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Category: Tourism

  • MIL-OSI China: China, Kazakhstan to boost ties for regional, global peace, development

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hold talks at the presidential palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to contribute more to regional and world peace and development with stability and positive energy of bilateral ties.

    Xi made the remarks when meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ahead of the second China-Central Asia Summit.

    Xi pointed out that China-Kazakhstan relations have withstood the test of international changes and have consistently maintained a high level of development. This is due to the geographical proximity and the long-standing friendship between the two peoples, as well as the inevitable choice for the two countries to pursue development together, he said.

    In recent years under joint planning of the two leaders, Xi said, the China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future has become more substantial and richer in content, with tangible and people-centered outcomes continuously emerging, effectively enhancing the sense of fulfillment among the two peoples.

    China has always viewed and developed its relationship with Kazakhstan from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to work together with Kazakhstan to unswervingly consolidate the friendship between the two countries, he said.

    Xi emphasized that both China and Kazakhstan are at crucial stages of their respective development and revitalization, and the two countries should work together to advance comprehensive cooperation.

    First, high-level strategic mutual trust should guide the development of bilateral relations, Xi said, urging both countries to continue to support each other on issues involving their core interests and major concerns, to promote synergy of their development strategies, to be strong supporters of each other amid the turbulent international situation, and to be helpful partners in their respective development and revitalization.

    Second, he said, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation should be used to improve bilateral cooperation. Efforts should be made to consolidate strengths of traditional cooperation in trade, investment and energy, advance the construction of cross-border railway projects and the upgrading of port infrastructure, promote connectivity, high-tech cooperation as well as green and sustainable development, Xi said.

    Third, he said, comprehensive security cooperation should be carried out to safeguard peace and stability of the two countries. This includes expanding law enforcement and defense exchanges, jointly combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, and deepening cooperation in emergency management as well as disaster prevention and mitigation, Xi said.

    Fourth, Xi noted, diversified people-to-people exchanges should be carried out to solidify the foundation of China-Kazakhstan friendship. He also called for organizing well the China tourism year in Kazakhstan and encouraging more exchanges among youth, media and think tanks as well as at the local level.

    Xi pointed out that in the face of the international situation intertwined with changes and chaos, China and Kazakhstan should firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, practice true multilateralism, and resolutely safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

    China commends Kazakhstan for the extensive preparatory work it has done for the second China-Central Asia Summit, and believes that this meeting will write a new chapter in cooperation between China and Central Asia, Xi said.

    Meanwhile, as the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), China is willing to work with all member states to take this year’s Tianjin summit as an opportunity to strengthen the organization and demonstrate new development, new breakthroughs and new looks.

    For his part, Tokayev said that China is a friendly neighbor, close friend and reliable partner of Kazakhstan.

    The Kazakhstan-China permanent comprehensive strategic partnership is entering a new golden age, driving the sustainable economic and social development of both countries, benefiting the two peoples, and serving as a model of relations between countries, he said.

    Noting that Kazakhstan and China share a strong political will to enhance cooperation, Tokayev said the two countries have always supported each other on issues concerning their core interests, such as sovereignty and security, regardless of changes in the international landscape.

    Under the wise leadership of President Xi, great achievements have been made in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, he said.

    Kazakhstan is sincerely glad for these achievements and firmly believes that China will continue to achieve greater development accomplishments, Tokayev said, adding that Kazakhstan is willing to deepen strategic mutual trust and all-round mutually beneficial cooperation with China and elevate bilateral relations to a new level.

    The two sides should jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, industry, agriculture, energy and transportation, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges in culture, education, sports and tourism, he added.

    The Kazakh side highly appreciates and actively supports China’s commitment and efforts to safeguard international fairness and justice, and is ready to continue close cooperation and mutual support with China within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the SCO, BRICS, the China-Central Asia mechanism, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, so as to push forward the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.

    Following the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the exchange of more than 10 bilateral cooperation documents covering areas such as trade, investment, science and technology, customs, tourism, and media. 

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China expands departure tax refund policy to more regions

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

    BEIJING, June 16 — China will roll out its departure tax refund policy in Dalian, a coastal city in northeast China, and in Hubei Province in central China from July 1, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.

    The policy allows overseas tourists to claim back value-added tax on eligible purchases made at designated tax refund stores before leaving China. Eligible regions can adopt the policy after filing with relevant government organs.

    China began implementing the departure tax refund policy for overseas travelers in 2015. Since then, the scale of departure tax refunds has grown year by year, benefiting an increasing number of overseas travelers.

    On April 27 this year, the country introduced a package of measures to optimize the policy, including measures lowering the minimum purchase threshold for refunds, raising the cash refund ceiling, expanding the network of participating stores, and broadening the range of products covered.

    The country is also promoting a refund-upon-purchase service model, allowing eligible tourists to receive tax refunds instantly at retail outlets rather than waiting until they leave the country.

    Official data shows that between April 27 and May 26, the number of departure tax refund transactions processed by the country’s tax authorities jumped 116 percent year on year, and sales at tax refund stores climbed 56 percent.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Rural voters fed up with rates rip-off – Federated Farmers

    Source: Federated Farmers

    Councils have a mountain to climb to win back the trust of rural ratepayers, Federated Farmers says – and that starts with cutting wasteful spending and sharing the burden more fairly.
    “At the same time, councils deserve an overhaul of their funding tools and other changes to central government policy,” Feds local government spokesperson Sandra Faulkner says.
    “Council rates hikes have climbed well above inflation for several decades, but the pressure on ratepayers has only worsened.
    “When elections happen this October, voters should back candidates who commit to capping general rate increases at inflation – unless there’s a genuinely extraordinary reason not to,” Faulkner says.
    She says rural ratepayers are fed up with footing the bill for urban-centric services they don’t use and aren’t connected to.
    “It’s time to scrap unfair rating differentials and shift towards targeted uniform charges and annual general charges to reduce reliance on property value-based rates.”
    Federated Farmers is also calling for legislation changes that would require binding referenda on any council commercial projects that cost more than $500 per rateable property.
    “We’re not talking about sewage treatment plants, bridges or other such essential infrastructure,” Faulkner says.
    “We’re meaning commercial ventures like stadiums, conference centres and marinas that are beyond core council purposes and can destroy balance sheets.
    “It’s not to say these projects can’t happen, but ratepayers should get to make the final call.”
    Councils could also save money by sticking to their lane and leaving climate policy to central government, Faulkner says.
    “Councils should stop duplicating effort – and wasting ratepayer dollars – by setting climate policies.
    “To do something positive for the environment, councils that haven’t already should bring in a rates remission policy for land under QEII covenants, Significant Natural Areas and Outstanding Natural Landscapes.
    “Given that public conservation values are protected by these mechanisms, farmers deserve rates relief,” Faulkner says.
    Federated Farmers supports RMA and local planning reform that reduces delays, costs and uncertainty, and utilises tools like farm plans rather than consents.
    Significant Natural Area and environmental rules must be science-based and farmer-friendly.
    Faulkner says central government also has a major role in the drive for council efficiency and fairness.
    Federated Farmers believes road users, rather than property owners, should be paying for local roads and bridges – as is the case for State Highways.
    “We’re calling for 90% of local roading maintenance and renewal costs to come from fuel excise tax and road user charges, rather than rates. Currently, the average is only 53%.
    “Property value rates are a particularly poor mechanism to fund roads for the same reason as general taxation: it doesn’t tie those who use roads with those who pay for roads.
    “This system also lacks logic. In areas with a lot of tourism or freight, for example, locals are left paying for roading networks that serve a wider regional or national purpose.”
    The 10% cost share left with ratepayers would lock in a district say on local road priorities.
    Other steps from central government are also needed to relieve cost pressures on council, Faulkner says.
    “Crown land should be rateable, the 30% cap on council uniform annual general charges should be scrapped, and the Beehive should stop unfunded mandates – piling extra responsibilities onto councils with no corresponding funding.”
    Faulkner says with council elections looming, now’s a great chance to ask some tough questions of councillors seeking re-election – and those challenging them for seats – on how they’ll lessen the rural rates burden. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Castor, Huffman, Pallone, Booker, Reed, and Padilla Lead Charge to Block Trump’s Dangerous Offshore Drilling Plan

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), U.S. House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) along with 40 Democratic Colleagues in the House and Senate submitted formal comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), opposing any new or expanded offshore oil and gas leasing in the Trump administration’s proposed updates to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing program.

    In their letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the lawmakers warned that more offshore drilling would threaten our national security, coastal communities, marine life, and local economies – all while handing more giveaways to an industry already sitting on millions of acres of unused leases. They urged the agency to exclude any new leasing in the final program. 

    “New or expanded oil and gas leasing poses risks to the health and livelihoods of our constituents, jeopardizes our tourism, fishing, and recreational economies, and threatens the marine life that inhabits our coastlines” the members wrote. “New, unnecessary lease sales will lock in decades more of pollution and climate impacts from an industry that already holds more than 2,000 offshore leases covering more than 12 million acres of federal water, of which only 469 leases are currently producing oil and gas. The United States is already the number one producer of oil and gas in the world. There is no need for increased leasing, especially when oil and gas companies continue to impose environmental and climate consequences, public health risks, and billions of dollars in cleanup costs on the American people.”

    Members also reminded the Secretary of the long-standing legal restrictions that prevent the administration from offering lease sales in protected areas.

    “We remind the agency that it cannot offer sales in areas permanently protected under Section 12(a) of OCSLA, including areas off the Atlantic coast, the Pacific off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and portions of the Artic Ocean, including the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea planning areas. In 2017, during his first term, President Trump attempted to reverse President Obama’s Arctic and Atlantic withdrawals, but Judge Sharon Gleason for the District Court of Alaska determined that Section 12(a) does not give the president authority to revoke prior withdrawals. President Trump does not have the authority to reverse the Obama and Biden withdrawals, and his Executive Order of January 2025, which attempts to do so, is unlawful.”

    During his first term, the Trump administration proposed 47 lease sales over five years, covering nearly every U.S. coastline. Fortunately, this program was never finalized due to litigation and strong bipartisan opposition. But now, with the Biden administration’s leasing plan under review and Secretary Burgum signaling that protections may be on the chopping block, lawmakers are raising the alarm once again.

    At a budget hearing last week, Secretary Burgum refused to commit to protecting Florida’s Gulf Coast from new oil and gas leading, saying only that “the administration may be considering opportunities.” This region has long been protected by both bipartisan legislation and administrative withdrawals – protections that are now under threat.

    Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Arrests Dangerous Criminal Illegal Aliens who Escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Law enforcement is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the remaining two dangerous criminal illegal aliens

    WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it captured two of the four dangerous criminal illegal aliens who escaped Delaney Hall on June 12, 2025. Two additional criminal illegal aliens remain at large.  

    Contrary to reporting, there has been no widespread unrest at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility. This privately held facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services, including around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities for detainees to practice their religious beliefs.  

    CAPTURED 

    On June 13, 2025, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, and Passaic Police in Passaic, New Jersey. During the arrest, Sandoval-Lopez kicked and threatened to kill the law enforcement officers. This criminal illegal alien’s criminal record includes unlawful possession of a handgun and aggravated assault.

    On June 13, 2025, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, a criminal illegal alien from Colombia whose criminal record includes arrests for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted to turn himself in to local authorities at the New Jersey State Police Bridgeton Station. Due to their sanctuary policies, the State Police refused to take him into custody because they do not work with ICE. On June 15, Castaneda-Lozada surrendered himself to Agents from FBI and ICE in Milleville, NJ. 

    “DHS has captured two of the detainees who escaped the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility. On June 13, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez was apprehended. During his arrest, he kicked and threatened to kill law enforcement officers. Disturbingly, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada tried to turn himself into local authorities and was turned away because of the state’s sanctuary policies that prohibit law enforcement from working with ICE. Thankfully, this criminal alien has now been arrested and is no longer a threat to Americans,” said a Senior DHS Official. “We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to locating the two criminal illegal aliens who remain at large. DHS and FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of these public safety threats.” 

    DHS and the FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the two remaining criminal illegal aliens who escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey. The safety of Americans and the Newark community is DHS’ top priority. 

    Below are the two criminal illegal aliens who are evading federal law enforcement and pose a threat to public safety.  

    Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes is an illegal alien from Honduras who illegally entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration. On May 3, 2025, the Wayne Township, New Jersey Police Department arrested Bautista for aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

    Andres Pineda-Mogollon is an illegal alien from Colombia who overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023 under the Biden administration. On April 25, 2025, the New York City Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for petit larceny. On May 21, 2025, the Union, New Jersey Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

    Anonymous tips may be reported on this form and via the toll-free ICE tip line, (866) 347-2423. 

    ICE’s 24-hour tip line gives Americans the ability to report suspicious criminal activity by illegal aliens including terrorist activity, gang related crimes, and suspected sex trafficking. The tip line is manned by highly trained specialists who take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies on the more than 400 laws enforced by ICE. Secretary Noem will be providing more resources and personnel to this tip line to ensure DHS is able to quickly identify, locate, and arrest these criminal illegal aliens.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Arrests Dangerous Criminal Illegal Aliens who Escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Law enforcement is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the remaining two dangerous criminal illegal aliens

    WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it captured two of the four dangerous criminal illegal aliens who escaped Delaney Hall on June 12, 2025. Two additional criminal illegal aliens remain at large.  

    Contrary to reporting, there has been no widespread unrest at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility. This privately held facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services, including around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities for detainees to practice their religious beliefs.  

    CAPTURED 

    On June 13, 2025, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, and Passaic Police in Passaic, New Jersey. During the arrest, Sandoval-Lopez kicked and threatened to kill the law enforcement officers. This criminal illegal alien’s criminal record includes unlawful possession of a handgun and aggravated assault.

    On June 13, 2025, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, a criminal illegal alien from Colombia whose criminal record includes arrests for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted to turn himself in to local authorities at the New Jersey State Police Bridgeton Station. Due to their sanctuary policies, the State Police refused to take him into custody because they do not work with ICE. On June 15, Castaneda-Lozada surrendered himself to Agents from FBI and ICE in Milleville, NJ. 

    “DHS has captured two of the detainees who escaped the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility. On June 13, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez was apprehended. During his arrest, he kicked and threatened to kill law enforcement officers. Disturbingly, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada tried to turn himself into local authorities and was turned away because of the state’s sanctuary policies that prohibit law enforcement from working with ICE. Thankfully, this criminal alien has now been arrested and is no longer a threat to Americans,” said a Senior DHS Official. “We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to locating the two criminal illegal aliens who remain at large. DHS and FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of these public safety threats.” 

    DHS and the FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the two remaining criminal illegal aliens who escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey. The safety of Americans and the Newark community is DHS’ top priority. 

    Below are the two criminal illegal aliens who are evading federal law enforcement and pose a threat to public safety.  

    Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes is an illegal alien from Honduras who illegally entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration. On May 3, 2025, the Wayne Township, New Jersey Police Department arrested Bautista for aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

    Andres Pineda-Mogollon is an illegal alien from Colombia who overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023 under the Biden administration. On April 25, 2025, the New York City Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for petit larceny. On May 21, 2025, the Union, New Jersey Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

    Anonymous tips may be reported on this form and via the toll-free ICE tip line, (866) 347-2423. 

    ICE’s 24-hour tip line gives Americans the ability to report suspicious criminal activity by illegal aliens including terrorist activity, gang related crimes, and suspected sex trafficking. The tip line is manned by highly trained specialists who take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies on the more than 400 laws enforced by ICE. Secretary Noem will be providing more resources and personnel to this tip line to ensure DHS is able to quickly identify, locate, and arrest these criminal illegal aliens.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China expects to make greater contribution to peace and development in the region and around the world together with Kazakhstan – Xi Jinping /more details/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    ASTANA, June 16 (Xinhua) — China hopes to make greater contributions to peace and development in the region and around the world together with Kazakhstan through stability and positive energy in bilateral relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Astana on Monday.

    Xi Jinping made the corresponding statement during talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before the start of the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit.

    The Chinese leader noted that Chinese-Kazakh relations have stood the test of changes in the international situation and always maintain a high level of development. This is explained by the geographical proximity and long-standing friendship between the peoples of the two countries, and is also a logical choice in the desire of both countries for joint development, the PRC Chairman stated.

    According to Xi Jinping, in recent years, thanks to the joint planning of the leaders of the two countries, the China-Kazakhstan community of shared future has become more valuable in quality and richer in content. Tangible and beneficial results have been constantly emerging, which has greatly increased the sense of satisfaction of the people of both countries.

    China always views and develops its relations with Kazakhstan from a strategic height and in the long term, and is willing to steadily strengthen the friendship between the two countries, Xi Jinping said.

    Both China and Kazakhstan are at key stages of their development and rise, he stressed, adding that the two countries should jointly advance comprehensive cooperation.

    First, as the Chinese President pointed out, high-level strategic mutual trust should guide the development of bilateral relations. The two countries should continue to support each other on issues affecting their core interests and major concerns, promote the alignment of development strategies, be a reliable backbone for each other in an unstable international situation, and provide mutual assistance for the development and rise of both countries.

    Secondly, Xi Jinping said that high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road should be used to qualitatively improve bilateral cooperation. Efforts should be made to strengthen the strengths of traditional cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and energy, promote cross-border railway projects and the upgrading of checkpoint infrastructure, enhance connectivity, expand high-tech cooperation, and promote green and sustainable development.

    Thirdly, the Chinese President continued, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive cooperation in the field of security to maintain peace and stability in both countries, expand exchanges in the areas of law enforcement and defense, jointly combat the “three evil forces” (terrorism, separatism and extremism), deepen cooperation in the field of emergency management, disaster prevention and minimization.

    Fourth, Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to conduct various cultural and humanitarian exchanges to consolidate the foundation of China-Kazakhstan friendship. He called for properly organizing the China Tourism Year in Kazakhstan, encouraging more active youth, media, inter-regional and think tank exchanges.

    Xi Jinping stressed that in the context of chaotic changes in the international situation, China and Kazakhstan should firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law, put genuine multilateralism into practice, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

    China highly appreciates the extensive preparatory work done by Kazakhstan ahead of the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit and believes that the current summit will write a new chapter in the history of cooperation between China and Central Asia, the Chinese President said.

    In addition, China, as the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is willing to work with all SCO member countries to take advantage of the organization’s upcoming summit in Tianjin this year to strengthen the SCO and showcase its new development, new breakthroughs and new image, Xi added.

    K.-Zh. Tokayev, for his part, stated that China is a friendly neighbor, close friend and reliable partner of Kazakhstan.

    According to him, the Kazakh-Chinese relations of eternal comprehensive strategic partnership are entering a new golden era, contributing to the sustainable socio-economic development of both countries, benefiting their peoples and setting a model for interstate relations.

    Noting that Kazakhstan and China have a strong political will to strengthen cooperation, K.-Zh Tokayev noted that the two countries invariably support each other on issues affecting their core interests, such as sovereignty and security, regardless of changes in the international situation.

    The President of Kazakhstan noted that under the wise leadership of Chairman Xi Jinping, tremendous successes have been achieved in building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

    Kazakhstan is sincerely pleased with these achievements and firmly believes that China will continue to achieve even greater success in development, K.-Zh. Tokayev emphasized, adding that Kazakhstan is ready to deepen strategic mutual trust and comprehensive mutually beneficial cooperation with China, taking bilateral relations to a new level.

    The two sides, he continued, should jointly promote high-quality cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road, expand cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, industry, agriculture, energy and transportation, and strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges in such areas as culture, education, sports and tourism.

    The Kazakh side highly values and actively supports China’s responsibility and efforts to ensure international fairness and justice, and is ready to continue to closely cooperate with China and support each other within the framework of multilateral structures such as the UN, SCO, BRICS, the China-Central Asia mechanism, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, in order to advance the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction, K.-Zh. Tokayev pointed out.

    Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of more than 10 documents on bilateral cooperation, covering areas such as trade, investment, science and technology, customs, tourism and media. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Reforms needed to help Pacific workers access millions in unclaimed superannuation

    Source:

    17 June 2025

    Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme workers at Currency Creek. They’re joined by Dr Rob Whait from UniSA and Dr Connie Vitalie from WSU.

    Finance experts are calling on the Federal Government to make it easier for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers that come to Australia to access unclaimed superannuation once their visa expires.

    More than 31,000 workers participated in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme in rural and regional Australia in March 2025, helping to fill labour gaps in agriculture, aged care, hospitality and tourism.

    PALM workers on a nine-month visa can typically accumulate between $3000-4000 in superannuation before tax, while those on four-year visas can accumulate up to $16,000. It can only be claimed after their visa expires and they’ve returned to their home country, and the process of accessing the funds is difficult and time consuming.

    Many PALM workers are unaware that these funds can be repatriated. Plus, complex legislative requirements, administrative red tape, access to computers and the internet, lack of financial capability, and cultural and language barriers, mean that millions of dollars in superannuation go unclaimed.

    UniSA Senior Lecturer and Manager of the UniSA Tax Clinic, Dr Rob Whait, says the Australian Tax Office holds millions of dollars of unclaimed superannuation owned to workers from the PALM scheme.

    “Completing the required paperwork requires workers to be proficient in English, seeing as the forms aren’t available in other languages. It also requires access to a computer and the internet as the forms can’t be downloaded and need to be completed online, then emailed to the relevant authority,” he says.

    “In PALM countries, English is a second language, and the internet is not as readily accessible as it is here. The responsibility for making a claim lies solely with the worker, and there is no obligation for the employer here in Australia to provide information about how workers can claim their superannuation.”

    Dr Whait and Dr Connie Vitale from Western Sydney University are recommending policy reforms to make it easier for PALM workers to have their superannuation directly paid into their own super fund in their home country while working in Australia, or have the funds paid as part of their wages in lieu of superannuation.

    Analysis by Dr Whait and Dr Vitale of the issue revealed several recommended policy reform options to make it easier for PALM workers to claim their superannuation once their visa expires. It was found that allowing workers to automatically have their superannuation paid directly into their own fund in their home country while working in Australia would be the most logical option.

    The two researchers travelled to PALM worker locations across SA and NSW late last year to support workers to prepare their Departing Australia Superannuation Payments (DASP) claims and other documentation before leaving Australia.

    He says the recent visits to the PALM worker locations revealed that paying superannuation into a super fund in their own country was not the most preferred option by the workers themselves and that payment added up front to their wages was most desired.

    “A leader among the PALM workers said that he would prefer Australia to follow the New Zealand approach where superannuation is not paid at all, and instead, they get all their money paid as wages. Another PALM worker said that the superannuation funds in their country are not being managed in their best interests,” Dr Whait says.

    “After visiting PALM worker locations, we were left with the impression that many PALM workers would rather have immediate access to their money to help their families and communities now, rather than wait for retirement. Further research can confirm these preferences and impressions.”

    Dr Whait says the PALM scheme is arguably of great strategic importance to Australia since it helps to build and maintain positive relationships with the Pacific region.

    “Enhanced economic prosperity arises from PALM workers taking the skills they’ve learnt in Australia back to their own communities, he says.

    “PALM workers are collectively leaving many millions of dollars in superannuation unclaimed, but any potential reforms must consider recent political tensions in the Pacific,” Dr Whait says.

    “If done correctly, PALM superannuation policy reform presents Australia with an opportunity to rebuild and strengthen relationships with its Pacific neighbours.

    The University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide are joining forces to become Australia’s new major university – Adelaide University. Building on the strengths, legacies and resources of two leading universities, Adelaide University will deliver globally relevant research at scale, innovative, industry-informed teaching and an outstanding student experience. Adelaide University will open its doors in January 2026. Find out more on the Adelaide University website.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview: Dr Rob Whait, Senior Lecturer, UniSA Business and Manager, UniSA Tax Clinic E: Rob.Whait@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Melissa Keogh, Communications Officer, UniSA M: +61 403 659 154 E: melissa.keogh@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Dragon boat races in Toronto promote athleticism and cultural heritage (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Dragon boat races in Toronto promote athleticism and cultural heritage  
    Organised by the Toronto Chinese Business Association, the mega event attracted thousands of people to celebrate the Chinese tradition that blends athleticism and cultural heritage.
     
    Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Festival, the Acting Director of the Toronto ETO, Mr Gavin Yeung, remarked that the Toronto ETO is pleased to continue supporting the Festival. “Hong Kong brought this water sport to Canada almost four decades ago,” he said. “The dragon boat race signifies the strong and enduring ties between Hong Kong and Canada.”
     
