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Category: Russian Federation

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump threats: Is foreign policy the biggest issue for Canadian voters this election?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Adam Chapnick, Professor of Defence Studies, Royal Military College of Canada

    Canadians are heading once again to the polls on April 28 to vote in a federal election.

    This election will offer voters competing visions of Canada’s future at a time when it has become all but impossible to separate foreign policy from domestic politics.

    There’s no question much of the conversation during the campaign will centre on how the next government will deal with United States President Donald Trump amid his continuing threats to Canadian sovereignty.

    But even though the Trump administration has undermined the liberal democratic world order in which Canada has prospered for close to a century, it’s unclear whether threats of a global tariff war, an ongoing divisive conflict in the Middle East and continued Russian aggression in Ukraine will directly affect how Canadians cast their votes.

    Most political scientists have traditionally argued that foreign policy does not matter to Canadians at the voting booth.

    But a recent book by historian Patrice Dutil has claimed that “at least half of Canada’s national elections featured substantive discussions of Canada’s place in the world.”

    So who’s right?

    Foreign policy as an issue

    My new report, “Foreign Policy and Canadian Elections: A Review,” finds truth on both sides.

    Foreign policy is what people who study elections call an “issue,” just like the economy, national security or health care.

    Issues compete with many other considerations — like ideology, perceptions of leadership and the need for change — to determine a voter’s ultimate decision.

    Local candidates can affect how people vote, as can party affiliation. If you live in a riding where your preferred candidate is unlikely to win, you might vote strategically.

    According to Canadian political scientist Elizabeth Gidengil, for an issue like foreign policy to really matter in an election, it must satisfy three conditions:

    • Political parties must position themselves on opposite sides of it;
    • Voters must be aware of the differences between the parties’ views;
    • The balance of opinion on the issue must clearly favour one side over the other.

    That rarely happens in relation to Canadian foreign policy. Our political parties don’t typically differ significantly on world affairs. When they do disagree, it’s unusual for the public to overwhelmingly support one side over the other.



    Read more:
    Trump’s potential embrace of ‘continentalist geopolitics’ poses grave risks to Canada

    Handling the Trump threat

    There are no real divisions between the election’s front-runners — Liberal Mark Carney and Conservative Pierre Poilievre — over how to deal with Trump.

    Both have pledged that Canada will never become the 51st state and have promised to strike back at American tariffs with economic measures of their own.

    Poilievre says he’ll manage Canada-U.S. relations more effectively than the Liberals would, but he has not proposed any different tactics to do so.

    On the other hand, Poilievre was clearly onto something in his endless quest to make the election all about the Justin Trudeau government’s carbon tax and rebate.

    Until Carney replaced Trudeau, the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals on carbon pricing were stark. Thanks to an extraordinary Conservative marketing campaign, the Canadian public was well aware of those differences — and a significant majority of Canadians sided with Poilievre.

    Now that Carney has axed the tax himself, those differences have become much less significant.

    Domestic politics aside, Trump will still loom large throughout the next five weeks.

    But international and domestic issues have been, and remain, sufficiently interconnected that it’s hard to discuss one to the exclusion of the other.

    Free trade with the United States was a key topic of debate during four election campaigns — 1891, 1911, 1935, 1988 — because of its impact on Canadians’ sense of independence.

    Canadians were divided over conscription during the 1917 election campaign. They differed over support for Britain during the 1956 Suez crisis and throughout the election the following year.

    Just as the American invasion of Iraq split the Liberals and the Canadian Alliance during the election of 2003, so did attitudes towards increased defence spending in 2000. Canadian support for Syrian refugees came up regularly during the 2015 election campaign.

    Still, it’s not clear if these differences affected more than a small number of individual Canadians when they marked their ballots.

    Voters tend to cast their ballots emotionally, and even though Trump is preoccupying the national consciousness at the moment, the leading political parties have not offered us specific policy alternatives to deal with him.

    What’s ahead this election campaign

    Over the next five weeks, Canadians should expect to learn about the leading political parties’ views on relations with the U.S., the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine, foreign interference in the affairs of state and Canada’s global defence.

    Voters can and should demand that those who wish to lead the country are thoughtful and literate on these and other international issues.

    As then Prime Minister Stephen Harper reflected in 2011:

    “Since coming to office — in fact, since becoming prime minister [in 2006] — the thing that’s probably struck me the most in terms of my previous expectations … is not just how important foreign affairs/foreign relations is, but in fact that it’s become almost everything. There’s hardly anything today of any significance that doesn’t have a huge international dimension to it.”

    But expecting party views on foreign policy to shape the election’s outcome is probably unrealistic.

    When we head to the voting booths, most Canadians will likely just listen to their gut.

    Exactly how Carney or Poilievre promises to deal with Trump probably won’t matter nearly as much as who they simply feel will do a better job on a host of issues.

    Adam Chapnick 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. Trump threats: Is foreign policy the biggest issue for Canadian voters this election? – https://theconversation.com/trump-threats-is-foreign-policy-the-biggest-issue-for-canadian-voters-this-election-247065

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump threats: Is foreign policy really the biggest issue for Canadian voters this election?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Adam Chapnick, Professor of Defence Studies, Royal Military College of Canada

    Canadians are heading once again to the polls on April 28 to vote in a federal election.

    This election will offer voters competing visions of Canada’s future at a time when it has become all but impossible to separate foreign policy from domestic politics.

    There’s no question much of the conversation during the campaign will centre on how the next government will deal with United States President Donald Trump amid his continuing threats to Canadian sovereignty.

    But even though the Trump administration has undermined the liberal democratic world order in which Canada has prospered for close to a century, it’s unclear whether threats of a global tariff war, an ongoing divisive conflict in the Middle East and continued Russian aggression in Ukraine will directly affect how Canadians cast their votes.

    Most political scientists have traditionally argued that foreign policy does not matter to Canadians at the voting booth.

    But a recent book by historian Patrice Dutil has claimed that “at least half of Canada’s national elections featured substantive discussions of Canada’s place in the world.”

    So who’s right?

    Foreign policy as an issue

    My new report, “Foreign Policy and Canadian Elections: A Review,” finds truth on both sides.

    Foreign policy is what people who study elections call an “issue,” just like the economy, national security or health care.

    Issues compete with many other considerations — like ideology, perceptions of leadership and the need for change — to determine a voter’s ultimate decision.

    Local candidates can affect how people vote, as can party affiliation. If you live in a riding where your preferred candidate is unlikely to win, you might vote strategically.

    According to Canadian political scientist Elizabeth Gidengil, for an issue like foreign policy to really matter in an election, it must satisfy three conditions:

    • Political parties must position themselves on opposite sides of it;
    • Voters must be aware of the differences between the parties’ views;
    • The balance of opinion on the issue must clearly favour one side over the other.

    That rarely happens in relation to Canadian foreign policy. Our political parties don’t typically differ significantly on world affairs. When they do disagree, it’s unusual for the public to overwhelmingly support one side over the other.



    Read more:
    Trump’s potential embrace of ‘continentalist geopolitics’ poses grave risks to Canada

    Handling the Trump threat

    There are no real divisions between the election’s front-runners — Liberal Mark Carney and Conservative Pierre Poilievre — over how to deal with Trump.

    Both have pledged that Canada will never become the 51st state and have promised to strike back at American tariffs with economic measures of their own.

    Poilievre says he’ll manage Canada-U.S. relations more effectively than the Liberals would, but he has not proposed any different tactics to do so.

    On the other hand, Poilievre was clearly onto something in his endless quest to make the election all about the Justin Trudeau government’s carbon tax and rebate.

    Until Carney replaced Trudeau, the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals on carbon pricing were stark. Thanks to an extraordinary Conservative marketing campaign, the Canadian public was well aware of those differences — and a significant majority of Canadians sided with Poilievre.

    Now that Carney has axed the tax himself, those differences have become much less significant.

    Domestic politics aside, Trump will still loom large throughout the next five weeks.

    But international and domestic issues have been, and remain, sufficiently interconnected that it’s hard to discuss one to the exclusion of the other.

    Free trade with the United States was a key topic of debate during four election campaigns — 1891, 1911, 1935, 1988 — because of its impact on Canadians’ sense of independence.

    Canadians were divided over conscription during the 1917 election campaign. They differed over support for Britain during the 1956 Suez crisis and throughout the election the following year.

    Just as the American invasion of Iraq split the Liberals and the Canadian Alliance during the election of 2003, so did attitudes towards increased defence spending in 2000. Canadian support for Syrian refugees came up regularly during the 2015 election campaign.

    Still, it’s not clear if these differences affected more than a small number of individual Canadians when they marked their ballots.

    Voters tend to cast their ballots emotionally, and even though Trump is preoccupying the national consciousness at the moment, the leading political parties have not offered us specific policy alternatives to deal with him.

    What’s ahead this election campaign

    Over the next five weeks, Canadians should expect to learn about the leading political parties’ views on relations with the U.S., the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine, foreign interference in the affairs of state and Canada’s global defence.

    Voters can and should demand that those who wish to lead the country are thoughtful and literate on these and other international issues.

    As then Prime Minister Stephen Harper reflected in 2011:

    “Since coming to office — in fact, since becoming prime minister [in 2006] — the thing that’s probably struck me the most in terms of my previous expectations … is not just how important foreign affairs/foreign relations is, but in fact that it’s become almost everything. There’s hardly anything today of any significance that doesn’t have a huge international dimension to it.”

    But expecting party views on foreign policy to shape the election’s outcome is probably unrealistic.

    When we head to the voting booths, most Canadians will likely just listen to their gut.

    Exactly how Carney or Poilievre promises to deal with Trump probably won’t matter nearly as much as who they simply feel will do a better job on a host of issues.

    Adam Chapnick 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. Trump threats: Is foreign policy really the biggest issue for Canadian voters this election? – https://theconversation.com/trump-threats-is-foreign-policy-really-the-biggest-issue-for-canadian-voters-this-election-247065

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Asteroid 2024 YR may not hit Earth in 2032, but it — and others — will keep coming back

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Martin Connors, Professor of Astronomy, Mathematics, and Physics, Athabasca University

    A double plume created by the Chelyabinsk meteor that flew over Russia on Feb. 15, 2013. The shock wave caused damage and a small meteorite dropped. (Shutterstock)

    In late 2024, astronomers spotted asteroid 2024 YR4 on a trajectory that could potentially threaten Earth. This observation triggered a fervid series of observations of the object — possibly as big as a football field — to determine that it will not hit. However, an impact on the moon cannot be ruled out.



    Read more:
    What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032?

    Then in January of this year, the near approach of an asteroid perhaps a million times more massive went almost unnoticed.

    Asteroid 2024 YR4 has a diameter between 40 to 90 metres and was referred to as a “city-killer” capable of causing regional damage and affecting the climate; the larger asteroid, 887 Alinda, is over four kilometres in diameter and could cause a global extinction event.

    A radar image of asteroid Alinda taken in January 2024. The rectangular region is about three kilometres a side.
    (NASA/JPL)

    Alinda remains just outside Earth’s orbit, while 2024 YR4 does cross our orbit and still could impact Earth; however, this won’t occur in the foreseeable future.

    Asteroid orbits

    Both 887 Alinda and 2024 YR4 orbit the sun three times for every time the massive planet Jupiter goes around once. Since Jupiter’s orbit takes 12 years, the asteroids will take four years to be back on similar paths in 2028. These special kinds of asteroids are dangerous, since they come back regularly.

    Alinda was discovered in 1918 and has made several sequences of near passes at four-year intervals. 2024 YR4 has made what NASA considers close passes every four years since 1948, but was only recently noticed.

    Not since the 1970s has so much attention been paid to asteroids with a three-to-one relation to Jupiter. Such relationships had already been noted as a curiosity by American astronomer Daniel Kirkwood in the late 1800s. Working with very sparse data since few asteroids were known at the time, he noted none went around the sun twice for each Jupiter orbit, nor three times, nor in more complex ratios like seven-to-three or five-to-two.

    These so-called Kirkwood gaps are not obvious since they show up only in plots of the average distance of asteroids from the sun. The gaps remained a mere curiosity of the solar system for about 100 years.

    Numbers of asteroids by averaged distance from the sun, showing the Kirkwood gaps. The gap labelled 3:1 harbors both Alinda and 2024 YR4, located at an average distance 2.5 times Earth’s orbit radius from the sun.
    (NASA/JPL)

    The employment of new computer technologies to calculate orbits revealed the effects of resonance to scientists in the 1970s. Resonance occurs when asteroids appear to move at the same, or a multiple of, the orbit speed of another external object — in this case, Jupiter.

    The Kirkwood gaps are explained by asteroids similarly interacting with Jupiter to leave the asteroid belt, even while their average distance from the sun does not change. By dipping into the inner solar system, these asteroids are often removed from the gaps in a very simple way: by hitting an inner planet like Mars, Venus or Earth.

    Scientists also found that these gaps were not completely empty; Alinda, for example, was in the three-to-one gap. Many more such asteroids have been found, and they are generically named “Alindas,” after the prototypical first discovery whose name origin is a bit obscure.

    Return of the asteroids

    If the bad news is that Kirkwood gaps are due to asteroids hitting inner planets, including Earth, can it get much worse? For Alinda-class asteroids it does. Alindas follow their pumped-up orbit every four years, so properly aligned Alindas get a chance to hit Earth about that often.

    Near passes of these asteroids tend to happen spaced by longer intervals, but when aligned, they come back several times with four-year spacing. A limiting factor is how tilted their orbits are: if they are quite tilted, they are not often at a “height” matching Earth’s, so are less likely to hit.

    The bad news about that is that both Alinda and 2024 YR4 are very nearly in the plane of Earth’s orbit, and are not tilted much, so are more likely to hit.

    The resonant “pumping” stretching the orbit both inward and outward from the asteroid belt has already made 2024 YR4 cross Earth’s orbit, giving it a chance to impact. The much more dangerous Alinda is still being pumped: in about 1,000 years, it may be poised to hit Earth.

    One piece of good news is that 2024 YR4 will miss in 2032, but by coming close it will be kicked out of its Alinda orbit. It will no longer come back every four years.

    However, getting an orbital kick from Earth, its orbit will still cross ours, just not as often. The current orbit shows a somewhat close approach (farther than the moon) in 2052, and beyond that, calculations are not very accurate.

    Other asteroids

    Although Earth is a small target in a big solar system, it does get hit.

    If 2024 YR4 managed to sneak up on us in 2024, can other asteroids also surprise us? The last damaging one to do so appeared undetected on Feb. 15, 2013, over Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring many people when its shock wave shattered glass in buildings.

    In 1908, a larger explosion took place over Tunguska, Russian Siberia, a remote region where huge areas of forest were devastated but few people injured.

    Part of the huge region of Siberian forest blown down by the Tunguska meteor explosion of 1908; this photograph was taken in 1929.
    (Leonid Kulik)

    Keeping watch

    While astronomers work diligently to survey the night sky from Earth’s surface, space-based surveys like the upcoming Near-Earth Object (NEO) surveyor can be very efficient in detecting asteroids. They do so by their heat (infrared) radiation and, being in space, can also study the daytime sky.

    According to Amy Mainzer, lead on the NEO surveyor, “we know of only roughly 40 per cent of the asteroids that are both large enough to cause severe regional damage and closely approach Earth’s orbit.” Once launched in late 2027, NEO will “find, track and characterize the most hazardous asteroids and comets,” eventually meeting the U.S. Congress-mandated goal of knowing of 90 cent of them.

    Among asteroids, we must pay special attention to resonant ones, such as 2024 YR4, because eventually, they’ll be back.

    Martin Connors has received funding from NSERC and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Canadian Space Agency. He is currently a self-funded academic visitor at UCLA.

    – ref. Asteroid 2024 YR may not hit Earth in 2032, but it — and others — will keep coming back – https://theconversation.com/asteroid-2024-yr-may-not-hit-earth-in-2032-but-it-and-others-will-keep-coming-back-250958

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Seventy-third session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables (GE.1)

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    The session is open for participation by all UN Member States. Representatives from relevant international organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector can also participate as observers. This session will be held with simultaneous interpretation into English, French and Russian. Prior registration is required, please register through the registration button.

    An audio channel will be available in English, French, and Russian on the days of the event, at: https://listen-live.unog.ch/en/

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise wraps up

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

      By Gao Dezheng, Ren Ke and Wang Ningchuan

      The China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise concluded at Iran’s Chabahar Port on Thursday, local time.

      CHABAHAR PORT, Iran, Mar. 14 — The China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise concluded at Iran’s Chabahar Port on Thursday, local time.

      With the theme of “Creating Peace and Security Together”, the joint exercise was launched on March 9 and has been carried out in three phases, assembly preparation, maritime exercise, and shore-based summary.

