according to a single standard

The training of the volunteer corps for the 80th anniversary of Victory is taking place at the regional center “Good Place. SZAO”. In-person training according to a single standard began here in early March 2025.

“The online course includes seven blocks of videos and landing pages (scrolling pages) dedicated to a specific topic, such as the Battle of Moscow. At the end of each section, volunteers are asked to answer questions to consolidate the knowledge they have gained. After completing the test, you can sign up for in-person classes at the training center of the International Volunteer Corps of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War: these are historical and volunteer minimums, as well as additional instructions before the start of a particular event,” explains the holder of the “Volunteer of Moscow” badge of distinction, executive director of the Moscow regional branch

All-Russian public movement “Volunteers of Victory” Lyudmila Gorelova.

She is a professional teacher, a lecturer at MIREA – Russian Technological University, conducts trainings on the volunteer minimum (this is the basic knowledge that a volunteer must have when going on shift. – Note mos.ru), where she talks about equipment, as well as how to communicate correctly with veterans of the Great Patriotic War and citizens with disabilities.

“Such people require a special approach, it is important to be as polite and tactful as possible, and to be able to provide first aid if necessary,” adds Lyudmila Gorelova.

Since the opening of the center, the corps volunteers have already taken part in more than 250 patriotic events. They congratulated veterans on holidays, conducted courage lessons and patriotic quests for schoolchildren, and also accompanied events dedicated to the 81st anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade, the 82nd anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi troops by Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, and Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Volunteers will also help during all patriotic events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory. Thus, on April 24, the international event “St. George’s Ribbon” will begin in the capital. Volunteers will hand out the main symbol of Victory in squares, parks, and near metro stations. From May 6 to 8, they will join the “Streets of Heroes” event and hand out triangular letters to passersby describing the exploits of the defenders of the Fatherland, and will tell about tankmen, pilots, marshals, and generals in whose honor the city streets are named.

On May 6, the “Victory Waltz” event will take place at the main entrance arch to VDNKh: 400 college students dressed in 1940s costumes will dance to the song “May Waltz”. In addition, all days before the holiday, a headquarters will be operating to meet veterans who independently arrive in Moscow from other regions. And the culmination will be the Victory Parade on Red Square – volunteers will also help with its holding.

Events dedicated to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory will be held until the end of the year, so anyone can join the international volunteer corps throughout 2025. To do this, you need to register on the website All-Russian public movement “Volunteers of Victory” Click the “Study with us” button and take an online course using a uniform training standard for all of Russia.

The first center in Russia to prepare a volunteer corps for the 80th anniversary of Victory has opened in Moscow Patriotic event “Streets of Heroes” to be held in the capital

Mission – to preserve memory

The volunteer district center “Dobroe Mesto. SZAO”, where the International Volunteer Corps of the 80th Anniversary of Victory is trained, opened on Aerodromnaya Street (building 6) in the summer of 2024. Above the entrance to the center is a white canopy with the inscription “Mosvolonter”. The premises of the center are also decorated in light colors: the walls, the sign and the poster “International Volunteer Corps of the 80th Anniversary of Victory” in the lobby, chairs in two lecture halls.

Today in “Good Place. SZAO” there is a lecture on the historical minimum, it is conducted by Daniil Myatin, a member of the federal team of the All-Russian public movement “Volunteers of Victory”. Classes are organized on weekdays and weekends as the next group is recruited.

“The historical minimum is a necessary base for a participant in the movement. Even if a volunteer simply hands out St. George ribbons on the streets, any passerby can ask him, for example, about what battles Marshal Georgy Zhukov participated in or how the Great Patriotic War differs from World War II. And he must answer, because his mission is to preserve the memory of those events and pass on knowledge to others. Of course, it is impossible to retell the whole story in an hour, so I try to focus on the most significant moments. In addition, each volunteer receives a short manual with dates and names of heroes,” says Daniil Myatin.

During the lesson, the teacher asks the students to pair up and name key facts about the Great Patriotic War to each other: this is how the volunteers develop their communication skills and review the material they have studied online. Then a representative of each pair tells the group what they have managed to remember, and Daniil Myatin writes the answers on the board and comments.

“One of the most memorable and tragic events of the Great Patriotic War was the siege of Leningrad, which lasted from September 1941 to January 1944. At the events in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory, you will meet those who survived then, and your task is to show that you are with them, remember and empathize,” the teacher instructs.

At the call of the heart

Some participants of the 80th Anniversary of Victory Volunteer Corps are high school seniors, others are working, and some are already retired, but they are united by a common goal – to preserve the memory of their ancestors, those who in the 1940s, regardless of age and occupation, went to the front or worked in the rear. As a rule, they come to classes already well prepared. Many volunteers decided to join the movement in memory of their grandparents, whose stories greatly impressed them.

“My grandmother Nina Trushina was a nurse during the war, and my grandfather Fyodor Voloshin participated in the defense of Smolensk and the Caucasus, received many awards, including the medal “For Courage”. In 1945, during the liberation of the western regions of Poland, he was wounded and, while he was being taken to the hospital on a train, he met my future grandmother. After the war, they got married. The theme of Victory is very close to me. About eight years ago, I began to help organize events congratulating veterans, and now I have signed up for the international volunteer corps,” shares volunteer Anastasia Voloshina.

Now 38 years old, she works as a doctor, raises a teenage daughter and finds time to help.

Timofey Timoshenko is 15 years old, he is a ninth-grader at school #1591. Both of his great-grandfathers went through the war. One, Vladimir Khromov, was a child himself at the time, the other, Alexey Zakharov, served at the front, reached Konigsberg, was seriously shell-shocked, but nevertheless lived until the early 2000s.

“I listened to Grandpa Volodya’s stories and tried to imagine myself in his place. When I started studying history, I became even more interested in the topic, went with my class to the Victory Museum, and as soon as I reached the right age, I immediately signed up as a volunteer. For now, I hope to participate in the distribution of St. George ribbons,” says Timofey Timoshenko.

Another visitor to the classes at the Dobroe Mesto. SZAO center, Svetlana Filina, is 53 years old. She works as a teacher of additional education and a methodologist for sports tourism.

“My grandfather Ivan worked in the rear, and my grandmother Praskovia was captured by the Germans, then many years later she was able to return to Russia. She did not like to talk about those events: it was too hard. But sometimes she still remembered something, and I, listening to her, could not hold back my tears. Now I consider it my duty to join the movement in memory of the people closest to me,” admits Svetlana Filina.

According to the training organizers, volunteers not only carry the banner of memory, but also pass it on to their children and set an example.