    Mr Yeung shared that Hong Kong, as the events capital of Asia, stands as a globally connected city that hosts world-class events, including mega sports competitions, international conferences and cultural exhibitions, attracting tourists around the world. 
     
         “A notable highlight is the newly opened Kai Tak Sports Park,” he said. “Spanning over 28 hectares, this multipurpose venue is the largest sports, entertainment and mega event complex in Hong Kong.” Highlighting the concept of “tourism is everywhere” in Hong Kong, he encouraged Canadians to visit Hong Kong and discover the many exciting developments in Asia’s world city.
     
    The Toronto ETO also set up a Hong Kong pavilion with a mini-exhibition to showcase the history of dragon boating in Hong Kong. Cheering for their favourite teams while exploring the cultural favours, visitors enjoyed an unforgettable weekend.
     
    Besides Toronto, the Toronto ETO also celebrated dragon boat festivals in different cities across Canada. The festivals in Vancouver and Ottawa will be held from June 20 to 22 (Vancouver and Ottawa time) respectively. 
    Issued at HKT 5:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Jaws at 50: a cinematic masterpiece – and an incredible piece of propaganda

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Colin Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Political Communications, Nottingham Trent University

    Jaws turns 50 on June 20. Last year, Quentin Tarantino called Stephen Spielberg’s film “possibly the greatest movie ever made”. Though he was quick to add that it isn’t the best film in terms of script, cinematography or acting, he was convinced that its overall quality as a movie remains unmatched.

    I’m not so sure if Jaws is the best movie ever made – but it’s certainly the movie that I like to watch the most. It is as fascinating and multilayered as it is entertaining and depressing. As a researcher of political propaganda, I believe that Jaws had political purpose.

    I have watched Jaws well over 50 times and still, with every viewing, I spot a new detail. Just last week I noticed that when police chief Brody (Roy Scheider) leaves his office after the first shark attack, he opens a gate in a white picket fence.

    The white picket fence is often used to symbolise the American dream and Brody’s actions are likely intended to symbolise the disruption to the dream’s pursuit of capitalism as he seeks to close the beaches and potentially ruin the town’s tourism season.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The film was released in June 1975. Just in time for summer holidays spent splashing in the waves (or not!). However, despite its continued acclaim, it didn’t win any of the big Academy Awards in 1976. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest dominated that year. Composer John Williams did, however, win the Oscar for best original score, which I assume you are now humming in your head.



    Read more:
    One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: 50 years on Jack Nicholson’s greatest performance is as fresh as ever

    The film is based on the book by Peter Benchley, published a year earlier in 1974. The book’s plot is somewhat different to the film. For example, Matt Hooper – the shark specialist played by Richard Dreyfuss in the film – is eaten by the shark, possibly as an act of retribution for his sins on land. He survives in the film.

    Benchley was US president Lyndon Johnson’s (1963-1969) communications advisor before he became an author and so knew Washington’s priorities well. The film was then commissioned before the book had time to become a commercial success, which is somewhat unusual.

    The trailer for Jaws.

    The shark – powerful, mysterious, dark eyed, stalking the American people and killing without emotion – represents the threat posed by communism. The defeat of this “menace” will require the reunification of American society following its disastrous and fractious involvement in the Vietnam war and political scandals like Watergate.

    Hence, the white public sector worker (Brody), the scientist (Hooper) and the military veteran (Quint), put their differences aside to band together on a rickety and ill-equipped boat – the Orca – which was possibly meant to symbolise the wobbling US of its time.

    So while Jaws is a parable of societal repair, it is also a story of exclusively white unification amid external threats. The civil rights movement and Vietnam are inextricably linked through the service of young black men to the cause, and yet black characters are conspicuous by their absence from the book and the film. The only black presence in the book is an anonymous gardener who rapes wealthy white women.

    Human will to dominate the natural world

    In the book, the horror focuses upon human, rather than animal, behaviour. This comes in the form of political corruption, mafia influence, adultery, snobbery, racial prejudice, community disconnect and dishonest journalism. And it occurs as much on land as it does at sea. There is a large section midway through the book where the shark plays no part in the, at times, highly sexual plot.

    Spielberg removed many of the undercurrents and insinuations of the book for his adaptation. The film gives less attention to life in the town of Amity and focuses largely on the shark and the horror of its actions.

    The irony is that so many characters feel personally offended by an animal capable of instinct alone, when they as humans – capable of reason and choice – behave so badly towards each other. Indeed, the lack of an eco-centric character to defend the shark in both the book or the film is telling.

    Brody yells for people to ‘get out of the water’.

    The overwhelming horror is instead found in the treatment of the shark and the assertion that it must be killed rather than respected and left alone. Indeed, Jaws represents a parable of the modern human perception of battle against nature. Wherein Brody, Hooper and Quint, despite their differences, are united in their assumption of human superiority and their perspective that the problem ought to be dealt with using violence.

    The story of Jaws also speaks to George Orwell’s essay Shooting an Elephant from 1936. It captured the author’s dilemma while working as a police officer in colonial Burma when an elephant disrupted the regular process of capitalism by trampling through a local market.

    The philosophers Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno referred to the enlightenment as having created a “new barbarity” wherein humans are engaged in a project of destruction. Here then, a shark has had the audacity to behave in an inconvenient way to man’s profiteering from tourism and must be killed.

    Indeed, one of the biggest criticisms of the film, which Spielberg has subsequently acknowledged, is its inaccurate representation of shark behaviour and the extent to which the film’s success contributed to the decline of the species.

    Ultimately then, Jaws – the book, the film and the reaction of audiences to it – serves as a testimony to the role played by fear within human decision-making. The fear of “others”. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the natural world. Fear of loss of status or reputation.

    It’s a testament to the susceptibility of humans to become insular and violent when they are scared, but also to the distorting influence of propagandists in determining what they ought to be afraid of.

    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

    Colin Alexander 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. Jaws at 50: a cinematic masterpiece – and an incredible piece of propaganda – https://theconversation.com/jaws-at-50-a-cinematic-masterpiece-and-an-incredible-piece-of-propaganda-253498

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: Over two years, about 20 million trips have been recorded on the Aksai bypass and the far western bypass of Krasnodar on the M-4 Don highway

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    In recent years, Russia has been actively developing its road infrastructure. Large-scale projects to build modern highways are being implemented in the regions. Thus, two years ago, the construction of the Rostov-on-Don bypass (Aksay bypass) and the far western bypass of Krasnodar (FWBK) on the federal highway M-4 “Don” was completed ahead of schedule. Since the opening of traffic on them, about 20 million trips have been recorded. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

    “Creating comfortable and safe conditions for citizens to travel is an important task for the Russian construction complex. The road bypasses that we are building on the instructions of the President not only help relieve congestion in the centers of populated areas, but also make it more convenient and faster to deliver goods, and also help car travelers get to the places they need to go. Two years ago, traffic was launched along the Rostov-on-Don bypass and the far western bypass of Krasnodar on the M-4 Don highway, which became a significant event for the development of the south of Russia and the improvement of transport accessibility of the Black Sea coast. Over the two years, about 20 million trips have been recorded along the new high-speed sections of the M-4 Don. In particular, drivers have traveled along the Aksai bypass more than 13 million times with an average daily traffic of about 20 thousand cars. About 6 million trips of cars have been recorded on the DZOK during this period, and the average daily figure here reaches about 9 thousand cars,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    The Deputy Prime Minister noted that for the convenience of drivers and passengers, two mirror multifunctional road service zones were opened at DZOK this year. Due to this, trips have become even more comfortable, especially during the high tourist season, when the flow of traffic increases three to four times.

    Chairman of the Board of the state-owned company Avtodor Vyacheslav Petushenko noted that these roads are part of the main routes to the Black Sea and Azov coasts, and therefore the peak load traditionally occurs in the summer months.

    “The absolute maximum on the Aksai bypass was recorded in August last year and amounted to about 1.4 million trips per month. This year, the intensive growth of the flow began earlier and was noted already in April. In turn, on the DZOK, the peak value was noted in July last year and amounted to almost 500 thousand trips per month. At the same time, 248.6 thousand trips were recorded in May of this year alone, which is almost 14% more compared to the same period last year. According to forecast calculations, over 500 thousand trips are expected on the DZOK this summer,” said Vyacheslav Petushenko.

    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 Security: DHS Bolsters America’s Supply Chains, Critical Infrastructure, and Domestic Industry Through Arctic ICE Pact

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met with Canadian and Finnish counterparts as part of a two-day summit for the ongoing Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact), a trilateral agreement to strengthen United States supply chains, increase domestic jobs, and improve U.S. shipbuilding capabilities to defend the American people.

    “ICE Pact is a key component of America’s economic future. President Donald Trump and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem understand that economic security is national security,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “By revitalizing U.S. shipyards, creating jobs, strengthening industrial capabilities, and opening up the Arctic’s vast potential to American businesses, the Trump administration is putting America’s prosperity and security first.” 

    During the two-day event, government leaders discussed with public and private stakeholders plans to advance four key areas: technical expertise and information exchange; workforce development; relations with allies and industry; and research and development.

    The three partner countries concluded this successful meeting with a commitment to reconvene in person by the end of the year for a meeting hosted by the U.S. government.

    Icebreakers are vital for America’s presence in the Arctic, a region increasingly contested by Russia and China due to its growing potential for oil and gas exploration, critical minerals, trade route traffic, fishing, and tourism. Russia maintains the largest icebreaker fleet in the world with 40-plus icebreakers and has made the Arctic its top naval priority; China is rapidly expanding its presence in this field as well and is collaborating with Russia on Arctic expansion efforts.

    In contrast, until last month, the United States Coast Guard operated just two icebreakers. In late May, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis began its maiden voyage to the Arctic. ICE Pact will steer more investment into U.S. industry to boost our icebreaker fleet.

    Plans developed during ICE Pact meetings will allow the U.S., Canada, and Finland to build American-made Arctic and polar icebreakers.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Zinke Urges Secretary of Interior to Address Flathead Lake Levels

    Source: US Congressman Ryan Zinke (Western Montana)

    Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum urging immediate action to address the projected low water levels of Flathead Lake this summer. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), which operate the SKQ Dam, are currently projecting lake levels as much as three feet below full pool this summer. Current water volume supply forecast predicts only 72% of the average annual water supply. Congressman Zinke is calling for increased water releases from Hungry Horse Reservoir and cooperation with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to reduce outflows from the SKQ Dam in order to stabilize lake levels.

    “Montana is facing one of its driest seasons on record, and unless action is taken now, we’re looking at a repeat, or worse, of the water crisis on Flathead Lake,” said Zinke, “Our small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and communities cannot afford another devastating season. While releasing from Hungry Horse and reducing flow from the dam will not bring the lake to full pool, it will help prevent a catastrophic drop.”

    In 2023, Flathead Lake dropped more than two feet below full-pool due to low snowpack and regional drought. The resulting impacts on local irrigators and small businesses that depend on summer recreation was severe. A University of Montana study estimates that Flathead County sees roughly $600 million in annual spending from lake-based tourism alone.

    Congressman Zinke has led the charge on address low water levels at Flathead Lake, introducing the Fill the Lake Act in 2023 and reintroducing the bill this Congress.

    Read Congressman Zinke’s full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Cleaver, Davids Demand Answers on Lack of Funding for Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

    The federal funding for National Heritage Areas was signed into law by President Trump in March but has not been delivered, with no explanation

    (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) have called on the Trump Administration to immediately release long-overdue funding for National Heritage Areas (NHAs), which preserve local history, create jobs, and drive tourism across the country.

    Despite being signed into law in March, federal funding for NHAs — including the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) in western Missouri and eastern Kansas — still hasn’t been delivered. As a result, local sites are struggling to keep staff employed, preserve historic landmarks, and continue educational programs that serve thousands of visitors and students each year.

    “NHAs contribute billions to the U.S. economy annually and support hundreds of thousands of jobs, leveraging each dollar of federal funding into more than $5 of nonfederal resources,” the lawmakers wrote. “For example, FFNHA provided 61 percent of its FY24 income from nonfederal sources. Our nation’s 62 NHAs provide an excellent and sustainable model of economic development at little cost to the federal government. This delay in funding is causing significant strain on our NHAs – many of which rely on small staffs and robust volunteer networks; annual NPS appropriations are critical to attracting private donations, planning grants and historic preservation efforts, and executing educational opportunities.”