      The naval exercise enhanced the joint operational capabilities of the three navies to respond to various emergencies and maintain maritime security, deepened military trust and practical cooperation among the navies of the participating countries, and laid a solid foundation for future cooperation.

      During the port call of the Chinese and Russian naval vessels at Iran’s Chabahar Port, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, Iran’s Navy Chief, visited the Chinese guided-missile destroyer Baotou (Hull 133) and Russian corvette Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov  respectively.

      The China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise concluded at Iran’s Chabahar Port on Thursday, local time.

      The China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise concluded at Iran’s Chabahar Port on Thursday, local time.

      The China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise concluded at Iran’s Chabahar Port on Thursday, local time.

      The China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise concluded at Iran’s Chabahar Port on Thursday, local time.

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Green Party’s Swarbrick calls for urgent NZ action over Israel’s ‘crazy’ Gaza slaughter

    Asia Pacific Report

    Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick called on New Zealand government MPs today to support her Member’s Bill to sanction Israel over its “crazy slaughter” of Palestinians in Gaza.

    Speaking at a large pro-Palestinian solidarity rally in the heart of New Zealand’s largest city Auckland, she said Aotearoa New Zealand could no longer “remain a bystander to the slaughter of innocent people in Gaza”.

    In the fifth day since Israel broke the two-month-old ceasefire and refused to begin negotiations on phase two of the truce — which was supposed to lead to a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the besieged enclave and an exchange of hostages — health officials reported that the death toll had risen above 630, mostly children and women.

    Five children were killed in a major overnight air attack on Gaza City and at least eight members of the family remained trapped under the rubble as Israeli attacks continued in the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

    Confirmed casualty figures in Gaza since October 7, 2023, now stand at 49,747 with 113,213 wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

    For more than two weeks, Israel has sealed off border crossings and barred food, water and electricity and today it blew up the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only medical institution in Gaza able to provide cancer treatment.

    “The research has said it from libraries, libraries and libraries. And what is it doing in Gaza?” said Swarbrick.

    ‘Ethnic cleansing . . . on livestream’
    “It is ethnic cleansing. It is apartheid. It is genocide. And we have that delivered to us by  livestream to each one of us every single day on our cellphones,” she said.

    “That is crazy. It is crazy to wake up every single day to that.”

    Swarbrick said Aotearoa New Zealand must act now to sanction Israel for its crimes — “just like we did with Russia for its illegal action in Ukraine.”

    She said that with the Green Party, Te Pāti Māori and Labour’s committed support, they now needed just six of the 68 government MPs to “pass my Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill into law”.

    “There’s no more time for talk. If we stand for human rights and peace and justice, our Parliament must act,” she said.

    “Action for Gaza Now” banner heads a march protesting against Israel’s resumed attacks on the besieged Strip in Auckland today. Image: APR

    In September, Aotearoa had joined 123 UN member states to support a resolution calling for sanctions against those responsible for Israel’s “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in relation to settler violence”.

    “Our government has since done nothing to fulfil that commitment. Our Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill starts that very basic process.

    “No party leader or whip can stop a Member of Parliament exercising their democratic right to vote how they know they need to on this Bill,” she said to resounding cheers.

    ‘No hiding behind party lines’
    “There is no more hiding behind party lines. All 123 Members of Parliament are each individually, personally responsible.”

    Several Palestinian women spoke of the terror with the new wave of Israeli bombings and of their families’ personal connections with the suffering in Gaza, saying it was vitally important to “hear our stories”. Some spoke of the New Zealand government’s “cowardice” for not speaking out in opposition like many other countries.

    About 1000 people took part in the protest in a part of Britomart’s Te Komititanga Square in a section now popularly known as “Palestine Corner”.

    Amid a sea of banners and Palestinian flags there were placards declaring “Stop the genocide”, “Jews for tangata whenua from Aotearoa to Palestine”, “Hands off West Bank End the occupation” , “The people united will never be defeated”, “Decolonise your mind, stand with Palestine,” “Genocide — made in USA”, and “Toitū Te Tiriti Free Palestine”.

    “Genocide – Made in USA” poster at today’s Palestinian solidarity rally. Image: APR

    The ceasefire-breaking Israeli attacks on Gaza have shocked the world and led to three UN General Assembly debates this week on the Middle East.

    France, Germany and Britain are among the latest countries to condemn Israel for breaching the ceasefire — describing it as a “dramatic step backwards”, and France has told the UN that it is opposed to any form of annexation by Israel of any Palestinian territory.

    Meanwhile, Sultan Barakat, a professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera in an interview that the more atrocities Israel committed in Gaza, the more young Palestinian men and women would join Hamas.

    “So it’s not going to disappear any time soon,” he said.

    With Israel killing more than 630 people in five days and cutting off all aid to the Strip for weeks, there was no trust on the part of Hamas to restart the ceasefire, Professor Barakat said.

    “Jews for tangata whenua from Aotearoa to Palestine” . . . a decolonisation placard at today’s Palestine solidarity rally in Auckland. Image: APR

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attack at Crocus City Hall

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    March 22 marks the first anniversary of the inhumane terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall.

    It killed 145 people and injured 551. It was the largest terrorist attack in Russian history in terms of casualties since the hostage taking at School No. 1 in Beslan in 2004.

    On March 22, 2024, at 19:55, before a concert by the rock band Piknik, several armed terrorists entered the Crocus City Hall building, shot the guards, and moved toward the concert hall, killing everyone in their path. They set the hall on fire and left the scene of the crime, heading in a waiting car toward the border with Ukraine.

    Thanks to the prompt actions of law enforcement agencies, 11 suspects were detained the next day, including the perpetrators of the terrorist attack. As of January 2025, 27 defendants have been charged. On March 7, another criminal was detained in the United States, who admitted that he had trained the perpetrators of this terrorist attack.

    A graduate student of the Institute of Information Systems of the State University of Management, member of the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps Matvey Ulyanov participated in the liquidation of the consequences of the fire in Crocus City Hall. Our other students organized donor trips to donate blood and cytoplasm to victims of the terrorist attack.

    Today, the State University of Management remembers the shock and horror that we experienced on the evening of March 22 last year. We express our condolences to the relatives of all those killed and hope that none of us will ever have to experience anything like this again.

    A grand opening of a memorial to the victims of the terrorist attack is planned for March 22, 2025, in front of the Crocus City Hall building.

    Photo by Matvey Ulyanov

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 03/22/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Prevents Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Courts

    Source: The White House

    ADDRESSING ATTORNEY MISCONDUCT: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a memorandum to hold attorneys and law firms accountable for unethical conduct when litigating against the Federal government or pursuing baseless partisan attacks. The memorandum instructs the Attorney General to:

    • Prioritize seeking sanctions against attorneys and law firms that engage in frivolous, unreasonable, or vexatious litigation against the United States.
    • Prioritize enforcement of regulations governing attorney conduct and discipline. This directive also applies to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
    • Refer attorneys and law firms for disciplinary action when their conduct in Federal court or before any component of the Federal government appears to violate professional conduct rules.
    • Recommend additional consequences, including reassessing security clearances or terminating federal contracts, for attorneys and law firms that engage in conduct deserving of sanctions or other disciplinary action.
    • Review attorney and law firm conduct over the last eight years in litigation against the Federal government and recommend further actions if misconduct is identified.

    PREVENTING ABUSES OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM AND FEDERAL COURTS: President Trump believes that lawyers and law firms must be held accountable when they engage in illegal or unethical conduct, especially when their misconduct threatens our national security, homeland security, public safety, or election integrity.

    • Examples of egregious unethical conduct, such as Marc Elias’ direct involvement in creating a false “dossier” to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, are too common in the legal profession.
    • The immigration system is likewise replete with examples of unscrupulous behavior by attorneys and law firms that undermine immigration enforcement.
      • The immigration bar, and powerful Big Law pro bono practices, frequently coach clients to conceal their past or lie about their circumstances when seeking asylum.
      • Fact-checking these fraudulent claims imposes an enormous burden on the Federal government, and in turn undermines the integrity of our immigration laws.
    • Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 prohibits attorneys from engaging in certain unethical conduct, such as filing frivolous claims, presenting arguments not grounded in law, or making factual assertions without evidentiary support. Federal regulations establish similar attorney conduct standards, particularly in connection with immigration proceedings.
    • Frivolous lawsuits, bad-faith legal arguments, and blatant misrepresentations of fact burden the courts and waste taxpayer resources.
    • Lawyers and law firms that engage in unethical conduct often face little to no accountability—this memorandum delivers overdue enforcement.

    A RETURN TO ACCOUNTABILITY: President Trump is delivering on his promise to end the weaponization of government and protect the nation from partisan and bad faith actors who exploit their influence. 

    • This memorandum aligns with President Trump’s priority on refocusing government operations to serve the citizens of the United States.
    • It builds on President Trump’s previous actions, such as signing an Executive Order on his first day in office to end the weaponization of the Federal government and ensure accountability for past misconduct.
    • It follows his revocation of security clearances held by intelligence officials who falsely claimed Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation during the 2020 election.
    • President Trump has also taken action to hold major law firms accountable, including Covington & Burling, Paul Weiss, and Perkins Coie.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski: Trump Brings Serious Focus to Mineral Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

    03.21.25

    Anchorage, AK—U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today issued the following statement about President Trump’s latest Executive Order, entitled Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production. Murkowski, who for years has pushed to modernize federal mineral policies to protect our security and strengthen our economy, applauded the order.

    “Our lack of mineral security is our nation’s Achilles’ heel—a vulnerability that leaves us at the mercy of politically unstable and often adversarial nations for the basic building blocks of modern society. We import a wide array of minerals from those nations instead of producing minerals here at home, and we do it despite the potentially catastrophic threats that creates for our security, economy, and competitiveness,” Murkowski said. “China knows this. Russia knows this. But, importantly, so do President Trump and his team. I appreciate their recognition of this major vulnerability and their immediate steps to tackle it. This new order is the most robust effort we have seen in some time—with more agencies directed to make greater use of their authorities to strengthen our domestic mineral security for the long-term.”

    Murkowski, the former Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has brought attention to our nation’s mineral-related vulnerabilities for more than a decade. President Trump signed most of her American Mineral Security Act into law at the end of 2020. She and her team also worked closely with the first Trump administration on mineral-related matters such as the first critical minerals list.

    The United States’ mineral import dependence has risen significantly in recent decades. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. imported at least 50 percent of its supply of at least 46 mineral commodities in 2024, including 100 percent of 15 of them (counting the 17 rare earth elements as one commodity). The U.S. is more than 50 percent reliant on imports for 40 of the 50 federally designated critical minerals and imports 100 percent of its supply of 12 of them, including natural graphite, manganese, and gallium.

    Our mineral security challenges come at a time when global mineral demand is generally projected to skyrocket. For example, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence hasprojected that nearly 400 new lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite mines will be needed around the world by 2035 to produce the raw materials for advanced batteries.

    U.S. policies – particularly for federal lands – have not remotely kept pace. Last year, S&P Global reported the U.S. is the world’s second-slowest country for mine permitting, with it taking “an average of nearly 29 years to build a new mine in the U.S.” S&P found that “on federal lands, permitting is characterized by delays, unpredictability and increasing costs. This is a major constraint because federal lands comprise almost half of the total terrain of the 11 mineral-rich western states – and over 60% of Alaska,” which has deposits of nearly all critical minerals.  

    A fact sheet about President Trump’s executive order is available here, and the full text of the order is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Seventy-second session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce (GE.2)

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    The session is open for participation by all UN Member States. Representatives from relevant international organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector can also participate as observers. This session will be held with simultaneous interpretation into English, French and Russian. Prior registration is required, please register through the registration button.

    An audio channel will be available in English, French, and Russian on the days of the event, at: https://listen-live.unog.ch/en/

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Outreach Seminar on the Updates of Statistical Manuals (2025 SNA and BPM7), online

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    06 – 07 March 2024

    Document title 

    		   Documents
    English Russian
    Agenda   PDF PDF
    Joint Session      
    Main Objectives, Priorities, and Procedures for Updating the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual and the System of National Accounts   PDF PDF
    Building Blocks: Integrated Framework, Accounting Principles, Economic Territory, Institutional Sectors, and Residence   PDF PDF
    Globalization   PDF PDF
    Digitalization   PDF PDF
    Communicating and Disseminating Economic Statistics   PDF PDF
           
    Selected BPM7 issues      
    Main Features and Outline   PDF PDF
    Cross-cutting themes   PDF PDF
    Current and Capital Accounts   PDF PDF
    Integrated International Investment Position: Direct Investment and Portfolio Investment   PDF PDF
    Integrated International Investment Position: Financial Derivatives, Other Investment, and Reserve Assets   PDF PDF
    BPM7. Draft Annotated Outline (September 2023)   PDF PDF
           
    Selected 2025 SNA issues      
    Overview and Main Changes   PDF PDF
    Financial Issues   PDF PDF
    Wellbeing and Sustainability, Informal Economy   PDF PDF
    Thematic and Extended Accounts   PDF PDF

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: WSJ: Thanks to Trump Administration, We Now Know the Truth About LNG’s Benefits

    Source: US Department of Energy

    The Wall Street Journal
    March 20, 2025
    “The Biden LNG ‘Pause’ Deception”
    By The Editorial Board

    “The Energy Department on Wednesday approved the Venture Global CP2 liquefied natural gas export project that became a cri de coeur for climate activists. Good call. Meantime, we are learning more about how the Biden team deceived Americans about its 2024 LNG export “pause.”

    “President Biden, prodded by climate adviser John Podesta, announced a supposedly temporary suspension of LNG project approvals in January of the election year. The stated purpose was so Energy could do a study to determine if increased exports are in the “public interest.” It turns out that DOE career staff had already completed such a study by autumn 2023.

    “A draft of that study, which was shared with us, shows that increased U.S. LNG exports would have negligible effects on domestic prices while modestly reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The latter is largely because U.S. LNG exports would displace coal in power production and gas exports from other countries such as Russia.
    “The majority of the additional U.S. natural gas substitutes for other global sources of natural gas,” the study notes. “Global and U.S. GHG emissions do not change appreciably” across various scenarios that DOE staff modeled.

    . . .

    “The climate lobby also says more LNG exports will increase U.S. energy costs. But the study forecast that wholesale gas prices in the U.S. would rise less than in the “study DOE commissioned on the economic impacts from U.S. LNG exports in 2018.” Residential gas prices would increase by a mere 4% by 2050.

    “DOE staff and lawyers rigorously reviewed the models and findings because these conclusions “are going to receive a lot of scrutiny” and we “need to be able to explain why the model shows reduced emissions,” as one commented in the study’s margins. Another recommended “full tabulated results in an Excel workbook be made available to provide transparency to the public.”

    “That isn’t what the Biden crowd wanted to hear. They shelved the staff study and imposed their “pause” to motivate progressives during last year’s election. In December, Biden Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm released a different study, which purported to show that “unfettered” LNG exports would increase global emissions and domestic gas prices.
    “Had Kamala Harris won, Democrats would undoubtedly have used the new study to justify a permanent export ban and we would never have found out about the other study. The LNG two-step is another notable example of how the Biden Democrats tried to deceive Americans. . .”

    Read the full article here.
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: General Assembly Adopts Texts, Marks International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The poison of racism remains in the veins of global institutions, laws and everyday practices and must be fought in all its forms, speakers urged the General Assembly today, as the body commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in addition to taking action on three draft texts.

    One of these, the draft resolution titled “Permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan” (document A/79/L.59), was introduced by that country’s representative.  She affirmed neutrality as a fundamental principle of her nation’s foreign policy — “a beacon of peace, stability and constructive engagement in the international community for three decades”.  The Assembly then adopted the draft resolution without a vote.

    By the text, the Assembly called on Member States to respect and support this status of Turkmenistan and to respect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.  It further welcomed the decision of the Government of Turkmenistan to host an international forum, in December 2025, devoted to the International Year of Peace and Trust, the International Day of Neutrality and the thirtieth anniversary of the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan.

    The Assembly also adopted without a vote the draft decision titled “United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities” (document A/79/L.61).  By its terms, the Assembly decided to convene the next such Conference in 2026.  Also adopted without a vote was the draft decision titled “Speakers for the opening segment of the ‘World Social Summit’ under the title ‘the Second World Summit for Social Development’” (document A/79/L.65).

    International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

    At the outset of the meeting, Philémon Yang (Cameroon), President of the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, recalled that peaceful protesters stood against injustice in Sharpeville, South Africa, 65 years ago.  While 69 lives were lost that day, “their courage ignited a movement — one that continues today,” he stated.  And, on the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination — to which 182 Member States are party — he said:  “We must recommit to its provisions that prohibit racial discrimination in all its forms.”  Further, he called on the international community to “take decisive action to enforce antidiscrimination laws and ensure they are effective”.