“People often come to us with younger schoolchildren, asking permission to take them along to events, and we don’t object. After all, the most important thing is a sincere desire to participate, to help and to get joy from it,” sums up Lyudmila Gorelova.

“80 Years Ago. A Day in History”: An Educational Project Will Tell Schoolchildren About the Battle of Moscow “A Good Place”: How to Choose and Book a Space in Volunteer Centers Sobyanin: This year, we will install another 240 historical markers for Victory Day “And courage, like a banner, was carried”: a patriotic exhibition will open at the Alexander Shilov Gallery

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: On Easter, Muscovites will be able to use free transport to city cemeteries

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

This weekend, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter.Department of Transport and Development of Road Transport Infrastructure of the City of Moscow They told us how ground transportation will operate on April 20.

“On behalf of

Sergei Sobyanin During the Easter holidays, we are extending the operation of the metro and the Moscow Central Circle and organizing comfortable and safe transportation of passengers to the city’s memorial complexes. Metro and MCC stations will be open for entry until 2 a.m. This weekend, we will release more than 590 buses and electric buses on special free routes. Temporary navigation has already been installed at ground transportation stops and metro stations for the convenience of passengers. In addition, employees of the Passenger Mobility Support Center will be on duty in the metro – they will tell you the route and take you to the desired stop,” said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry Maxim Liksutov.

On the holiday, special free express routes to city cemeteries will be organized, which will receive numbers E, E1, E2 and E3. Like some regular bus routes, they can be used from 09:00 to 19:00. On the same day, over 590 buses will be used on 32 special, reinforced and regular routes.

On the night of April 19-20, the operation of almost 150 of the most popular routes will be extended until 03:30. In addition, 18 regular night routes will operate.

On the night of April 19-20, metro stations and the Moscow Central Circle will be open for entry until 02:00. Almost 150 of the most popular routes will also be open until 03:30. In addition, transport will run on 18 regular night routes.

For the convenience of passengersunified transport portal created a special page where you can easily find out routes to cemeteries and night flights.

The routes extended on Easter night were divided into categories: 25 main lines, five frequent regional lines, 85 regional lines, 15 social lines and 18 tram lines. This will help passengers navigate and find the right route.

In accordance with the objectives of the national project “Infrastructure for life” In Moscow, much attention is paid to the modernization of social and municipal infrastructure, including increasing the number of convenient public transport routes and updating the rolling stock. In addition, within the framework of the national project, the capital has begun developing the Central Transport Hub. It will become a single circuit with predictable suburban rail transport for more than 30 million residents of 11 regions of Russia.

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Muscovites held more than 50 thousand events thanks to the “Together with Culture” service

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Over the past four years, Muscovites have held over 50,000 events using the service “Together with culture”. It features about 1,500 urban spaces available for rent. These are halls for concerts and film screenings, venues for exhibitions and master classes, auditoriums for business meetings and presentations, reported Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.

“The service unites dozens of libraries, museums and other cultural institutions in more than 120 districts of the capital. We see that the project is popular: since the beginning of the year alone, premises in it have been booked more than 8.5 thousand times,” said Natalia Sergunina.

Especially in demand theatrical living room in the N.V. Gogol HouseThe room, designed for 80 people, has a grand piano and a decorative fireplace, a projector with a screen, an acoustic system and professional spotlights. Here you can hold a concert, lecture, seminar or conference.

The Turgenev drawing room is also often rentedlibrary-reading room named after I.S. TurgenevThe space can be easily transformed to suit the required format: a creative meeting, a charity evening, or literary readings.

Another popular venue is the workshop Central City Youth Library named after M.A. SvetlovIt can accommodate up to 25 visitors and is suitable for master classes, lectures and seminars.

As specified by the capital Department of Information Technology, on the page of each site you can see information about technical equipment, availability of Internet, parking, places for loading and unloading and other possibilities. To rent, just submit an online application. It will be reviewed within four days.

Provision of socially significant services in electronic form and development of e-government infrastructure correspond to the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State” and the Moscow regional project “Digital Public Administration”.

Sergei Sobyanin: Moscow is developing digital services in the cultural sphere The Moscow Department of Information Technologies told which sites can be rented in the “Together with Culture” service for events with children

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: In March, the capital completed construction of seven buildings under the renovation program

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

In March, the construction of seven residential complexes under the renovation program in five administrative districts of the capital was completed. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.

“In five districts of the capital, seven new buildings with a total area of almost 150 thousand square meters were erected in March of this year. Three of them appeared in the Eastern Administrative District: two on Chernoye Ozero Street, and another on Nikitskaya Street. One new building was erected in each of the Northern, South-Western, Southern and Troitsky Administrative Districts. The new residential complexes are designed for more than 1.4 thousand apartments with ready-made improved finishing,” said Vladimir Efimov.

The adjacent territories were improved: children’s and sports grounds appeared here, as well as recreation areas with benches. For the safety and comfort of future new residents, lighting was installed and CCTV cameras were hung.

“New residential complexes have appeared in six districts of the capital. Two are in Kosino-Ukhtomsky, with 173 apartments. Another new building has been erected in Zapadnoye Degunino, Kotlovka, Tsaritsyno, Izmailovo and Troitsk. These residential complexes have over 1.2 thousand apartments. Elevators have already been installed in the entrances, rooms for concierges and storage rooms for strollers and bicycles have been equipped. The first floors are non-residential, and social and household facilities will be opened there in the future,” added the Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Department of Urban Development Policy

Vladislav Ovchinsky.

Chairman of the capital’s Committee for State Construction Supervision Anton Slobodchikov noted that the department supervises the construction cycle of buildings that are being built under the renovation program. In March, inspectors issued conclusions on the compliance of buildings with the project. They conducted more than 80 on-site inspections. The Center for Expertise, Research and Testing in Construction conducted instrumental control, including quality control of finishing according to standards approved by the Moscow Government. This ensures the reliability and safety of new buildings after they are put into operation.

Earlier, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told on the use of prefab technologies in the construction of houses under the renovation program.

The renovation program was approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses. Sergei Sobyanin earlier instructed double the pace of program implementation.

Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction volumes. High rates of housing construction correspond to the goals and initiatives of the national project “Infrastructure for life”.

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Sergei Sobyanin: We are implementing six improvement projects in the Eastern Administrative District this year

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Last year, eight large projects were implemented in the Eastern Administrative District improvement projects. There are plans for six more in 2025. Sergei Sobyanin wrote about this in his blog.