    “We respectfully request that you quickly provide us with a timeline as to when FY25 appropriations for NHAs will be processed and work to execute these funding awards as soon as possible,” the lawmakers concluded.

    NHAs are public-private partnerships that highlight culturally significant regions across the U.S., from Civil War battlefields to Indigenous heritage sites. Each federal dollar invested generates over $5 in private and local support. Without this timely funding, programs grind to a halt and community-driven preservation work suffers.

    Established in 2006, the FFNHA is one of 55 National Heritage Areas throughout the United States. FFNHA tells the stories and builds awareness of western Missouri and eastern Kansas’ past, present, and future, including stories of American settlement of the western frontier, Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War, Brown v. Board of Education, and significant figures in our nation’s history such as President Harry Truman, Amelia Earhart, and the Native tribes of the Great Plains. 

    The FFNHA supports and promotes roughly 323 partners, including historic sites, museums, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural-heritage tourism destinations in 41 counties across the Missouri-Kansas border.

    Some notable FFNHA partners in the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Truman Presidential Library, American Jazz Museum, the National WWI Museum and Memorial, and more.

    Some notable FFNHA partners in the Third Congressional District of Kansas include Old Quindaro Museum, John Brown Museum, Kansas City Area Historic Trails Association, Kaw Point Park, Louisburg Historical Society, and more.

    The official letter from Reps. Cleaver and Davids is available here.

     

    Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Rates for locals – E-002285/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002285/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Sophia Kircher (PPE)

    Tourism is one of the most important economic drivers in many regions of the EU. It creates jobs, strengthens local infrastructure and fosters cultural exchanges. However, in addition to many opportunities, it also presents challenges for the local population, such as congestion or increasing prices. This can result in a declining acceptance of tourism.

    In order to maintain acceptance by the local population – on which tourism depends – so-called rates for locals could play an important role. Rates for locals mean that all EU citizens with their main residence in a given region enjoy preferential rates for local tourism services. This reduced-price access is crucial for the public acceptance of tourism and therefore also plays a role in the long-term economic competitiveness of the tourist destination.

    • 1.In the Commission’s view, under what conditions are rates for locals compatible with current EU law?
    • 2.In the context of the revision of the Geo-blocking Regulation, does the Commission intend to make any changes in order to make it easier again to charge rates for locals?
    • 3.According to the Commission’s assessment, how has public acceptance of tourism evolved each year over the past five years (since 2020) and what measures are needed as a result for the EU as a tourist destination?

    Submitted: 5.6.2025

    Last updated: 16 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governors Stein, McMaster Call on Trump Administration to Maintain Moratorium on Offshore Drilling off Carolina Coasts

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governors Stein, McMaster Call on Trump Administration to Maintain Moratorium on Offshore Drilling off Carolina Coasts

    Governors Stein, McMaster Call on Trump Administration to Maintain Moratorium on Offshore Drilling off Carolina Coasts
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster called on the Trump administration to maintain its moratorium on offshore drilling off the North and South Carolina coasts. 

    “Because of the significant risks associated with offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production off the Carolina coasts, every North Carolina and South Carolina coastal municipality has passed a resolution opposing offshore drilling and seismic testing,” wrote Governors Stein and McMaster. “This position has been reaffirmed by other municipalities and counties, as well as state legislators and members of our Congressional delegations from both parties. We ask you to respect the wishes of our states and our coastal communities and reaffirm President Trump’s decision to protect our coastlines and the industries they support.”

    On September 8 and 25, 2020, President Trump issued memoranda protecting the waters off the coast of North and South Carolina from leasing disposition until June 30, 2032. In response to President Trump’s leadership in protecting the waters off the coast of the Carolinas, Governors Stein and McMaster are urging the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program to remove North and South Carolina’s outer continental shelf lands from consideration.

    North and South Carolina have a combined 513 miles of ocean beaches and 6,251 miles of coastline. These coastal zones are home to more than 2.7 million people and include numerous national wildlife refuges. In 2021 alone, North and South Carolina’s coastal economy contributed $9.6 billion to the GDP, supported more than 125,000 jobs, and provided $3.8 billion in wages, led by robust tourism and recreation, shipbuilding, fishing, and marine transportation industries. These industries would be highly vulnerable to disruption from offshore drilling. 

    Governor Stein has been a longtime proponent of maintaining North Carolina’s coastline’s natural beauty. When the Trump Administration proposed offshore drilling in 2020 then-Attorney General Stein strongly and successfully advocated to protect North Carolina’s coast. For more information click here.

    Read Governor Stein and Governor McMaster’s letter here.   

    Jun 16, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Completes the Fourth Reviews Under the Extended Fund Facility and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility Arrangements and Approves US$13.7 Million Disbursement for Seychelles

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 16, 2025

    • The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed today the fourth reviews of Seychelles’ economic performance under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) Arrangements. Completion of the reviews allows for an immediate disbursement of about US$13.7 million intended to strengthen macroeconomic stability, sustain growth, and reinforce fiscal and monetary policy frameworks, while also supporting efforts to strengthen resilience to climate change, exploit synergies with other sources of official financing, and catalyze financing for climate-related investments.
    • Economic growth for Seychelles in 2024 is estimated at 2.9 percent, reflecting lower dynamism in the tourism sector. Inflation remained subdued and fiscal performance was tighter than budgeted, driven mainly by underspending on capital expenditure. For 2025, economic growth is projected at 3.2 percent, reflecting slower growth projected for Europe—Seychelles’ most important tourism source market.
    • Performance under the EFF has been strong with all quantitative targets and structural benchmarks for end-December 2024 met. However, two SBs scheduled for 2025 have encountered minor delays due to capacity constraints. Progress has been satisfactory under the RSF implementation, and the authorities remain committed to the programs’ objectives.

    Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed today the fourth reviews of Seychelles’ economic performance under the 36-month EFF and RSF Arrangements approved on May 31, 2023. The completion of the reviews allows for the authorities to draw the equivalent of SDR 6.1 million (about $8.3 million) under the EFF and SDR 3.9 million (about $5.3 million) under the RSF, bringing total disbursements to SDR 30.5 million (about $41.7 million) and SDR 13.3 million (about $18.2 million) under the EFF and RSF, respectively.

    Economic growth for Seychelles in 2024 is estimated at 2.9 percent, slightly lower than earlier forecasts due to lower activity in the tourism sector. Year-on-year inflation reached 1.7 percent as of December, driven by an increase in utility prices and pass-through effects of currency depreciation. Fiscal performance was tighter than budgeted driven mainly by underspending on capital expenditure, with a  primary surplus equivalent to 3.2 percent of GDP in 2024. The Central Bank of Seychelles has maintained an accommodative monetary stance. The current account deficit widened to 7.9 percent of GDP in 2024, but gross international reserves increased to $774 million, equivalent to 3.8 months of imports or 115 percent of the Assessing Reserve Adequacy (or ARA) metric.

    EFF-supported program implementation has been strong. All quantitative program targets (QPCs) and structural benchmarks (SBs) for end-December 2024 were met. However, two SBs scheduled for the first half of 2025 have encountered minor delays due to capacity constraints. Progress has been satisfactory on RSF implementation. All reform measures (RMs) for March 2025 have been implemented. However,  one component of an RM scheduled for April 2025 (related to energy pricing and the issuance of a new multi-year electricity tariff system) is delayed and expected to be completed in November. The authorities requested minor modifications for two RMs slated for December 2025. 

    The outlook suggests low but stable growth for 2025 and beyond but is subject to considerable uncertainty. Real GDP growth is projected at 3.2 percent for 2025 compared to 4.3 percent at the previous reviews. The downward revision reflects slower a weaker outlook for tourist activity on the back of slower growth in Europe (Seychelles’ most important tourism source market). Year-on-year inflation is expected to moderate to 1.2 percent by end-2025 due to lower utility, fuel and food prices. Reserve coverage is expected to increase to 3.9 months of import cover in 2025. Near-term downside risks relate mainly to how slower global growth and higher uncertainty translate into tourism arrivals and spending.

    Going forward, continuation of prudent macroeconomic policies is paramount for maintaining resilience. The authorities’ near-term priorities are to support economic growth, strengthen fiscal and external positions, and maintain prudent monetary policy and a sound financial sector. In the medium-term, the authorities’ aim to continue a steady fiscal consolidation to reduce the ratio of public debt to GDP, while simultaneously improving the efficiency of public spending. Building capacity with respect to public financial management and financial sector supervision is another key focus. The structural reform agenda emphasizes revenue administration, public financial and investment management, climate change resilience, and governance improvements, including digitalization and transparency.

    Following the Executive Board’s discussion, Mr. Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director, and acting Chair, issued the following statement:

    “Seychelles has continued to demonstrate sound macroeconomic management and commitment to structural reforms. Lower than expected GDP growth for 2024 reflected lower tourism income and weakened performance in such sectors as accommodation, food services, and transportation. Fiscal outturns have been tighter than projected, reflecting delays in execution of capital projects, bottlenecks in public procurement, and civil service recruitment delays. Monetary policy remains accommodative in the face of low inflation. Good progress has been made on essential macrostructural reforms.

    “For the fourth reviews, program performance under the EFF was strong, with all quantitative program targets and structural benchmarks through end-December successfully met. Progress has also been satisfactory on RSF implementation, with all RMs through March implemented and only one component of an RM scheduled for April has been delayed. The authorities continue to implement an ambitious reform agenda and prudent fiscal and monetary policies in the face of an increasingly challenging external environment.

    “The authorities should remain vigilant with respect to near and medium-term risks as the outlook is subject to rising uncertainty. These include a slowdown in tourism activity due to slower growth projected for Europe—Seychelles’ most important tourism source market. Commodity price volatility could also feed through to inflation, while global trade tensions may reduce FDI and lead to tighter financial conditions. The EFF arrangement will continue to help protect macroeconomic stability and support stronger fiscal and external buffers, while advancing the authorities’ structural reform agenda.

    “The authorities are advancing with reforms under the RSF to enhance the climate-resilience of public investments, diversify financing, and strengthen assessment and disclosure of climate-related financial sector risk. Successful implementation of the reform agenda will enhance economic resilience and external financing risks by building institutional capacity for public investment in climate adaptation and diversifying Seychelles’ power generation capacity—reducing its dependence on imported energy. Continued collaboration with the IMF and other partners will be important to help fill capacity gaps and to mobilize climate finance.”

    Seychelles: Selected Economic and Financial Indicators, 2022-30
     
     

    2022

    2023

    		  

    2024

    		  

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030
     

    Act.

    Prel.

    Proj.
     