    Urging States to invest in inclusive education, raise public awareness and challenge harmful stereotypes, he emphasized that the fight against racial discrimination is not just a moral duty, but essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  And, while Africa has long carried the weight of historical injustice, he stressed that the continent is also a beacon of resilience and leadership that “has shown the world how to successfully end abhorrent examples of institutional racism and bigotry”.  The international community must therefore listen to African voices and fully integrate their perspective into global anti-racism efforts.  Additionally, he called on the next generation to “carry forward the fight against racial discrimination with hope and determination”.

    Speaking next was Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, who said that the poison of racism is the toxic legacy of historic enslavement and colonialism.  Today, it continues to corrupt communities and erode the foundations of justice, stoked by “growing inequalities and algorithms that capitalize on polarizing content”, he stated.  Forged amidst the civil rights and anti-Apartheid movements of the 1960s, the Convention remains a beacon of hope.  Calling for its universal ratification, he urged business leadership, civil society and everyday people to take a stand against racism in all its forms.

    Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, then emphasized that race, colour, descent or origin must never silence people, block their opportunities, make them targets or endanger their lives.  While the Convention was a milestone treaty, she warned that “we once again find ourselves in a period of turmoil” — with racism still permeating institutions, social structures and everyday life in all societies.  While diversity is profoundly human and enriches societies, “because of it, millions of people are treated as sub-human”, she stated.  Condemning the resurgence of nationalist populism and ideologies of racial superiority, she called today’s gathering an opportunity for States, national human-rights institutions, civil society, the private sector and United Nations entities to commit to concrete steps to combat the scourge.

    Echoing calls for universal ratification, Michał Balcerzak (Poland), Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, also encouraged Member States to recognize the competence of his Committee to receive individual communications to provide effective access to justice for victims.  “Formal ratification is essential, but not sufficient,” he said, noting that various provisions were included in the Convention to address historical injustice and structural racism — such as the obligation to adopt special or affirmative measures.  “We witness today the challenging of these measures in many countries,” he pointed out, calling on States and judicial bodies to protect them.  He added:  “Racist and xenophobic discourse are not only increasing, but also encouraged by some politicians and public figures.  This is not the time to remain silent.”

    For her part, Sarah Lewis, Associate Professor at Harvard University, noted that she is “the descendant of enslaved men and women from, we believe, Ghana and Nigeria, and also from slave owners who came from the United Kingdom”.  While this anniversary is a chance to salute the extraordinary progress made to confront racial discrimination, she emphasized that “much more is needed today in many parts of the world to combat injustice”.  Stressing that the racial divide around the world is built on the fiction of racial superiority, she cited ignorance — for example, that slavery could ever be construed as beneficial for the skills it taught the enslaved.  She recalled the words of civil-rights leader Frederick Douglass, who spoke of internalized narratives that seemed to justify inequity, making the case for the power of culture as an overlooked tool for ending racism.  “He said it might take over 150 years for society here, and around the world, to understand these ideas,” she observed.

    During the ensuing discussion, South Africa’s delegate recalled that, “on this day 65 years ago”, people gathered around police stations in his country without carrying the dompas — the document that restricted the movement of people based on their race.  During this peaceful protest, Apartheid security forces and police opened fire on a crowd in Sharpeville, killing 69 and injuring 130.  “Most were shot in the back,” he said.  While the equal enjoyment of human rights is a basic principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — adopted in 1948 — he noted that, in 1965, “it was obvious that this was not a universal understanding”.  This is why the global community recognized the need to establish international law to protect human rights, regardless of race.  The Convention, he recalled, remains the only active legal instrument against racism and racial discrimination.

    Echoing those sentiments, the representative of Equatorial Guinea, speaking for the African Group, stressed the need to address contemporary forms of racism and new forms of slavery, such as human trafficking.  All States must eliminate systemic barriers and racial discrimination faced by people of African descent in housing, healthcare, education and other sectors.  Further, global reparatory justice is crucial for equitable sustainable development.  In a similar vein, Jamaica’s delegate, speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that the injustice of the transatlantic slave trade lingers and affects the lives of people of African descent today.  He also expressed concern about “the growing incitement of hatred and intolerance, including through the use of new and emerging technologies”.

    Echoing that, the representative of Greece, speaking for the Group of Western European and Other States, affirmed the collective “responsibility to address all factors that ignite racist harassment, hate speech, hate crimes and all other forms of incitement”.  Moreover, nationalist and populist ideologies and rhetoric that erode social cohesion have no place in societies.  The representative of Fiji, speaking for the Asia-Pacific Group, strongly condemned racial profiling and negative stereotyping on any grounds and against any persons.  Meanwhile, Suriname’s delegate, speaking for the Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries, expressed solidarity with all victims of racial discrimination around the world.  He further highlighted the intersection of racial and gender discrimination, calling for gender-responsive policies. 

    However, the representative of the Russian Federation recalled that the international community is far from consensus on fighting racism, with the various documents and decisions adopted by the General Assembly lacking support from Western countries.  “We all know that, in Europe, discrimination flourishes,” she said, spotlighting bans on studies in one’s native language and on participating in elections.  Condemning Western Governments for “turning a blind eye” to their racist, xenophobic and colonialist pasts, she voiced support for the objectives of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Murkowski Addresses the Alaska State Legislature

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
    03.19.25
    “We are all Alaskans; we are all invested in the future of this great place.”
    Juneau, AK – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today delivered her annual address to the Alaska State Legislature during a joint session at the Alaska State Capitol Building.
    Murkowski thanked many of the legislators for their good work and recapped the progress the delegation has made for Alaska over the past year. While celebrating many Alaskans’ accomplishments, she expressed her concern for the indiscriminate firing of federal employees and the impacts the federal funding freeze will have on the state. Murkowski also spoke to areas where Alaska can work closely with the new administration, particularly resource development.
    After her remarks, Murkowski took questions from the legislators on a variety of topics, which are available to watch in the video linked below.