“In the Bogorodskoye district, we will tidy up the small park “Yantarnaya Gorka” – not far from the district center “Mesto Vstrechi – “Yantar”. The project

supported residents on the Active Citizen portal. We will update the pedestrian and running paths with rubber surfaces, create recreation areas with benches and swings under a canopy and install a playground with a mini-amphitheater and a stage for events. We will enlarge the children’s playground and zone it for children of different ages,” the Mayor of Moscow wrote.

The sports ground will be equipped with new strength training equipment, a fitness station, and a crossfit area. A separate multifunctional ground will be set up for playing football and basketball.

The dog walking area will have its training equipment replaced and the fencing and covering updated.

Green Park, which is located at the intersection of Zeleny Prospekt and Fryazevskaya Street, on the border of the Novogireevo and Ivanovskoye districts, will also be improved. The project will also be implemented supported residents on the Active Citizen portal.

A quiet recreation area with swings and a place for events will appear in the center of the park. The old sports area will be replaced by a modern football field with artificial turf and a volleyball court. A running track will be laid along the perimeter and stands will be installed. Horizontal bars and workout machines, as well as tables for tabletops under awnings, will be installed nearby.

The playground will have new slides and swings for children of different ages. An archaeological sandbox will also be set up here.

At the request of residents, the dog walking area will be moved closer to Fryazevskaya Street, where equipment for training pets and benches for their owners will be installed.

“In Ivanovskoye, we will tidy up the area near the Lower and Upper Ivanovskoye ponds. Last year, we rehabilitated them. The reservoirs were cleared of silt and a bed of river sand was formed. Two observation platforms were made for fishermen on the Lower Pond. This year, we will improve the adjacent territory – the project was supported by almost

90 percent of the inhabitants“, – noted Sergei Sobyanin.

Comfortable walking areas with viewing platforms and places for quiet relaxation will be created near the water. Children of all ages will be able to play on the new playgrounds.

In addition, a workout zone and two playgrounds will be set up – with outdoor exercise machines and an all-season sports area: in the summer you can play football there, and in the winter – hockey. A skate park will be made for extreme sports enthusiasts. At the request of residents, a playground with special tables for playing chess will be organized.

The existing fountain will be reconstructed and made dry.

The area near the Suzdal pond in the Novokosino area will also be updated. The project has also received support 90 percent of the inhabitants. The territory will become more well-groomed and convenient for people with limited mobility and parents with strollers. There will be sunshades, sun loungers, swings and devices with special food for ducks. A separate place will be arranged for fishermen.

A workout zone and a bike path will be made for athletes, and modern playgrounds for children. There will also be two drinking fountains. In addition, new trees and shrubs will be planted on the territory, and new lighting will be installed.

In Veshnyaki, a multifunctional sports cluster will be created on a relatively small section of Ketcherskaya Street. There will be places for workout, table tennis, streetball and basketball, a fitness station “Russian Ninja” and an all-season playground: in the summer you can play football there, in the winter – skate. For fans of extreme sports, a skate park and a pump track will be built.

In addition, it is planned to tidy up the boulevard in the 4th microdistrict of the Kosino-Ukhtomsky district. There are many social institutions and residential buildings here.

The project will include an alley for comfortable walks with a small amphitheater and park swings. The entrance areas will be decorated with illuminated arches.

A waiting area with benches and closed shelves for an outdoor library will be created for parents near school No. 2036.

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: WISeKey, SEALSQ, OISTE Foundation, and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Unite to Launch HUMAN-AI-T, a Global Initiative to Embed Humanity into Artificial Intelligence UNAOC AI for #OneHumanity: Human-Centered Artificial Intell

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WISeKey, SEALSQ, OISTE Foundation, and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Unite to Launch HUMAN-AI-T, a Global Initiative to Embed Humanity into Artificial Intelligence
UNAOC AI for #OneHumanity: Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence

Geneva, Switzerland, April 17, 2025 –WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”) (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading global cybersecurity, blockchain, and IoT company, its subsidiary SEALSQ Corp (Nasdaq: LAES), which focuses on semiconductors, PKI, and post-quantum technology products, the OISTE Foundation, and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) today announced that are joining forces with leading global institutions, innovators, and thought leaders to launch HUMAN-AI-T, a pioneering initiative that places humanity at the heart of artificial intelligence.

In 2022, during the early stages of artificial intelligence’s emergence, the Onuart Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), and the Government of Spain (including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State for Digitalization), organized the First Global Dialogue on AI at the United Nations in Geneva. The event, held on October 10 and 11 in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room (also known as the “Spain Room at the UN”), brought together high-level global speakers such as Dr. Rafael Yuste, Director of the U.S. Brain Initiative, and Mr. Carlos Moreira, CEO of WISeKey. It was opened by Dr. Amandeep Gill, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology; Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for UNAOC; Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of UNOG; as well as Ms. Carmen Artigas, Spain’s Secretary of State for Digitalization, and Ms. Ángeles Moreno Bau, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The meeting concluded with the approval of a manifesto signed by all participants, addressing the emergence of new human rights frameworks in the era of AI.

Codenamed HUMAN-AI-T, the initiative seeks to develop a universal AI platform rooted in the collective wisdom, ethical principles, and cultural richness of human civilization. By drawing on verified and ethically sourced knowledge—ranging from religious texts and philosophical treatises to indigenous traditions and legal doctrines—this platform will become a digital vault preserving and promoting the values that unite humanity.

Inspired by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, HUMAN-AI-T will act as a secure repository of humanity’s ethical DNA. All content will be digitally signed and protected using advanced post-quantum cryptographic technologies developed by WISeKey and SEALSQ, ensuring trust, traceability, and resilience for generations to come.

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations plays a foundational role in HUMAN-AI-T. Guided by its principle of “Many Cultures, One Humanity,” UNAOC will embed intercultural and interreligious dialogue into the AI’s core, creating a system that reflects humanity’s diverse voices while reinforcing shared values of peace, dignity, and inclusion.

This initiative comes at a crucial moment, as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and quantum computing draw closer to reality. The possibility of superintelligent systems operating beyond human oversight raises profound ethical concerns. HUMAN-AI-T proactively addresses these risks by ensuring that such systems are anchored in universal ethics and human-centered safeguards.

“We are entering an era where machines may become more intelligent than their creators. If we do not act now, we risk building technologies that evolve beyond our moral control,” said Carlos Moreira, Founder and CEO of WISeKey. “HUMAN-AI-T is our response to this challenge. It is not just about creating smarter machines, but about ensuring those machines remain aligned with the best of what makes us human.”