    (Annual percent change, unless otherwise indicated)
                           

    National income and prices

    		                  

    Nominal GDP (millions of Seychelles rupees)

    28,807

    30,663

    		  

    31,643

    		  

    32,899

    34,464

    36,466

    38,841

    41,396

    44,121

    Real GDP (millions of Seychelles rupees)

    25,585

    26,163

    26,935

    27,808

    28,692

    29,662

    30,673

    31,731

    32,835

    Real GDP

    12.7

    2.3

    2.9

    3.2

    3.2

    3.4

    3.4

    3.4

    3.5

    CPI (annual average)

    2.6

    -0.9

    0.3

    1.0

    2.0

    2.6

    3.0

    3.0

    3.0

    CPI (end-of-period)

    2.5

    -2.7

    1.7

    1.2

    2.6

    2.8

    3.0

    3.0

    3.0

    GDP deflator average

    1.6

    4.1

    0.2

    0.7

    1.5

    2.3

    3.0

    3.0

    3.0
               
               

    Money and credit

    		            

    Broad money

    0.6

    5.8

    		  

    7.3

    		  

    7.0

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Reserve money (end-of-period)

    -3.0

    -3.5

    		  

    -4.3

    		  

    -2.2

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Velocity (GDP/broad money)

    1.2

    1.2

    		  

    1.2

    		  

    1.1

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Money multiplier (broad money/reserve money)

    3.4

    3.7

    		  

    4.2

    		  

    4.6

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Credit to the private sector 5

    4.0

    7.4

    		  

    12.1

    		  

    9.4

    9.1

    8.6

    8.4

    8.1

    8.0
                       
     

    (Percent of GDP, unless otherwise indicated)

    		    

    Savings-Investment balance

    		                      

    External savings

    7.5

    7.4

    7.9

    9.2

    9.2

    8.8

    8.4

    8.6

    8.8

    Gross national savings

    15.5

    17.3

    		  

    16.1

    		  

    16.6

    16.4

    16.9

    17.5

    17.3

    17.2

    Of which:  government savings

    1.2

    2.1

    		  

    3.3

    		  

    3.2

    2.5

    3.7

    4.6

    5.2

    5.4

    private savings

    14.4

    15.2

    		  

    12.8

    		  

    13.4

    13.9

    13.2

    12.9

    12.0

    11.8

    Gross investment

    23.1

    24.7

    		  

    24.0

    		  

    25.9

    25.6

    25.7

    25.9

    25.9

    26.0

    Of which:  public investment 1

    2.7

    4.2

    3.5

    5.3

    5.0

    5.1

    5.3

    5.3

    5.4

    private investment

    20.4

    20.5

    20.5

    20.6

    20.6

    20.6

    20.6

    20.6

    20.6

    Private consumption

    50.6

    49.4

    		  

    49.8

    		  

    48.6

    47.6

    48.0

    47.8

    48.9

    49.6
     

    (Percent of GDP)

    		    

    Government budget 

    		                  

    Total revenue, excluding grants

    30.0

    30.9

    		  

    33.4

    		  

    34.5

    34.3

    34.8

    35.0

    34.8

    34.7

    Expenditure and net lending

    31.6

    32.9

    		  

    33.9

    		  

    37.3

    37.2

    36.1

    35.7

    34.9

    34.7

    Current expenditure

    29.2

    29.2

    		  

    30.2

    		  

    31.6

    31.8

    31.0

    30.3

    29.6

    29.3

    Capital expenditure 1

    2.7

    4.2

    		  

    3.5

    		  

    5.2

    5.0

    5.1

    5.3

    5.3

    5.4

    Overall balance, including grants

    0.1

    0.2

    		  

    0.9

    		  

    -1.7

    -1.3

    -0.4

    0.1

    0.7

    0.7

    Primary balance

    1.0

    1.7

    		  

    3.2

    		  

    1.2

    1.8

    2.5

    2.9

    3.1

    3.1

    Total government and government-guaranteed debt 2

    62.6

    57.3

    		  

    59.6

    		  

    61.2

    61.8

    60.4

    56.8

    52.6

    49.0
                       

    External sector

    		                      

    Current account balance including official transfers
     (in percent of GDP)

    -7.5

    -7.4

    		  

    -7.9

    		  

    -9.2

    -9.2

    -8.8

    -8.4

    -8.6

    -8.8

    Total external debt outstanding (millions of U.S. dollars) 3

    5,471

    5,694

    		  

    5,945

    		  

    6,208

    6,428

    6,645

    6,585

    6,588

    6,620

     (percent of GDP)

    271.1

    260.3

    		  

    273.0

    		  

    283.8

    285.0

    282.9

    267.4

    255.0

    242.2

    Terms of trade (-=deterioration)

    -8.7

    -4.0

    		  

    2.1

    		  

    0.8

    -1.7

    -1.3

    -0.9

    -0.8

    -0.6

    Gross official reserves (end of year, millions of U.S. dollars)

    639

    682

    		  

    774

    		  

    817

    830

    862

    893

    956

    1,021

    Months of imports, c.i.f.

    3.1

    3.4

    		  

    3.8

    		  

    3.9

    3.8

    3.8

    3.8

    3.8

    3.9

    In percent of Assessing Reserve Adequacy (ARA) metric

    102

    105

    115

    118

    117

    118

    119

    124

    127

    Exchange rate

    		                      

    Seychelles rupees per US$1 (end-of-period)

    14.1

    14.2

    		  

    14.8

    		  

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Seychelles rupees per US$1 (period average)

    14.3

    14.0

    		  

    14.5

    		  

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …
                       

    Sources: Central Bank of Seychelles; Ministry of Finance; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

      1 Includes onlending to the parastatals for investment purposes.

    		      

      2 Includes debt issued by the Ministry of Finance for monetary purposes.

    		          

      3 Includes private external debt.

    		            
    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Kwabena Akuamoah-Boateng

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/16/pr-25199-seychelles-imf-4th-rev-eff-rsf-apr-usd-13-point-7-mill

    MIL OSI

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  • MIL-OSI Global: Jaws at 50: a cinematic masterpiece – and an incredible piece of propaganda

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Colin Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Political Communications, Nottingham Trent University

    Jaws turns 50 on June 20. Last year, Quentin Tarantino called Stephen Spielberg’s film “possibly the greatest movie ever made”. Though he was quick to add that it isn’t the best film in terms of script, cinematography or acting, he was convinced that its overall quality as a movie remains unmatched.

    I’m not so sure if Jaws is the best movie ever made – but it’s certainly the movie that I like to watch the most. It is as fascinating and multilayered as it is entertaining and depressing. As a researcher of political propaganda, I believe that Jaws had political purpose.

    I have watched Jaws well over 50 times and still, with every viewing, I spot a new detail. Just last week I noticed that when police chief Brody (Roy Scheider) leaves his office after the first shark attack, he opens a gate in a white picket fence.

    The white picket fence is often used to symbolise the American dream and Brody’s actions are likely intended to symbolise the disruption to the dream’s pursuit of capitalism as he seeks to close the beaches and potentially ruin the town’s tourism season.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The film was released in June 1975. Just in time for summer holidays spent splashing in the waves (or not!). However, despite its continued acclaim, it didn’t win any of the big Academy Awards in 1976. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest dominated that year. Composer John Williams did, however, win the Oscar for best original score, which I assume you are now humming in your head.



    Read more:
    One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: 50 years on Jack Nicholson’s greatest performance is as fresh as ever

    The film is based on the book by Peter Benchley, published a year earlier in 1974. The book’s plot is somewhat different to the film. For example, Matt Hooper – the shark specialist played by Richard Dreyfuss in the film – is eaten by the shark, possibly as an act of retribution for his sins on land. He survives in the film.

    Benchley was US president Lyndon Johnson’s (1963-1969) communications advisor before he became an author and so knew Washington’s priorities well. The film was then commissioned before the book had time to become a commercial success, which is somewhat unusual.

    The trailer for Jaws.

    The shark – powerful, mysterious, dark eyed, stalking the American people and killing without emotion – represents the threat posed by communism. The defeat of this “menace” will require the reunification of American society following its disastrous and fractious involvement in the Vietnam war and political scandals like Watergate.

    Hence, the white public sector worker (Brody), the scientist (Hooper) and the military veteran (Quint), put their differences aside to band together on a rickety and ill-equipped boat – the Orca – which was possibly meant to symbolise the wobbling US of its time.

    So while Jaws is a parable of societal repair, it is also a story of exclusively white unification amid external threats. The civil rights movement and Vietnam are inextricably linked through the service of young black men to the cause, and yet black characters are conspicuous by their absence from the book and the film. The only black presence in the book is an anonymous gardener who rapes wealthy white women.

    Human will to dominate the natural world

    In the book, the horror focuses upon human, rather than animal, behaviour. This comes in the form of political corruption, mafia influence, adultery, snobbery, racial prejudice, community disconnect and dishonest journalism. And it occurs as much on land as it does at sea. There is a large section midway through the book where the shark plays no part in the, at times, highly sexual plot.

    Spielberg removed many of the undercurrents and insinuations of the book for his adaptation. The film gives less attention to life in the town of Amity and focuses largely on the shark and the horror of its actions.

    The irony is that so many characters feel personally offended by an animal capable of instinct alone, when they as humans – capable of reason and choice – behave so badly towards each other. Indeed, the lack of an eco-centric character to defend the shark in both the book or the film is telling.

    Brody yells for people to ‘get out of the water’.

    The overwhelming horror is instead found in the treatment of the shark and the assertion that it must be killed rather than respected and left alone. Indeed, Jaws represents a parable of the modern human perception of battle against nature. Wherein Brody, Hooper and Quint, despite their differences, are united in their assumption of human superiority and their perspective that the problem ought to be dealt with using violence.

    The story of Jaws also speaks to George Orwell’s essay Shooting an Elephant from 1936. It captured the author’s dilemma while working as a police officer in colonial Burma when an elephant disrupted the regular process of capitalism by trampling through a local market.

    The philosophers Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno referred to the enlightenment as having created a “new barbarity” wherein humans are engaged in a project of destruction. Here then, a shark has had the audacity to behave in an inconvenient way to man’s profiteering from tourism and must be killed.

    Indeed, one of the biggest criticisms of the film, which Spielberg has subsequently acknowledged, is its inaccurate representation of shark behaviour and the extent to which the film’s success contributed to the decline of the species.

    Ultimately then, Jaws – the book, the film and the reaction of audiences to it – serves as a testimony to the role played by fear within human decision-making. The fear of “others”. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the natural world. Fear of loss of status or reputation.

    It’s a testament to the susceptibility of humans to become insular and violent when they are scared, but also to the distorting influence of propagandists in determining what they ought to be afraid of.

    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

    Colin Alexander 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. Jaws at 50: a cinematic masterpiece – and an incredible piece of propaganda – https://theconversation.com/jaws-at-50-a-cinematic-masterpiece-and-an-incredible-piece-of-propaganda-253498

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China extends VAT refund policy for foreign tourists to new regions

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese authorities will implement a policy of refunding value-added tax (VAT) to foreign tourists leaving the country in northeast China’s Dalian City and central China’s Hubei Province from July 1, the Ministry of Finance said Monday.

    The policy allows foreign tourists to receive VAT refunds for eligible purchases made at covered stores before leaving China. Relevant regions can implement the policy after applying to relevant government agencies.

    China began implementing the VAT refund policy for foreign tourists upon exiting the country in 2015. Since then, the scale of the tax refund has increased annually, benefiting more and more overseas travelers.

    On April 27 this year, China adopted a package of measures to streamline this policy, including measures to lower the minimum purchase amount for refund, increase the maximum cash back amount, expand the network of participating stores, and expand the range of products covered by the return policy.

    In addition, China is promoting a VAT refund model at the time of purchase, allowing tourists to receive refunds directly at retail points of sale without waiting until they leave the country.

    According to official data, from April 27 to May 26, the number of exit VAT refund transactions processed by China’s tax authorities increased by 116 percent compared with the same period last year, while sales at eligible stores increased by 56 percent. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: This Time Must be Different: Lessons from Sri Lanka’s Recovery and Debt Restructuring

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    Opening Remarks by the IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath Conference on “Sri Lanka’s Road to Recovery: Debt and Governance” Shangri-La Hotel Colombo

    June 16, 2025

    Excellencies, distinguished guests, colleagues, and friends,

    It is a great honor to join you today for this important conference which takes place at a critical juncture in Sri Lanka’s economic journey.

    This conference comes not only at the mid-point of Sri Lanka’s IMF-supported economic reform program, but also at a moment when the global economy is facing powerful crosscurrents—slowing growth, rising tariffs, and a rapidly changing global economic order alongside profound uncertainty. Countries are being tested by shocks that are more frequent and more complex. The challenge for all of us is to build resilience in a world that demands it.

    Achievements Resulting from Reforms Supported by the IMF-EFF Program

    In this light, Sri Lanka’s experience stands out—both for the severity of the crisis the country experienced three years ago, and the remarkable progress that has been achieved in a very short time. The crisis was precipitated by years of declining tax revenues, depleted foreign exchange reserves and an explosive and unsustainable increase in public debt as growth collapsed. There were long lines for fuel, severe shortages of basic goods, record inflation, and widespread power outages. For many households, daily life became an exercise in hardship.

    Today, thanks to bold reforms and the commitment of the Sri Lankan people, substantial progress has been made to restore macroeconomic stability and reduce hardships faced by people. Fuel, cooking gas, and medicines are available again. Inflation has been brought under control and economic growth has returned—expanding by 5 percent in 2024. On the fiscal front, the government has achieved an extraordinary adjustment and tax revenues have increased by more than two-thirds as a share of GDP.

    The government has also put a strong emphasis on improving governance, which is fundamental for establishing trust with citizens and ensuring sustained growth. Important milestones have been achieved including central bank independence, improving public financial management, and strengthening the legal framework for anti-corruption.  Our analysis shows that comprehensive fiscal governance and accountability reforms in Sri Lanka can boost GDP by more than 7 percent and reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio by more than 6 percentage points over 10 years.