    Senator Murkowski addresses the Alaska State Legislature on March 18, 2025.
    Click here to watch the Senator’s remarks.
    Below is the text of Murkowski’s remarks as delivered.
    Good morning. We’ve got a full house, full crowd, and it is good to be home with all of you.
    Mr. Speaker Edgmon and Mr. President Stevens, to our Majority Leaders Senator Giessel and Representative Kopp, Minority Leaders Senator Shower and Representative Costello, to all members of the Legislature: thank you for the opportunity to be back with you in these chambers.
    I’ve had a good morning. I think I’ve been able to meet with the vast majority of you, exchanging conversation as Alaskans and as fellow lawmakers. Thank you for the time you have given me already, and for the hour that we will have this morning.
    A lot of new faces, this is good to see. When you have a House with 10 new members, that’s impressive, this is good. And I love, and I will emphasize love, the fact that we have so many women in our House, more women than men. It has taken a little bit of time, but congratulations to all of you.  I look forward to the many contributions that we will see.
    At the same time that you see the new faces, there are many that I have known over the years. You have a few that I’ve actually served with. They’re more like friends and extended family. We’ve got Lyman back there in the corner. We’ve got Gary.
    I know I’m supposed to be using your formal titles here, but you know, you look at these guys in their tenure here, these are the giants of the place. I think of you as the Ted Stevens and the Don Young of the Legislature. I’ll let you figure out which one’s which, but you’ve been around, been around a little bit of time.
    Whether you’re new to public service or continuing this, thank you for stepping up. Thank you for engaging. Thank you for being in the arena at a time that our state needs each and every one of you.
    So, for those of you that are new, you need to know, I start out every one of my legislative addresses, not talking about you, but talking about my family, because our families are so important to who we are and what we do.
    When I got on the plane on Monday, coming out of Anchorage to come to Juneau, I run into Representative Costello, you, Mia, and I remembered when you first came to this body, your kids were young. They were about the same age as my kids were when I joined the Legislature. And I remember thinking mornings were when you’re leaving the kids and you’re saying, “have a good week,” instead of “have a good day at school.”
    So, to each and every one of you who leave your families behind, or who bring them here and who uproot them to be part of this, thank you for what you do. Thank you for the sacrifice that you are making. Your children will be better because of your service. So, thank you for making those trips every Monday.
    So, my family is doing well. The boys are good. They’re getting older, they’re both married. One is living in Anchorage, the other is living in Tennessee. They married great women. Verne is doing well, he is on both ends of the country, flying with me. We never fly on the same airplane, he’s always looking for more legroom, and I’m always so used to being squeezed into wherever I need to be.
    My parents are well, thank you for inquiring. Dad is turning 91 here at the end of the month. They are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary at the end of this month, so they’re hanging in there.
    As for me, I’ve spent a lot of time in Washington, DC this year. We’re beginning a new Congress and a new administration.  This is actually our first recess of the year. Usually I come here during President’s Day, but this is our first recess that we have had, so you’re not going to find anyone that is happier about being home right now than me. 
    I wasn’t quite sure it was actually going to happen. We managed to avoid a government shutdown. That’s a good thing. But the end result was less than desirable. The Continuing Resolution that we will be operating under from now through the end of September is not what I would have hoped. We were dealing with a situation that I think was best described as a Morton’s Fork. For those of you who are not familiar with this term, it’s okay to look it up. Basically, it’s a choice between two equally bad options: a shutdown, which is never good, and a continuing resolution that doesn’t do much, if anything, to reduce the level of spending. It takes away the work we had done to identify what our priorities would be, and tells the administration, “here is the money,” but we’re not providing you with the details to administer it.
    So, we’re moving forward and that’s going to be important. Beginning next week, we begin, in earnest, budget reconciliation. We can talk about it a little bit later if you want. But, before I get started, I want to recognize some of the good work that has gone on here, in this Legislature. Some of the good work that you are doing. 
    Representative Dibert, Senator Kawasaki, and Representative Carrick, I want to thank you for saying it loud and proud—it’s Denali. So, thank you for that. That resolution is really important. I thank you, I thank all 50 of you who voted for it.
    Senators Wielechowski, Tobin, Cronk, and Hughes, Speaker Edgmon and Representatives Himschoot, Johnson, and Ruffridge, all of you who have been tackling K-12 funding with the Governor—thank you for what you’re doing there. I know this is hard, but there is nothing more important that we can do for Alaska’s future than focusing on our kids’ education. So, thank you for working through those hard things. I appreciate that.
    To those of you who were part of the Joint Legislative Task Force on Alaska’s Seafood Industry, I’m not going to name all the names, but I was with you at the Commissioners’ task force meeting in January, and thank you for the good recommendations to help our fish, fishermen, fish processors, and coastal communities. Thank you. We need to take your recommendations and help you with implementation.
    Senator Hughes, I appreciate what you’re doing on food security. These are important initiatives. I’m proud to support your work through the microgrants program I was able to create for Alaska, so there’s good work going on there.
    Representative Stutes, Representative Tomaszewski, and all who supported HB 65—great work on your legislation for a new passenger dock in Seward and the economic development that will bring. Good work on so many of these initiatives that I appreciate.
    On a personal level, Senator Olson and Representative Dibert, we’re glad you’re better and back to work. Glad to know that you are on the mend. I was able to earlier congratulate Representative Schrage on the birth of your daughter. So again, congratulations to you and your wife on the birth of your daughter, Emily.
    Keep doing good work in all of these really important areas.
    I’ve got some friends and colleagues in the gallery I want to introduce. I am going to try to introduce folks in the gallery because you might not be familiar with because they haven’t been in the gallery yet.
    You’ve got a gentleman that is no stranger to you, Joe Plesha. He’s handling all of my communications. I don’t know whether we let him continue with the mustache, but I guess that’s who he is. 
    The gentleman seated on the end there, that is my Chief of Staff, Garrett Boyle. Garrett has been on my team now in this capacity since last April.
    Next to Joe is Hali Gruber, who is my advisor for energy and natural resources. She was working previously for Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers on the House side, and did a great job over there. So, we were able to pick her up.
    Next to her, we have my regional director here in Juneau, Kara Hollatz.  
    Next to Kara, we have Karina Waller. Karina has worked on the federal side for a long time before coming to me. She was with Senator Stevens a long time ago, btu has been heading up my state operations since last April.
    So those are the new faces you’re going to see. You’re going to see more of my team wandering the halls, having meetings with you. This is a good opportunity for us, again, to start figuring where we can partner and work together.
    I’m proud of the partnerships and relationships that we’re able to develop with one another. Don’t hesitate to call. Call me, call them, call all of us, get us engaged. 
    Back in Washington, DC, some of the things we’re doing there, we have made progress. It’s tough to sometimes think of what we did last year. It was an election year, right? Who was paying attention to anything about accomplishments. But we did.
    One of the things I know Dan and I are particularly proud of is the effort we were able to advance across the finish line, which is to secure a commercially available icebreaker, and the Coast Guard’s commitment to homeport that vessel, called the Storis, here in Juneau.
    We were able to secure cold weather pay for Alaska’s Air and Space Forces, and something that was quite personal to me, we were able to save the Alaska Air National Guard from cuts that would have cost 80 positions. That was really important.
    We were able to secure $300 million for fishery disasters and passed legislation to reform the declaration process to work better for Alaska. This is something we need to keep doing more on. We’ve improved it, but the fact of the matter is the process still does not work for our fisherman, so we’re not letting up on that.
    We broke ground on the Kenai Bluff Stabilization Project, this is one of many major infrastructure projects now underway around our state. This is one that many of you on the peninsula have been working on with us for a long time, so it’s good to see that going.
    We were able to work with our military leaders to help Kake, Angoon, and Wrangell secure long overdue apologies for the bombings that wiped out their Native villages in the late 1800s. So, to be part of those ceremonies was quite impactful.
    We increased funding to address natural hazards, including the landslides that continue to claim lives across Southeast. It’s great to see Jeremy Bynum here from Ketchikan, and to see the role that you played in your local government, and to see the impact that had on your community when we had a devastating loss just last year in Ketchikan.
    We’ve been able to make some headway, finally, for better, more reliable weather observing systems, which we will deliver through the Don Young Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative, but we have more that we need to be doing on that. After the devastating Bering Air crash outside Nome, I think we’re all rightly focused on what we can be doing on aviation safety.
    Then on the Congressionally Directed Spending process, we were able to advance dozens of community priorities. This was everything from housing for Sitka to the expansion of the University’s program for nurses and the allied healthcare workforce.
    Then we were able to finish up some things that have been outstanding for a long time. We secured nearly all funding needed for an Alaska Veterans Cemetery in Fairbanks. I remember when Representative Guttenberg started that ages ago. We’re putting a new roof on the Palmer Pioneer Home after years of delay, seeing the threats from heavy snowfalls. And, a personal one, this is big for Frank and Nancy Murkowski, we finally repainted the Wrangell Post Office. Sometimes you take your wins where you can.
    We also have good news this week.  I’ve told many of you in our conversations, but I’ve been working with Secretary Lutnick and Secretary Rubio, and I’m able to confirm that our fishermen will be able to get out on the water on Thursday for the black cod and halibut opener. That was caught up in a process that most fishermen will not know, they don’t care to know how the sausage is made, they just want to know they’ll be able to get out on the water and be able to do their fishing. We were able to do that for them, so that was a good win.
    We’ve accomplished a lot, and it takes hard work from the delegation, from you, from our teams, and from Alaskans across our state. Before I move on, I want to acknowledge someone that, as I’m looking in the gallery, I see my friend and our Lieutenant Governor, Nancy Dahlstrom. Thank you for joining us. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you back there before, but I don’t want to skip over your contributions and those of the Governor, and all that you do when we talk about working together to make things happen. So, thank you.
    It really is our people that make the difference. And that’s what I want to focus on today.      
    It’s not just the great Alaskans who make us proud at the Olympics, like Kristen Faulkner from Homer, or who receive top honors from the National Endowment for the Arts, like Chief Reverend Dr. Gilbert Trimble from Arctic Village.
    It’s not just the Alaskans who run James Beard award-winning restaurants, like Carolina and Heidi and Patricia at Lucky Wishbone in Anchorage. Or those who have built institutions, like Jack Hébert did with the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks. Or our military men and women, who we are proud to have serving in our state, and who come from all over the country.
    We celebrate them all, as we should. But today, I want to talk about another set of people who make a difference, and these are Alaska’s federal employees. There are about 15,000 of them across our state. On a per capita basis, we have more than just about any state outside of Maryland and a couple of others. I want to give them the credit they are due—and express how disturbed I am by how they have been treated recently.
    As I stand here, federal employees across Alaska are losing, or have lost, their jobs. 
    I can’t tell you with accuracy how many, because no one who has that information is either able to share it, or willing to share it. 
    What I do know is that these abrupt terminations have affected NOAA, the National Weather Service, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, USDA Rural Development, the VA, and other federal agencies. 
    These terminations are indiscriminate and many, we are learning, are unlawful. They are being made regardless of performance and with little understanding of the function and value of each position. At a human level, they are traumatizing people and leaving holes in our communities. 
    As one couple said to us, they’re not just losing their jobs, they’re losing their lives. They’re losing their community. We heard that yesterday in a discission with some terminated employees.
    No one should feel good about that.
    Now I agree, and every single person in this chamber would agree that the federal government is too big. The debt is now above $36 trillion. We’re spending more on interest than national defense. So, I support the mission behind DOGE, to find efficiencies in government. This is our responsibility—you need to find them at the state level, we need to find them at the federal level. And reductions in the federal workforce make absolute sense, but let’s do it in the right way. 
    Not like this. 
    The Trump administration’s approach lacks the type of planning you need to avoid unintended consequences, and it lacks the fundamental decency you need when dealing with real people. Public servants are not our enemies. They’re our friends and neighbors; they are integral to our economy and our ability to function as a state and as a country.
    Their work may go underappreciated. Maybe we don’t know what it is they’re doing, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
    Just because I don’t know who is processing my renewal for my passport, all I care about is getting it in a timely manner. I’ll never know that person. And I’ll never know that they’ve been working at that same job for twelve years, and it is not glamorous, but they show up, and they work, and they give me and you what we’re hoping for. So, I want us to think about the value that comes to us from these public servants.
    Today, I asked if there was any update on Mount Spurr. We’re all wondering when she’s going to pop her top. Do we want to go back to the days of KLM Flight 867, which lost its engines and 14,000 feet of altitude after flying through a cloud of ash? I don’t want that.
    In a few weeks, I think it’s April 14, thousands of tourists will arrive here on the first cruise ship of the season—do we really think one or two people can handle them all at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitors Center? I was out there yesterday, and I don’t think a couple of people are going to be able to do it.
    Do we no longer recognize that our weather forecasters save lives in our state? 
    Is it a good idea to fire the scientists who are tracking avian flu, given our status as a global flyway for migrating birds?  
    We had a conversation earlier this morning about the potential for a really bad fire season this year. With fire season starting yesterday, the earliest ever—do we really want to gut the support staff for the firefighters who will be on the front lines here?
    I was able to visit with some folks yesterday, one was a NOAA fish biologist, he’s one of the guys doing the trawl surveys, which are so necessary to be able to give direction to the council on the management of our fisheries. The fish aren’t going to be able to save themselves. We need our fish biologists, our stream ecologists, they need our help.
    I’m just as frustrated by the federal funding freeze—another area where Alaska faces disproportionate impact. 
    We have more than $1 billion in limbo, even though Congress approved the funding, a president signed it into law, and Alaskans secured these resources through competitive national processes. 
    Keep in perspective what’s being targeted will not put a dent in the deficit or balance the budget. But we’re going to see project costs go up. Construction seasons lost. Employees and contractors laid off. And we may lose some projects, entirely.
    We worked for more than 20 years to get funding for Angoon’s Thayer Creek hydro project, and let me assure you, we are not about to let go of that. So, we have to keep working to advance all of this.
    But again, this is happening indiscriminately, with little understanding of what projects mean for Alaska—how a small hydro project in the total scheme of things may not seem that substantial back in Washington, DC, but if you can reduce your reliance on expensive diesel in a community where you have no other option, don’t we want to encourage that? Making sure people understand the impacts, not only of a small little hydro project, but the impact on the victims of domestic violence who have no safe place to go.  
    I thank folks for weighing in. I kind of like this process, it can be a little unruly, a little rambunctious, but they are weighing in, and I welcome that. And then there are some very measured ways.
    President Stevens and Speaker Edgmon, I got your letter. Senator Kiehl and Representatives Story and Hannan, I got yours, too. I accept the challenge. And I want you to know that I’m doing everything in my power to make the best of this. 
    We are engaging every day to identify where we are seeing challenges presented to us in Alaska, and ways we can work to address it and get it unlocked. I’ve been working directly with Cabinet Secretaries and folks at the White House. We are making some progress, and that’s good. But, a reminder: I’m one of three in the delegation. We all need your help. I can’t do my job alone.
    When I ask you for these stories, when I ask you to share what you’re hearing from your folks back home, take us up on the offer. Don’t be afraid to give us too much. We can be more responsive and help more Alaskans when we do this all together. I’m opening the door to more work, but we’re going to pass it through both ways. 
    I also stood here in 2017 and said that as long as this Legislature wants to keep the Medicaid expansion, you should have that option. 
    My commitment remains to you. I did not support Medicaid cuts then, and I will not support them now. I know what it would mean to Alaskans, and I know what it would mean to you here in the Legislature. There may be some reasonable reforms we can make, and we have talked a little bit about them, about what we may be able to do in Medicaid, we do need to address the rising costs of these entitlement programs. But I just can’t be on board with anything that hurts our people or puts you in a budget hole.  
    Speaking of holes, I need to bring up a difficult subject: the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan. The STIP. The reality is Alaska is on pace to wind up hundreds of millions of dollars short of where we could and should be. I’m not here to point fingers, that is not my job, but I can’t solve this one. And the longer it takes to sort out, the more our contractors and communities will lose. So, let’s be working on that.
    The same goes for the Alaska Marine Highway System. We’re about to enter the final year of our bipartisan infrastructure law. We’ve delivered $700 million and counting for AMHS, but the system isn’t modernized. It’s not on track for the long-term. There’s a plan for that, but it’s a draft on paper. Unless the State steps up on capital and operating expenses, we’ll have wasted a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do right by all who depend on our ferries.
    Senator Bjorkman, I know you get it, and I commend your work on the Transportation Committee on federal funding, AMHS, the STIP, and more.  
    When federal dollars are on the table, we need to go after them, especially as spending is constrained. And when the delegation manages to throw a lifeline, I’d hope the State grabs it and uses it to reach stable ground.
    We have enough problems, without creating more for ourselves. But that seems to be what we are doing. 
    The environment in Washington, DC is, let’s just say…challenging.
    Take tariffs: that’s the topic of the day back in Washington, DC. But you can’t talk about them in isolation and say, “Washington, DC.” We can talk about it our own state’s Capitol here, and the impact.
    This afternoon I’m going to be meeting with folks from the Alaska Forest Association, and I am going to hear their concerns about tariffs, and what it may mean for some of our small operators down south from here, with China’s retaliatory tariffs.
    We also have Canada threatening tolls on goods trucked to our state. Whether they make good on that, we have no idea, but now we’re talking about what will we have to do to insulate ourself from that, will we have to revamp the PVSA. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t anticipate that we would be dealing with this in March of 2025.
    Or foreign policy, I think you’ve seen some of my comments, but I have been stunned by a turn of events that threatens to abandon Ukraine and collapse long-standing alliances from NATO to NORAD. 
    We have two close neighbors. We’ve got Russia over here, and Canada over here. How we came to a place where we are fighting with Canada and placating Russia is beyond me. As long as we have to send up fighter jets to chase off Russian Bear Bombers from our ADIZ, I won’t trust Putin, and I’m not going to be quiet, I will continue to stand up and speak out. 
    I want to acknowledge, it’s easy to stand here and say something, but I can’t tell you how proud I am of those who do get that call and who go up and lead on these intercepts. It’s the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron up north, and it’s our Air National Guard helping to facilitate these intercepts through their refueling mission. We should be so exceptionally proud of the men and women that are serving us, honoring us every day, and taking these threats that we see as just another day at work. They are my everyday heroes, and I’m just so very grateful.
    You’ve heard me describe a few things from the Trump administration that I oppose. When I feel strongly about it, I am going to say something about it. But there are also plenty of areas where I agree with the President. 
    We do need to secure our borders. We do need to stop the flow of fentanyl. Our trade relationships aren’t always fair. The war in Ukraine does need to end, and I am encouraged that there may be some progress here that we will actually see that end. Our partners and allies do need to step up for themselves and the defense of democracy.
    Things are going to be different, for the next two to four years or beyond.  We’re already seeing that.
    Some of it will be difficult—I’m acknowledging that Alaskans are out of jobs, projects are stuck or canceled, volatility in the markets, the potential for trade wars or the collapse of international partnerships, to name a few.   
    Some of it has been difficult for a while—like in our fisheries, which need every bit of help we can give amid Russia’s war on fish, trade manipulations, lawsuits from extreme environmental groups, and climate change. This has been hard.  
    But some of it is also going to be notably better. There are good people we can work with to do good things for Alaska.
    On fisheries, as we push to bring back our fish and crab, we recognize we have the ability to modernize. We need to reinvest. We need to recapitalize an aging fleet. The President’s push for more domestic shipbuilding can be great for us, and it can extend to Ketchikan, Seward, and more. So, these are good areas of cooperation.
    We also have a chance to grow our private sector and reduce our dependence on the federal government. We need to embrace that, because it will benefit and could define our economy, our budget, and our quality of life for a generation or more.
    We can put Alaska back on the global map for energy and resource production. Turn the NPR-A back into a petroleum reserve, as it was designated by law decades ago. We need to tap into the rich resources beneath a small fraction of the non-wilderness Coastal Plain. Reverse the political decision to reopen and reject the Ambler Road.
    We can get Graphite One through permitting. Produce antimony, copper, nickel, tungsten, tin, and other critical minerals. Restore our federal timber harvests to more than a single—but beautiful—Christmas tree in front of the U.S. Capitol. Lift public land orders, complete conveyances, and ensure our Alaska Native veterans receive their rightful allotments. We can not only approve, but build the life-saving road to King Cove that has been sought for so long.
    All of that is now right in front of us—and we are working hard through every person and every process available to us, including budget reconciliation—but there’s more. 
    After years of skepticism and doubt, I think we have a real chance to move forward on an Alaska natural gas pipeline. The President mentioned it in his recent address to Congress, and he’s given the project an incredible lift.
    Here in Alaska, Senator Sullivan and Governor Dunleavy have helped bring Japan, Korea, and Taiwan into the conversation. There is movement and there is reason for encouragement as we think about our natural gas resources. And I thank them for working this.
    You know I hate LNG imports with the white-hot fury of a thousand suns, but I will acknowledge, just this once, that maybe we can take those lemons and use them as part of a bigger plan to export our North Slope reserves. 
    There’s so much we can begin to partner on. Again, though, I would remind you—every one of our opportunities depends on our people. People make it all happen. People allow us to be resilient.     
    Resource development. Road construction. Fishing and tourism. Everything.   
    Our opportunities, our industries, require people. They depend on the essential workers who build our houses, keep us healthy, and teach and watch the kids while we work. To bring it full circle, our opportunities also depend on functional government—the men and women who do the trawls and the surveys, who issue permits, maintain visitor facilities, forecast the weather, and a whole lot more. 
    We have incredible potential, but it will take all sorts of people, doing all sorts of things, to realize it. 
    A big part of my job is to make sure we have people in place at the federal level who will help us. And at the state level, it’s a big part of yours. 
    We need to grow our own, for every facet of life in Alaska, so we can grow as a state. We need to take care of our own, so that people can stay and build and enjoy their lives here. And that means we need to work together to knock down every barrier we find in housing, schooling, childcare, healthcare, infrastructure, the cost of living, the cost of energy, and everything else.
    Through it all, we also need to treat people like people—because we are all Alaskans, we are all invested in the future of this great place, and we all contribute to it in our own way.       
    We must treat one another with the respect and dignity that we would wish to be treated with ourselves. So, I wish you all success in this session; we’ve got a lot of work to do. And I believe you will find it, if you keep the Alaskan people front and center in everything you do.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Coming Soon: 2025 IMF Spring Meetings Curtain Raiser

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    Coming Soon: 2025 IMF Spring Meetings Curtain Raiser

    April 17, 2025

    Join us virtually on Thursday, April 17, from 10 AM to 10:45 AM ET (2 PM to 2:45 PM GMT) for the 2025 IMF Spring Meetings Curtain Raiser event.

    Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will deliver a speech on the outlook for the global economy and policy priorities for member countries. The event will be livestreamed on this page.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER:

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/04/17/sp041725-spring-meetings-2025-curtain-raiser

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Silvaco Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Silvaco Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SVCO) (“Silvaco” or the “Company”), a provider of TCAD, EDA software and SIP solutions that enable semiconductor design and digital twin modeling through AI software and innovation, today announced that Chief Financial Officer, Ryan Benton, has resigned, effective April 11, 2025, to pursue a new career opportunity  outside of the semiconductor design industry. Mr. Benton will assist the Company to ensure a successful transition of his responsibilities prior to his departure. His resignation is not the result of any disagreement regarding the Company’s operations, accounting, or other policies or practices.

    Effective upon Mr. Benton’s resignation, Dr. Babak Taheri, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, will assume the roles of principal financial officer and principal accounting officer on an interim basis. Keith Tainsky, who leads the Company’s Financial Planning and Analysis function, will report directly to Dr. Taheri as Interim Chief Financial Officer upon Mr. Benton’s departure. Mr. Tainsky has held CFO and finance leadership positions at public and private companies in the semiconductor industry, including Exar Corporation and Amkor Technology. He joined Silvaco in 2023 and has been instrumental in the Company’s financial and business functions, including strategic planning, financings, mergers and acquisitions, and investor relations. In addition, Sherry Lin, Corporate Controller, will report directly to Dr. Taheri. She joined Silvaco in November 2023 and has been instrumental in leading the Company’s accounting and public company reporting function, preparation of periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and establishing the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

    Silvaco has begun the process of engaging a search firm to assist in identifying Mr. Benton’s replacement.

    “On behalf of our employees and Board of Directors, I want to thank Ryan for his leadership and contributions to the financial management and strategic direction of the Company. We wish him much success in his future endeavors,” said Silvaco CEO Babak Taheri. “I have the utmost confidence in Keith’s ability to lead our finance organization and ensure a seamless transition. Keith’s experience and deep understanding of our financial operations will be instrumental as we enter a new chapter for the company.”

    “It has been a privilege to serve on Silvaco’s leadership team, and I am proud of our accomplishments,” said Mr. Benton. “The dedicated team at Silvaco is well-positioned to continue executing on its strategic vision to create shareholder value.”

    In addition to announcing the Chief Financial Officer transition, the Company today reaffirmed its previously disclosed guidance for the first quarter and full year fiscal 2025, as provided in the Company’s press release issued on March 5, 2025. The Company expects to report first quarter fiscal 2025 results on May 7, 2025.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This press release contains forward-looking statements based on Silvaco’s current expectations. The words “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “project”, “will”, and similar phrases as they relate to Silvaco are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current views and assumptions of Silvaco and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations.

    These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to, statements regarding our future operating results, financial position, and guidance, our business strategy and plans, our objectives for future operations, our development or delivery of new or enhanced products, and anticipated results of those products for our customers, our competitive positioning, projected costs, technological capabilities, and plans, and macroeconomic trends.

    A variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the following: (a) market conditions; (b) anticipated trends, challenges and growth in our business and the markets in which we operate; (c) our ability to appropriately respond to changing technologies on a timely and cost-effective basis; (d) the size and growth potential of the markets for our software solutions, and our ability to serve those markets; (e) our expectations regarding competition in our existing and new markets; (f) the level of demand in our customers’ end markets; (g) regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; (h) changes in trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs; (i) proposed new software solutions, services or developments; (j) our ability to attract and retain key management personnel; (k) our customer relationships and our ability to retain and expand our customer relationships; (l) our ability to diversify our customer base and develop relationships in new markets; (m) the strategies, prospects, plans, expectations, and objectives of management for future operations; (n) public health crises, pandemics, and epidemics and their effects on our business and our customers’ businesses; (o) the impact of the current conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Hamas and the ongoing trade disputes among the United States and China on our business, financial condition or prospects, including extreme volatility in the global capital markets making debt or equity financing more difficult to obtain, more costly or more dilutive, delays and disruptions of the global supply chains and the business activities of our suppliers, distributors, customers and other business partners; (p) changes in general economic or business conditions or economic or demographic trends in the United States and foreign countries including changes in tariffs, interest rates and inflation; (q) our ability to raise additional capital; (r) our ability to accurately forecast demand for our software solutions; (s) our expectations regarding the outcome of any ongoing litigation; (t) our expectations regarding the period during which we qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act and as a smaller reporting company under the Exchange Act; (u) our expectations regarding our ability to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce intellectual property protection for our technology; (v) our status as a controlled company; (w) our use of the net proceeds from our initial public offering, and (x) our ability to successfully integrate, retain key personnel, and realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of Cadence’s PPC product line.