The initiative supports the vision outlined in the United Nations General Assembly’s historic resolution advocating for safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems. HUMAN-AI-T reinforces this mission by transforming AI into a global moral infrastructure, a platform that enhances human potential, safeguards dignity, and reclaims the future of technology for the common good.

Through this bold collaboration, HUMAN-AI-T is poised to redefine the future of artificial intelligence, turning it from a source of disruption into a beacon of ethical progress for all of humanity.

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is a United Nations entity that builds bridges between societies, promotes dialogue and understanding, and seeks to forge the collective political will required to accomplish these tasks. UNAOC works as a convener and facilitator to bring all sectors of society together to strengthen intercultural and interreligious dialogue to diminish hostility, and promote mutual respect and harmony among the people and cultures of the world.

#HUMANAIT #QuantumRisks #AGI #AIForGood #OneHumanity #TrustedAI #EthicalAI

About WISeKey

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

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

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

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

Press and Investor Contacts

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

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

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: Unifiedpost Group’s Annual Report 2024
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Unifiedpost Group’s Annual Report 2024

La Hulpe, Belgium – April 17, 2025, 7:00 a.m. CET – Unifiedpost Group SA (Euronext: UPG) (Unifiedpost), a leading provider of integrated business communications solutions, publishes its Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2024.

The report is now available on the company’s website.

Financial Calendar:
- 20 May 2025: General Shareholder Meeting
- 23 May 2025: Publication of the Q1 2025 business update
- 26 August 2025: Publication of the H1 2025 results (webcast)
Contact

Alex Nicoll
Investor Relations
Unifiedpost Group
alex.nicoll@unifiedpost.com

About Unifiedpost Group

Unifiedpost Group delivers integrated cloud-based SaaS solutions to streamline business transactions across the entire lifecycle, from e-invoicing and e-payments to tax reporting. Banqup, our solution for businesses, unifies purchase-to-pay, order-to-cash, e-invoicing compliance, and e-payments into one secure platform, removing the complexity of juggling disconnected tools. eFaktura World, our solution for governments, is a comprehensive digital platform designed for tax administrations to implement e-invoicing and streamline both B2G and B2B tax reporting flows. To learn more about Unifiedpost Group and our solutions, please visit our website: Unifiedpost Group | Global leaders in digital solutions

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: The statements contained herein may include prospects, statements of future expectations, opinions, and other forward-looking statements in relation to the expected future performance of Unifiedpost Group and the markets in which it is active. Such forward-looking statements are based on management’s current views and assumptions regarding future events. By nature, they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that appear justified at the time at which they are made but may not turn out to be accurate. Actual results, performance or events may, therefore, differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, Unifiedpost Group does not undertake any obligation to update, clarify or correct any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in light of new information, future events or otherwise and disclaims any liability in respect hereto. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Attachment
- Press release – Annual Report
The MIL Network –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China, Malaysia agree to build high-level strategic community with shared future

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

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — China and Malaysia have agreed to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future to accelerate their modernization efforts and jointly promote regional and global prosperity and stability.

The two countries made the announcement on Thursday in a joint statement released in the context of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia.

In the statement, China and Malaysia vowed to strengthen strategic coordination, deepen synergy of development, tighten people-to-people bonds, maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, strengthen regional cooperation, and conduct multilateral cooperation.

Malaysia reiterated its firm commitment to the one-China policy, recognizing the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, Taiwan is an inalienable territory of the People’s Republic of China, and in order for China to achieve national reunification, will not support any call for the independence of Taiwan.

The two sides agreed to become a pacesetter for regional cooperation on new quality productive forces and further synergize development strategies.

Focusing on four key areas of digital economy, green economy, blue economy and tourism economy, the two sides pledged to expand future economic cooperation, promote integrated, coordinated and complementary development, achieve deep integration of industrial and supply chains, value chains, data chains and talent chains, so as to further improve the level and quality of China-Malaysia cooperation.

The two countries also agreed to jointly build a safe and stable industrial and supply chain and strengthen cooperation.

According to the statement, the Malaysian side welcomes Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of Malaysia’s 5G network. Both sides look forward to exploring potential cooperation in the semiconductor industrial chain to the extent practicable to maintain the stability of the industrial and supply chains.

The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening rail transportation and infrastructure cooperation and contributing to the realization of the Pan-Asian Railway vision.

China said it welcomes Malaysia to continue promoting Malaysian products and expanding exports to China through platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the Global Digital Trade Expo and the China-ASEAN Expo.

As a way to tighten people-to-people bonds between the two countries, the two sides agreed to continue to conduct joint research on panda protection and expect to achieve more progress in this field.

In a bid to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, the two countries agreed to resolve disputes by peaceful means, through friendly consultations and negotiations, said the statement, noting that both sides recognized that the involvement of parties not directly concerned could be counter-productive.

MIL OSI China News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Ukraine extends martial law, general mobilization

Source: China State Council Information Office

The Ukrainian parliament voted on Wednesday to extend the country’s current martial law and general military mobilization for another 90 days, parliament member Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on social media Telegram.

According to Zheleznyak, 357 lawmakers supported the extension of martial law, while 346 backed the mobilization — well above the 226 votes required for approval.

The new extension will be from May 9 to Aug. 6, reported the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

Ukraine first imposed martial law and declared nationwide mobilization following the outbreak of the ongoing conflict with Russia in February 2022, and has repeatedly extended both measures.

MIL OSI China News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK Minister for Faith underlines importance of religious harmony
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

World news story

UK Minister for Faith underlines importance of religious harmony

Lord Khan underscored the UK’s commitment to minority groups on a 3-day visit to Islamabad, including on visits to Faisal Mosque and St Joseph’s Cathedral.
He highlighted the UK’s work to establish over 1,000 community-led village forums, where communities come together to provide support to the most marginalised. These forums provide early interventions to resolve tensions before they escalate.

During his visit, Lord Khan met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Law and Human Rights Azam Tarar, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and Government of Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs, Ramesh Singh Arora.

UK Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement, Lord Khan, said:

“This visit has been a wonderful reminder of the diversity across Pakistan, and the white in the flag representing religious minorities. Our close partnership is helping to keep both of our countries safe, tackling shared threats including climate change, serious crime and irregular migration.”

The Minister also spoke at the first Overseas Pakistanis Convention, an initiative by the Government of Pakistan to connect with overseas Pakistanis from nearly 60 countries. He reflected on his own personal deep connection with Pakistan, with heritage from Gujrat, and spoke about the importance of the 1.6 million Pakistani diaspora in the UK. He also noted the rich trading partnership, with over 200 British businesses operating in Pakistan.