    Sri Lanka also took the difficult but necessary decision to default on its public debt and pursue a sovereign debt restructuring. These decisive actions on debt have helped ease the burden on the country. External creditors have forgiven $3 billion in debt and restructured another $25 billion, extending repayment over two decades at lower interest rates. Sri Lanka’s bonds are once again included in global indices, and its credit rating has improved.

    The experience of Sri Lanka holds important lessons for the world, and I would like to speak to the lessons from its debt restructuring.

    I. The Nexus between Economic Reforms and Debt Restructuring

    Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring had to deal with several challenges:

    1. Calibrating the restructuring targets to deliver sufficient debt relief. This was a complex endeavor. As with all restructurings, debt sustainability needs to be restored through a combination of debt relief and policy adjustments, such as fiscal effort. The targets must be carefully calibrated to consider country specific circumstances. In Sri Lanka’s case, the targets considered the severity of the crisis while also recognizing the country’s high levels of private savings, tourism receipts and remittances. Through this restructuring, over the next decade, external debt service as a share of GDP is reduced by a half, and external and total debt stock will fall by 27 and 34 percentage points of GDP respectively.
    2. Facilitating collaboration in a complex external creditor landscape. A full range of official creditors needed to find ways to coordinate, and not all creditors had the internal processes in place to deliver swiftly. The Official Creditor Committee chaired by France, India and Japan shepherded many creditors together and China informally coordinated with this group. Still there were challenges in the sharing of information across creditor groups and concerns about comparability of treatment across official bilateral creditors. To help move the process along, the IMF staff were very active in providing information and using IMF “good offices” on an ongoing basis to support coordination.
    1. Containing financial and social stability risks from the restructuring. A large share of Sri Lanka’s debt is domestic. The authorities recognized that external debt relief by itself would be unlikely to restore debt sustainability and domestic debt needed to be part of the restructuring effort. This had to be tackled carefully because of the significant exposure of Sri Lanka’s domestic financial sector, the central bank and the public pensions vehicle to government debt. To preserve financial and social stability, the authorities avoided nominal debt reductions and focused on lowering interest rates and lengthening maturities.

    The Sri Lankan debt restructuring experience provides several lessons that will help make the process simpler for other countries that need restructuring in the future. Sri Lanka’s experience better illuminated the trade-offs in setting debt targets and directly led to the development of improved methodologies for evaluating state contingent features in debt contracts. It helped creditors learn how to improve coordination and gave them new instrument designs to contemplate. Together with other recent restructuring cases, it helped motivate important reforms to IMF’s debt policies.

    Over time, there have been other important improvements in the sovereign debt architecture. The IMF, Bank and G20 Presidency convened the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable to help serve as a forum for creditor dialogue and generate consensus on difficult issues that arise in restructurings. An important recent output of these efforts is a restructuring playbook, published at the time of our Spring Meetings, which lays out the typical steps in a restructuring and an indicative timeline. It is important to recognize that, thanks to these initiatives, experiences, and the G20 Common Framework, the restructuring process has become faster. In the recent case of Ghana’s, it took five months to get from an IMF staff level agreement to delivering the financing assurances required for program approval—roughly half the time it took for Chad in 2021 and Zambia in 2022. Looking ahead, let me assure you that our work on improving the timeliness and effectiveness of the global debt architecture will continue.

    For Sri Lanka, the experience with the debt restructuring drives home the importance of managing the economy such that a similar situation will never arise again.

    II. Important to Stay the Course

    Let us be clear: none of the achievements thus far would have been possible without the courage and sacrifice of the Sri Lankan people. The crisis was costly and painful, particularly for the poor. The reforms undertaken to address the root causes of the crisis—adjustments in taxation, the removal of unsustainable subsidies, efforts to restore cost-reflective energy pricing—have asked a great deal from ordinary citizens. These are difficult measures. They test the social fabric. And yet, they are the foundation of a more resilient future.

    That is why we must now turn our focus from crisis response to sustainable recovery. There is a lot that is still needed. Poverty rates at 24.5 percent in 2024, according to the latest World Bank estimates, are too high and need to be brought down quickly. This requires continued macroeconomic stability and successful implementation of structural reforms. Tackling corruption will require major reforms. Implementing the government’s action plan on governance reforms is critical. While much has been done to reduce external debt, domestic debt is still high and steadfast implementation of sound fiscal policy is critical to continue bringing it down.

    None of this will be easy. In addition to the domestic challenges, the global environment is difficult with tariffs, geopolitical conflict and economic fragmentation posing major risks for small open economies like Sri Lanka’s.

    This is why there is no room for policy errors. As the IMF Managing Director noted during our Spring Meetings in April: the choice facing countries today is between reform and regret. Between building buffers—or risking future crises.

    Sri Lanka’s reform program has delivered strongly. But history reminds us of the risks. Of the 16 IMF programs Sri Lanka has engaged in over the years, about half ended prematurely. Often, reform fatigue sets in. Hard-earned gains were reversed. Growth faltered. The country cannot afford to repeat that cycle.

    Let me therefore underscore how essential it is to sustain the reform momentum, and in a manner that is inclusive and accountable. Public dialogue matters. Transparency matters. Engaging civil society and listening to diverse voices—not just in Colombo, but across the island—will help ensure that policies are responsive and responsible. This conference is exactly the kind of platform that can foster such engagement. It is a space to reflect, to challenge assumptions, and to build consensus. The IMF will remain a steadfast partner as Sri Lanka pursues stable and inclusive growth that improves the lives of all citizens and future generations.

    This time must be different! As President Dissanayake has said, let us ensure this is the last IMF program Sri Lanka will need.

    We agree, and believe this is possible if Sri Lanka stays the course.

    Thank you.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER:

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/16/sp061625-gg-this-time-must-be-different-lessons-from-sri-lankas-recovery-and-debt-restructuring

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Trade in a mythical fish is threatening real species of rays that are rare and at risk

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By James Marcus Drymon, Associate Extension Professor in Marine Fisheries Ecology, Mississippi State University

    These ‘pez diablo,’ or devil fish, are actually guitarfishes that have been caught, killed, dried and carved into exotic shapes. Bryan Huerta-Beltrán, CC BY-ND

    From the Loch Ness monster to Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, to the jackalope of the U.S. West, mythical animals have long captured human imagination.

    Some people are so fascinated with mythical creatures that they create their own, either working from pure fantasy or by modifying real animals. In a newly published study, we show that in countries such as Mexico, people are catching, drying and shaping guitarfishes – members of the rhino ray family, one of the most threatened groups of marine fishes – to create mythical specimens called “pez diablo,” or devil fish.

    Depending on where these curios are sold, they might also be referred to as Jenny Hanivers, garadiávolos or rayas chupacabras. The origin and meaning of the term “Jenny Haniver” is unclear, but the most accepted explanation is “Jeune d’Anvers,” or “young girl from Antwerp” in French.

    We found that pez diablo are made for many reasons, including as curios for the tourist trade and as purported cures for cancer, arthritis and anemia. Some are simply used for hoaxes. Regardless, the pez diablo trade could threaten the survival of guitarfishes.

    Young guitarfishes on display at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

    Fishy talismans

    Skates and rays, including guitarfishes, are flat-bodied fishes related to sharks and are found worldwide. Together, they make up a group known as elasmobranchs, which are characterized by their unique skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone like most other fishes.

    Skates have long been used to craft mythical creatures. The earliest known examples date back to 1558 in Europe, where they were fashioned to resemble dragons. These objects were thought to offer pathways to the divine or medicinal cures.

    In the mid-20th century, dried guitarfishes emerged as a new generation of mythical creatures. This may be because their unique shape can be fashioned into more humanlike forms. Their long nostrils, which are positioned just above their mouths, can resemble eyes.

    The ‘eyes’ of these dried guitarfishes are actually nostrils on top of the fishes’ long, pointed snouts.
    Bryan Huerta-Beltrán, CC BY-ND

    The first known case of a modified guitarfish was described in 1933. Since then, specimens have made their way into museums, and dozens of North American newspapers have published stories featuring modified guitarfishes.

    A real and endangered fish

    Guitarfishes are one of the most threatened vertebrate groups on the planet: Without careful management, they are at risk of global extinction. As many as two-thirds of all guitarfishes are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List, a global inventory that assesses extinction risks to wild species.

    Guitarfishes are found in warm temperate and tropical oceans around the world. Fishers target them as an inexpensive source of protein. Guitarfishes may also be caught accidentally or collected live for the aquarium trade.

    Ultimately, however, these species are worth more as pez diablo than for other uses. For example, an entire fresh guitarfish in Mexico is worth approximately US$2, whereas guitarfish that have been killed, dried and carved into pez diablo can be worth anywhere from $50–$500 on eBay and other e-commerce sites.

    Curbing the pez diablo trade

    Internationally, the guitarfish trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement between governments. This agreement requires member countries to manage guitarfish trade across international borders.

    Most countries where guitarfishes occur, however, do not have national regulations to protect these species. As a result, people who create or sell pez diablo are likely unaware that these fishes are threatened.

    There are as many as 37 species of guitarfish, some of which are at higher risk of extinction than others. Yet to the untrained eye, it can be hard to distinguish one guitarfish species from another. It’s especially hard to identify dried and mutilated guitarfishes that have been processed into pez diablo and look very different from their natural form.

    An intact guitarfish, left, and a carved, dried version.
    Bryan Huerta-Beltrán, CC BY-ND

    This is a common challenge for agencies that monitor trade in animal products. The global wildlife trade is an enormous market, involving billions of animals moving through both legal and illegal channels. Many wildlife products are heavily altered, which makes it hard to identify the species and determine where the product came from.

    Another source of confusion is that many people in Mexico also refer to an invasive freshwater fish that has overrun lakes and rivers across the nation as pez diablo. This “other” pez diablo is actually a suckermouth catfish and is not at all related to any of the threatened guitarfishes. Local education efforts need to distinguish clearly between these two species, since the desired outcome is to protect guitarfish while removing the invasive catfish.

    A dried and modified guitarfish, left, compared with an invasive suckermouth catfish.
    Bryan Huerta-Beltrán, CC BY-ND

    Guitarfish CSI

    Fortunately, advances in wildlife forensics offer a way to distinguish between species. Molecular techniques have been used to identify many illegally traded species, including guitarfishes. By taking a small skin sample, scientists can use DNA to identify the species of individual pez diablo. This method can help protect endangered species by helping to ensure that laws against wildlife trafficking are followed.

    Refining this kind of molecular tool is the most promising way to improve traceability in the trade of guitarfishes. By documenting where and how pez diablo are traded, scientists and conservationists can help clarify the threats to these species. The pez diablo is an imaginary creature, but it is doing real harm to threatened guitarfishes in the world’s warm oceans.

    Bryan Huerta-Beltran receives funding from Save Our Seas Foundation.

    Nicole Phillips is affiliated with the Sawfish Conservation Society and receives funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation.

    James Marcus Drymon and Peter Kyne do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Trade in a mythical fish is threatening real species of rays that are rare and at risk – https://theconversation.com/trade-in-a-mythical-fish-is-threatening-real-species-of-rays-that-are-rare-and-at-risk-247433

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • Prime Minister Modi holds bilateral talks with Cyprus President Christodoulides in Nicosia

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held comprehensive bilateral discussions with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, during his official visit to the Mediterranean nation. The talks were held at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, where Prime Minister Modi was received with ceremonial honours.

    During the talks, Prime Minister Modi conveyed his appreciation for Cyprus’s unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April 2025. “India deeply values Cyprus’s solidarity and its consistent support in our fight against terrorism,” the Prime Minister said, adding that “our shared commitment to combating terrorism binds us further.”

    The two leaders reaffirmed their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both nations. Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s longstanding support for the unity of Cyprus and called for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus issue in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, international law, and the European Union Acquis.

    Both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, scientific research, cultural engagement, and people-to-people ties. They explored new areas of collaboration in fintech, digitalization, defence, AI, innovation, start-ups, and mobility.

    The leaders agreed to chart a five-year roadmap to deepen engagement in strategic sectors and to establish new dialogues on maritime and cyber security. “We are committed to working together on real-time intelligence sharing to counter terrorism, arms trafficking, and narcotics trade,” Prime Minister Modi said following the discussions.

    Looking ahead to Cyprus’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union in early 2026, the two leaders expressed their readiness to further strengthen the India-EU partnership. They discussed the progress of the first India-EU Strategic Dialogue and the work under way through the India-EU Trade and Technology Council. Both sides reaffirmed their support for concluding the long-pending EU–India Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2025.

    Cyprus assured its commitment to prioritising the EU–India strategic partnership during its presidency, particularly in areas such as defence and security, green and clean energy, maritime cooperation, and space.

    The two sides welcomed the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme signed earlier in January this year, which is expected to further cement the defence partnership. The establishment of the India-Greece-Cyprus (IGC) Business and Investment Council was also noted as a key step in enhancing trilateral cooperation.

    The leaders discussed the importance of improving air connectivity to facilitate business, tourism, and knowledge exchange. Prime Minister Modi also underscored the strategic relevance of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), stating that the project would bring long-term peace and prosperity to the region.

    On multilateral cooperation, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to global governance reforms. Prime Minister Modi thanked President Christodoulides for reiterating Cyprus’s support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council. “India believes the global order must evolve to reflect the realities of the 21st century,” he said.

    The two leaders also exchanged views on pressing international issues, including conflicts in West Asia and Europe. As part of the cultural cooperation between the two countries, an MoU was signed to establish an India Studies Chair under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) at the University of Nicosia.

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Culture and tourism are important areas of cooperation between Beijing and Moscow – official

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) — “Culture and tourism are important areas of exchange and cooperation between China and Russia, as well as between Beijing and Moscow. In recent years, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Moscow has been increasing every year,” Guo Huaigang, director of the Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, told the Beijing Youth Daily on Thursday.

    This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of sister city relations between Beijing and Moscow.

    Guo Huaigang noted that since the establishment of sister city relations, the two cities have organized various events in such fields as economy, trade, science and technology, urban development, transportation, and humanitarian ties. The events under the “joint celebration of the two cities” in the field of culture and tourism have created a platform for exchanges and cooperation between the industries of the two cities, arousing the interest and desire of their residents to get to know each other.

    According to him, Beijing received 293 thousand Russian tourists in 2024. In January-May 2025, Beijing received 175 thousand tourists from Russia, which is 83.9 percent more than the same period last year.

    On June 12, the Moscow Seasons in Beijing festival kicked off in Beijing, presenting modern technologies and folk traditions of the Russian capital to the Chinese public in an authentic form over the course of four days. At the same time, Beijing organized a series of events in Moscow to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the twinning, including a roundtable on trade and economic cooperation and a youth hockey tournament. In particular, the Beijing City Department of Culture and Tourism held a presentation of Beijing’s tourism opportunities and a “Journey to the World of Peking Opera” event in Moscow.

    “Thanks to joint efforts, the sister city relationship between Beijing and Moscow has been steadily developing,” Guo Huaigang said. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU is among the leaders of the National Ranking of Graduates’ Employment in the Field of “Sciences about Society”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    The State University of Management was among the leaders of the first National Ranking of Employment of Graduates of Higher Education Institutions, which was developed within the framework of the national project “Personnel” and published on the portal “Work in Russia”.

    The rating is calculated based on Rosobrnadzor data on full-time graduates, data on their employment rate in the second year after completing their studies, and the median salary for this period.

    Our university took 11th and 13th place in terms of employment of bachelor’s and master’s degree graduates, respectively, among universities with a number of graduates greater than the median value in the field of “Sciences of Society”, which includes, among other things, psychological sciences, economics and management (including business informatics), law, sociology and social work, political science and regional studies, mass media and information and library science, service and tourism.

    In addition, SUM ranked 46th in the employment rate of bachelor’s degree graduates among universities with a graduate population below the median in the Mathematical and Natural Sciences major, which includes mathematics and mechanics, computer and information sciences, physics and astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, and biological sciences.

    A total of 34 rankings are presented for universities in 8 areas of education.

    The final rating calculation indicator is formed as the sum of the indices of the employment level and the salary level of graduates of an educational organization in a specific field and level of education, with each index having the same weight – 0.5.

    The final index shows how much the two indicators taken together differ from the average final indicator for a specific area and level of education.

    The ratings were developed in accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 15, 2025 No. 651 “On the formation and publication of national ratings of educational organizations of higher education and professional educational organizations” and the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 28, 2025 No. 1346-r “On approval of the methodology for calculating the indicators of national ratings of educational organizations of higher education and professional educational organizations”.

    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 Russia: Special Report: Flowers from China’s Yunnan Bloom in Kazakhstan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    KUNMING/ALMATY, June 16 (Xinhua) — Flowers are a universal gift that is loved to be presented on various occasions in many countries, including Kazakhstan. Flowers can be used to create a beautiful composition. A bouquet appropriate for the occasion can be given to a woman or a man, friends or colleagues and can be used to express almost any message. Give a compliment, say “thank you” or “sorry” and even propose!

    Dounan is a small town on the shore of Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Yunnan Province. But in terms of “flower territory,” it is very large. It is home to Asia’s largest fresh-cut flower market and the second largest in the world. Of Dounan’s 70,000 residents, more than 40,000 are employed in the flower industry. Every day, about 10 million fresh-cut flowers are sold here. They are exported to more than 50 countries, including Kazakhstan.

    In fact, it is not only a flower market, but also a national tourist attraction. Last year alone, millions of tourists visited it. Eustoma, roses, bush carnations, matthiola and sunflowers. You can buy all kinds of flowers here. No matter whether you like flowers or not, you can’t resist the temptation to buy them in Dounan because they are so cheap here. The price for one bunch of roses is 20 yuan (US$1.40), and for a bunch of sunflowers it is only 8 yuan (US$1.10).

    As assistant to the president of Dounan Flower Industry Corporation Wang Jinyiling said, in the 1980s, the villagers of Dounan began trying to grow flowers in their gardens. And to their surprise, they discovered that it was very economically profitable. Then everyone gradually began to follow their example. “And we needed a large enough and professional flower market to sell flowers,” she noted.

    According to her, in 1998, the Dounan Flower Market with an area of 37,333 square meters was officially put into operation. And in 2015, the industrial zone – a flower market of national importance – was officially opened. Here, in addition to traditional direct flower sales, online auctions and sales are also held. Today, Dounan is not just a collection and distribution center for flowers, but also a tourist attraction. More and more tourists come here to experience the unique flower culture of Yunnan Province.

    Zhou Tianyi runs Deruier Flowers in Dounan. Every week, the shop ships 200,000 to 300,000 fresh-cut roses to Almaty. Delivery takes just five days. “The China Flower Industry Conference is held every year. We also attend it and met many entrepreneurs from Kazakhstan there,” she said.

    “The quality of Chinese flowers is very stable now. Today, there are a huge number of flower species in China, and the excellent price-quality ratio is their great advantage. These are the main reasons why Kazakh businessmen like Chinese products very much,” said the director of Deruier Flowers.

    According to Kazakh media, citing the country’s National Bureau of Statistics, in 2024 the country imported more than 1,100 tons of fresh-cut flowers and buds from China worth $7.5 million. This is almost 13 times more than the previous year. In terms of total import volume, China has become the third largest supplier of flowers to Kazakhstan.

    There are about 220,000 flower seedling companies in China, with an annual output of more than 520 billion yuan (nearly 72.2 billion US dollars), making the country the world’s largest flower producer.

    In 2024, China’s flower import and export volume was US$782 million, up 10 percent year on year. Of which, the export volume was US$516 million, up 17.78 percent year on year. China’s flower economy has shown strong vitality. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China Southern Airlines launches first direct passenger flight Beijing-Dushanbe

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) — China Southern Airlines flight CZ6051 carrying 173 passengers departed Beijing Daxing International Airport for Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, at noon on June 16, officially opening the airline’s first direct Beijing-Dushanbe passenger flight.

    The new flight is also reportedly the first direct passenger flight on the Beijing-Dushanbe route launched by Chinese air carriers.

    According to China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou City /Guangdong Province, southern China/, direct flights on the Beijing-Dushanbe route are operated twice a week. The flight numbers for this route are CZ6051/6052. According to the schedule, the flight departs from Beijing Daxing International Airport at 17:00 /local time/ and arrives at Dushanbe International Airport at 21:00. Travel time is about 7 hours. The return flight departs from Dushanbe International Airport at 22:30 and arrives at Beijing Daxing International Airport at 07:20 the next day. The trip takes about 6 hours.

    “In order to provide passengers with quality services, we decorated the cabin of this flight with cultural elements of the two countries and also treated passengers with signature dishes such as abalone with chicken and peach blossom cookies,” said Hou Ming, general manager of the North China Region Marketing Center of China Southern Airlines.

    The opening of a direct Beijing-Dushanbe flight will create a more convenient air bridge between China and Tajikistan, effectively promote bilateral trade, economic and humanitarian exchanges, cooperation in the field of tourism, and will also give a new powerful impetus to the development of relations between the two countries and regional interconnectedness, said Qu Guangji, deputy general director of China Southern Airlines.

    During the summer and autumn air seasons this year, China Southern Airlines will operate 7 express flights connecting Beijing Daxing Airport with cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu, and will also launch international flights between Beijing Daxing Airport and airports in London, Amsterdam, Moscow, etc. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: From Economy to Culture, China and Central Asia’s Multifaceted Partnership Grows Stronger

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) — Since the first China-Central Asia Summit was held in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, in May 2023, fruitful results have been achieved in various areas of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, and a community with a shared future between China and Central Asia has begun to take shape at an accelerated pace.

    TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION FOR THE SAKE OF COMMON PROSPERITY

    Kazakh flour and biscuits, Kyrgyz honey, Turkmen candies… In the store of Xi’an Aiju Grain and Oilseeds Company, a variety of goods from Central Asia attract the attention of customers.

    “Most of these food products from Central Asia ‘arrived’ here on China-Europe freight trains. These products account for more than 40 percent of our company’s sales,” said Liu Dongmeng, deputy general manager of Aiju.

    Today, the city of Xi’an has long been not only the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, but also one of the busiest transport hubs for modern “steel camel caravans.”

    According to data from the Changba International Dry Port in Xi’an, by the end of 2024, more than 76 thousand standard containers (20-foot equivalent, TEU) were shipped from Xi’an to Central Asia as part of China-Europe international railway freight transportation, which is 47.6 percent more than a year earlier.

    “In 2015, our company began to establish a base for processing agricultural products in Kazakhstan, and began to deliver goods from Central Asia to China using China-Europe trains,” Liu Dongmeng said, adding that after the 1st China-Central Asia Summit, the level of awareness of Central Asian countries among Xi’an residents has increased significantly, which has contributed to the sales of high-quality goods from the Central Asian region.

    According to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, in 2024, trade turnover between China and Central Asian countries amounted to USD 94.8 billion, which is USD 5.4 billion more than the previous year.

    “China is the most important investment and trade partner of the Central Asian countries,” said Sun Weidong, Secretary General of the China-Central Asia format.

    According to him, within the framework of the joint construction of the Belt and Road, China and the Central Asian countries, by strengthening the alignment of their development strategies, carry out comprehensive cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefit, while cooperation in such areas as digital trade and cross-border transportation is developing dynamically.

    As one of the important achievements of the China-Central Asia Summit, Kazakhstan’s logistics center in Xi’an was officially put into operation in February 2024. By the end of May this year, it had already processed more than 180 thousand tons of cargo.

    This center with a total area of about 6.67 hectares and a design capacity of more than 655 thousand standard containers per year significantly increases the efficiency of sending trains from Xi’an to Central Asia. Currently, the center serves as a trade and logistics collection and distribution center for Kazakhstan in China.

    “Thanks to this center, goods from Kazakhstan, after consolidation in Xi’an, can directly go to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region /South China/, and then end up in the markets of Southeast Asian countries, which has opened an important international trade corridor for Central Asian countries,” said Darkhan Yesengulov, deputy sales manager at China-Kazakhstan (Xi’an) Trade and Logistics Co., Ltd.

    SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN THE COURSE OF “GREEN DEVELOPMENT”

    In recent years, as practical cooperation between China and Central Asia deepens, high-level planning for bilateral green and low-carbon cooperation has been improved.

    Following the first China-Central Asia summit, a list of agreements and initiatives was published. Among them is “Carrying out China-Central Asia green and low-carbon development activities to deepen cooperation in green development and combating climate change.”

    The Turgusun hydroelectric power station, which was put into operation in July 2021, is the first key hydropower project implemented under the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between Kazakhstan and China. After its completion, it was able to compensate for half of the electricity deficit in the Altay region of East Kazakhstan, thereby effectively alleviating the power shortage in the region.

    “During the construction of the hydroelectric power station, more than 200 jobs were created for local residents. This hydroelectric power station showed the world that through technical cooperation and exchange of experience, we can achieve mutually beneficial results in the economy, society and ecology,” said Asset Maksut, director of Turgusun-1 and Turgusun-2 LLP.

    The prospects for cooperation between China and Central Asia in the field of electric vehicles are also very broad. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers operate in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

    “Electric cars from China are more popular in Central Asian countries. Alternative energy is a new area of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries,” said Ma Bin, a research fellow at the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Fudan University.

    According to him, China and Central Asian countries jointly advocate the concept of green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable development. These concepts determine the direction of countries’ efforts in the energy and technology sectors, and also lay the foundation for further cooperation.

    Ecologist, board member of the Green Alliance of Kyrgyzstan Anara Sultangazieva believes that in the context of global environmental problems and climate change, countries share a common concept of “green development” in order to mitigate their consequences. “Especially in the area of agricultural development in order to ensure food security in the context of water shortages in Central Asian countries.”

    HUMANITARIAN EXCHANGES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

    China and Central Asian countries are actively developing cooperation in tourism, joint archaeological research, educational exchanges, etc., which strengthens the social foundations and popular support base for cooperation.

    China has now become one of the main study destinations for students from Central Asian countries. With its rich educational and scientific resources, Xi’an has become one of the popular cities for students from this region.

    According to the data, the Xi’an government has established a program to train students from five Central Asian countries, and has successfully enrolled 450 students from these countries by 2024.

    “Chinese culture has a deep influence on the Central Asian region, and the unique charm of Central Asian cultures also greatly attracts Chinese people,” said Nurmammedov Dovraniz from Turkmenistan, who is studying archaeology at Northwest University of China.

    According to the young man, mutual cultural attraction is a solid foundation for building a community of shared destiny between China and Central Asia.

    “China’s cooperation with Central Asian countries in all areas is rapidly deepening and developing. The youth of our countries are living in a “golden age”, they have bright prospects and broad opportunities for development,” Sun Weidong noted.

    Vice-Rector for International Relations of the Tajik Technical University named after Academician M. Osimi Rauf Jurakhonzoda noted that in recent years there has been a positive trend in cultural and humanitarian exchanges between China and Tajikistan.

    A striking example of this, according to him, is the launch in Tajikistan of the first “Luban Workshop” in Central Asia, aimed at training engineering personnel for the industrialization and modernization of the country.

    “We plan to introduce new formats of cooperation with Chinese universities. This is not only a contribution to the development of education, but also strengthening the friendship between our peoples,” added R. Jurakhonzoda.

    On June 7, the first China-Central Asia international tourist train returned to Xi’an. The train with more than 200 passengers departed from Xi’an on May 29 for Almaty, Kazakhstan. It left China via the Khorgos railway checkpoint in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region /Northwest China/.

    Let us recall that in May 2023, China and Kazakhstan signed an intergovernmental agreement on mutual exemption from visa requirements, which officially entered into force in November of the same year. 2024 was the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China, and 2025 has been declared the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan.

    According to Li Jiang, deputy head of Horgos Customs, the launch of the above-mentioned international tourist train has laid a new foundation for deepening connectivity and promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and Central Asian countries.

    In addition, on June 1, 2025, the Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on mutual exemption from visa requirements entered into force.

    “Undoubtedly, this will contribute to the development of the tourism sector and increase the tourist flow,” said the Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in China Saidkamol Agzamkhodjaev, adding that Uzbekistan intends to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting Uzbekistan annually to 1 million people.

    “As a ‘lubricant’ for the development of China’s relations with Central Asian countries, humanitarian exchanges contribute to their sustainable and healthy development,” Ma Bin emphasized.

    Sun Weidong noted that China’s relations with Central Asian countries will develop to a higher level, and their cooperation will expand to broader areas, which will contribute to the deep and thorough advancement of building a community with a shared future for China and Central Asia.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: June 2025 issue of “Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics” now available

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) published today (June 16) the June 2025 issue of the “Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics” (HKMDS).
     
         Apart from providing up-to-date statistics, this issue also contains a feature article entitled “The Cultural and Creative Industries in Hong Kong”.
     
    “The Cultural and Creative Industries in Hong Kong”
     
         The cultural and creative industries are among the most dynamic economic sectors in Hong Kong, contributing to both economic growth and job creation. They comprise a set of knowledge-based activities that deploy creativity and intellectual capital as primary inputs and deliver goods and services with cultural, artistic and creative contents. This feature article provides the statistics of the cultural and creative industries in Hong Kong for 2019 to 2023.
     
         For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Construction and Miscellaneous Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 6962; email: asps@censtatd.gov.hk).
     
         Published in bilingual form, the HKMDS is a compact volume of official statistics containing about 130 tables. It collects up-to-date statistical series on various aspects of the social and economic situation of Hong Kong. Topics include population; labour; external trade; National Income and Balance of Payments; prices; business performance; energy; housing and property; government accounts, finance and insurance; and transport, communications and tourism. For selected key statistical items, over 20 charts depicting the annual trend in the past decade and quarterly or monthly trend in the recent two years are also available. Users can download the Digest at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1010002&scode=460).
     
         Enquiries about the contents of the Digest can be directed to the Statistical Information Dissemination Section (1) of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4738; email: gen-enquiry@censtatd.gov.hk).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Rosanna Law to visit Shanghai

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law will depart for Shanghai tomorrow to officiate at the opening ceremony and dinner of WestK Shanghai Week 2025, at the invitation of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. 

    Miss Law will also visit tourism and cultural facilities as well as meet relevant officials before returning to Hong Kong on Wednesday.

    During her absence, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Raistlin Lau will be Acting Secretary.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Canon, Coral Spawning Lab, and Nature Seychelles Team Up to Regenerate Coral Reefs


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    Canon EMEA (Canon-CNA.com) is partnering with Nature Seychelles, a leading non-profit organisation in the Western Indian Ocean, and the Coral Spawning Lab (CSL), to lead a first-of-its-kind project designed to safeguard the Seychelles’ vital marine ecosystems. The project aims to restore and protect coral reefs against climate change by embracing a new method of coral regeneration in the region.

    Canon will provide investment to Nature Seychelles for the construction and operation of a coral breeding facility as well as Canon imaging equipment to enhance observation and documentation of coral spawning, to be used in citizen science, and for education and awareness. Canon’s equipment will allow researchers to witness coral spawning events in detail previously not seen before.

    This will be the first of its kind in the region and will enhance Nature Seychelles’ new Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) facility, a land-based coral aquaculture facility aimed at boosting coral restoration efforts to save reefs from the impacts of climate change.

    With support from Canon and CSL, Nature Seychelles will develop a deeper understanding of coral reproductive timing, post-settlement growth, and survival. The technology provided will also facilitate photomicrography, photogrammetry, and the production of high-quality imagery and videos for researchers.

    The new cutting-edge coral breeding facility will create a genetic bank of resilient coral and document the process like never before. It will be built by CSL – a UK-based team of researchers that work to better understand the life cycles of reefs to equip communities with the information they need to regenerate coral ecosystems. CSL will also provide training in Seychelles to operate the facility.

    Coral reef restoration in the Seychelles has traditionally relied on the “coral gardening” (http://apo-opa.co/45rAo7K) technique where coral fragments are selected from existing reefs and grown in nurseries, before being transplanted back into degraded areas. However, given this process results in a reef populated by genetically identical corals, the technique falls short of creating corals that can routinely withstand the events that degrade them; for example, coral bleaching events, where stress triggered by rising ocean temperatures causes damage to their tissue. The lack of genetic diversity within gardened reefs is a critical weakness, rendering the technique only a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution for improving reef health and resiliency in the region.

    “Currently, we’re essentially cloning corals, creating reefs of genetically identical species,” explains Dr Nirmal Shah, CEO of Nature Seychelles. “Evolution thrives on diversity – the strong, the weak, the healthy, and everything in between. To build truly resilient reefs, we need to embrace true diversity. Canon’s partnership, alongside Coral Spawning Lab’s expertise allows us to do just that, by enabling us to breed corals and create a genetic bank of resilient species. Canon’s technology will also allow us to unlock the secrets of coral reproduction, leading to more effective conservation strategies and, ultimately, inspiring true change in how we protect and regenerate these vital ecosystems “

    Canon’s support is part of its broader commitment to environmental sustainability and using its imaging technology from cameras to satellites to further enable conservation efforts.

    Healthy coral reefs are crucial for the Seychelles’ tourism, fisheries, coastal protection, and biodiversity – and this partnership supports a more sustainable future for the islands.

    “Coral reefs are the foundation of our economy, our environment, and our way of life,” says Dr. Shah. “This partnership with Canon is not just about restoring reefs; it’s about safeguarding the future of the Seychelles.”

    Dr Jamie Craggs, marine biologist and co-founder of the Coral Spawning Lab, says: “The Coral Spawning Lab has always pushed the boundaries of coral reproductive science. This partnership with Canon and Nature Seychelles allows us to continue that tradition of innovation, combining our expertise with their cutting-edge imaging technology to develop new and more effective approaches to coral conservation.

    Working together, we can raise awareness about the urgent need for conservation with a broader audience. As a former underwater cameraman, I know the power of imagery to communicate complex scientific concepts and inspire action. By partnering with Canon, we can share the beauty and fragility of coral reefs with the world.”

    Peter Bragg, Sustainability and Government Affairs Director at Canon EMEA, says “Our partnership with Nature Seychelles and the Coral Spawning Lab in this innovative effort to protect the Seychelles’ vital coral reefs, demonstrates our commitment to biodiversity. The power of our imaging technology and expertise can play a significant role in building a more sustainable future for small island nations facing the challenges of climate change. By providing the tools to see, understand, and share the story of coral reefs, we hope to empower communities and raise awareness to protect these vital ecosystems for generations to come.”

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).

    Media enquiries, please contact:
    Canon Central and North Africa
    Mai Youssef
    e. Mai.youssef@canon-me.com

    APO Group – PR Agency
    Rania ElRafie
    e. Rania.ElRafie@apo-opa.com

    About Canon Central and North Africa:
    Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) (Canon-CNA.com) is a division within Canon Middle East FZ LLC (CME), a subsidiary of Canon Europe. The formation of CCNA in 2016 was a strategic step that aimed to enhance Canon’s business within the Africa region – by strengthening Canon’s in-country presence and focus. CCNA also demonstrates Canon’s commitment to operating closer to its customers and meeting their demands in the rapidly evolving African market.

    Canon has been represented in the African continent for more than 15 years through distributors and partners that have successfully built a solid customer base in the region. CCNA ensures the provision of high quality, technologically advanced products that meet the requirements of Africa’s rapidly evolving marketplace. With over 100 employees, CCNA manages sales and marketing activities across 44 countries in Africa.

    Canon’s corporate philosophy is Kyosei (http://apo-opa.co/4jTcjtZ) – ‘living and working together for the common good’. CCNA pursues sustainable business growth, focusing on reducing its own environmental impact and supporting customers to reduce theirs using Canon’s products, solutions and services. At Canon, we are pioneers, constantly redefining the world of imaging for the greater good. Through our technology and our spirit of innovation, we push the bounds of what is possible – helping us to see our world in ways we never have before. We help bring creativity to life, one image at a time. Because when we can see our world, we can transform it for the better.

    For more information: Canon-CNA.com

    About Nature Seychelles:
    Nature Seychelles is a leading environmental organization dedicated to the conservation and sustainable management of the Seychelles’ natural resources. Through research, education, and community engagement, Nature Seychelles works to protect the Seychelles’ unique biodiversity and promote a sustainable future for the islands.

    About Coral Spawning Lab:
    Coral Spawning Lab are pioneers in land-based sexual coral reproduction. Their groundbreaking research, technical expertise in coral propagation, and extensive experience in restoration projects enable them to advance research and selective breeding programs—helping repair damaged coral reefs at scales that can make a meaningful difference to our oceans and our planet. Their goal is to empower and equip every practitioner, reef manager, and restorer with the tools and knowledge needed to spawn coral in land-based facilities.

    MIL OSI Africa –