    It is not possible for us to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. Accordingly, you should not rely on any of the forward-looking statements. Additional information relating to the uncertainty affecting the Silvaco’s business is contained in Silvaco’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Relations section of Silvaco’s website at http://investors.silvaco.com/. These forward-looking statements represent Silvaco’s expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change, and Silvaco disclaims any obligations to update or alter these forward-looking statements in the future, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    About Silvaco

    Silvaco is a provider of TCAD, EDA software, and SIP solutions that enable semiconductor design and digital twin modeling through AI software and innovation. Silvaco’s solutions are used for semiconductor and photonics processes, devices, and systems development across display, power devices, automotive, memory, high performance compute, foundries, photonics, internet of things, and 5G/6G mobile markets for complex SoC design. Silvaco is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and has a global presence with offices located in North America, Europe, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. Learn more at silvaco.com.

    Investor Contact:
    Greg McNiff
    investors@silvaco.com

    Media Contact:
    Farhad Hayat
    press@silvaco.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Security Council Speakers Warn of ‘Gazafication’ of West Bank, Urge Israel to End Illegal Settlements, Occupation

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Israeli West Bank Operations Aimed at Dismantling Iran’s Terror Networks, Says Delegate

    Speakers in the Security Council today warned of the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and its “Gazafication” amid Israel’s ongoing counter-terrorism operations, which its representative described as efforts to dismantle Iran’s terror networks.

    “The relentless expansion of Israeli settlements is dramatically altering the landscape and demographics of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, presenting an existential threat to the prospect of a contiguous, viable, independent Palestinian State,” said Sigrid Kaag, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim.  Presenting the latest Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) — a measure calling on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem” — she pointed out that settlement activity has nevertheless continued at a high rate, with Israeli planning authorities advancing or approving approximately 10,600 housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank, including 4,920 in East Jerusalem.

    Demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures accelerated across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, she continued, reporting that Israeli authorities demolished 460 structures and displaced 576 people, including 287 children and 149 women, because they did not possess Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain.  Meanwhile, “alarming levels” of violence continued, with 123 Palestinians, including 6 women and 19 children, killed amidst Israeli forces’ air strikes, operations, armed exchanges and other incidents, she said, adding:  “Most Palestinians were killed in the context of Israeli operations in Area A, including during exchanges of fire with armed Palestinians.”

    Israel’s largest operation in the occupied West Bank since 2002 began on 21 January and has since expanded across the northern West Bank in what Israeli authorities described as a counter-terrorism operation, displacing 40,000 people, she continued.  On 9 February, Israeli operations expanded into Nur Shams Camp in Tulkarem where Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian women, one of whom was pregnant, she said, adding that two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli soldiers in incidents in Jenin and Hebron on 21 February, bringing the total number of children killed to eight across the occupied West Bank since the operation began.  Detailing other developments in the occupied West Bank, including widespread movement restrictions, the arrest of 1,711 Palestinians, settler-related violence in 11 Palestinian towns and villages, and Palestinian attacks against Israelis, she called on both parties to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric, which has, unfortunately continued.

    Echoing the Secretary-General’s observations on the implementation of resolution 2334 (2016), she drew attention to the emptying out of refugee camps in the northern West Bank during Israeli operations.  She also voiced concern that any long-term presence of Israeli security forces in the camps would further undermine the Palestinian Authority and contravene Israel’s obligation to end its unlawful continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice.

    Clear Response Needed at International Conference in June

    “Israel’s goal has always been maximum Palestinian land with minimum Palestinians,” said the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, adding:  “Instead of ending its occupation, it is attempting to end the occupied people.”  Pointing to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the “most massive ethnic-cleansing campaign since 1967” in the northern West Bank, displacing 40,000 Palestinians in weeks, he underscored the need for accountability, emphasizing:  “Confronted with this unprecedented Israeli escalation, there must be an unprecedented escalation of international measures in response.”

    Voicing concern that Israel aims to entrench its occupation, rather than reverse or end it, he spotlighted the International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in June, hoping it would be a platform for mobilization and action.  “Israel’s intentions have never been clearer.  The international response needs to be equally clear,” he emphasized, calling for “unprecedented decisions by States” to change the course of history.

    Israel’s delegate, denouncing “morally obscene” remarks equating Israeli hostages with Palestinian terrorists “legally arrested by Israel”, said his country had “no choice” but to act decisively, considering Hamas’ rejection of the offer to release the remaining hostages for a continued ceasefire.  It has struck targets with precision, eliminating “arch-terrorists” such as Mahmoud Abu Watfa, head of Hamas’ internal security forces and Issam al-Daalis, head of Hamas’ Government in Gaza.  The group has a choice:  “Come back to the table and negotiate or wait and watch as its leadership falls one by one.”

    His country’s operations in “Judea and Samaria” intend to break down Iran’s terror networks there, he continued, citing 2,000 attempted terror attacks originating there over 11 months.  The Palestinian Authority left the job of “taking care of the terror cells” in [refugee] camps in Jenin and Tulkarm to his country, he said, stressing that terrorists will be given no sanctuary, in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Yemen or Iran.

    United States Dismisses Passage of Resolution 2334 (2016) as ‘Mistake’

    The United States’ delegate, characterizing the passage of the Council resolution 2334 (2016) as “a mistake”, called on the UN Secretary-General to join the United States in putting pressure on Hamas.  Just as Hamas could end the war by releasing the hostages, Iran “could chose to join the community of nations by ending its support for terrorist proxy groups and providing transparency on its nuclear programme”, she added, reiterating her Government’s support for the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian Authority Security Forces in rooting out extremists in Jenin and Tulkarm.  “The future of the Middle East must look different.  Fresh thinking is needed for a better tomorrow,” she added.

    France’s representative, however, stated that the reason evoked by Israel to justify its new massive bombardments does not hold water, and delays in the hostages’ release cannot justify the punishment of the entire people.  Noting that settlements in the West Bank are becoming more violent, with active participation of Israeli security forces, he reiterated that France opposes any annexation in the West Bank or Gaza.  To that end, his Government has been working with all countries to find a mechanism and to use ceasefire as a starting point for resuming dialogue.

    Pakistan’s representative warned that “daily military raids, settler violence and illegal land annexations are part of a systematic effort to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people in the West Bank,” he said.  The Security Council, and the world community, cannot sit back and watch this ongoing ethnic cleansing.  “A failure to halt this brutal war will unleash the worst instinct of powerful and predatory States,” he said, urging the elected Council members to initiate measures to end “this cruel war”.  Somalia’s delegate called on States to present a united front against forced demographic changes, displacement from Palestinian communities or attempts to annex territories in either Gaza or the West Bank, a point echoed by China’s delegate, who urged Israel to “abandon its obsession with the use of force”.

    Unchecked Settlements Darken Prospect of Palestine’s Statehood

    Many speakers echoed alarm over the threat posed by unchecked settlement activities in the West Bank to the prospects for Palestinian statehood, with the representative of Denmark, Council President for March, who spoke in her national capacity, stating that such developments “rob Palestinians of their land, [and] push them into isolated enclaves, making it virtually impossible to form a connected and viable land for a future Palestinian State”.  Any unilateral attempt to change the geography of the occupied Palestinian territories is unacceptable, she said, stating that some settlements come about through settler violence.  She added:  “We have the frameworks.  What is needed is full implementation of resolution 2334 (2016).”

    “We have been witnessing what many are calling the Gazafication of the West Bank,” echoed Slovenia’s delegate, noting that, not only dights, but also dynamics “remind us of Gaza”.  “The one radical solution is a real peace,” he said, calling for the end of occupation and return of displaced persons.  Pages of history already written, including those contained in the reports of accountability mechanisms, must be a wake-up call for a new chapter to take place, he added.

    Greece’s representative, calling the Arab plan for Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction “a constructive proposal”, deplored the increase of settlement activity in the West Bank, a concern echoed by the representative of the Republic of Korea, who called the ongoing violence and vandalism by Israeli settlers unacceptable.

    On that, the representative of the United Kingdom highlighted three rounds of sanctions on violent settlers and their supporters imposed by his country to bring accountability for abuses of human rights, in the absence of sufficient Israeli action.  “The level of restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank are crippling,” he observed, underscoring the importance of ensuring that religious freedoms are respected, especially during Ramadan.

    Many speakers emphasized the urgent need for progress towards a political solution, including the delegates of Guyana and Panama, with the latter stating that, in the future, Gaza — free from extremist groups, together with the West Bank and East Jerusalem — can be integrated into a territorial and political structure.  Sierra Leone’s representative, also calling for the political process to be revitalized, expressed hope for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza, guided by the proposal tabled by the League of Arab States in Egypt.

    Noting that the West Bank “risks repeating the Gaza scenario”, the representative of the Russian Federation underscored that what is happening in the West Bank is a “good illustration” that there is no alternative to political solutions.  Israel’s settlement actions are aimed to undermine a two-State solution, he said, adding that, while Israel is using “crude force” to ensure their security, he said it is not surprising that the radical forces are popular among regular Palestinians.  The only sensible alternative is for Israel to return to negotiations, he noted, stating that the Council can and should play a role in this process.

    Algeria’s delegate said that the Israeli occupying Power’s objective in the West Bank is clear:  total sovereignty over it.  Their modus operandi is also well-known:  killing, forced demolition, displacement, dispossession and settlement.  Over 40,000 people have been forcibly displaced in the past two months in the West Bank.  Striking a note of urgency, he asked:  “When will we rise to the level of our obligations and impose respect and implementation for our collective decision to establish a Palestinian State with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital?”

    Rounding out the meeting, the representative of Jordan recalled that the Arab League summit held in Cairo at the beginning of the month confirmed the bloc’s rejection of any attempt to displace the Palestinian people from their occupied lands, and approved the Gaza Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan presented by Egypt.  This is a comprehensive Arab plan, based on joint Egyptian-Palestinian efforts, to organize an international conference on recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, in cooperation with the UN, he said.  Deploring the dangerous escalation in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, marked by recurrent military incursions into Palestinian towns, population displacements and home demolitions, he called on the Council and the international community to address these violations.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

    **Guest

    Alright.  Good afternoon, everyone.  As you know, tomorrow [22 March] is World Water Day.  I will be joined here shortly by Bhanu Neupane, the Process Coordinator for the UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] World Water Development Report, who will talk to you about the report.

    **Secretary-General’s Travel

    The Secretary-General is about to leave Brussels. Earlier today, he was in Leuven, where he accepted an honorary doctorate given to the United Nations by the universities KU Leuven and UC Louvain.  In his remarks, Mr. [António] Guterres said that by bestowing this honour, the universities are sending a message of support for the mission of the United Nations — a message of solidarity to all those working to make it real — and a message of inspiration for us to keep up the fight.

    He said the universities’ 600th anniversary coincides with a moment of reflection for the United Nations, which marks its own eightieth anniversary as an organization at the epicentre of multilateralism.  Standing here in Europe, the Secretary-General added, we know this same commitment to multilateralism is the beating heart of the European Union – a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to the world’s most vulnerable people, and proof that isolationism is an illusion, never a solution.

    Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Secretary-General renewed his appeal for the ceasefire to be restored, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally.  His full remarks have been shared with you.

    This afternoon, the Secretary-General also had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever.  I believe the readout of this meeting had just been made available. The Secretary-General will be back in the office on Monday morning.

    **Security Council

    Sigrid Kaag, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim, briefed the Security Council this morning on Israel and Palestine, and she said that hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. She strongly condemned the reported ill-treatment of hostages, as well as the fact that there are reasonable grounds to believe that hostages may be subjected to sexual violence and abuse.

    Ms. Kaag unequivocally condemned the widespread killing and injury of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza. Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, she said.  She mourned the UN staff killed in Gaza and strongly condemned the killing of all humanitarian personnel and called for the full investigation of all such incidents.

    The Special Coordinator reiterated her call for a sustained ceasefire and urged the parties to redouble efforts to end human suffering. She rejected the forced displacement of the Palestinian population from any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which would constitute a grave violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.  Ms. Kaag added that the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank is deeply troubling.  Alongside the rising death toll, Palestine refugee camps in the northern West Bank are being emptied and are sustaining massive infrastructure damage during Israeli operations.

    **Occupied Palestinian Territory

    Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that as hostilities continue across the Strip, the Israeli closure of all crossings for incoming cargo has entered its twentieth day — the longest shutdown since 7 October 2023.  As a reminder, the crossings were also completely closed for two weeks starting on that date.  This latest closure is having a devastating impact on people already facing catastrophic conditions.  Each passing day further erodes the progress made by the UN and our humanitarian partners during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.

    Beyond the depletion of stocks, OCHA warns that humanitarian operations are now being severely hampered by hostilities.  Civilians, including aid workers, and civilian assets have come under attack.  The UN is seeking concrete assurances for the safety of our staff and operations in Gaza, following the killing of six UN personnel and injury of several others this week, including in the attack on a clearly designated UN compound.  As Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said Wednesday, we demand answers on their behalf and for those who continue the work.

    As attacks continue across multiple areas of the Gaza Strip, OCHA warns that the steady flow of trauma injuries is putting even more pressure on an already shattered healthcare system.  Our humanitarian partners estimate that more than 120,000 Palestinians have been displaced once again this week, driven by intensified attacks and new Israeli evacuation orders across the Gaza Strip.  That’s about 6 per cent of the surviving population.  A new evacuation order covering areas in northern Gaza was also issued today, following reports of rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups.

    And turning to the West Bank, OCHA has just released the findings of a rapid survey of movement obstacles across the occupied territory. It recorded nearly 850 checkpoints, gates and other physical obstacles — the highest number documented in any of the 16 surveys OCHA has conducted over the past two decades. In just the past three months, three dozen new movement obstacles have been established — most of them following the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire in mid-January.  Road gates account for a third of all obstacles — and most of them are frequently kept closed.

    Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), noted that today marks 60 days since Israeli began its military operations in Jenin Camp in the West Bank.  He said that such large-scale, militarized operations cannot become the new norm in the West Bank.  This trend of escalating violence — which started even before 7 October 2023 — must be reversed.  OCHA adds that it has received just over 4 per cent of the roughly $4 billion required to meet vast needs across the Occupied Palestinian Territory — in the West Bank and Gaza — this year.

    **Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that clashes continue in parts of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.  In North Kivu Province, fighting continued yesterday in several areas of Walikale Territory, damaging a humanitarian partner’s logistics base and other civilian infrastructure.  We and humanitarian organizations in the area have relocated staff to Kisangani, in the neighbouring Province of Tshopo.

    In South Kivu, people from Burembo and Fizi-Centre have fled fighting among armed groups in several waves since 5 March.  And in Ituri, clashes in the town of Fataki yesterday continued to displace people.  Since 18 March, many humanitarian partners have suspended their activities there due to the ongoing insecurity.  OCHA reiterates that all parties to the conflict must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in military operations.

    **Sudan

    Turning to Sudan:  Today, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned in the strongest terms the looting of vital humanitarian supplies from Al Bashair Hospital in Jabal Awlia in Khartoum.  These supplies are intended to support malnourished children and provide critical healthcare to mothers and newborns.

    The Al Bashir Hospital is one of the last functioning medical facilities in Jabal Awlia.  UNICEF had managed to deliver these critical supplies on 20 December 2024, marking the first successful humanitarian shipment to Jabal Awlia in over 18 months.  The looting of these supplies will compound an already dire humanitarian catastrophe for children and families in the area.  We reiterate our urgent call for an unimpeded humanitarian access to reach children and families in need and we call for the protection of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in line with international humanitarian law.

    **South Sudan

    Our peacekeeping colleagues in South Sudan have an update on the intensive diplomacy that is under way in the country.  The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Nicholas Haysom, is working with international and regional partners, including Heads of States, the African Union and others, to try and de-escalate tensions and stop the aerial bombardment of civilian areas in Upper Nile State, which could spill over into wider conflict.

    Mr. Haysom is also engaging with influential national partners to promote a peaceful resolution.  He is urging the parties to adhere to the ceasefire and peace agreement, and to resolve tensions through dialogue rather than military confrontation. Mr. Haysom stresses that the already troubled region cannot afford another war.  And in fact, on Monday, our guest will be Nicholas Haysom.  He will join us virtually to brief on the situation in South Sudan.

    **Ukraine

    Today in Ukraine, authorities and our humanitarian partners confirmed that hostilities across multiple regions killed a dozen civilians and injured many others, with widespread damage to homes.  In Odesa, a large-scale drone attack injured children and damaged shops, warehouses and vehicles.  Most casualties were reported in the Donetsk region, while in the Kharkiv region, local authorities report intensified hostilities and disrupted electricity in Kupiansk town and neighbouring villages.

    Yesterday, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned an attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, in which children were among many civilians injured.  Apartment buildings were also damaged.  Mr. Schmale stressed that international humanitarian law is clear:  Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected.