For updates on the British High Commission, please follow our social media channels:

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Published 17 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Over 230,000 foreign passports have been issued to Muscovites through cryptobiocabs at government service centers in five years

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

With the help of cryptobio-cabins in the capital’s government service centers, Muscovites have issued more than 230 thousand new-generation foreign passports valid for 10 years. Modern equipment allows you to go through all stages of filing an application – from scanning documents to taking biometric data – without visiting employees of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

A pilot project simplifying the process of obtaining biometric passports was launched in 2020. Today, the service can be used in most My Documents offices.

Documents are accepted by appointment onlymos.ru portal, and in the order of a live electronic queue if there are free slots. To apply, you must choose office, equipped with a cryptobiocab, prepare the necessary documents and come to the government services center. The staff will help you fill out an application and use the equipment. Then the software and hardware complex will transfer the data to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

It takes a month to make a passport, but in some cases the process can last up to three months. For citizens temporarily staying in the capital, including those registered at their place of residence, the period is up to 90 days. After receiving notification of readiness, the document can be picked up at the same My Documents office where it was submitted.

The service is available to all citizens regardless of their place of registration or residence in Russia. The state fee is six thousand rubles for persons over 14 years of age and three thousand rubles for children under this age.

Government service centres operate daily: flagship offices are open from 10:00 to 22:00, district offices from 08:00 to 20:00.

A special project on the mos.ru portal will help you understand what opportunities old and new-style passports provide and how to apply for them “How to apply for a foreign passport in Moscow”. In the capital Department of Information Technology They said that in the special project, city residents can receive personal instructions that will allow them to obtain a document at the My Documents centers and district police departments. An interactive map will help them find the least crowded department to make an appointment at a convenient time. The special project also includes answers to popular questions about the procedure for obtaining, replacing and restoring a foreign passport.

Scan documents and take fingerprints: how cryptobiocabins work in government service centers

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: How MES helps students learn about the history and culture of the capital

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

The textbook “My Moscow, I’m proud of you!” “Moscow Electronic School”(MESh) was used almost 125 thousand times. Cartoons, audio books, a dictionary, projects and interactive tasks are available to first-graders, their parents and teachers. They introduce the historical and cultural heritage of Moscow, its present and future.

“Introducing children to the history and culture of their home city is an important part of the educational process. For this purpose, the educational project “My Moscow, I am proud of you!” was launched in 2023. Thanks to it, children can study the architecture, monuments, museums and other iconic objects of the capital in a playful way,” the press service of the capital said.

Department of Education and Science.

The chapters of the manual can be either read or listened to in audio format. An educational cartoon is available for each topic. In the “Tasks” section, children can consolidate their acquired knowledge by solving game tests with automatic verification, and in the “Dictionary” section, they can learn the meanings of new words and view a collection of illustrations.

In the “Projects” section, you can learn how to create models using various techniques. Using step-by-step instructions, children cut out, glue and paint parts, assemble structures, and then combine them into a large three-dimensional model of the Kremlin, modern Moscow, or others. Printed patterns, cardboard, colored paper, yarn, colored pencils, markers, glue, and other materials are used for work.

For the “Flowers of Victory” competition, which took place last year, the children created models of Moscow in different historical periods – from the times of Yuri Dolgoruky to the present day. The capital’s first-graders presented more than 300 projects. Based on the results of the selection, an exhibition was organized in the Victory Museum, where the authors of the best works were awarded.

“Thanks to the educational manual “My Moscow, I am proud of you!” the children are beginning to take an interest in the history of the city. It is great that everything is so visual. The children see what is being discussed, are surprised and ask questions,” said Svetlana Lysaya, a primary school teacher at School No. 338 named after Hero of the Soviet Union A.F. Avdeev.

The textbook “My Moscow, I’m proud of you!” is available in the MES library. You can find out how to use it in the instructions.

“Moscow Electronic School” — a joint project of the capital’s Departments of Education And information technology. It was created in 2016. The unified digital educational platform is available to Moscow teachers, students and their parents. Among the main services of “MESh” are a library of educational materials, an electronic diary and journal, “Moskvenok”, “Student Portfolio” and “Olympiads”.

Providing Moscow schoolchildren with modern digital services increases the efficiency of the educational process, helps young Muscovites plan their time wisely and is in line with the objectives of the “All the Best for Children” national project “Youth and Children”.

MES now offers computer science assignments with automatic checking Easy knowledge: schoolchildren have access to more than 40 digital textbooks in “MESh”

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: City college leaders to receive retraining in first MPA program

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Training under the MPA (Master of Public Administration) professional retraining program “Management of an educational organization in the field of secondary vocational education (SPO)” will begin on April 16. Its goal is to help heads of Moscow colleges and their deputies create better conditions for training personnel in the capital, taking into account the needs of the labor market. The training course was developed by the Department of Personnel Services of the Government of Moscow in collaboration with Department of Education and Science.

According to Sergei Sobyanin, today the capital’s economy is creating a need for specialists in various professions. In order to effectively meet this demand, a large-scale transformation of the infrastructure and content of education is necessary. Strong managers who think strategically and can solve problems in a comprehensive manner are needed to develop the secondary vocational education system. tasks of the vocational education system, set by the city.

“A large-scale program for professional retraining of college managers has been launched in the capital. It was developed jointly with the Moscow Government’s Personnel Services Department and focuses on the practical application of knowledge. Participants in the program will receive specific tools for implementing changes in their colleges. This approach will help significantly improve the quality of management of educational organizations, which will directly affect the effectiveness of training specialists in demand among employers in the city,” she reported.

Irina Shvets, Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Science of the City of Moscow.

Over the course of nine months, 59 participants in the first stream of the program will gain relevant knowledge in the field of management, learn to build partnerships with employers and create a strategy for developing teams in their educational organizations, which they will defend in front of experts in the final.

The program for heads of secondary vocational educational institutions creates a new system for training managers in the field of secondary vocational education. Participants will not only receive theoretical knowledge, but will also exchange best practices, form a bank of solutions to complex management problems, and develop strategies for interaction with key stakeholders: the management team, employers, teachers, schoolchildren, students, and parents.

The training will combine classic and innovative formats: face-to-face meetings, online workshops, trainings, master classes, VR simulator. The speakers are recognized industry leaders, business leaders, leading trainers and consultants in the development of management potential.

At the end of the program, each participant will defend a project for developing the management team of their college before the leadership of the Moscow educational system and will receive a diploma of the established form on professional retraining with the assignment of the qualification “Specialist in State and Municipal Administration – Master of Public Administration (MPA)”.