    Amid relentless hostilities, evacuations from high-risk areas continue, with scores of people leaving front-line areas each day.  Humanitarians are supporting the most vulnerable — especially families with children and people with limited mobility — through medical evacuations, psychosocial support and basic items.  Most evacuees have remained within their home regions, while some have been relocated to central and western Ukraine.

    OCHA reports that in the first two months of the year, seven humanitarian staff were injured in six separate incidents near the front line. Attacks also damaged humanitarian assets and facilities in the Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolai, and Sloviansk regions, further hampering the response.

    **Haiti

    Turning to Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the recent United States funding freeze is having a devastating impact on the overall HIV response, including treatment and prevention.  The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) says that, as a result of the freeze, most pre-exposure prophylaxis services, also known as PrEP — which are key to reducing HIV infections — had to be suspended, affecting 80 per cent of interventions.

    The National HIV Programme estimates that at least 35,000 people living with HIV and receiving antiretroviral treatment are being affected by the freeze on USAID-funded health services.  The Programme also foresees an increase between 30 and 50 per cent in new HIV infections in the absence of prevention activities.  HIV/AIDS affects an estimated 140,000 people in Haiti.

    The health sector, as part of the broader humanitarian response, needs $43.5 million to address the urgent needs for healthcare services and support to vulnerable people in Haiti.  The Government, World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS are exploring alternatives to ensure that health services can continue.

    **International Days

    Today we have multiple International Days.  It’s the Day of Days, as we call it.  Starting off with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.  In a message, the Secretary-General says that the poison of racism continues to infect our world.  He urges everybody, including business leadership, civil society and ordinary people to take a stand against racism in all its forms.

    Today is also the International Day of Nowruz.  In his message, Mr. Guterres says that Nowruz celebrates new beginnings and the arrival of spring.

    Today is World Down Syndrome Day.  People with Down syndrome need support to live and be included in the community, like everyone else.

    Today is also World Poetry Day.  On this Day, we celebrate one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity.

    And moving on to environment-related days.  Today is the World Day for Glaciers, and coincidentally, this year was declared the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.

    And if that’s not enough, today is also the International Day of Forests, and the theme this year is “Forests and Food”.

    And tomorrow is World Water Day and the theme this year is glacier preservation.  Our guests will be here to talk more about this, but I just want to mention that in his message, the Secretary-General said that glaciers may be shrinking, but we cannot shrink from our responsibilities.

    And Sunday is World Meteorological Day and the theme is “Closing the early warning gap together”.  So, those are all the days; anything before we go to our guest?  Yes, Edie.

    **Questions and Answers

    Question:  Thank you, Farhan.  Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the Israeli Defence Minister’s announcement ordering an increase in an intensified military operation in Gaza?

    Deputy Spokesman:  This is completely contrary to what the Secretary-General has been calling for days.  And even today, in Belgium, and in the previous days, he’s said repeatedly that what we need is to get back to a ceasefire.  In what I just read at the first part of this briefing, it’s clear that all of our efforts to help the people of Gaza are at a standstill as long as this goes on.  There are millions of people who need for this to end now.

    Question:  On Sudan, with the Government forces claiming they’re back in the Presidential Palace in Khartoum and other areas, is Mr. [Ramtane] Lamamra going to make any kind of a fresh effort to bring both sides together for peace talks?

    Deputy Spokesman:  Yeah.  On that, regarding Mr. Lamamra’s efforts, he continues to engage the parties with the aim of bringing them closer to a peaceful resolution.  He’s intensifying consultations with the parties and other key stakeholders on modalities to strengthen the protection of civilians and to deescalate the conflict.  A sustainable resolution to this devastating conflict can only be achieved through an inclusive political process.  And from the Secretary-General’s side, I can say that he, the Secretary-General, renews his appeal for the parties to immediately cease the fighting and take steps towards the lasting peace that the people in Sudan demand.  Benno?

    Question:  Thank you, Farhan.  There has been quite a number of stories of people that were either denied entrance to the United States recently or have been arrested and deported or tried to being deported.  I want to focus on these last cases.  In many cases, they were not based on actual crimes, but the authorities said the people were parts of protests that they deemed as antisemitic or dangerous for the United States’ security.  Do you have any comment on this ongoing situation in the United States?

    Deputy Spokesman:  I think it’s important that all of the basic rules in terms of dealing with entrants into the United States, including migrants, including refugees and others, follow the accepted norms of international law.  And part of what you’re saying is that there are many cases where people were moved without sufficient due process, and it’s important that everyone’s due process rights be respected.

    Question:  Do you see that there is an implication for free speech in the United States, especially when we see the Columbia [University] protest and other university protests last year?  Does the UN have an opinion or a standpoint if pro-Palestinian protests are also antisemitic protests at the same time?  This is how the US Government obviously portrays it right now.

    Deputy Spokesman:  Well, certainly for us, it’s important that freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly be protected.  So, obviously, if there are expressions of racial hatred, of actual antisemitism, those are things that authorities need to respond to. But, that shouldn’t impede the rights of people to conduct peaceful protest.  Yes, Denis?

    Question:  So, there are reports that head of UNCTAD [United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), Rebeca Grynspan, will head to Moscow.  So, when will she go to Moscow, and what is her programme in here?

    Deputy Spokesman:  Yes, I can confirm that Rebeca Grynspan and her team will have their next consultation in Moscow on 24 March. That’s part of regular consultations to discuss the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between the UN and the Russian Federation on food security.

    Question:  So, will she discuss alleviating sanctions from Russian fertilizers — so, easing the access of Russian fertilizers to world markets?

    Deputy Spokesman:  I think I’ll wait for the discussions to take place before we provide more details.  But, like I said, it’ll concern the various aspects of the memorandum of understanding.  Yes, please?

    Question:  Thank you.  Do you have any updates on the condition of the UN staff who were wounded in Gaza and their whereabouts?  Thank you.

    Deputy Spokesman:  They’re receiving hospital assistance.  As you know, there were five people who were injured. One of them was lightly injured; two of them, I believe, have ever remained in intensive care, and their condition is being monitored.  And we hope that they will all recover.

    Question:  Could you help with the nationality of the two who remain in intensive care, please?

    Deputy Spokesman:  I believe we’ll provide those details further down.  The hiring organization, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), I believe is in touch with the respective Governments and family members at this stage.  Benny, I think you have a question online, and then we’ll go to Ephrem.  Are you there?  Are you there?

    Question:  Thank you, Farhan.  The ban on UNRWA, it’s been a few weeks now since it entered into effect.  How would you say it is being felt on the ground so far?

    Deputy Spokesman:  It’s affected the ability of UNRWA staff to move in and out in terms of getting visas for UNRWA personnel.  But, to the extent that UNRWA is capable of going about its work, including in Gaza and the West Bank, UNRWA continues to go about its work.  And Benny, are you online?

    Question:  I have a question, Farhan.  Can you hear me?

    Deputy Spokesman:  I can hear you.

    Question:  Should I go ahead?  Farhan, I want to ask you about the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza, which was built by Türkiye, and it was actually operated by local authorities as a cancer treatment centre.  You may have seen images online.  It was completely blown up by Israel.  And Israel argued that it was used being used by Hamas.  But, in fact, you may recall that after 7 October [2023], there are also many images that showed Israel deploying many military vehicles around the hospital.  So, I would just like to ask you, why is there no mention of this in your briefing today?  I mean, have we become so accustomed to Israel blowing up hospitals that we don’t need to bring it up?  And does the Secretary-General have a reaction to this hospital being blown up?  Thank you.

    Deputy Spokesman:  Yes.  On that, we certainly are against any of the attacks on medical infrastructure.  All attacks against medical infrastructure by any of the parties is a violation of international humanitarian law, and we stand opposed to this.  And we have reported, as you know, regularly on the fact that all of the hospitals in Gaza have sustained at least some damage over the course of this conflict, and that is an intolerable situation for the suffering population.  And with that, let me go to our guest.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Thirty-third session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat (GE.11)

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    The session is open for participation by all UN Member States. Representatives from relevant international organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector can also participate as observers. This session will be held with simultaneous interpretation into English, French and Russian. Prior registration is required, please register through the registration button.

    An audio channel will be available in English, French, and Russian on the days of the event, at: https://listen-live.unog.ch/en/

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New posts to strengthen links between University and industry Bridging the gap between academia and key industry sectors at the heart of the North East of Scotland’s economy is the key aim for three new business development executives at the University of Aberdeen.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Bridging the gap between academia and key industry sectors at the heart of the North East of Scotland’s economy is the key aim for three new business development executives at the University of Aberdeen.
    The three new posts have been created by the 430-year-old institution in order to build and strengthen links and partnerships with the business community across energy, health and life sciences, and digital and creative industries.
    It’s hoped that the initiative will foster greater collaboration as part of a wider drive by the University to support regional economic development.
    Responsible for the health and life sciences portfolio is Dr Marina Kovaleva who boasts 25 years in the sector working within academia and biotech and pharma companies.
    Marina pioneered the discovery of new drug therapies developed from the shark immune system, leading to the first preclinical study on shark-based drugs for rheumatoid arthritis and designing targeted tumour therapies. This research was spun out into the biotech company Elasmogen Ltd in 2016, of which Marina is a founding team member.
    Marina has degrees in Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine obtained from universities in Russia and Germany.
    Taking on the digital and creative industries brief is Dr Allison Noble who has held various roles in both government and the charity sector.
    Following roles involving helping NHS health boards address vaccine hesitancy and develop clear travel guidance during the pandemic and sustainability research with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Allison comes to the University after two and a half years with Research Data Scotland (RDS). With RDS, Allison helped restructure the organisation’s information architecture and implemented AI safely at an institutional level whilst working with bodies such as National Records of Scotland, Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland.

    These appointments demonstrate the University’s ongoing support for the region’s ambition to be an innovation-driven economy, leveraging our world-class research expertise to support business.” Professor Pete Edwards, Vice-Principal for Regional Engagement

    Her doctorate from the University of Southampton investigated how music streaming platforms and their algorithms impact the creation, distribution, and consumption of music.
    Aberdeen Geology and Petroleum Geology graduate, Dr Ian Brightmore, will be the lead for energy. He returns to the University, where he also obtained his PhD, with 15 years of international operator experience in the UK continental shelf, Norwegian continental shelf, Kurdistan and Barents.  
    Ian worked as geologist with ExxonMobil in Norway and Houston before returning to Aberdeen to take a position with Canadian Natural Resources (CNR) and has worked for numerous international operators since in the capacity of exploration geologist.
    Dr Liz Rattray, University of Aberdeen Interim Chief Operating Officer and Director of Research and Innovation, said: “There is an abundance of cutting-edge research being carried out at the University of Aberdeen which could have real and immediate benefits for industry.
    “The challenge is having key individuals in place with an overview of vital areas – such as energy, health and life science and digital and creative industries – who can act as a single point of contact between industry requirements and our researchers they could be collaborating with.
    “The appointment of our three new business development executives to cover these key industry sectors is crucial to maximising collaboration, fostering long-term industry links and promoting the expertise that the University of Aberdeen boasts – to the benefit of all parties.”
    Professor Peter Edwards, Vice-Principal for Regional Engagement, said: “These appointments demonstrate the University’s ongoing support for the region’s ambition to be an innovation-driven economy, leveraging our world-class research expertise to support business.
    The University of Aberdeen hosts the largest concentration of academic researchers in the North of Scotland and the new business development executives will work with industry to understand their problems, before connecting them to the relevant academic experts, and providing advice on the most appropriate mechanism to facilitate joint work.”
    Related Content

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Defence Minister Bill Blair meets with British Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    September 18, 2023 – London, United Kingdom – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

    Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, met with the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, Grant Shapps in London.

    Minister Blair congratulated Secretary Shapps on his recent appointment and noted that he looks forward to building upon the excellent defence relationship between Canada and the United Kingdom. Minister Blair and Secretary Shapps condemned Russia’s ongoing, illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, and discussed the ongoing collaboration between Canada and the United Kingdom to support Ukraine.

    Through Operation UNIFIER, approximately 170 Canadian Armed Forces members are deployed in the United Kingdom, where they have trained 2,600 Ukrainian recruits in collaboration with the British Operation INTERFLEX. Minister Blair visited Camp Lydd on September 17, 2023, and saw first-hand how Canadian and British military members are working together. In addition, a Royal Canadian Air Force detachment is currently deployed in Prestwick, Scotland. The detachment operates three CC-130 Hercules aircraft and has delivered over 11 million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, partners, and allies.

    As Minister Blair announced on September 17, 2023, Canada is also contributing $33 million (CAD) to the British-led partnership delivering high priority air defence equipment to Ukraine. Secretary Shapps welcomed this announcement, and both Minister Blair and Secretary Shapps looked forward to future collaboration between Canada and the United Kingdom in support of Ukraine.

    Minister Blair discussed Canada’s ongoing efforts to update its defence policy and noted that several of Canada’s investments in military capabilities involve close collaboration with the United Kingdom. Through a $1.168 billion contract awarded in December 2022 to Leonardo United Kingdom Ltd, Canada is upgrading its Cormorant search and rescue helicopter fleet. In addition, Canada is investing in 15 new Canadian Surface Combatant warships, whose design will be based on BAE’s Type 26 warship, bolstering interoperability between the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Navy.

    Minister Blair and Secretary Shapps also noted the ongoing participation of the Canadian and British militaries in joint exercises. More than 140 Royal Canadian Air Force personnel are currently participating in Exercise COBRA WARRIOR 23-2, a British-hosted multinational live-fly exercise held at Royal Air Force (RAF) station Waddington in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force is also participating in the ongoing Canadian-led Exercise CUTLASS FURY 2023 off the coast of Nova Scotia.

    The two counterparts agreed to stay in close communication and looked forward to working together.

    Quick Facts

    • The defence and security relationship between Canada and the UK is rooted in history and fostered by the fact that Canada and the UK are Allies in NATO and engage in close cooperation in international organizations, including the United Nations and the Commonwealth, among others.
    • The deep bond between Canada and the UK has been forged in peace and war, notably through the two World Wars, Korea, and in almost every major conflict for more than a century, including Afghanistan and Libya.
    • 170 Canadian Armed Forces members are deployed to the UK through Operation UNIFIER.
    • Since the beginning of 2022, Canada has committed over $8 billion in aid to Ukraine, including over $1.8 billion in military assistance. 
    • This includes AIM-7 missiles, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and an armoured recovery vehicle, a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) with associated munitions, 39 armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, small arms, M777 howitzers and associated ammunition, high-resolution drone cameras, winter clothing, and more. 

     

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Deputy Prime Minister meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in New York

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    September 21, 2023 – New York City, New York – Department of Finance Canada

    Yesterday in New York City, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, met with the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen.

    The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary discussed Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and agreed on the importance of continuing their resolute commitment to ensuring Ukraine has the support it needs to defend its people, democracy, and territorial integrity. 

    The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary discussed how Canada’s $120 billion clean economy plan and the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act can work together to maximize economic benefits and fight climate change on both sides of the border. By working together, Canada and the United States can strengthen our national economies to deliver more good middle class jobs and better paycheques for both Canadians and Americans for generations to come.

    The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted that Canada and the United States are natural partners, with highly integrated and competitive supply chains, and pointed to the capacity of Canadian steel and aluminum producers to supply the materials needed to grow the clean economy of the 21st century.

    They also discussed the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) two-pillar plan on international tax reform. The Deputy Prime Minister reiterated Canada’s priority and preference remains a multilateral approach to digital taxation.

    The meeting reaffirmed the close ties and friendship between Canada and the United States. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary discussed their respective work to tackle global macroeconomic challenges with modern supply side economic policies that grow the economy from the middle out, creating middle-class jobs and new opportunities for Canadians and Americans.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Defence Minister Bill Blair welcomes Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Rustem Umerov to Canada

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    September 22, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

    Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, welcomed Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Rustem Umerov, to Ottawa. Minister Umerov was received by a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) honour guard before participating in a bilateral meeting with Minister Blair.

    Minister Blair and Minister Umerov condemned Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable further invasion of Ukraine, which represents an attack on the rules-based international order that keeps all countries safe. Minister Blair congratulated Minister Umerov on his recent appointment and noted Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

    Minister Blair and Minister Umerov agreed that Canada and Ukraine are close partners with a long-standing defence relationship. Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces military training and capacity building mission, was launched in 2015 at the request of the Ukrainian government, and in 2023, was expanded and extended until March 2026. Since the start of Operation UNIFIER, the CAF has trained over 38,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel in battlefield tactics and advanced military skills. Minister Blair reflected on his recent visit to Operation UNIFIER training in the United Kingdom and committed that Canada would continue to ensure that Operation UNIFIER activities meet Ukraine’s most pressing defence needs.