“The HR Services Department, relying on the successful experience of implementing the program for school principals, continues to work on developing the leaders of the capital’s education system. Today, courses that provide for the comprehensive development of management skills based on industry examples are of particular value. Our training has been developed specifically for the directors of Moscow colleges together with key leaders in the SPO sector, and we thank the Moscow Department of Education and Science for their cooperation and trust,” said Olga Polobok, program director, head of the training and development department of the HR Services Department of the Moscow Government.

The HR Services Department forms a support system for Moscow Government organizations and offers comprehensive HR solutions that take into account the needs of all city industries. The concept was developed on behalf of Sergei Sobyanin and is intended, among other things, to facilitate the implementation of the Moscow development strategy until 2030.

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Serbian parliament approves new gov’t led by Djuro Macut

Source: China State Council Information Office

Djuro Macut takes the oath of office at the Serbian Parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 16, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

The National Assembly of Serbia on Wednesday elected a new government led by endocrinologist Djuro Macut.

A total of 153 members of parliament voted in favor, 46 opposed, while 51 lawmakers were absent from the session. The new cabinet will comprise 31 members.

Macut presented his government’s program and cabinet lineup on Tuesday, the first day of the special session of the National Assembly, outlining the key priorities of his administration.

Macut emphasized that his government would focus on domestic stabilization and strategic foreign policy. In response to ongoing youth-led protests and institutional disruptions, he pledged to uphold the rule of law and encourage open dialogue while safeguarding the rights of all citizens.

“Protests and expressions of discontent are natural for the youth,” Macut stated, “but blockades and the denial of others’ rights to work, study, or live normally are unacceptable.”

He announced the formation of a Council for Youth and Talents, which he will personally oversee. The council aims to nurture young talent and harness their potential for the country’s development.

On international affairs, Macut reaffirmed Serbia’s sovereign and balanced approach. While underscoring Serbia’s commitment to the European Union (EU) accession process, he emphasized the country’s independence in policymaking.

“Serbia does not approach the EU from a position of pleading, but from one of conviction. This relationship is a partnership founded on mutual respect, not asymmetry,” he said.

He also stressed that domestic reforms are guided by national priorities rather than external demands. “Our reforms are not a response to EU requirements. They are a response to the needs of our citizens,” Macut added.

Furthermore, he reaffirmed Serbia’s dedication to broad international cooperation, stating that the country will “extend hands of cooperation to all.”

Macut also addressed the Kosovo issue, calling it the highest national priority. “We do not abandon our principles, but we do not reject dialogue. Peace is impossible without justice,” he asserted.

Macut’s nomination follows the resignation of former Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, who stepped down on Jan. 28 amid mounting tensions following the deadly canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which resulted in 16 fatalities. The National Assembly officially confirmed Vucevic’s resignation on March 19.

MIL OSI China News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese embassy urges fairness, impartiality in addressing issue of British Steel

Source: China State Council Information Office

The Chinese embassy in Britain on Wednesday urged the British government to follow the principles of fairness, impartiality and non-discrimination in dealing with the issue of British Steel to make sure that the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies in Britain are protected.

The anti-China rhetoric of some individual British politicians regarding the issue of British Steel is “extremely absurd,” a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Britain said in a statement.

The spokesperson made the remarks as several politicians attacked Chinese companies and the Chinese government following the British government’s recent takeover of British Steel from private Chinese enterprise Jingye Group, which has owned the company since 2020.

The attacks by some individual British politicians reflected “their arrogance, ignorance and twisted mindset,” said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson stressed that the Jingye Group is a private Chinese enterprise that makes business investments in Britain on the basis of market principles and conducts operation on its own.

British Steel had been losing money for many years before its acquisition by Jingye and actually went into compulsory liquidation in 2019, noted the spokesperson.

“After taking over, Jingye put in substantial funding to keep the company afloat to this day. Had it not been for the involvement of this Chinese company, British Steel workers might have already faced the risk of unemployment,” said the spokesperson.

It is understood that, under the British government’s net-zero strategy, steel companies that use iron ore to produce steel must achieve net-zero emissions by 2035. To that end, British steel companies including British Steel have all negotiated with the government to find a path to decarbonization transition. Among them, the Port Talbot Steelworks in Wales closed its blast furnace in July 2024.

“British Steel’s plan to close its blast furnaces and build electric arc furnaces is a normal decision, and it is understandable that the company conducted negotiations with the government on investment for the transition,” said the spokesperson.

Generally speaking, Chinese companies in Britain have operated in compliance with the law and achieved steady progress, and have made positive contributions to the local economy, the spokesperson said. According to statistics available, Chinese companies in Britain have contributed over 115 billion pounds (152.6 billion U.S. dollars) to the British economy and created nearly 60,000 jobs.

Any words or deeds that politicize or maliciously hype up business issues will undermine the confidence of Chinese business investors in Britain and damage China-Britain economic and trade cooperation, said the spokesperson.

“It is hoped that the British government will continue to engage in consultations and negotiations with Jingye to actively seek a solution acceptable to all parties,” said the spokesperson.

MIL OSI China News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Xi’s Malaysia visit sets new milestone in bilateral ties, regional cooperation

Source: China State Council Information Office

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pose for a group photo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 16, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ongoing state visit to Malaysia marks a significant step in strengthening China-Malaysia all-round cooperation as the two sides have agreed to work together to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

On Wednesday, Xi met with Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, respectively. Both sides emphasized their commitment to enhancing economic cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and developing future industries such as artificial intelligence, digital economy and green economy.

High-level exchanges

When meeting the king, Xi said that China is ready to work with the Malaysian side to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, so as to usher in new “Golden 50 Years” for bilateral ties.

China and Malaysia are good neighbors, good friends and good partners who visit each other as often as family, Xi said, adding that bilateral relations have gone through a magnificent half-century and are embracing an even brighter future.

Xi called on the two sides to ensure good implementation of major projects such as the “Two Countries, Twin Parks” program and the East Coast Rail Link, and to actively foster cooperation in future industries such as artificial intelligence, digital economy and green economy.

China supports Malaysia in its role as the 2025 ASEAN chair and stands ready to work with the country to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, Xi said.

For his part, King Sultan Ibrahim expressed his belief that Xi’s visit will comprehensively upgrade bilateral relations and promote vigorous development of cooperation in various fields, adding that China’s impressive development achievements are attributable to the foresight of President Xi and the hard work of the Chinese people.

Malaysia attaches great importance to its relations with China and will work with China toward win-win cooperation and promote the building of the high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future no matter how the international situation evolves, he said.

Malaysia values regional economic integration, firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative, and stands ready to strengthen trade and investment cooperation with China, jointly stabilize industrial and supply chains, enhance connectivity and boost people-to-people and educational exchanges, said the king.

While meeting the prime minister, Xi urged joint efforts to resist decoupling, supply chain disruptions, “small yard with high fences” and arbitrary imposition of tariffs with openness, inclusiveness, unity and cooperation.

He also called for responding to the law of the jungle with Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, and responding to an unstable and uncertain world with a stable and certain Asia.

Thriving cooperation, flourishing ties

China-Malaysia ties run deep. From the voyages of renowned Chinese navigator Zheng He in the 15th century to the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1974, and to the building of a community with a shared future today, the two countries have long enjoyed cultural affinity and strategic trust.

During Xi’s 2013 visit, the two countries upgraded ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. A decade later, the relationship was elevated again to a China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

In a signed article published in Malaysian media ahead of his arrival, Xi said the decision on building the China-Malaysia community with a shared future marked “a new milestone in the bilateral relations.”

“Our bilateral cooperation potential is being progressively realized in the digital economy, green development, industrial investment and transport infrastructure construction,” he wrote.

As a vital node along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Malaysia is among the first to participate in Belt and Road cooperation. Thanks to joint efforts and Xi’s steadfast push, bilateral collaboration within the framework has achieved many results.

In 2024, China-Malaysia trade reached 212 billion U.S. dollars, nearly 1,000 times the level at the inception of diplomatic relations. China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

On top of that, bilateral initiatives like the “Two Countries, Twin Parks” program, which pairs industrial zones in Qinzhou and Kuantan, have emerged as a model for regional collaboration. This partnership has spurred the expansion of port collaboration and infrastructure connection.

A notable example is the East Coast Rail Link, a 665 km railway whose construction is in full swing. The railway, once completed, will bridge Malaysia’s less-developed east coast with its economic powerhouse on the west coast, enhancing connectivity and fostering balanced growth.

Samirul Ariff Othman, an economist at Malaysia’s Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, said, “the flourishing economic ties between Malaysia and China demonstrate the resilience and mutual benefits of our bilateral relationship.”

“The continued expansion of investments in high-value sectors such as technology, green energy and manufacturing will further deepen our cooperation,” said Othman.

Multilateral collaboration

Experts believe that the significance of Xi’s visit goes beyond bilateral relations. “It will greatly impact ASEAN-China relations, injecting new momentum into regional development and stability,” said Ong Tee Keat, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific.

In the signed article, Xi noted that China was the first ASEAN dialogue partner to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and the first to establish a free trade area and a comprehensive strategic partnership with ASEAN.

Bilateral cooperation between China and ASEAN is more robust than ever, he said, adding that in 2024, China-ASEAN trade exceeded 980 billion dollars, making the two sides each other’s largest trading partner for five consecutive years.

According to China’s General Administration of Customs, ASEAN remained China’s largest trading partner in the first two months of 2025. During this period, trade between China and ASEAN countries reached a total of 1.03 trillion yuan, or 15.8 percent of China’s overall trade value.

China fully supports Malaysia in its role as the ASEAN chair for 2025 and looks forward to Malaysia serving as a stronger bridge between the two sides as the country coordinator for China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, Xi said.

China will work with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontation, as well as the countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism, said the Chinese leader.

“We must brave the waves ahead and advance the high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, and jointly build a stronger China-ASEAN community with a shared future,” Xi said.

MIL OSI China News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Release: Boot camps blog post fails to provide clarity

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

After stonewalling requests for information on boot camps, the Government has now offered up a blog post right before Easter weekend rather than provide clarity on the pilot.

“It’s been almost a year since Christopher Luxon and Karen Chhour celebrated the announcement of their boot camps experiment, and yet, we still don’t have any clarity on what exactly is going on,” Labour’s children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.

“What’s also worrying is the lack of transparency around a participant running away from the pilot. What went wrong – what lessons were learned? We still don’t know.

“The Government was widely warned this experiment would fail. Decades of evidence shows this, and the Royal Commission uncovered the severe harm that’s happened before.

“When questioned last month, Karen Chhour effectively confirmed her office has been instructing officials to withhold information about the boot camps, which explains the empty update.

“Christopher Luxon and Karen Chhour celebrated the pilot when it was first announced, and now that it’s failed, it’s been radio silence.

“The Minister must stop stonewalling while she is pushing through legislation that will launch boot camps throughout the country.

“If this pilot has failed, New Zealanders deserve to know – it’s their money being spent and their safety that’s at risk,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

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MIL OSI New Zealand News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: How to tackle the ‘gender play gap’: 4 ways to encourage young women back into sport

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Kay, PhD Candidate at the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University

matimix/Shutterstock

Women’s sport has recently enjoyed unprecedented success in Australia.

We have seen the Matildas sell out 16 successive home games, a world-record attendance for a women’s Test cricket match at the MCG, and women athletes contribute 72% of Australia’s gold medal tally at the Paris Olympics.

However, against the backdrop of these successes, women and girls continue to participate in community sport at lower rates than boys and men, a phenomenon known as the “gender play gap”.

What is the ‘gender play gap’?

The gender play gap is the difference between the number of women and girls participating in sport compared to the number of men and boys.

The gap exists from a very young age, with Australian government data showing nearly 30% more boys aged 0–14 participate in club or association sport than girls.

The gap closes to just 2% between the ages of 15–17, but then explodes to 43% for those aged 18–24.

Although the gap grows and shrinks at various points, it is consistently in favour of more men and boys participating in organised sport than women and girls.

Trying to find answers

Together with colleagues at Flinders University, we are currently working with the South Australian government to research how to close this gap.

The first stage found there isn’t enough research attention to this area. Of the 3,000+ studies included in a global literature search, only five focused on increasing rates of sport participation in young women.

We then conducted a large-scale qualitative study which uncovered the following reasons why young women drop out of sport, and often do not re-engage.

1. Sport stops being fun

Social experiences in sport are central to girls’ enjoyment and long-term participation. While friendships keep them engaged, negative team dynamics, exclusion and club politics can push them away.

2. A lack of genuine equality

Although progress in gender equality has been made, young women still struggle to have the same access to facilities and quality coaching as males. Typically, women and girls prefer women coaches who can relate to their experiences, yet women remain underrepresented in these roles.

3. They have too much on their plates

Schoolwork, part-time jobs and social lives compete for young women’s time, and many feel overwhelmed by increasing training commitments and school demands. In addition, girls as young as 13 are promoted to senior-age teams, which adds pressure and can break the social bonds with their peers.

4. They lose competitive opportunities

Although some young women enjoy a more relaxed, social approach to sport, others really value structured training and competition. Many girls end up dropping out because the competitive opportunities for them are not of the same standard as those available to boys. Some sports have fewer games per season for girls, or a shorter finals series than for boys.

How can we close the gap?

Sport participation efforts have typically focused on recruitment of new participants and retention of existing participants.

With so many young women dropping out of sport during adolescence, a renewed focus on re-engaging these previous participants may help to close the gender play gap.

Dropout is often considered a failure and a negative endpoint of a sport participation journey. However, there is a growing sentiment in sport research that transitioning out of sport temporarily may be necessary for some adolescents’ development.

It is okay for anyone to take a break from sport, but the sport needs to make it easier for them to return when they are ready. The key is to make re-engagement easy and appealing.

Re-engagement programs should be distinctly different from those aimed at new participants, and should revolve around the following key areas:

1. Targeted promotion and communication

Often, young women do not return to sport because they’re not aware of available opportunities if they return. Sport organisations should highlight programs that cater to those who want to start playing again, as well as those aimed at new participants.

2. Strengthen social connection

Young women are more likely to return to sport if they feel a sense of belonging and connection and have opportunities to create friendships outside of school. Programs that can foster strong social bonds while maintaining a focus on competition and skill development are most likely to be effective.

3. Champion equity and inclusion

Gender equity must be a priority for all sport organisations, with all genders having equitable access to high-quality training and competition.

4. Future-proofing

To achieve long-term gender equality in sport, organisations must actively future-proof their programs by encouraging women’s and girl’s leadership and providing young women with same-gender role models. By embedding gender equity into policies, coaching pathways and community engagement, sport organisations can create a more sustainable and welcoming environment for young women.

What’s next?

Despite the success of women’s sport in recent years, we have a long way to go to achieve genuine gender equality in sport.

Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all approaches to participation, sport organisations should adopt a targeted approach that may narrow the gender play gap and progress towards a more equitable sport participation landscape.

James Kay receives funding from the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, South Australia.

Sam Elliott receives funding from the Australian Sports Commission, the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, the South Australian National Football League, and the MRFF.

– ref. How to tackle the ‘gender play gap’: 4 ways to encourage young women back into sport – https://theconversation.com/how-to-tackle-the-gender-play-gap-4-ways-to-encourage-young-women-back-into-sport-251353

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Levin Host Roundtable with Veterans and Service Providers in San Diego to Highlight Impact of VA Cuts

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

Padilla, Levin Host Roundtable with Veterans and Service Providers in San Diego to Highlight Impact of VA Cuts

WATCH: Padilla discusses importance of protecting essential VA benefits

SAN DIEGO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49) hosted a roundtable in San Diego alongside veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) service providers, and regional stakeholders to highlight the importance of protecting veterans’ benefits and discuss concerns regarding the Trump Administration’s plan for mass cuts to the VA workforce. The Administration is planning to cut more than 80,000 VA jobs, threatening access to the health care, housing services, educational opportunities, and other essential benefits veterans deserve.

The demand for VA services is high. The VA delivered a record number of health care appointments and benefits in 2024, including over 127 million appointments. Nearly 800,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care since the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act was signed into law in 2022, expanding VA benefits to those exposed to toxic substances. Padilla promised to continue fighting to defend these essential PACT Act benefits for the hundreds of thousands of now VA-eligible veterans.

Padilla also highlighted his bipartisan legislation introduced last week, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, to ensure veterans experiencing homelessness and receiving disability payments maintain access to crucial housing support. California has the most veterans in the nation and was home to 28 percent of all veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States last year, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s January 2024 point-in-time count. There are 9,300 homeless veterans across the state, including 865 homeless veterans in San Diego, according to the same count.

“Veterans who have dedicated their lives to support our nation deserve our complete, enduring support, but they are facing serious threats as the Trump Administration proposes sweeping cuts to the VA workforce,” said Senator Padilla. “Our veterans earned their benefits through their service in uniform — and it’s offensive that they could now be on the chopping block. We should be doing more for our veterans, not less, and I’m going to keep speaking out against these indiscriminate, massive cuts and make sure our veterans can continue to access essential health care, housing, and education services.”

“When Americans enlist, they swear an oath to defend our nation. And in return, we owe it to them to thank them for their sacrifice and take care of them after their service. Is this Elon’s way of saying thank you? With every day that goes by, more and more veterans are at risk of being fired,” said Representative Levin. “I won’t stand for it, and I will fight to ensure it won’t happen anymore. This constant chaos is eroding the public trust and is testing the limits of the American public’s patience. I want to be clear: I support efficiency as much as anyone and I don’t support bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake. But what Trump and Musk are doing is not making government work better, and on top of that it is unconstitutional. While the Trump Administration is hell-bent on cutting critical programs for our veterans, Senator Padilla and I are committed to serving them.”

Padilla also joined registered nurses and veterans at the VA Medical Center-San Diego today to deliver remarks at a rally organized by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) demanding an end to the devastating VA staffing cuts.

WATCH: Padilla criticizes VA cuts during rally with nurses and veterans

Senator Padilla has strongly opposed the Trump Administration’s mass cuts and hiring freeze at the VA. Padilla is a cosponsor of the Putting Veterans First Act — comprehensive legislation to protect veterans, military spouses, and VA employees indiscriminately targeted by the Trump Administration and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts at the VA and across the federal government. He has also co-signed multiple letters to the Administration and joined a resolution condemning these VA cuts. Padilla and his Senate colleagues also called on the Trump Administration to reverse its cancellation of 585 contracts with the VA, including those that help veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins access lifesaving health care as guaranteed under the PACT Act. In January, Padilla joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and 23 other Senators in demanding President Trump put veterans first and immediately exempt all VA employees from the Administration’s federal hiring freeze.

Additionally, last year, Padilla passed a bipartisan amendment into law to increase and streamline veterans’ access to HUD-VASH housing vouchers through the FY24 appropriations package. Padilla and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) also led the Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act, which was signed into law last year and will improve VA oversight to ensure veterans receive access to quality higher education from reputable institutions.

Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks from today’s roundtable is available here and can be downloaded here.

Additional photos from the roundtable and rally are available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025

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Padilla, Levin Host Roundtable with Veterans and Service Providers in San Diego to Highlight Impact of VA Cuts