    Minister Umerov provided a battlefield update and indicated Ukraine’s most pressing defence needs. Minister Blair highlighted the support Canada has committed to Ukraine since the beginning of 2022, which has now grown to over $9.5 billion in aid, including over $2.4 billion in military assistance.

    The Ministers look forward to working together and Minister Blair committed to stay in close contact with Ukrainian officials on a bilateral basis and through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, so that Canada can continue to address Ukraine’s most pressing security needs. Minister Blair reiterated that Canada will continue to provide comprehensive military aid so that Ukraine can fight and win. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Eightieth session of the Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards (WP.7)

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    The session is open for participation by all UN Member States. Representatives from relevant international organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector can also participate as observers. This session will be held with simultaneous interpretation into English, French and Russian. Prior registration is required, please register through the registration button.

    An audio channel will be available in English, French, and Russian on the days of the event, at: https://listen-live.unog.ch/en/

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Chinese anger at sale of Panama Canal ports to US investor highlights tensions between the two superpowers

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maria Ryan, Associate Professor in US History, University of Nottingham

    When Hong Kong-listed conglomerate CK Hutchison announced it was selling its two port concessions on the Panama Canal to a US consortium led by New York-based giant BlackRock, the Chinese government issued a strongly worded rebuke.

    Through government-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao, Beijing accused the US of forcing the deal “through despicable means”, and claimed that if this was completed: “The United States will definitely use it for political purposes … China’s shipping and trade there will inevitably be subject to the United States.”

    CK Hutchison’s decision to sell its ports, which it has operated since 1997, to a US-led buyer came after the US president, Donald Trump, criticised Chinese influence over this strategically vital waterway. In his inaugural address, Trump claimed, falsely, that “China is operating the Panama Canal” and vowed “we’re taking it back”. In fact, data shows that the majority of traffic through the canal goes to or from the US.

    This has stoked fears in Beijing that US companies operating ports on the canal will do Washington’s bidding and potentially seek to restrict China’s access. Beijing’s angry response indicates the rivalry between the two great powers is deep and ongoing.

    While it is likely that this rivalry will continue to intensify under Trump, the president is unpredictable. Indeed, he sees unpredictability as a virtue – a way to keep advisers and foreign leaders on their toes.

    When asked last year whether he would support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Trump gave his own twist on the longstanding US policy of “strategic ambiguity”, saying: “I don’t want to reveal my cards … I wouldn’t want to give away any negotiating abilities by giving information like that to any reporter.”

    This means there are multiple plausible outcomes for the US-China relationship in the second Trump administration.

    On the one hand, there is a very strong, bipartisan consensus in Washington that China poses a systemic, generational challenge to American power. Whereas Russia is viewed as a disruptor, China is a potential peer competitor that could build a new international order based on Beijing’s preferences and interests.

    Since Trump’s first term in office, the US has been aggressively waging a “tech war” on China to limit its technological and military development, by cutting off access to high-end semiconductors designed by US companies.

    This was intensified in the Biden years with new sanctions on Chinese tech companies, and the passage of the Chips and Science Act, designed to encourage the return of semiconductor manufacturing to the US. Defensive weapons sales to Taiwan had already been increased in Trump’s first term – and remained at high levels under Joe Biden.

    What Biden called “extreme competition” with China has become the main organising principle of US foreign policy. While Republican lawmakers have, so far, been willing to go along with Trump’s diplomacy when it comes to Russia, there is likely to be less tolerance of a similar approach to China.

    Unlike other US presidents, Trump does not seem to believe that alliances extend American power in the world – although he does still want the US to be the undisputed number one. In his second inaugural address, he vowed to “build the strongest military the world has ever seen”.

    Trump sees China as an economic adversary, one of the reasons for imposing punitive tariffs of 20% on all incoming goods. China has retaliated with tariffs of its own and and has proposed more restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals. These are vital components of semiconductors, electric batteries and many weapons – and the global market is dominated by China.

    Policy shift?

    The US State Department recently signalled a possible shift in policy towards Taiwan, removing the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” from its fact sheet on Taiwan in February. This irritated Beijing, which sees the island as an integral part of China.

    This subtle move away from the US’s longstanding “One China” policy – along with the tariffs and Trump’s hostility to alleged Chinese influence over the Panama Canal – suggests the continuation of a hostile, competitive approach to China.

    That said, as Trump’s recent diplomacy with Russia and his comments about absorbing Greenland showed, he is not afraid to upend the established norms of US foreign policy. He enjoys provoking the “globalist” foreign policy establishment. He lauds his own deal-making abilities, and would not want to fight a war with China over Taiwan.

    Trump is attracted to “strongman” leaders and claims to have “a great relationship with President Xi”. He achieves his goals by taking maximalist positions (for example, the punitive tariffs) which he uses to extract concessions. At a recent press conference, Trump stated: “I see so many things saying we don’t want China in this country. That’s not right. We want them to invest in the United States. That’s good. That’s a lot of money coming in.”

    Trump is well aware the US is heavily dependent on imported semiconductors from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) – the world’s leading chip manufacturer – and has repeatedly accused Taiwan of “stealing” the US semiconductor industry. He recently took credit for TSMC’s announcement that it would invest a further US$100 billion (£77 billion) in three chip factories in Arizona, declaring that production of vital semiconductors inside the US was “a matter of national security”.

    But it will take years for TSMC’s investments to come to fruition in terms of aiding US self-sufficiency in chip manufacture. In the meantime, it is not out of the question that Trump could seek a deal with China that guarantees US access to imported chips from Taiwan, in return for China absorbing the island peacefully. Given the historic importance of Taiwan to Beijing, this could appeal.

    Avoiding war could also be popular with Trump voters who want to put “America first” without getting embroiled in foreign wars. Although the hawkish China consensus is firmly embedded in Washington, its continuation is not guaranteed while the mercurial Trump is at the helm.

    Maria Ryan has received funding from the British Academy.

    – ref. Chinese anger at sale of Panama Canal ports to US investor highlights tensions between the two superpowers – https://theconversation.com/chinese-anger-at-sale-of-panama-canal-ports-to-us-investor-highlights-tensions-between-the-two-superpowers-252418

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The management of the State University of Management took part in a strategic session on strengthening Russia’s position in the international educational space

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On March 21, 2025, the Higher School of Economics hosted a strategic session entitled “Strengthening Russia’s Position in the International Educational Space,” which was attended by Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev and Vice-Rector Dmitry Bryukhanov.

    The strategy session was attended by rectors of major universities, vice-rectors responsible for international cooperation, representatives of a number of ministries that founded universities, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rossotrudnichestvo, Rosobrnadzor, other government bodies, and companies with interests abroad.

    The main speaker of the plenary session was the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov, who reported that at present, 232 associations of graduates of domestic universities operate in Russia and abroad to maintain ties between Russian universities and foreign citizens. Their total number exceeds 530 thousand people, and the geography of graduates covers 80 countries.

    According to the Minister, one of the global trends in the higher education system in the world remains the growth of foreign students and the increase in migration flows. Russia is among the top ten countries in the world that provide high-quality higher education. Today, more than 395 thousand foreign students study in Russia.

    “This is a great resource, and our task today is to take a broader look at the work that we are doing together. Let me remind you that Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the task of increasing the number of foreign students to 500 thousand by 2030. At the same time, we have a lot of work to do to improve the quality of the contingent of foreign students, to select the most motivated guys. We will pay primary attention to this,” noted Valery Falkov.

    The Ministry of Education and Science is developing a “white list” of recruiting companies to attract foreign students to Russian universities. Also, together with the Ministry of Digital Development, work is underway to create a digital profile of a foreign student, which will contain various information about a foreign citizen. In addition, within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, a system of grant support for talented students on a competitive basis is being launched.

    At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Education and Science noted the high importance of pre-university training for foreign applicants, for which universities need to independently create pre-university training centers abroad – the so-called remote preparatory faculties.

    After the plenary session, the experts split into thematic working groups. Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev and Vice-Rector Dmitry Bryukhanov became members of the working group on the topic of “Educational Work and Adaptation of Foreign Students in Russia”, which was led by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova. Let us recall that the State University of Management is one of the leading universities in Russia in the field of educational work. The goal of the work in the groups was to prepare proposals for the Ministry of Education and Science to solve the problems outlined by the topics of the working groups, which, in addition to the above, included the promotion of the Russian language abroad, the development of academic mobility, attracting talent from abroad, employment of foreign students, and others.

    The strategic session will continue on Saturday, March 22.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 03/21/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Takes Immediate Action to Increase American Mineral Production

    Source: The White House

    INCREASING AMERICAN MINERAL PRODUCTION: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to boost American mineral production, streamline permitting, and enhance national security.  

    • Agencies shall compile a list of all mineral production projects that have submitted a plan of operations, permit application, or any other approval request to that agency in order to expedite the review and advancement of those projects in coordination with the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC).
      • Additional mineral production projects will be considered for FAST-41 status to streamline permitting.
    • New recommendations will be provided to Congress regarding treatment of waste rock, tailings, and mine waste disposal under the Mining Act of 1872.
    • The Secretary of the Interior will prioritize mineral production activities over other types of activities on Federal lands that hold critical mineral deposits.
      • The Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Agriculture, and Secretary of the Interior shall identify additional sites that might be suitable for mineral production activities that can be permitted as soon as possible.
    • The Defense Production Act (DPA) will be used to expand domestic mineral production capacity.
    • Financing, loans, and investment support will be provided for new mineral production projects, including a dedicated critical minerals fund established through the United States International Development Finance Corporation in collaboration with the Department of Defense.
    • The Trump Administration will coordinate with private industry to ensure a stable and resilient domestic supply chain for critical materials, including critical minerals.
    • “Minerals” covered by the order include critical minerals, uranium, copper, potash, gold, and any other element, compound, or material as determined by the Chair of the NEDC, such as coal.

    SECURING AMERICA’S MINERAL FUTURE: President Trump is boosting domestic mineral production to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign minerals, enhance national security, and create jobs.

    • Demand for critical minerals has been dubbed the “gold rush of the 21st century” due to their importance in emerging technologies.
    • The United States currently imports a significant portion of its minerals from foreign countries, creating economic and security risks, despite possessing a vast supply of critical minerals.
      • The United States is 100% import-reliant on at least 15 critical minerals, and imports of nonfuel mineral commodities make up more than half of U.S. consumption.
      • U.S. capacity utilization for the metal mining industry has declined for years.
    • China, Iran, and Russia control large deposits of several minerals critical to the U.S., posing a national security risk.
      • 70% of U.S. imports of rare earths come from China.
    • A strong domestic mineral production industry would ensure U.S. companies can compete globally without overly relying on foreign supply chains.
    • Critical minerals are essential for U.S. military readiness, as they are key components in fighter jets, satellites, submarines, smart bombs, and missile guidance systems.

    PRIORITIZING U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY: President Trump is committed to ending American dependence on hostile foreign powers for critical minerals.

    • Immediately upon returning to office, President Trump signed an Executive Order to make the U.S. “the leading producer and processor of non-fuel minerals, including rare earth minerals.”
    • President Trump also signed an Executive Order advancing the Ambler Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road through Northwest Alaska that enables commercial mining for copper, zinc and other materials.
    • This builds on actions President Trump took in his first term:
      • In 2017, President Trump implemented a Federal strategy to ensure secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals.
      • In 2019, President Trump signed five Presidential Determinations finding that domestic production of rare earth elements and materials is essential to the national defense.
      • In 2020, President Trump declared a National Emergency to expand the domestic mining industry, support mining jobs, alleviate unnecessary permitting delays, and reduce our Nation’s dependence on China for critical minerals.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Delegation of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus visited the Polytechnic University

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    A delegation of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus (NAS RB) visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The meeting took place as part of the delegation’s visit to the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPbB RAS). The Polytechnic University hosted key events aimed at developing scientific and technical cooperation. The delegation was headed by Academician-Secretary of the Department of Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science of the NAS of Belarus Alexander Shumilin, and also included Director of the Institute of Applied Physics of the NAS RB Mikhail Kheifets and Director of the Institute of Physics of the NAS RB, Academician Sergei Gaponenko.

    Rector of SPbPU, Chairman of the SPbB RAS Andrey Rudskoy after a working meeting with colleagues from the NAS RB emphasized: Our partnership with the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus is a driver for the creation of breakthrough technologies. The joint efforts of our scientists are forming the scientific potential of Russia and Belarus, strengthening the technological sovereignty of the Union State.

    The program of the visit began with a tour of the Main Academic Building and a visit to the SPbPU History Museum, where the delegation became acquainted with the university’s heritage and the achievements of the great polytechnic engineers.

    The guests visited the laboratories of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications (IEIT), identified points of mutual interest and topics for future joint research, which will be included in the roadmap for cooperation currently being formed. The meeting participants discussed cooperation in the field of photonics, including the development of entirely domestic components.

    In the laboratories of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport (IMMT), the delegation saw the latest developments in the field of additive technologies and powder metallurgy, and also got acquainted with the practical results of the joint project of SPbPU and the O. V. Roman Institute of Powder Metallurgy of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus.

    Representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus learned about the areas of activity of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” and, in general, the “Ecosystem of Technological Development of SPbPU “Advanced Digital and Manufacturing Technologies”, which provides training of engineers with world-class competencies for high-tech industries. They were shown joint projects of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” with the State Scientific Institution “United Institute of Mechanical Engineering” and the Physical-Mechanical Institute of SPbPU with the State Scientific Institution “Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer named after A.V. Lykov”.

    The participants discussed possible areas of joint work, particularly noting the sphere of standardization and metrology, the use of virtual modeling to solve problems of the mechanical engineering industry of Belarus. The guests were interested in the developments of the laboratory “Industrial systems of streaming data processing” of the SPbPU PISh “Digital Engineering” in the field of algorithms and systems for collecting and analyzing data.

    The delegation of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus expressed special interest in developing cooperation in the field of applied physics and the space sector, given that the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus oversees interaction with Roscosmos. Belarusian colleagues noted that SPbPU’s experience in additive technologies and digital modeling can become the basis for new initiatives within the framework of the Union State programs, such as modernization of satellite systems and training of personnel for the space industry.

    An important event was the working meeting, at which the parties discussed priority areas of cooperation: biomedical systems, quality management in technical projects and applied physics. Particular attention was paid to the organization of a joint dissertation council and the further implementation of the cooperation roadmap. The discussion was attended by the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnology Andrey Vasin, Director of the Higher School of Biomedical Systems and Technology Olga Vlasova, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration (LMN) Ilya Bezprozvanny, Chief Scientific Secretary of the Scientific Certification Commission Tatyana Kudryavtseva, Professor of the Higher School of Fundamental Physics Research Vadim Korablyov, Head of the International Cooperation Department Vladimir Khizhnyak.

    The delegates also visited the Polytechnic Supercomputer Center, where they discussed with professors of the Higher School of Artificial Intelligence Vladimir Zaborovsky and Lev Utkin the problems of using artificial intelligence for supercomputer calculations and the capabilities of SPbPU in modeling complex engineering problems.

    The day continued with a concert “The Magic of the Organ” in the White Hall of SPbPU.

    The negotiations confirmed that our joint projects are not only fundamental research, but also applied practical developments that can form the basis for a technological breakthrough of the Union State, noted Academician-Secretary of the Department of Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Alexander Shumilin.

    At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to intensify student exchanges and prepare new applications for grants within the framework of the programs of the St. Petersburg Science Foundation, the Russian Science Foundation and the Union State.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s remarks at the Ceremony marking the 600th Anniversary of the University of Leuven [as delivered]

    Source: United Nations – English

    ear Rector Magnificus, Chère Madame la Rectrice,
     
    Allow me to address you with the expression that in my country is reserved for the rectors of the university of the Coimbra, your sister university: Magnificus rectorus, magnificent rectors.
     
    Thank you for your warm welcome, your very kind words and this significant honour.
     
    I am proud to accept it on behalf of the United Nations and remembering the women and men of the UN all over the world.
     
    You will find them working everywhere and around the clock. 
     
    Building and keeping peace.
     
    Delivering lifesaving relief in the most desperate places on earth.
     
    Fighting poverty and standing up for the marginalized.
     
    Advancing human rights and the rule of law.
     
    And striving to realize the universal values that express the very best of the human spirit.
     
    By bestowing this honour at this consequential time, you are sending a clear message.
     
    A message of support for the noble mission of the United Nations —a message of solidarity to all those working to make it real – and a message of inspiration for us to keep up the fight.
     
    On behalf of the United Nations — thank you.
     
    Distinguished Guests, Dear Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
     
    You honour the United Nations as we celebrate a remarkable milestone:
     
    The 600th anniversary of the University of Leuven, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning, today represented by the two universities that are together in this beautiful ceremony.
     
    Six centuries ago, scholars lit a flame of knowledge.
     
    Generation after generation have kept this flame alive.
     
    Through times of turmoil and triumph.
     
    In war and in peace.
     
    From the Renaissance to the information age.
     
    It is here at Leuven that Erasmus refined his humanist thought, teaching the world to see learning as a path to compassion and understanding.
     
    It was here that Mercator mastered cartography, revolutionizing navigation and the way we see our world — opening new horizons across continents.
     
    It was here that future Prime Minister and statesman August Beernaert began his intellectual journey that led to his bold vision of peace through arbitration, which was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1909.
     
    It was here that a young Georges Lemaître gazed at the stars and proposed what became the Big Bang theory — forever reshaping humanity’s understanding of the universe itself.
     
    And it was here that Dominique Pire, a humble Dominican friar, developed humanitarian principles that would earn him the Nobel Peace Prize for working with refugees and bringing hope to the forgotten.
     
    All of you are keeping this flame alive in the 21st century.
     
    Your scholars have helped lead the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — and the need for urgent climate action.
     
    Your universities played a pivotal role in launching the Global University Academy — supporting higher education for refugees worldwide.
     
    The Leuven Institute for Artificial Intelligence fosters knowledge-sharing and international partnerships on AI.
     
    Your startup incubators and technology transfer efforts transform innovative research into tangible benefits for humanity.
     
    And you are opening new doors to equality and justice through your Gender Equality Plan, and by actively participating in initiatives like the Belgian Women in Science Network to increase the number of female students and staff in science, technology, engineering and math.  
     
    This joint celebration — bringing together KU Leuven and UC Louvain — is yet another example of your spirit of common purpose and renewed partnership…
     
    One that shines a light towards a better, more equal future for all.
     
    Excellencies, dear friends,
     
    We need that light more than ever. 
     
    I am here today to deliver a simple and stark message:
     
    Multilateralism matters.
     
    But it is under attack like never before.
     
    We can and must overcome this threat together. 
     
    Now is the time.
     
    Your 600th anniversary coincides with a moment of reflection for the United Nations.
     
    2025 marks our 80th anniversary as an organization and as the epicenter of multilateralism.
     
    Our founding Charter embodies the world’s conviction that by working together and adhering to shared principles and values, we can solve global problems.   
     
    Standing here in Europe, we know this same commitment to multilateralism is the beating heart of your own European union.
     
    At home and around the world, Belgium and the European Union champion international cooperation, democracy, human rights and global solidarity.
     
    Over the decades, Belgium has brought to life its motto of “unity makes strength” — contributing troops to UN peacekeeping missions, advancing peacebuilding and supporting lifesaving relief around the world.
     
    Today, the European ideal stands as a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to the world’s most vulnerable people, and proof that isolationism is an illusion, never a solution.
     
    A strong and united Europe is not just essential for the continent.
     
    It is a fundamental pillar of a strong and effective United Nations.
     
    Around the globe, the European Union and the United Nations work hand-in-hand:
     
    Providing humanitarian aid to those in desperate need.
     
    Building peace in fragile states and strengthening democratic institutions.
     
    Defending human rights and dignity.
     
    Supporting sustainable development and climate action.
     
    And putting the spotlight on ending the scourge of domestic violence.
     
    But these and other investments in international cooperation are under threat.    
     
    Deadly conflicts are multiplying and deepening, exacting a devastating human toll.
     
    And a contagion of impunity is taking hold.
     
    Poverty, hunger and inequalities are growing — while the wealth of a handful of men eclipses that of half of humanity.
     
    The climate crisis is raging.
     
    Vulnerable countries are often locked out of decision-making rooms.
     
    Technology is outpacing our ability to protect people’s safety, rights and dignity.
     
    We see a dangerous rollback of fundamental freedoms.
     
    Women’s rights are under attack.
     
    Minorities, refugees and migrants are demonized.
     
    The voices of nationalism and isolationism are growing louder with a dangerous resurgence of strongarm politics.
     
    And donors are dramatically scaling-back humanitarian and development support — while defense budgets soar. 
     
    It would be the cruelest of ironies for the poor to be made to pay for the weapons of the rich. 
     
    Last week, I was in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh during the holy month of Ramadan on a mission of solidarity with Rohingya refugees, and with the Bangladeshi communities that so generously host them.
     
    The entire refugee population depends on humanitarian aid.
     
    But with looming cuts, Cox’s Bazar is fast-becoming ground zero of the funding crisis, with money for basic essentials like food, running out.
     
    And I am hopeful that what we are doing now with several donor countries will help us overcome this tragic situation, because without a reversal of these cuts in Cox’s Bazar and beyond — people will suffer and people will die.
     
    Dear friends,
     
    As the darkness spreads, we risk losing sight of Europe’s greatest gift to civilization — the Enlightenment.
     
    Everywhere we look, the fruits of the Enlightenment are being challenged by the voices of irrationality, ignorance and isolationism.
     
    Truth, science and knowledge are being questioned.
     
    Expertise and experience have somehow become liabilities. 
     
    And the multilateral values that the United Nations embodies — collaboration, solidarity, united action and human rights — are being undone by mistrust and geopolitical divisions.
     
    Excellencies, dear friends,
     
    Anniversaries are about more than looking to the past.
     
     At their best, they are about renewing for the future.
     
    And renewal sometimes means asking hard questions.
     
    Let’s be clear: The UN was never meant to be stuck in time. 
     
    The world has changed in fundamental ways — most notably the rise in economic influence and political power across the Global South.
     
    How, can we justify, today, a Security Council without permanent representation for Africa — home to one-quarter of humanity?
     
    How can we accept an unfair and dysfunctional global financial architecture that inadequately supports developing countries in their hour of need?
     
    How can we passively accept that the great promise of Artificial Intelligence might be won at the expense of handing over our humanity to algorithms?
     
    Renewal is the driving force of the Pact for the Future, agreed at the United Nations in September.
     
    And multilateralism must be the engine of this renewal.
     
    We need all countries working together — in solidarity — as we tackle the challenges facing our world. 
     
    In this spirit of renewal through multilateralism, I want to outline four areas where we can overcome today’s threats by standing as one and forging common solutions. 
     
    First — we must find common solutions for peace in our fragmented world.
     
    Around the world, peace is in short supply.
     
    Look no further than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — an open wound in Europe.  
     
    This brutal war is now in its fourth year and has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions — including many who have found shelter here in Belgium — and challenged the very foundations of European security and international order.
     
    It is time for a just and lasting peace. But a just peace means that it must be based on the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions, including the respect for territorial integrity. 
     
    In Gaza, since the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on October 7, the ensuing Israeli military operations have unleashed an unprecedented level of death and destruction.
     
    I am outraged at this week’s Israeli attacks in Gaza, which killed hundreds of people.
     
    I was deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the death of one of our UN staff members — and the wounding of five other UN personnel — when two UN guesthouses in Deir al Balah were hit in strikes. 
     
    And appallingly another 5 UNRWA humanitarians were also killed this week, bringing the death toll to 284.
     
    The ceasefire had finally allowed some measure of relief to ease the horrendous suffering of Palestinians in Gaza — and relief to Israeli families finally welcoming home hostages after over a year of anguish and desperation.
     
    All of that has now been shattered.  
     
    Escalation is not the answer. 
     
    There is no military solution to this conflict.
     
    I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be restored, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally.
     
    Beyond ending this terrible war, we must lay the foundations for lasting peace — through immediate and irreversible steps towards a two-State solution — with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.
     
    In the Democratic Republic of the Congo — a country whose tragic history resonates so strongly here in Belgium — renewed fighting, fueled by external interference and armed militias, has devastated communities and plunged the region into a deeper crisis, naturally aggravated by the presence of Rwandan troops, violating the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
     
    In Sudan, bloodshed, displacement and famine are engulfing the country. 
     
    The warring parties must take immediate action to protect civilians, uphold human rights, cease hostilities and forge peace.
     
    And domestic and international human rights monitoring and investigation mechanisms must be permitted to document what is happening on the ground.
     
    Beyond these and other conflicts, we need to reform the global security architecture.
     
    Drawing from proposals included in the New Agenda for Peace that we developed, the Pact for the Future calls for strengthening the machinery of peace by prioritizing the tools of prevention, mediation and peacebuilding.
     
    The changing nature of conflict calls for a review of our global peace operations; 
     
    Enhancing coordination with regional organizations;
     
    And the Pact includes also the first multilateral agreement on nuclear disarmament in more than a decade, even if we are still very far from a world free of nuclear weapons.
     
    Dear friends,
     
    Second — we can overcome threats to multilateralism by finding common solutions to reduce inequalities and ensure financial justice for all.
     
    The Pact includes a call for a massive Stimulus to help countries invest in the Sustainable Development Goals.
     
    It also urges bold reforms of the international financial architecture, including expanding the voice and representation of developing countries in institutions.  
     
    We must also substantially increase the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks to make them bigger, bolder and better.
     
    And we must review the debt architecture to stop debt from bleeding countries dry.
     
    No country should have to choose between servicing their debt and serving their people.
     
    Our global economy also needs open, predictable and inclusive trade to spur broad-based prosperity and help developing countries to better link to global markets and supply chains.
     
    The Pact also reminds us of a basic truth: societies can only thrive when all women and girls enjoy their full rights.
     
    Investing in their education, economic empowerment, and social protection is not only fair — it is essential for a better future for all.
     
    Third — we can strengthen multilateralism for the future by finding common solutions for climate action before it is too late.
     
    The climate crisis is costing lives, livelihoods, and billions in damages.
     
    Record heatwaves scorch continents.
     
    2024 was the hottest year — in the hottest decade in history.
     
    Relentless storms ravage communities.
     
    Rising seas threaten coastlines — including here.
     
    And those least responsible are bearing the heaviest burden.
     
    If we are to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees — essential to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe — the science is clear:
     
    Global emissions must peak this year and rapidly decline afterwards.
     
    And we must recognize this challenge for what it is: a moment of enormous opportunity.
     
    The benefits of the clean energy transition are clear.
     
    Renewables renew economies. 
     
    They boost growth, lower energy bills, and help us all breathe easier with cleaner air.
     
    This year — in advance of the UN Climate Conference, or COP30, in Brazil — every country must submit new economy-wide national climate plans that align with the 1.5 degree limit and seize the benefits of clean energy.
     
    I am working closely with President Lula of Brazil to drive action by the biggest emitters.
     
    The United Nations is also helping nearly 100 developing countries to prepare their national climate action plans.
     
    And we will convene a special event to take stock of the plans of all countries, push for action to keep 1.5 within reach, and deliver climate justice.
     
    I urge Europe to keep leading the way.
     
    To set strong and ambitious emission reduction targets.
     
    And to put an end to the myth that fossil fuels are the future. 
     
    We must accelerate the renewables revolution which can lower emissions, boost energy security, create good jobs, and provide cheap and accessible power.
     
    Throughout, we must continue supporting developing and vulnerable nations, by making good on long-standing promises and delivering on climate finance across the board.
     
    Climate solidarity is a moral obligation — and a matter of survival for us all.
     
    Fourth and finally — we can overcome threats to multilateralism by making sure technology upholds human rights and dignity for all.
     
    The information age is unfolding at a dizzying scale and speed.
     
    Artificial Intelligence holds great promise.
     
    But today, those benefits remain concentrated in the hands of a privileged few. 
     
    And while some are racing ahead with record investments, most developing countries are left in the dark.
     
    Without guardrails, AI risks deepening geopolitical divides and inequalities;
     
    Enabling surveillance, amplifying disinformation, facilitating cyberattacks;
     
    And even making life-and-death decisions.
     
    Humans must always retain control — guided by international law, human rights and ethical principles.  
     
    Technology must serve humanity, not the other way around.
     
    That is the spirit of the Global Digital Compact also adopted at the United Nations last year.
     
    It calls for closing the digital divide, so all countries can benefit.
     
    It includes the first universal agreement on AI governance to bring every country to the table.
     
    It calls for an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI that promotes a common understanding of AI risks, benefits and capabilities.
     
    It proposes initiating a Global Dialogue on AI Governance — within the United Nations — to ensure that all countries have a voice in shaping common governance standards that help uphold human rights and prevent misuse.
     
    And it urges support for helping grow AI tools and skills in developing countries.
     
    I will soon present a report on innovative voluntary financing models and capacity-building initiatives to help all countries harness AI as a force for good.
     
    Excellencies, dear students,
     
    These are all ways that we can overcome the clear and present dangers to multilateralism in our time. 
     
    I am convinced that we can do it.
     
    Every generation faces moments of decisive choice.
     
    Yet none has possessed our tools, knowledge, and global awareness.
     
    Today, we are celebrating history.
     
    But history is also unfolding before our eyes — and I urge you to be on the frontlines for human dignity.
     
    Refuse indifference. Choose hope. Confront injustice. Defend truth.
     
    And for that you can draw, being inspired by the values these universities represent.
     
    Dear students, I ask you today to draw strength and inspiration from your universities’ history.
     
    Dear Rector Sels and Rector Smets,
     
    I wish to conclude by reinforcing your opening words.
     
    You recounted the powerful story of the University’s library — destroyed in 1914, and again in 1940.
     
    In the midst of two world wars — and the rubble of this very city — the global shock and outrage that followed the destruction of a library sent a clear and powerful message.
     
    These were not only attacks on books and manuscripts.
     
    These were attacks on history, science, reason, knowledge and art.
     
    These were attacks on the very hallmarks of humanity.
     
    These were attacks on our common soul.
     
    Twice the forces of ignorance tried to extinguish Leuven’s light of knowledge.
     
    And twice the world answered Leuven’s call — and helped you restore that light brighter than ever.
     
    Because in the aftermath of these attacks, we saw other aspects of humanity’s soul revealed and shining brightly. 
     
    We saw generosity, in countries providing funding to rebuild, and books to re-stock the library.
     
    We saw the power of collaboration, in countries standing with Belgium and with Leuven to resurrect this library not once, but twice.
     
    And yes, we saw humanity’s hunger for the eternal values that have guided your universities for 600 years — and the United Nations for 80 years.
     
    Generosity, solidarity, renewal.
     
    This is more than just your story — it is humanity’s story.
     
    It shows that no matter the challenge, we can face down threats.
     
    We can overcome obstacles.
     
    We can build stronger than before.
     
    And so, let us carry this legacy forward.
     
    And let’s keep building  — together.
     
    Happy 600th anniversary.
     
    And I thank you. Dank u. Merci.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 14th meeting of ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism concludes in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India (2)

    14th meeting of ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism concludes in New Delhi

    Discussions focus on evolving a comprehensive strategy to tackle terrorism & extremism

    India & Malaysia assume co-chairmanship for 2024-2027 cycle; Announce Table-Top Exercise in Malaysia in 2026 & Field Training Exercise in India in 2027

    Posted On: 21 MAR 2025 12:51PM by PIB Delhi

    The 14th meeting of ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (EWG on CT) was held in New Delhi from March 19 to 20, 2025. Delegations from ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN countries (Lao PDR, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam), ADMM-Plus member states (China, USA, Russia, Australia, Japan and Republic of Korea) participated in the meeting.

     

    During 14th ADMM-Plus EWG on CT, the co-chairs, India and Malaysia conveyed work plan for the activities planned for the cycle 2024-2027. It announced the conduct of Table-Top Exercise for EWG on CT in Malaysia in 2026 and Field Training Exercise in India in 2027.

    During the two-day meet, discussions were held to focus on evolving a robust and comprehensive strategy to tackle the evolving threat of terrorism and extremism. The meeting was aimed to share the on-ground experience of the Defence Forces of ASEAN countries and its dialogue partners. The meeting laid a foundation for the activities/exercises/meetings/ workshops planned for the current cycle.

    Earlier, Myanmar and Russia, co-chairs for EWG on CT during the previous cycle for 2021-2024, handed over the co-chairmanship to India and Malaysia for the present cycle (2024-2027). India is hosting the maiden EWG meeting for the current cycle.

    In the Inaugural session, Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh delivered the keynote address and interacted with participating head of delegations during the opening ceremony. He stated that terrorism remains a dynamic and evolving challenge with threats increasingly transcending borders. He highlighted India’s efforts towards countering terrorism in the region, including adoption of Delhi Declaration during India’s chairmanship of Counter-Terrorism committee of the UNSC in 2022.

    Joint Secretary [International Cooperation (IC)], Ministry of Defence Shri Amitabh Prasad, Additional Director General (IC), Indian Army, senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Army’s Counter-Terrorism division participated in the event. 

    The Heads of Delegations of participating countries and ASEAN Secretariat also presented their views on adopting best practices for countering terrorism in the region. The delegates also visited Agra as part of the cultural tour.

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    VK/Savvy

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –