YOKOHAMA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a timely contribution of US$58 million from the Government of Japan. This contribution will enable WFP to support vulnerable populations affected by conflict, climate change, and economic crisis in 28 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Over US$10 million will be allocated to provide emergency food assistance in Palestine, supporting severely food-insecure Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip hard-hit by conflict and consecutive shocks. This assistance will help them access lifesaving foods to meet their essential needs and open a window of hope for families.
In Afghanistan, a US$7 million contribution will be used to provide lifesaving food and nutrition assistance, including for an emergency school feeding programme. With US$4 million to Myanmar, WFP continues to deliver emergency food assistance to the most vulnerable populations in crisis-affected states and regions. Additionally, in Thailand, Japan’s contribution will be allocated to deliver urgent food and nutrition assistance in border areas affected by the unpredictable and rapid evolution of the conflict in Myanmar.
This contribution also highlights Japan’s consistent commitment to addressing food insecurity in Africa seizing the momentum of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), which will be held in August in Japan.
Among the Horn of Africa countries, US$3 million will be allocated to deliver emergency food and nutrition assistance to populations affected by conflict and climatic shocks in Somalia. With another US$3 million, WFP will support vulnerable populations including refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Djibouti by sustaining emergency food and nutrition assistance amid successive and complex crises.
In Angola, Ethiopia, Malawi and Zambia, with a US$5.5 million contribution, WFP aims to enhance collaboration with Japanese corporations to jointly achieve Zero Hunger with their technology and expertise.
“We highly appreciate the contribution from the Government of Japan, which enables us to address critical food needs at scale across the world at this challenging moment, when our joint multilateral solidarity is needed more than ever,” said Yasuhiro Tsumura, Director of the WFP Japan Relations Office. “No one should be left behind. With generous funding from Japan, WFP will support the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable households, ensuring the global food security is our joint mandate. We earnestly seek the continued support of the Japanese people to help us in our mission at a time when we face severe funding shortfalls worldwide.”
Japan has consistently been one of WFP’s top donors. The countries and regions benefitting from US$58 million Japan’s Supplementary Budget are: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Myanmar, Palestine, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Thailand, the Gambia, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.
Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_media @WFP_JP
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
In mid-February, a general meeting of the participants of the Russian-African Network University consortium was held online. They summed up the results of their activities for 2024 and agreed on a work plan for 2025. The event was attended by Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Stepan Sokolov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev, Head of the RAFU Project Office Maxim Zalyvsky, Secretary of the RAFU Presidium, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Alla Mazina, Honorary Consul of Mali in St. Petersburg, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Hydraulic Engineering and Power Engineering Issa Togo and more than 70 representatives of 40 Russian universities participating in RAFU.
Stepan Sokolov noted that Russian-African relations have a long history, where cooperation in science and higher education has always occupied a significant place and often became an important link between our countries and peoples. Hundreds of thousands of African students have received high-quality higher education in Russia.
Today, many African countries show a noticeable interest in strengthening and developing cooperation with the Russian Federation. This is evident at various levels: from the willingness to improve the regulatory framework to active participation in international forums and bilateral meetings. However, we cannot stop there. It is necessary to constantly expand the horizons of opportunities and develop cooperation. First of all, with focus countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Niger and Nigeria, Stepan Aleksandrovich emphasized.
A promising direction also seems to be the development of cooperation between the RAFU consortium and the African Union and African universities, primarily in terms of training African teachers.
The activities of SPbPU within the RAFU consortium have become an important vector of development, corresponding to the geopolitical interests of Russia. In a year and a half, we have given new dynamics to cooperation with African countries, expanded the geography of the consortium and made the RAFU brand recognizable in the international arena. We have not only restored the domain and updated the content of the site, but also turned it into an educational portal, posting more than 120 online courses for African colleagues, – noted Dmitry Arsenyev.
This work has already yielded results. The number of participants has doubled, and the geography of cooperation has covered 15 African countries. RAFU participates in major international forums. This year alone, its members took part in such events as the World Festival of Youth and the Congress of Young Scientists in Sochi, the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, the BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting in Moscow, the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, and many others.
The participants of the general meeting highly appreciated the work of the consortium and Polytechnic University as its coordinator. In 2025, RAFU will continue to work on developing cooperation and expanding the geography of the consortium’s activities on the African continent.
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.
VICTORIA, Seychelles, Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget Wallet, a leading Web3 non-custodial wallet, has integrated with Aave, one of the largest decentralized lending protocols, to offer a secure onchain staking solution for USDT and USDC stablecoins with 5% APY. This integration lowers the entry barrier for users, allowing them to earn stable returns with minimal effort while maintaining full self-custody of their assets.
Users can now stake USDT and USDC on Bitget Wallet across Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Optimism chains with an annual percentage yield (APY) of 5%. Bitget Wallet’s intuitive interface provides a real-time display of daily earnings, allowing users to flexibly manage their funds and withdraw assets at any time. To further incentivize participation, Bitget Wallet is launching a limited-time stablecoin staking event. From February 18 at 16:00 to March 4 at 16:00 (UTC+8), users who stake a minimum of $10 USDT or USDC via Bitget Wallet will have the opportunity to share a $7,000 worth of BGB reward.
As more users seek decentralized alternatives to traditional finance, Bitget Wallet is reinforcing its role as the gateway to secure and transparent stablecoin yield generation. By leveraging Aave’s deep liquidity and efficient lending infrastructure, Bitget Wallet enables users to seamlessly stake stablecoins with optimized yields, eliminating the complexities often associated with decentralized finance. In addition to stablecoin staking, Bitget Wallet supports multi-chain staking of Ethereum, Solana, TON and more, providing diversified passive income opportunities.
By enabling self-custodial staking across multiple networks, Bitget Wallet ensures greater security, accessibility, and financial independence for its users. “Our goal is to simplify on-chain earning opportunities while ensuring users maintain full control over their assets,” said Alvin Kan, COO of Bitget Wallet. “By supporting multi-chain staking, we are making decentralized finance more accessible, stable, and rewarding for users worldwide.”
About Bitget Wallet Bitget Wallet is the home of Web3, uniting endless possibilities in one non-custodial wallet. With over 60 million users, it offers comprehensive onchain services, including asset management, instant swaps, rewards, staking, trading tools, live market data, a DApp browser, an NFT marketplace and crypto payment. Supporting over 100 blockchains, 20,000+ DApps, and 500,000+ tokens, Bitget Wallet enables seamless multi-chain trading across hundreds of DEXs and cross-chain bridges, along with a $300+ million protection fund to ensure safety of users’ assets. Experience Bitget Wallet Lite to start a Web3 journey.
Hydrogen was once sold as a universal climate fix — a clean, green wonder fuel for cars, homes, power grids and even global export. But reality has cooled that buzz.
This week, the South Australian government shelved plans for a A$593 million hydrogen power plant, in favour of injecting that money into the $2.4 billion Whyalla steelworks rescue package. Premier Peter Malinauskas said there was “no point in producing hydrogen” without a customer: the steelworks.
Meanwhile, the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project in Victoria, meant to ship hydrogen to Japan, has met with delays and overruns. Earlier this month, the new Queensland government chose to halt further investment in the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project, putting plans to export hydrogen in doubt.
These setbacks show hydrogen isn’t the ultimate solution to all our energy needs, especially if we want to export it. But they don’t spell doom. Instead, they nudge us toward where hydrogen really shines: in heavy industry, right where it’s made.
Heavy industry: where hydrogen makes sense
Heavy industries such as steel manufacturing and ammonia production are where hydrogen proves its worth. These sectors are significant contributors to climate change — steel accounts for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia a further 2%.
Most emissions from steelmaking come from burning coal in blast furnaces to convert ore into iron and carbon dioxide.
In a cleaner alternative, hydrogen (when produced using renewable energy) can be used to strip oxygen from the ore and make iron, with water as a byproduct. The result is green iron, ready to be turned into steel in an electric arc furnace – with a fraction of the emissions.
Ammonia is used to make fertiliser and industrial chemicals, and hydrogen is one of the main ingredients in its production. Hydrogen bonds with nitrogen from the air to form ammonia. No hydrogen, no ammonia — it’s that simple. Conventional ammonia plants get hydrogen from methane, producing CO₂ in the process. Green ammonia uses renewable energy to produce hydrogen by splitting water via electrolysis.
Our recent research crunched the numbers on producing these new green commodities. We found making green iron in Australia with hydrogen and shipping it to Europe for steel production could be 21% cheaper than exporting raw iron ore and hydrogen separately. Plus, it could cut emissions by up to 95% compared to traditional methods.
There are huge economic opportunities for Australia too. Instead of shipping low-value raw materials, Australia could export ready-to-use green iron or green steel, reshaping global supply chains while cutting costs and carbon. That’s the kind of rethink hydrogen enables.
Industry hubs: a practical fix
Transporting hydrogen long distances is costly and inefficient. The fix? Industry hubs that produce hydrogen right where it’s needed — next to steel mills, ammonia plants, desalination plants, water treatment plants or even aluminium smelters. Putting producers and consumers together slashes transport costs and unlocks efficiencies.
We’ve built tools to pinpoint places with the greatest potential to produce these new green commodities.
The Hydrogen Economic Fairways Tool maps where renewable energy, infrastructure and industrial sites align for cost-effective hydrogen production.
The Green Steel Economic Fairways Mapper zooms in on prime locations for green steel, spotlighting places such as Eyre Peninsula in SA and the Pilbara in Western Australia, among others (see below). These locations have abundant wind and solar resources alongside an existing industrial base.
The Green Steel Economic Fairways Mapper compares the levelised cost of steel, including production and transport to the port. a) Regional changes across Australia b) Example of how to optimise the system to minimise the levelised cost of producing 1 million tonnes per annum c) Breakdown of costs d) Hourly system performance, in terms of energy flows. Green Steel Economic Fairways Mapper, Geoscience Australia
Challenges remain
Green hydrogen promises to revolutionise heavy industries, but significant hurdles stand in the way of widespread domestic adoption. The biggest challenge comes from the unpredictable nature of renewable energy, which makes it hard to maintain the steady hydrogen supply industries need.
The costs remain steep, too. Splitting water into hydrogen using renewable electricity isn’t cheap, particularly when you need backup storage systems to keep production going during cloudy or windless periods.
Getting hydrogen where it needs to go poses another major challenge. As hydrogen is both bulky to transport and highly flammable, it requires special handling and infrastructure, driving up costs, especially for facilities far from production sites.
Many companies also hesitate to invest in hydrogen-compatible equipment, as retrofitting existing plants or building new ones requires substantial upfront costs without guaranteed returns.
The $2.4 billion rescue package for the Whyalla Steelworks (ABC News)
Meanwhile tax credits for green aluminium and alumina should help another heavy industry to navigate the energy transition using clean hydrogen.
These measures aim to unlock tens of billions in private investment, boost regional economies, and position Australia as a leader in clean energy manufacturing. This isn’t just about one-off projects. It’s laying the groundwork for hubs that link renewable energy and hydrogen production to industrial demand.
There’s more in the pipeline. The Hydrogen Headstart program pumps funds into hydrogen innovation, and the Future Made in Australia initiative backs clean industry with billions more. Add in policies like carbon pricing or low-interest loans, and the economics tilt even further toward green steel and ammonia. Government buying power — in the form of procurement targets for low-carbon materials — could seal the deal by guaranteeing demand.
These policies aren’t just wishful thinking — they’re practical steps that are already working elsewhere. Sweden’s HYBRIT project, which paired green steel with government-backed demand, has already led to construction starting on new industrial-scale green steel facilities. At the same time, the European Union’s hydrogen strategy leans on carbon pricing and subsidies to guide industries and suppliers through the energy transition, while Japan offers incentives for the use of green steel in their automotive industry.
Australia has the renewable energy and the industrial base to take advantage of these opportunities. With the right leadership, we can turn hydrogen’s stumbles into a global triumph for heavy industry.
Changlong receives funding from the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining to conduct the SA Green Iron Study, and from Geoscience Australia under the Exploring for the Future program to develop the Hydrogen and Green Steel Economic Fairways tool. Changlong is affiliated with Melbourne Climate Futures, University of Melbourne, and is a visiting fellow at Engineering Science, Oxford University, UK.
Stuart Walsh receives funding from Geoscience Australia supporting the development of the Bluecap software suite, which highlights opportunities for new renewable energy and critical mineral projects in Australia. Stuart received funding from the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining to conduct the SA Green Iron Study and from Geoscience Australia under the Exploring for the Future program to develop the Hydrogen and Green Steel Economic Fairways tool.
Archaeologists in Egypt have made an exciting discovery: the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II, a ruler who has long been overshadowed by his famous wife and half-sister, Queen Hatshepsut.
The remarkable find is located in the Western Valley (a burial ground for queens rather than kings), near the complex of Deir el-Bahari, which houses the funerary temple of Hatshepsut. Both of us worked together as archaeologists at this spectacular site some 15 years ago.
Thutmose II’s tomb has been labelled the first, and biggest, discovery of a royal tomb since Tutankhamun’s tomb was found just over 100 years ago.
Despite being totally empty, it’s a crucial element in further understanding a transformative period in ancient Egyptian history.
Hatshepsut’s forgotten brother and husband
Thutmose II (also called Akheperenre) reigned in the first half of the 15th century BCE. This made him the fourth ruler of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, which marked the beginning of the New Kingdom period.
Thutmose II likely ruled for a little over ten years, although some scholars believe his reign may have lasted only three years.
He was the son of a great pharaoh Thutmose I and his lesser wife, Mutnofret. He married his half-sister Queen Hatshepsut according to the royal custom, to solidify the rule and bloodline. Together they had a daughter named Nefrure.
Thutmose II’s mummy was discovered in 1881 but his original tomb was unknown until now. Wikimedia
Upon his death, his wife Hatshepsut became the sixth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty – and arguably one of the most famous and successful female rulers of all time.
Military activities
As the successor of Thutmose I, Thutmose II continued his father’s military policy in the southern regions of Egypt.
According to preserved inscriptions, he ordered the brutal suppression of a rebellion against Egyptian rule in the land of Kush (in present-day north Sudan). As a result, a significant number of prisoners were brought to Egypt – possibly as part of a campaign.
But Thutmose II’s military campaigns were minor in comparison to the grand conquests of his predecessors and successors. Most historians believe he was a weak ruler and that Hatshepsut had a major role in governing the country, even long before his death. However, others contest this.
Thutmose II’s short reign left modest traces of building activity in Karnak, one of the largest religious centres in ancient Egypt, located in present-day Luxor.
The structure, of which only fragments survive, features a unique decoration depicting Thutmose II, Hatshepsut as his royal wife before she became a ruler, and their daughter Nefrure. The origins of the monument are uncertain. It’s possible Thutmose II started it and Hatshepsut finished it.
The monument was reconstructed by French researchers and can now be admired at the Open Air Museum in Karnak.
Karnak is one of the most important religious centres in Ancient Egypt. Katarzyna Kapiec
Other monuments of Thutmose II were found in the southern regions of Egypt, such as in Elephantine, in the city of Aswan, and in northern Sudan (likely connected to his military campaigns).
The condemnation of Hatshepsut’s memory
Interestingly, the name of Thutmose II became strongly associated with many of Hatshepsut’s constructions due to the actions of Thutmose III.
Regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders and military strategists of all time, Thutmose III was the nephew and stepson of Hatshepsut, and co-ruled with her as a regent.
At the end of Thutmose III’s reign, some 20 years after Hatshepsut’s death, he carried out a large-scale campaign to remove or alter Hatshepsut’s names and images. Scholars call this “damnatio memoriae”, or condemnation of the memory.
An example of Hatshepsut’s ‘damnatio memoriae’ at Deir el-Bahari. Hatshepsut’s cartouches (left) were defaced, while Thutmose III’s (right) remained untouched. Wikimedia
This was likely due to concerns about securing the throne for his successor, Amenhotep II, by linking him to his male ancestors.
In many cases, Hatshepsut’s name was replaced with that of Thutmose II, making him the principal celebrant in temples built by Hatshepsut, such as in Deir el-Bahari.
View at the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari at the dawn. Katarzyna Kapiec
What does Thutmose II’s empty tomb tell us?
The newly discovered tomb reveals fresh details about the status of Thutmose II and his role in the sociopolitical structure of 15th century BCE Egypt – a period of territorial expansion, wealth and political intrigue. It also sheds light on the perception of his rule at the time.
Thutmose II has been painted as an ineffectual ruler. And the latest findings don’t contradict this.
Unlike his father Thutmose I, who expanded Egypt’s reign through military strength, or his stepson Thutmose III, who became one of the most famous Egyptian warrior-kings, his modest tomb suggests his legacy may not have been as widely celebrated as others in his dynasty.
The tomb’s location is also intriguing, as it is near the tombs of royal wives, including the cliff tomb of Hatshepsut, which was prepared for her when she was still a royal wife.
Thutmose II’s mummy was discovered in the so-called Royal Cache in Deir el-Bahari in 1881, alongside other royal mummies. Many royal mummies were relocated here for protection from flooding and during the uncertain times of the 21st Dynasty (circa 1077–950 BCE), some 400–500 years after Thutmose II’s original burial.
However, experts suspect Thutmose II’s tomb might have been emptied even earlier due to flooding from a waterfall above it.
The two of us speculate another tomb may have been built for him, and is still awaiting discovery.
An 1881 photograph of some of the coffins and mummies found in DB320, taken before the mummies were unwrapped. Wikimedia
Ultimately, Thutmose II’s reign remains shrouded in mystery due to the lack of available records. The search for his tomb – from Western Valley, through the Valley of the Kings, all the way to Deir el-Bahari – spanned centuries.
Despite its poorly preserved state, and its scarcity compared with Tutankhamun’s splendorous tomb, this discovery will expand our understanding of the overlooked figure of Thutmose II, and the role he played in setting up the reign of Hatshepsut – arguably the most successful of the four female pharaohs.
In fact, paving the way for the ascent of Hatshepsut may have been his greatest contribution.
Anna M. Kotarba-Morley receives funding from Australian Research Council and previously received funding from National Centre of Science in Poland.
Katarzyna Kapiec receives funding from National Science Centre in Poland
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna M. Kotarba-Morley, Senior Lecturer in Museum and Curatorial Studies / Research Fellow, University of Adelaide
Archaeologists in Egypt have made an exciting discovery: the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II, a ruler who has long been overshadowed by his famous wife and half-sister, Queen Hatshepsut.
The remarkable find is located in the Western Valley (a burial ground for queens rather than kings), near the complex of Deir el-Bahari, which houses the funerary temple of Hatshepsut. Both of us worked together as archaeologists at this spectacular site some 15 years ago.
Thutmose II’s tomb has been labelled the first, and biggest, discovery of a royal tomb since Tutankhamun’s tomb was found just over 100 years ago.
Despite being totally empty, it’s a crucial element in further understanding a transformative period in ancient Egyptian history.
Hatshepsut’s forgotten brother and husband
Thutmose II (also called Akheperenre) reigned in the first half of the 15th century BCE. This made him the fourth ruler of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, which marked the beginning of the New Kingdom period.
Thutmose II likely ruled for a little over ten years, although some scholars believe his reign may have lasted only three years.
He was the son of a great pharaoh Thutmose I and his lesser wife, Mutnofret. He married his half-sister Queen Hatshepsut according to the royal custom, to solidify the rule and bloodline. Together they had a daughter named Nefrure.
Thutmose II’s mummy was discovered in 1881 but his original tomb was unknown until now. Wikimedia
Upon his death, his wife Hatshepsut became the sixth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty – and arguably one of the most famous and successful female rulers of all time.
Military activities
As the successor of Thutmose I, Thutmose II continued his father’s military policy in the southern regions of Egypt.
According to preserved inscriptions, he ordered the brutal suppression of a rebellion against Egyptian rule in the land of Kush (in present-day north Sudan). As a result, a significant number of prisoners were brought to Egypt – possibly as part of a campaign.
But Thutmose II’s military campaigns were minor in comparison to the grand conquests of his predecessors and successors. Most historians believe he was a weak ruler and that Hatshepsut had a major role in governing the country, even long before his death. However, others contest this.
Thutmose II’s short reign left modest traces of building activity in Karnak, one of the largest religious centres in ancient Egypt, located in present-day Luxor.
The structure, of which only fragments survive, features a unique decoration depicting Thutmose II, Hatshepsut as his royal wife before she became a ruler, and their daughter Nefrure. The origins of the monument are uncertain. It’s possible Thutmose II started it and Hatshepsut finished it.
The monument was reconstructed by French researchers and can now be admired at the Open Air Museum in Karnak.
Karnak is one of the most important religious centres in Ancient Egypt. Katarzyna Kapiec
Other monuments of Thutmose II were found in the southern regions of Egypt, such as in Elephantine, in the city of Aswan, and in northern Sudan (likely connected to his military campaigns).
The condemnation of Hatshepsut’s memory
Interestingly, the name of Thutmose II became strongly associated with many of Hatshepsut’s constructions due to the actions of Thutmose III.
Regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders and military strategists of all time, Thutmose III was the nephew and stepson of Hatshepsut, and co-ruled with her as a regent.
At the end of Thutmose III’s reign, some 20 years after Hatshepsut’s death, he carried out a large-scale campaign to remove or alter Hatshepsut’s names and images. Scholars call this “damnatio memoriae”, or condemnation of the memory.
An example of Hatshepsut’s ‘damnatio memoriae’ at Deir el-Bahari. Hatshepsut’s cartouches (left) were defaced, while Thutmose III’s (right) remained untouched. Wikimedia
This was likely due to concerns about securing the throne for his successor, Amenhotep II, by linking him to his male ancestors.
In many cases, Hatshepsut’s name was replaced with that of Thutmose II, making him the principal celebrant in temples built by Hatshepsut, such as in Deir el-Bahari.
View at the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari at the dawn. Katarzyna Kapiec
What does Thutmose II’s empty tomb tell us?
The newly discovered tomb reveals fresh details about the status of Thutmose II and his role in the sociopolitical structure of 15th century BCE Egypt – a period of territorial expansion, wealth and political intrigue. It also sheds light on the perception of his rule at the time.
Thutmose II has been painted as an ineffectual ruler. And the latest findings don’t contradict this.
Unlike his father Thutmose I, who expanded Egypt’s reign through military strength, or his stepson Thutmose III, who became one of the most famous Egyptian warrior-kings, his modest tomb suggests his legacy may not have been as widely celebrated as others in his dynasty.
The tomb’s location is also intriguing, as it is near the tombs of royal wives, including the cliff tomb of Hatshepsut, which was prepared for her when she was still a royal wife.
Thutmose II’s mummy was discovered in the so-called Royal Cache in Deir el-Bahari in 1881, alongside other royal mummies. Many royal mummies were relocated here for protection from flooding and during the uncertain times of the 21st Dynasty (circa 1077–950 BCE), some 400–500 years after Thutmose II’s original burial.
However, experts suspect Thutmose II’s tomb might have been emptied even earlier due to flooding from a waterfall above it.
The two of us speculate another tomb may have been built for him, and is still awaiting discovery.
An 1881 photograph of some of the coffins and mummies found in DB320, taken before the mummies were unwrapped. Wikimedia
Ultimately, Thutmose II’s reign remains shrouded in mystery due to the lack of available records. The search for his tomb – from Western Valley, through the Valley of the Kings, all the way to Deir el-Bahari – spanned centuries.
Despite its poorly preserved state, and its scarcity compared with Tutankhamun’s splendorous tomb, this discovery will expand our understanding of the overlooked figure of Thutmose II, and the role he played in setting up the reign of Hatshepsut – arguably the most successful of the four female pharaohs.
In fact, paving the way for the ascent of Hatshepsut may have been his greatest contribution.
Anna M. Kotarba-Morley receives funding from Australian Research Council and previously received funding from National Centre of Science in Poland.
Katarzyna Kapiec receives funding from National Science Centre in Poland
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed China-Russia relations with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is advancing to a higher level and broader dimensions.
The two sides have maintained steady progress in mutually beneficial cooperation and engaged in close and effective strategic coordination, playing a crucial role in safeguarding the common interests of both countries and their peoples while advancing the process of global multipolarity, Wang said.
China is willing to work with Russia to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and to further advance China-Russia relations in the new year, he added.
Lavrov, for his part, said that Russia is willing to work with China to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen practical cooperation in economy, trade, finance, culture, and other fields, and promote the further development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.
Noting that Russia and China both uphold multipolarity and serve as stabilizing forces in a complex and turbulent world, he said that Russia highly recognizes the global initiatives put forward by China, values the high level of mutual trust between the two countries, and is willing to continue to strengthen communication and coordination with China under the BRICS mechanism, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the United Nations, the G20, and other frameworks.
The two sides also exchanged views and coordinated positions on international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the situation in the Middle East.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Feb. 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday, pledging to deepen bilateral cooperation in various areas.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg. Wang is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
During the meeting, Ramaphosa asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping and expressed his heartfelt thanks to China for its firm support for South Africa’s struggle for national independence and its valuable help in accelerating national development.
South Africa, which cherishes the high-level mutual trust between the two countries and regards China as a reliable friend, will continue to firmly adhere to the One-China policy, said Ramaphosa.
The president pledged that his country is willing to deepen practical cooperation in various areas with China and to push for greater achievements of the all-round strategic cooperative partnership between South Africa and China.
For his part, Wang conveyed the warm greetings from President Xi to Ramaphosa, saying that China and South Africa have always understood and supported each other and carried out close exchanges, communication and coordination, which demonstrates the high level of bilateral relations.
In the face of the current complex and volatile international situation, China will maintain its strategic focus and firmly run its own affairs well, said Wang.
He noted that China, which is pursuing Chinese-style modernization in an all-round way, stands ready to work with South Africa and other countries to promote world modernization.
China appreciates South Africa’s adherence to the One-China principle and standing on the right side of history, said the foreign minister. In the process of South Africa’s development and revitalization, China will always be a trustworthy and reliable friend and partner of South Africa and will continue to provide assistance within its capacity, he added.
Noting that both China and South Africa are important members of the Global South, Wang said China supports South Africa in fulfilling its responsibilities as the G20 presidency, putting development at the center of the international agenda, giving a strong voice to the Global South, enhancing the unity of the Global South, pooling the joint efforts of developing countries, and pushing the G20 to make due efforts for global growth and people’s well-being.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China-South Africa Economic and Trade Forum, China Int’l Supply Chain Expo roadshow held in Johannesburg
JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 20 — The China-South Africa Economic and Trade Forum and the third China International Supply Chain Expo Promotion Conference were held in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The event, held by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), was attended by over 200 people, including Minister at the Chinese Embassy in South Africa Li Zhigang, South Africa’s Gauteng Member of the Executive Council Jacob Mamabolo, and representatives from business associations and enterprises of both countries.
In his opening speech, Ren Hongbin, chairman of the CCPIT, said the council has long been committed to promoting economic and trade cooperation between China and South Africa.
He expressed willingness to work with the South African side to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
Ren extended a sincere welcome to the South African business community to participate in the third China International Supply Chain Expo to deepen bilateral cooperation in industrial and supply chains.
Representatives from the South African political and business sectors underscored the huge potential of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, pledging to actively participate in the upcoming supply chain expo and deepen ties with China in digital infrastructure construction, green economy, inclusive finance, digital technology, and other fields for win-win outcomes.
The third China International Supply Chain Expo will be held in Beijing from July 16 to 20. As the world’s first national-level exhibition focusing on supply chains, the expo has contributed to building more secure, stable, open, and inclusive global industrial and supply chains.
The Digital Quality of Life Index is an annual study that ranks 121 countries by their digital wellbeing based on 5 core pillars: internet quality, internet affordability, e-security, e-infrastructure, and e-government
Surfshark’s Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) 2024 ranks New Zealand 32nd in the world. The study indicates how well the country is performing in terms of overall digital wellbeing compared to other nations. New Zealand dropped by five places from last year, which suggests the commitment to develop the digital landscape and position the country as a leader in leveraging technological advancements to improve citizens’ quality of life has slowed down. (ref. https://surfshark.com/research/dql )
“In an election year like 2024, where the digital realm shaped political discourse and societal values, prioritizing digital quality of life proved to be more important than ever. It helps to ensure informed citizens, protects democratic processes, and fosters innovation. Our annual project helps to better understand where each county stands in terms of digital divide, highlighting where a nation’s digital quality of life excels and where further focus is required,” says x, Surfshark’s spokesperson.
Out of the Index’s five pillars, New Zealand performed best in e-infrastructure, claiming 19th place, but faced challenges in e-security, ranking 36th. The nation ranks 23rd in e-government, 30th in internet affordability, and 35th in internet quality. In the overall Index, New Zealand surpasses Australia (37th) but lags behind the UK (9th). In Oceania, New Zealand takes 1st place and leads the region.
New Zealand ranks higher in e-government than 81% of the countries analyzed, with 98 countries falling below it.
E-government determines how advanced and digitized a country’s government services are. A well-developed e-government helps minimize bureaucracy, reduce corruption, and increase transparency within the public sector. This pillar also shows the level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness a country demonstrates. Countries with the highest readiness to adopt AI technology are also ready to counter national cyberthreats. New Zealand ranks 23rd in the world in e-government — nine places lower than last year.
New Zealand is 36th in the world in e-security — same as last year.
The e-security pillar measures how well a country is prepared to counter cybercrime and how advanced a country’s data protection laws are. New Zealand outperforms Australia, which ranks 42nd, but lags behind the UK, which takes 23rd place in the e-security pillar. New Zealand is prepared to fight against cybercrime; the country has good data protection laws.
“New Zealand has robust data protection laws, with its Privacy Acts sharing key similarities with the GDPR — one of the world’s strictest data protection frameworks. Both regulate data collection, usage, and transfers; however, unlike the GDPR, New Zealand’s Privacy Acts do not emphasize consent or address rights such as data erasure, objection, portability, or DPIAs. On the other hand, they provide more detailed guidelines for information sharing with public agencies. Despite strong data protection laws, improving New Zealand’s ability to combat cybercrime remains an important area for growth. A 2024 study by telecommunications company Kordia highlighted vulnerabilities affecting businesses, including third-party vendor failures, cloud misconfigurations, and security lapses. Strengthening e-security will be key to enhancing New Zealand’s digital quality of life in the future,” says x, Surfshark’s representative.
New Zealand’s internet quality is 17% higher than the global average.
New Zealand’s fixed internet averages 240Mbps. To put that into perspective, the world’s fastest fixed internet — Singapore’s — is 347Mbps. Meanwhile, the slowest fixed internet in the world — Tunisia’s — is 14Mbps.
New Zealand’s mobile internet averages 152Mbps. The fastest mobile internet — the UAE’s — is 430Mbps, while the world’s slowest mobile internet — Yemen’s — is 12Mbps.
Compared to Australia, New Zealand’s mobile internet is 5% slower, while fixed broadband is 115% faster. Since last year, mobile internet speed in New Zealand has improved by 19%, while fixed broadband speed has grown by 9%.
Despite the setback, the internet is affordable in New Zealand compared to other countries.
New Zealanders have to work 1 hour 15 minutes a month to afford fixed broadband internet. While this is less than average, it is 5 times more than in Bulgaria, which has the world’s most affordable fixed internet (Bulgarians have to work 14 minutes a month to afford it).
New Zealanders have to work 51 minutes 19 seconds a month to afford mobile internet. This is 4 times more than in Angola, which has the world’s most affordable mobile internet (Angolans have to work 9 minutes a month to afford it).
“This year’s Digital Quality of Life (DQL) ranking revealed a decline in New Zealand’s internet affordability. And DQL is not the only research that highlights this — recent research from Cable.co.uk placed New Zealand 128th globally for broadband affordability. The average monthly broadband cost in New Zealand was reported at NZD 82 — a staggering twenty times higher than Sudan, which topped the list as the most affordable. An expert from Cable.co.uk also noted that the high cost of broadband in developed nations like New Zealand is not necessarily due to the expense of deploying advanced infrastructure but is often influenced by higher earnings and market conditions. To improve its overall digital quality of life, New Zealand may need to look deeper into enhancing its internet affordability,” says x, Surfshark’s representative.
New Zealand is 19th in e-infrastructure.
Advanced e-infrastructure makes it easy for people to use the internet for various daily activities, such as working, studying, shopping, etc. This pillar evaluates how high internet penetration is in a given country, as well as its network readiness (readiness to take advantage of Information and Communication Technologies). New Zealand’s internet penetration is high (96% — 14th in the world), and the country ranks 23rd in network readiness.
On a global scale, investing in e-government and e-infrastructure improves digital wellbeing the most.
Among the five pillars, e-government has the strongest correlation with the DQL Index (0.92), followed by e-infrastructure (0.91); internet affordability shows the weakest correlation at 0.65.
METHODOLOGY
The DQL Index 2024 examines 121 nations based on five core pillars that consist of 14 indicators. The study is based on the United Nations’ open-source information, the World Bank, and other sources. New Zealand’s full profile in the 2024 Digital Quality of Life report and an interactive country comparison tool can be found here: https://surfshark.com/research/dql/country/NZ
NOTES
Surfshark is a cybersecurity company focused on developing humanized privacy and security solutions. The Surfshark One suite includes one of the very few VPNs audited by independent security experts, an officially certified antivirus, a private search tool, and a data leak alert system. Surfshark is recognized as the Tech Advisor’s Editor’s Choice for 2024. For more research projects, visit our research hub at: surfshark.com/research
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s announcement this week that the island nation will open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem has been labelled “an act of aggression” by Palestine.
On Tuesday, the Fiji government revealed that Cabinet had decided to locate its consulate in Jerusalem, which remains at the centre of the Palestine-Israel decades-long conflict.
According to an overwhelming United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES‑10/19 on 21 December 2017 (128-9), Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as capital of Israel is “null and void”.
Previous UN Security Council resolutions demarcated Jerusalem as the capital of the future state of Palestine.
The Fijian government said in a statement: “Necessary risk assessments will be undertaken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, in consultation with relevant agencies, prior to and during the establishment process.”
Fiji and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1970 and have partnerships in security and peacekeeping, agriculture, and climate change.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Rabuka said he “received a phone call from my friend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing his gratitude for Fiji’s decision to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.”
“Even though very brief, we reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening Fiji-Israel ties,” he said.
I commend the Republic of Fiji’s government for its historic decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Thank you, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka @slrabuka, friend of Israel. Thank you Fiji! 🇮🇱🇫🇯 pic.twitter.com/IxCkjPnhQ6
‘Violating international law’ “With this decision, Fiji becomes the seventh country to violate international law and UN resolutions regarding the city’s legal and political status and the rights of the Palestinian people,” it said in a statement.
The seven countries include Papua New Guinea.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the decision of PM @slrabuka to relocate Fiji’s embassy to occupied #Jerusalem.
This move blatantly violates international law and UN resolutions, and places #Fiji on the wrong side of history. https://t.co/5x1bCECNXO
— Palestine Australia, Aotearoa NZ and Pacific (@PalestineAusNZ) February 19, 2025
“This decision is an act of aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights.
“It places Fiji on the wrong side of history, harms the chances of achieving peace based on the two-state solution, and represents unacceptable support for the occupation and its crimes.”
The statement added that Fiji’s move “blatantly defies UN resolutions at a time when the occupying power is escalating its attacks against Palestinians across all of the Palestinian Territory, attempting to displace them from their homeland.”
The ministry said that it would continue to take political, diplomatic, and legal action against countries that opened or moved their embassies to Jerusalem.
“It will work to hold them accountable for their unjustified actions against the Palestinian people and their rights.”
In September 2024, Fiji was one of seven Pacific Island nations that voted against a United Nations resolution to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
SOURCE: Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA)
This mission will take place from 12-16th May and will focus on key sectors that promise mutual growth and innovation
ABERDEEN, Scotland, February 20, 2025/ — The Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA) (www.AfricaScot.com) is excited to announce a trade mission to Kenya to explore new business opportunities for Scottish companies and institutions, supported by the Scottish Government. This mission will take place from 12-16th May and will focus on key sectors that promise mutual growth and innovation.
One of our key sectors of focus will be around exploring opportunities in both traditional and innovative energy solutions; our delegates will hear about how they can help enhance energy security and efficiency through strategic partnerships and technological advancements. As Kenya leads East Africa in renewable energy production, Scottish companies specialising in wind, solar, geothermal and tidal energy will have the chance to find out more about the opportunities in country.
Building on the strong educational links between Scotland and Africa, the delegation will explore opportunities around vocational training, skills development, and university partnerships to empower the next generation.
With Kenya’s extensive coastline and rich marine resources, the maritime and blue economy sectors offer vast potential. Our mission will explore sustainable practices in aquaculture, fisheries, marine transport and port logistics and infrastructure to boost economic growth while preserving marine ecosystems.
Seona Shand, Chief Operating Officer at SABA, said: “SABA’S trade mission to Kenya will feature a comprehensive and engaging programme designed to maximise the benefits for our participants. We’ll be hosting B2B meetings, round tables, site visits, networking and receptions providing supreme opportunities for them to win new business.”
Scottish businesses should be interested in the Kenyan market – one of Africa’s fastest growing economies with a diverse and resilient economic base, as the largest economy in East Africa it serves as a gateway to a regional market of over 450 million people.
The country is a leader in renewable energy, with over 90% of its electricity coming from renewable sources such as geothermal, wind and solar power. In addition, its growing youth population places high demand on quality education and skills development. With Scotland’s globally respected higher education institutions and training providers, opportunities are abundant for leveraging talent in a pool primed for innovation.
Frazer Lang, Chief Executive at SABA, added: “We are pleased to be organising this trade mission to Kenya, a country with immense potential and a shared vision for sustainable growth. This mission represents a significant step towards strengthening our economic ties and exploring new avenues for collaboration. Scottish businesses can not only drive their international growth but contribute to transformative changes in one of Africa’s most vibrant markets. Our thanks go to the Scottish Government for supporting SABA to help Scottish businesses in this market.”
Any Kenyan businesses interested in meeting with the Scottish delegation from the aforementioned sectors are encouraged to get directly in touch with the team from SABA, along with those interested in sponsoring or partnering with SABA.
About the Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA): SABA is the preeminent non-political, Africa focussed, members trade organisation with an unrivalled board of experienced directors which promotes trade, investment and knowledge sharing between Scotland’s world class expertise and Africa’s priority sectors including energy, agriculture, the blue economy, healthcare, skills training and education by leveraging extensive commercial, trade, political and government contacts across Scotland and Africa.
As part of this, our team organises private meetings, round tables, seminars, conferences, global trade missions and offers market research, intelligence sharing and consultancy services.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called on Group of 20 (G20) countries to act as a force for world peace and stability.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in his speech at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Johannesburg, the largest city and economic hub of South Africa.
As G20 foreign ministers gather here today, it is necessary to revisit the consensus reached at the Rio de Janeiro summit, work together as a force for world peace and stability, and build a safer world, he said, noting that China is ready to work with all parties toward that end.
“First, we should work together as guardians of world peace,” said Wang. All countries should respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as their independent choice of development path and social system, he stressed.
“We should resolve differences between countries peacefully through dialogue and negotiation, and resolve international and regional hotspot issues politically, without resorting to bloc confrontation or interfering in the internal affairs of other countries,” he said, adding that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence promulgated by China and other countries from the Global South 70 years ago still wield enormous vitality under the current circumstances.
“Second, we should work together as creators of universal security,” Wang said. Mankind is a community with a shared future and an indivisible security community. The security of one country should not be at the expense of the security of others, and the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, he underlined.
“Third, we should work together as defenders of multilateralism,” Wang said. He noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. The more complex the international situation and the more prominent global challenges become, the more important it is to uphold the authority of the UN and give full play to its role, he said.
When talking about the crisis in Ukraine, the Chinese foreign minister said that the window for peace is opening, reiterating that China always stands for an early and peaceful resolution of the crisis and will continue to play a constructive role in its political settlement.
As for the Gaza conflict, Wang called for continuous and effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and emphasized that the two-state solution is the only viable solution.
In conclusion, Wang highlighted that this year is the “African moment” of the G20, as the G20 summit will be held on the African continent for the first time since the African Union became a full member.
We should listen to the voice of Africa, take into account its concerns, support its actions, and make efforts for peace and development on the continent, said Wang.
China firmly supports the African people in independently resolving African issues and opposes external interference in the internal affairs of African countries, he added.
The architect of a nearly $5 million insurance fraud was sentenced today to more than 13 years in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
Jordan Ford, 32, was charged via criminal complaint in June 2024 and pleaded guilty in September 2024 to a criminal information charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was sentenced Thursday to 157 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who also ordered him to pay $4,471,338.92 in restitution to the defrauded insurance companies.
According to court documents, Mr. Ford and his coconspirators recruited insurance company employees to pull clients’ personal information from legitimate insurance claims. The employees handed those details over to Mr Ford.
Using the stolen information, Mr. Ford – posing as the client – called the insurance companies and requested they update the payment information to accounts he and his coconspirators controlled.
Other times, Mr. Ford paid insurance employees to lend him their company-issued laptops, logged onto the companies’ systems, and authorized and issued payments, which were sent to accounts he and his coconspirators controlled.
In total, the coconspirators misdirected funds from at least three insurance companies, netting more than $4.4 million.
All nine defendants charged in the scheme have pleaded guilty, including Mr. Ford’s lieutenant, Humberto Corona; Jaquan Hall and Elexis McLain, who recruited insurance employees and received and distributed fraudulent proceeds; and insurance employees Timothy Starling, Desiree Thomas, Daja Webb, and Sesedrick Wedlow, who were compensated for handing over stolen client information and allowing Mr. Ford to access company systems.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Texas Department of Insurance conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht is prosecuting the case.
MINNEAPOLIS – A Saint Paul man has been sentenced to 51 months in prison, and a Mounds View woman will serve 41 months in prison for their respective roles in aiding and abetting a Minneapolis carjacking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, on October 6, 2023, Carvon Antonio Saine, 19, and his co-defendant Isis Martinaz Brent, a.k.a. Jayda Marie White, 20, approached an elderly victim who had just parked a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu on the street in South Minneapolis. Brent brandished a Carl Walther 9mm semiautomatic pistol and demanded the victim’s keys. During the carjacking, an associate of Brent’s forcefully snatched the victim’s bags, causing the victim to fall and suffer bodily injury on their hands and knees. The Malibu experienced mechanical issues and was later found abandoned. A short time later, Brent and Saine approached a second victim in a parking lot on Chicago Avenue South. Brent knocked on the window, demanded the victim’s keys, and again brandished the Walther semiautomatic pistol at the victim. The second victim was able to escape the attempted carjacking.
Saine and Brent were sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim, each on one count of aiding and abetting a carjacking.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green prosecuted the case.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Around 11,000 Scottish homes and businesses to gain access to lightning-fast broadband.
First Project Gigabit contract signed to bring fastest broadband networks on the market to rural Scotland
Around 11,000 homes and businesses in the Scottish Borders and East Lothian will be the first to benefit from the Scotland-wide rollout, with further contracts planned for other parts of Scotland this year
Supports UK Government plans to raise living standards and grow the economy across the country, including in isolated rural areas, as part of the Plan for Change
Around 11,000 Scottish homes and businesses will gain access to lightning-fast broadband, as joint efforts by the UK and Scottish governments to supercharge internet access in rural areas across the nation get underway and power the UK Government’s Plan for Change.
Rural areas in the Scottish Borders and East Lothian will benefit from gigabit-capable internet upgrades, allowing residents to fulfil day-to-day tasks, from rapid access to health advice through remote hospital consultations to interviewing for jobs and working more flexibly.
The upgrades will benefit some of the most remote areas of Scotland and the UK, including Athelstaneford and Innerwick in East Lothian and St Abbs, Broughton and Ettrickbridge in the Scottish Borders.
These areas will be among the first in Scotland to benefit from a £26 million contract awarded under Project Gigabit – the UK Government-funded rollout to areas unlikely to receive upgrades through commercial plans due to their challenging location. The contract was awarded to independent Scottish provider GoFibre by the Scottish Government.
UK Government Minister for Telecoms and Data Chris Bryant said:
As technological advancements race ahead and revolutionise our day-to-day lives, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind.
It is fantastic to see this UK Government-funded gigabit investment being delivered in Scotland for the first time, not only bringing thousands of people the fastest broadband networks on the market and levelling the playing field but also helping us realise our mission to boost economic growth and improve living standards across the whole country, under the PM’s Plan for Change.
Scottish Government Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:
Reliable internet connectivity is a vital part of everyday life – allowing people to work flexibly, engage in education and stay connected with loved ones.
The Scottish Government has successfully implemented digital infrastructure programmes across Scotland to increase broadband speeds and help grow the economy.
Expanding upon the achievements of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband and Reaching 100% programmes, we will deliver Project Gigabit in Scotland to provide resilient connections that meet the needs of people and businesses now and into the future.
One of Scotland’s leading amateur rugby clubs, Melrose Rugby Club, based in the Scottish Borders, has previously been connected to full fibre network by provider GoFibre.
Having reliable and fast connection meant the club could stream across the world their annual tournament, the Melrose Sevens. The event, which is held every April in Melrose, is the oldest rugby sevens competition in the world and is watched by tens of thousands of fans across the globe, with teams coming from as far afield as Japan, Hong Kong, Uruguay and South Africa.
Malcolm Changleng, Melrose Rugby Club Director, said:
Getting full fibre connection has been a game changer for our club.
As well as the 10,000 fans attending the event on the day of the tournament, we got about 60,000 people watching games on YouTube and other online platforms, which is why it’s so important to have good WiFi.
It’s not just rugby fans watching, but people that have left the Borders to go all over the world. Lots of families from the Borders connect back to the area through the Melrose Rugby Sevens, and we’re proud that we allow people to get a little taste of the Borders on an annual basis.
This weekend, rugby fans in Melrose will be able to support their national team in the Six Nations, with the club streaming Scotland taking on England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Local restaurant, The Hoebridge, is set to grow as a business thanks to the programme – contributing to plans to kickstart economic growth.
Kyle Tidd, Co-Owner of The Hoebridge said:
This investment in faster broadband would improve our operations. It would enable us to streamline our ordering, payment and online booking systems, enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Now the £26 million contract is signed, detailed planning and surveying work will begin immediately with the first connections expected in the Autumn.
Further contracts to be signed this year will see faster broadband delivered to tens of thousands more premises across Scotland, including Aberdeenshire and the Morayshire Coast, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Orkney and Shetland.
For households, gigabit-capable broadband delivers faster speeds and fewer dropouts, providing a gateway to remote working and online education. Unlike traditional copper-based networks, gigabit connections won’t slow down at peak times, meaning no more battling for bandwidth with neighbours. Gigabit networks can easily handle over a hundred devices all at once with no buffering, meaning the whole family can seamlessly surf, stream and download at the same time.
Project Gigabit will support the UK Government’s plans to kickstart economic growth, creating and supporting thousands of high-paid, high-skilled jobs, empowering industries of all kinds to innovate and increasing productivity by taking up digital technology.
It will also ensure people can access vital services they need now and, in the future, from giving patients improved access to healthcare through virtual appointments and remote health monitoring to helping pensioners combat loneliness by catching up with loved ones over higher quality video calls.
Scotland Office Minister, Kirsty McNeill, said:
This landmark contract marks a crucial step forward in our mission to end digital inequality across Scotland. By bringing the fastest possible broadband to our rural communities, we’re not just laying cables – we’re opening up new opportunities for local businesses, improving access to education and healthcare. The UK Government, through our Plan for Change, is working to ensure Scotland’s rural communities can benefit from the digital economy and economic growth is seen across the country.
Neil Conaghan, CEO of GoFibre, said:
As a Scottish company, born in the Borders, GoFibre is proud to be named as the delivery partner for the first Project Gigabit contract in Scotland, bringing transformative full fibre connectivity to thousands more homes and businesses across the region. This contract award marks a step-change in our ambition and footprint as a major Scottish telecommunications company.
We have a sterling track record of connecting communities across Scotland to our ultra-fast broadband network. Delivering this project will build on our successful delivery of Project Gigabit contracts in North Northumberland and Teesdale where we are delivering much-needed broadband in rural areas, ahead of schedule. We will bring all that expertise and GoFibre experience to this essential project for people in the Borders and East Lothian.
Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
UN Official Notes Fragility in Border Areas despite Overall Security Improvement
The Central African Republic has made significant progress towards the 2025 elections, the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country told the Security Council today, while also noting overall security improvements and persistent fragility in border areas.
Valentine Rugwabiza, Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), emphasized that the upcoming electoral cycle represents a historic opportunity to lay the foundation for decentralized governance. Recently, national authorities along with MINUSCA’s support were able to register 570,000 new voters and had opened the first-ever multiservice post at the country’s border with Chad.
However, despite this important progress, serious pockets of insecurity persist, particularly in areas where armed groups try to control mining sites and transhumance corridors, she continued. Implementation of the national border-management policy requires additional support as the conflict in Sudan also threatens to spill over. While welcoming the dissolution of 9 out of 14 armed groups who signed the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation six years ago, she also said that more needs to be done — in collaboration with regional partners — to facilitate the return of armed group leaders and ensure their disarmament.
On the human rights front, she urged the Government to launch the Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission, through the appointment of its new commissioners. “If left unaddressed, [human rights] crimes could undermine the hard-earned security gains and further erode social cohesion,” she warned. Paying tribute to a 29-year-old Tunisian peacekeeper recently killed in an ambush in Bamingui-Bangoran, she urged the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We need your support to build a stronger and more inclusive economy in the Central African Republic,” said Portia Deya Abazene, President of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs of the Central African Republic, via video link. Despite the adoption of international conventions and a constitution guaranteeing equal rights, “harmful practices continue to hinder the progress of women in [Central African Republic]”, she said, highlighting the low representation of women in leadership positions. Women represent only 15.52 per cent of business owners in certain sectors and face constraints in accessing land, means of production, education, financing, markets and decent employment.
Women Key to Economic Development
Ms. Abazene’s organization provides a space for experience-sharing among women entrepreneurs at the local level, as well as training programmes in leadership, management, financial education and digital marketing. “The achievements of Central African women in entrepreneurship are the result of their determination and political will,” she underscored, calling for policies promoting female entrepreneurship and easier access to financing. “The Central African Republic will not reach its potential as long as more than 51 per cent of its population” — women — continue to be marginalized, she said.
Council members emphasized the need to address human rights violations in the country, urged its authorities to seize the opportunity to hold credible elections, and highlighted MINUSCA’s vital role in helping to expand State authority. Several speakers, however, offered differing views on the root causes of Bangui’s instability.
United States, United Kingdom, Russian Federation Trade Barbs
“It is clear that Kremlin-backed actors, purporting to be security partners, are undercutting Central African Republic’s authorities and undermining peace with the primary goal of stealing [Central African Republic] resources without contributing to its development,” said the representative of the United States. . “It is unacceptable that a member of this Council continues to disseminate disinformation that diminishes the credibility and effectiveness of MINUSCA,” he added, expressing serious concern over the violation of the Status of Forces Agreement, namely the blocking of MINUSCA fuel trucks.
The United Kingdom’s delegate said his country has information “that proxies directed by the Russian State have plans to interfere with [Central African Republic] elections, including through suppressing political voices and conducting disinformation campaigns to interfere in political debate”. They are acting without regard for the country’s sovereignty and jeopardizing the dedicated UN role, he said. Also highlighting reports of Wagner Ti Azande and other armed groups committing atrocities against civilians, he called on all actors to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law.
The representative of the Russian Federation said that, given the considerable security improvements in the Central African Republic, it is “surprising” that the United States and United Kingdom continue “whipping the dead horse of their campaign to smear” her country. This campaign has run out of steam. Moscow remains committed to cooperating with Bangui to achieve lasting peace and security. As far as the security situation, she expressed concerns for the area bordering Sudan, which has become an “additional burden” of human rights concerns. Successful municipal elections in July will be a “milestone on the road to peaceful life” in the Central African Republic.
The representative of China, Council President for February, speaking in his national capacity, said the situation in the country “is good, in general”, with progress in enhancing governance capacity and consolidating political gains. MINUSCA must prioritize support for election preparations, he said, adding that the international community should avoid undue external interference.
Democratic, Inclusive, Fair Elections
The representative of Somalia, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone, welcomed the inauguration of “the first-ever multiservice border post in the Central African Republic” built with MINUSCA’s support. Despite security, logistical and financial challenges — preparations towards local, legislative and presidential elections are progressing. Emphasizing the need for open and constructive dialogue between the Government and opposition parties, he also called for “concerted” efforts to ensure that all eligible citizens are registered to vote. “We wish to underline that the success of the local election process is essential for the strengthening of direct democracy, legitimacy, local development and the extension of State authority throughout the national territory,” he added.
Other speakers also said that the upcoming elections were a unique opportunity for the Central African Republic, with Panama’s delegate emphasizing that 2025 is a “pivotal year” for Bangui. “These will be the first local elections in more than three decades,” he said, urging the Government to guarantee that “these elections will be carried out in a peaceful environment”. Slovenia’s delegate said that, while local elections can signify a major step in the further decentralization of the country, they “will only be considered credible and democratic, if all eligible voters are able to register and cast their vote, including women, youth, minorities, internally displaced persons, returnees and refugees”.
Fear of Sudan Conflict Spillover
Joining others in expressing concern over the spillover of the conflict in Sudan, the representative of the Republic of Korea said that the presence of the Rapid Support Forces — a paramilitary group in Sudan — in the Central African Republic “only brings more risk to the already-fragile landscape”. Similarly, Greece’s representative said that recent gains in border-management policy “are undermined by the transiting of armed groups across the porous north-eastern region”.
Pakistan’s delegate noted that his country had contributed 1,300 troops to MINUSCA and expressed concern over the shortfall in funding. “As of 4 February, unpaid assessed contributions to the Special Account for MINUSCA amounted to $570.7 million,” he said. Other Council members also stressed the need to provide financial and material support for the Central African Republic, with France’s delegate noting that Paris has allocated €2 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Bangui’s upcoming elections, and €200,000 to enable the country’s Special Criminal Court to function. Peacebuilding “depends on progress achieved in combating impunity”, he stressed.
The representative of the Central African Republic, detailing his country’s “considerable progress in pursuing peace” since the signing of the 2019 peace agreement, reported that 9 of 14 armed groups have dissolved, 7,000 combatants have disarmed and demobilized, and 20,000 weapons of various calibres have been collected. “This is a sign of historic progress,” he stressed, while noting the “one major challenge” remaining — “the complete eradication of isolated armed groups, which continue to carry out atrocities against civilians”. To the armed groups that remain, he underscored: “The door for dialogue remains wide open.”
He went on to stress: “Insecurity directly threatens the democratic process that we intend to consolidate.” Noting that the crisis is Sudan is seriously impacting his own, he called on the international community to support Bangui’s forces; provide training, logistical and intelligence support; and strengthen MINUSCA’s mandate so the Mission can be more proactive in addressing security threats. And for the ongoing electoral process — “a fundamental pillar for stability and lasting peace” — he appealed for financial support amounting to $7 million. “By supporting this process, the international community will be directly contributing to peace and development in our country,” he said.
NEW YORK and LONDON, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bishop Street Underwriters (“Bishop Street”), a RedBird Capital Partners portfolio company, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Landmark Underwriting (“Landmark”), a specialty-focused managing general agent (“MGA”) based in London. This deal continues Bishop Street’s rapid expansion, growing its investment footprint outside of North America for the first time, and further strengthening the capabilities of its platform. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As a well-positioned high-growth MGA with an established panel of rated capacity partners, this deal brings Landmark’s specialized and dynamic team to the Bishop Street platform, in support of building a truly integrated global underwriting business. Landmark’s leadership team will remain intact with Sitki Gelmen as Group CEO, David Ratledge as Group MD and Deepti Janak as Group CFO, facilitating a seamless transition and incorporating the teams’ vision into the future growth of the platform across the UK, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Landmark has served clients in the specialty (re)insurance market since 2017, offering a range of bespoke insurance solutions across various classes including Professional Indemnity, Property, Directors and Officers and General Liability. With the acquisition now complete, Landmark will build upon it’s established market presence and recent expansions into Marine and Political Risk products, with expansion planned across new classes and geographies.
“We’re thrilled to officially welcome Landmark Underwriting to the Bishop Street family,” said Chad Levine, CEO of Bishop Street. “We look forward to leveraging the team’s experience and strong industry relationships to enable the next chapter of international development for our platform. Landmark’s ability to adapt to client needs and attract the best underwriting talent will continue to fuel its growth, positioning the company as a leading MGA of choice in the global market and a complementary fit for the Bishop Street portfolio.”
Sitki Gelmen, Landmark Underwriting Group CEO and Co-Founder, said: “This is an exciting next phase for Landmark. We are focused on bringing specialty underwriting solutions to our partners, and through this partnership, we will amplify our ability to provide leading risk solutions to top broking houses worldwide. The combination of Bishop Street’s resources and our niche expertise will allow us to accelerate growth, expand our product offerings into complementary lines of business and deepen our presence in key markets.”
Mike Zabik, Partner of RedBird Capital, added, “Bishop Street’s growth strategy is predicated on leveraging a multi-jurisdictional footprint. Landmark’s strong presence in London and its expanding global presence are key levers for future growth, both organically and through strategic acquisitions across key international markets.”
This addition marks the latest strategic move for Bishop Street, following recent key investments and acquisitions including Ethos Specialty’s Transactional Liability unit, Verve Services, Conifer Insurance Services and Ahoy!, as well as partnerships with companies like Skyward Specialty Insurance and Topsail Re.
About Bishop Street Bishop Street Underwriters, a RedBird Capital portfolio company, seeks to partner with Managing General Agents (“MGAs”) as well as niche underwriting teams. Bishop Street aims to combine their best-in-class (re)insurance executive team’s vision with RedBird’s strong track record, expertise and network in the financial services sector to build a differentiated platform that is uniquely positioned to capitalize on secular growth tailwinds in the industry. For more information, please go to www.bishopstreetuw.com.
About Landmark Underwriting Landmark Underwriting is a specialist, UK based MGA providing (re)insurance solutions to complex risks globally. Since 2017, Landmark has maintained relationships with all of the significant Insurance Broker markets. From its centre of operations in London, Landmark currently provides risk solutions across Professional Indemnity, General Liability, Directors and Officers, Property and Marine. The company continues to expand its underwriting and operational bandwidth in key territories, driving rapid growth.
About RedBird Capital Partners RedBird Capital Partners is a private investment firm that builds high-growth companies with strategic capital solutions to founders and entrepreneurs. The firm currently manages $10 billion in assets on behalf of a global group of blue chip institutional and family office investors. Founded in 2014 by Gerry Cardinale, RedBird integrates sophisticated private equity investing with a hands-on business building mandate that focuses on three core industry verticals – Financial Services, Sports and Media & Entertainment. Over his 30-year investment career, Cardinale has partnered with founders and entrepreneurs to build some of the most iconic growth companies in their respective industries. For more information, please go to www.redbirdcap.com.
Media Contacts Bishop Street Dan Gagnier Gagnier Communications redbird@gagnierfc.com 646.569.5897
Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, held a roundtable with ambassadors and representatives from Africa this week. The countries represented included: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Malawi, Ghana, Senegal, Djibouti, Madagascar, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Uganda, Gabon, Togo, Mozambique, Mauritania, and Ethiopia, as well as a Representative from the African Union.
Following the meeting, Sen. Cruz said, “I intend to use my chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy to ensure that America’s policy towards Africa is focused on advancing American national security interests across the continent, with an emphasis on countering China’s efforts to undermine those interests and conduct malign activities. The subcommittee will hold regular and multiple hearings on these and other issues.
“Right now, the Chinese Communist Party is pouring billions into its Belt and Road Initiative across Africa. These projects serve as a tool for the CCP to lock in crushing debt and undermine the sovereignty of countries across the continent.
“In this meeting, I also emphasized that national security is inextricably linked to energy, and the issue was raised by at least half of the ambassadors in the room. Economic prosperity hinges on access to reliable energy and critical resources. The United States has a unique opportunity to expand economic ties by fostering partnerships in energy, as well as in critical mineral and other resources, which will bring greater prosperity and a brighter future for Africans while strengthening America’s strategic position in the region.”
BACKGROUND
The Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy deals with all matters concerning U.S. relations with countries in Africa (except those, like the countries of North Africa, specifically covered by other subcommittees), as well as regional intergovernmental organizations like the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. This subcommittee’s regional responsibilities include all matters within the geographic region, including matters relating to: (1) terrorism and non-proliferation; (2) crime and illicit narcotics; (3) U.S. foreign assistance programs; and (4) the promotion of U.S. trade and exports.
In addition, this subcommittee has global responsibility for health-related policy, including disease outbreak and response.
1 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –A Kenya Defence Forces service member shows U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, how to use his weapon system during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Counter Insurgency Terrorism and Stability Operations Center in Nanyuki, Kenya, Feb. 13, 2025. JA25 is the premier U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joskanny J. Lua) VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, greet the Somali Danab during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Counter Insurgency Terrorism and Stability Operations Center in Nanyuki, Kenya, Feb. 13, 2025. JA25 is the premier U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joskanny J. Lua) VIEW ORIGINAL
NAIROBI, Kenya — On the front lines of Somalia’s battle against al-Shabaab, Somali soldiers remain committed to securing their country’s future — and they are not alone.
Somali Sgt. Mubaarak Abdi Mohamed and Sgt. Hussein Dahir Muhammad, infantrymen with the Somali National Army, trained alongside U.S. Army Soldiers at Justified Accord 2025, a multinational exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa. The exercise focuses on strengthening multinational partnerships, enhancing interoperability, and improving regional security capabilities.
Alongside Somali soldiers in Kenya stand paratroopers with Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, who are helping improve partner force readiness. The exercise, hosted by Kenya, brings together 15 nations, including regional partners like the Kenya Defence Forces and the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, to sharpen crisis response and security cooperation efforts.
U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, greet the Somali Danab during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Counter Insurgency Terrorism and Stability Operations Center in Nanyuki, Kenya, Feb. 13, 2025. JA25 is the premier U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joskanny J. Lua)U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, join the Kenya Defence Forces and Somali Danab in a mass formation during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Counter Insurgency Terrorism and Stability Operations center in Nanyuki, Kenya, Feb. 13, 2025. JA25 is the premier U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joskanny J. Lua)VIEW ORIGINAL
While Somalia continues its fight against terrorism, exercises like Justified Accord 25 allow Somali Danab forces to train alongside international partners, enhancing their capabilities through scenario-based drills and multinational coordination.
As part of the exercise, forces from across Europe, Africa, and North America will participate in a culminating field training scenario, focused on crisis response and multinational cooperation. Training includes urban operations, joint maneuver tactics, and security force coordination — critical skills for ensuring stability in East Africa.
“They [the U.S.] always give us their precious time,” Hussein Dahir said. “It is nice.”
Running from Feb. 10–21, Justified Accord 25 reinforces the long-standing partnerships between the U.S., African nations, and allied forces. The 173rd Airborne Brigade’s participation underscores the U.S. Army’s commitment to supporting African partners in strengthening security and regional stability.
Good morning, Chairman Lange, esteemed Members of the European Parliament, and the Steering Committee of the Interparliamentary Union.
It is a privilege to be here with you today. I have a deep appreciation for the complexities of your work and the pivotal position you occupy in bringing together international institutions with the public you represent.
As Parliamentarians, your engagement on WTO matters is essential — not only for shaping trade policy but for ensuring that our work delivers real and meaningful benefits to the public. Parliaments serve as the voice of the people in global trade discussions, and your leadership is crucial in making multilateralism both effective and responsive to the needs of your citizens.
Today, as the WTO marks its 30th anniversary, and its 80th beginning as the GATT, I will focus on two pressing topics. First, I will describe the negotiating priorities outlined by the WTO’s Members as we gear up for the 14th Ministerial Conference, scheduled to take place in March next year in Cameroon. Second, I will touch upon the broader geopolitical context — a subject that I know is front and center.
Fish
Let me begin with a subject that is especially important to showing the success of the multilateral trading system for economic and environmental sustainability: fisheries subsidies. One of our Members’ most pressing priorities is to ensure the entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, while also advancing and completing the negotiations on the second phase, to achieve even deeper disciplines. These efforts are vital to protecting our oceans and promoting sustainable fishing practices worldwide.
The landmark WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies concluded at MC12 in 2022 brought WTO Members a major step closer to fulfilling the SDG 14.6 mandate by prohibiting subsidies to fishing activities considered to be among the most harmful to the sustainability of our oceans. It is estimated that USD 22 billion of harmful fisheries subsidies are provided each year. Through this Agreement, WTO Members have banned such subsidies provided to vessels involved in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fishing of overfished stocks, and fishing in the unregulated high seas.
IUU fishing accounts for approximately 20% of the world’s catch, depleting global fish stocks. Moreover, the FAO estimates that almost 38% of global fish stocks are overfished, and by some measures, the devastation is even higher. The AFS can help to reverse this significant and worsening loss of natural resources.
However, the full potential of the Agreement will be realized only once it enters into force, which requires the acceptance of two-thirds (or 111) of WTO Members. To date, 90 Members have deposited their instruments of acceptance, bringing us within striking distance of our goal — we need just 21 more.
I would like to sincerely thank the European Union for being among the first to accept the Agreement. In addition, generous contributions by the EU and its member States to the Fish Fund will support developing and least-developed Members with the implementation of the Agreement if they have deposited their acceptances. We are so close to entry into force but not quite there yet. I strongly urge you to continue your leadership by encouraging and helping those who have not yet formally accepted the Agreement to do so as soon as possible. And for those here today from the IPU Steering Committee who have not deposited, please count on the WTO Secretariat to help you any way we can. We are aiming for the entry into force of the Agreement before the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), taking place in June in Nice, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica. The need to get this done is urgent, and we are counting on everyone to work to meet the goal.
The second priority related to fisheries subsidies is concluding the second wave of negotiations on additional disciplines.
At the WTO General Council meeting last December, it was clear that nearly all Members, with the exception of just a few, were ready to conclude the negotiations based on the most recent draft text circulated last November (TN/RL/W/285). While some Members have noted that the disciplines are not perfect, they still acknowledge the substantial value of the current package in curbing subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. However, those Members that do not support the text have expressed fundamental differences.
While no agreement is perfect and every Member may have aspects they wish to modify, it is in everyone’s interest to achieve an outcome. If Members fail to do so, the absence of disciplines on overcapacity and overfishing will mean continued deterioration of fish stocks for everyone. We are at a tipping point.
We remain committed to bringing this second wave of negotiations across the finish line and will continue to rely on the constructive engagement of those present here today to make this a reality. Urgent action is needed for both economic and environmental sustainability.
Dispute Settlement
The second priority is reforming the WTO’s dispute settlement system to ensure that WTO rules remain meaningful for the benefit of all Members.
At MC12 in 2022, WTO Members committed to having “a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all Members by 2024” and reiterated this objective at MC13 last year. This deadline has passed, and Members are currently working to establish a path forward. I wish to thank the European Union and others in this room for their constructive stance and continued engagement in the reform process.
Following MC13, the reform of the DS system was formally advanced under the leadership of the Permanent Representative of Mauritius, who, together with six co-convenors at the expert level, worked to address outstanding issues. These included the topics of appeal/review, accessibility, and “works done thus far”. Since the departure of Mauritius’ Ambassador in last November, the General Council (GC) Chair continued to directly oversee the reform process, engaging with Members to gather perspectives on how to build upon the progress and further advance the reform.
The reform process has already resulted in several draft texts different areas. Notably, Members have developed an advanced substantive draft on “Capacity Building” and “Technical Assistance”. This is crucial for enhancing the technical support we provide to developing Members. While Members made strides in the discussions surrounding appeal/review, this remains one of the more challenging aspects of the reform, and further efforts are needed to resolve the outstanding issues.
I know that our Members are awaiting word from the United States as to its position. I remain hopeful that we will continue to make progress on this crucial work.
In the meantime, the WTO continues to serve as the primary forum for resolving international trade disputes. Eight disputes are currently ongoing, along with eleven active consultations. We have also observed an increase in negotiated solutions among Members, with the panel process often serving as a catalyst for these agreements. The dispute settlement work at the WTO remains robust.
Agriculture
Third, it is vital that WTO Members make progress on agriculture.
Agriculture is expected to be a central element on the MC14 agenda, especially because of its fundamental role in supporting food security and driving socio-economic development, particularly across the African continent. Consensus has remained out of reach as to the process and timeline for these negotiations. As the outgoing Chair of the negotiations outlined in his recent report (JOB/AG/265), rebuilding trust and setting credible targets is essential to progressively restoring an effective negotiating process and achieving an agricultural outcome in March 2025 in Yaoundé.
Plurilateral initiatives
The fourth priority is for Members to find a way to incorporate the results of plurilateral joint initiatives — the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement and the Agreement on E-commerce — into the WTO rulebook.
These plurilateral initiatives represent the opportunity for like-minded Members to establish new and ambitious rules among themselves and break new ground within the WTO framework. They co-exist with the concept of multilateralism and do not reduce any WTO rights for non-participants.
The IFD Agreement currently has 126 WTO Members as parties, including 90 developing and 27 LDC Members, as well as the EU. It aims to foster sustainable development by improving the investment climate through greater transparency and predictability and to facilitate investment flows, particularly to developing and LDC Members. The proponents of the Agreement seek to incorporate it into Annex IV of the WTO Agreement as a plurilateral agreement, with its benefits applied on an MFN basis to all WTO Members. Doing so requires consensus among our Members. However, a few Members have expressed opposition to its incorporation, citing systemic concerns and the impact on multilateralism. The proponents continue work to chart a path to integrate these important disciplines into the WTO rulebook.
Ninety-one WTO Members, including the EU, have concluded negotiations on the text of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce and presented it to the General Council the day before yesterday for incorporation into the WTO rulebook. The Agreement aims at enabling electronic transactions and promoting digital trade facilitation, ensuring an open environment for digital trade, and promoting trust in e-commerce. It also has provisions on cooperation and development. As with IFD, a few Members oppose on systemic grounds.
Multilateral work on e-commerce
In terms of multilateral work on e-commerce, engagement continues under the multilateral Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, as outlined in the MC13 Decision, to be completed by MC14. In January, we held a Dedicated Discussion on bridging the digital divide, focusing on infrastructure, connectivity, and internet access. Another session in February will explore legal and regulatory frameworks, including consumer protection, privacy, and cybersecurity. These sessions aim to share national experiences, delve deeper into key themes, and reflect on actionable ideas. The goal is to identify concrete steps and recommendations for Ministers’ consideration at MC14.
Another critical decision point is whether to extend the moratorium on the collection of duties on digital transmissions, set to expire on 31 March 2026 or at MC14, whichever comes first. In December, we convened a dedicated information session featuring input from the WTO Secretariat, IMF, UNCTAD, OECD, and South Centre. The session aimed to review existing studies on the moratorium’s impact, foster discussions on its scope and definition, and explore alternative taxation approaches. I encourage you to engage in an open dialogue and explore elements that could help establish a common ground to advance on this important issue.
Development
Each of these workstreams carries a strong development dimension, which remains a top priority for many of our Members, as developing countries make up two-thirds of our membership. Just a few weeks ago, WTO Members held a forward-looking retreat focused on leveraging trade as a tool for development and charting a path forward. We will build on this successful engagement in the lead up to MC14.
Geopolitical context
Members of Parliaments, I would be remiss not to say anything about the current geopolitical situation and its impact on trade. We live in tumultuous times — times when trade measures and also countermeasures are announced and implemented within mere days, sometimes hours. The climate of uncertainty affects businesses that operate internationally and rely on supply chains spread across different corners of the world. Such volatility can disrupt economic stability, affect investment plans, and upset supply chains not only within Europe but across the globe.
It is in times like these that a stable and predictable trading environment, anchored by the multilateral trading system and the World Trade Organization, is more necessary than ever. We were established and designed to promote transparency, stability, and predictability in global trade. Over the past 30 years, the WTO — which an entity composed of its Members — has been working diligently to uphold these principles, to secure a business environment that fosters growth and cooperation. The WTO continues to cover 80% of global trade, which remains unchanged despite recent developments. No single Member dominates the system — not even the United States, which accounts for 15.9% of global trade.
Europe, with its commitment to open markets and a rules-based trading order, has been a cornerstone of the multilateral system and has long championed the cause of multilateralism and of a predictable trading environment.
However, let us remember that the multilateral system cannot be taken for granted. Its strength and effectiveness is not automatic; it depends on you, its Members. Our estimates indicate that a collapse of the trading order could result in a staggering double-digit loss in global GDP. And even the mere presence of uncertainty chips away at our collective prosperity, eroding welfare bit by bit.
That is why today, I appeal to you with an important reminder: the future of the multilateral trading system, and the WTO’s role as a guardian of security and predictability in global commerce, is in your hands.
If you value the WTO, please help us deliver on the negotiating agenda I have just laid out.
If you consider WTO rules inadequate or imperfect, I encourage you to collaborate with other Members to strengthen and improve them.
If you think that your interests are being harmed by measures taken by other Members, I urge you to make full use of the WTO’s platform — whether through our committees, bilateral consultations, or the dispute settlement system — to address and resolve these issues constructively.
And as you consider the application of your own trade measures, particularly in response to those taken by others, I urge you to remain level-headed and consider not just the immediate effects, but also the broader, long-term consequences, on consumers, industries, and the global trading system. And let us not forget the impact on developing countries — when elephants fight, the grass gets trampled. And that hurts the elephants too.
In a time when trade is increasingly disrupted by unpredictable and destabilizing actions, your support is crucial in ensuring that the rules-based system we’ve worked so hard to build endures, ultimately benefiting all.
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar, Distributes Sanitation Kits and Ayushman Cards under the NAMASTE Scheme to Sewer and Septic Tank Workers in Mumbai Waste pickers are also beneficiaries of NAMASTE Scheme, along with Sewer and Septic Tank Workers: Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar
NAMASTE Scheme aims to take Death Rate of Sewer and Septic Tank Workers to Zero by providing them Proper Training and safety Measures
Profiling of more than 2400 Sewer and Septic Tank Workers done in Mumbai
Posted On: 20 FEB 2025 6:16PM by PIB Mumbai
: Mumbai, February 20, 2025
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar distributed Sanitation Kits and Ayushman Health Cards to Safai Karamcharis under the Central Government’s National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme, in Mumbai today. In addition, Sanction Letters for subsidized low rate loan for purchase of mechanized cleaning vehicles under Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY) were also distributed to some of the beneficiaries. The event witnessed the reaffirmation of Government’s commitment to the welfare of the underprivileged. This dedication to prioritizing the marginalized reflects the Government’s broader vision of Viksit Bharat where every individual has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from India’s development journey.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar informed that the NAMASTE Scheme, which is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has an objective of ensuring dignity and safety of sanitation workers and empowering them socially and economically. This scheme aims to formalize and institutionalize the persons engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and also promote safe and mechanized cleaning through trained sanitation workers. On the occasion the Union Minister also informed that waste pickers are also included as beneficiaries in the NAMASTE Scheme, along with sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) and their profiling has also started.
Dr. Kumar said that NAMASTE scheme aims to take down the death rate to zero by providing training to the sanitation workers or ‘swachhata senani’ of the country. In these training programmes, the engineers and related municipality workers will also take part so that the whole system becomes well-prepared. For this purpose, profiling of sanitation workers has started in all municipalities around the country, to ensure safe working conditions and providing them with PPE kits and other safety devices.
Applauding the spirit of the swachhata workers, Dr. Virendra Kumar said that their hard work round the year keeps the citizenry free from diseases. Calling them the most important section of society, he said that it is our duty to ensure that the sanitation workers have a safe working environment. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is holding meetings with the Social Welfare Departments of all the states for this purpose. The Union Minister also urged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation sanitation workers present on the occasion to inform their fellow colleagues in other regions of the country about the benefits to be yielded from the NAMASTE scheme.
Dr. Ashwani Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC informed that 2485 Sewer and Septic Tank Workers have been profiled in Mumbai city and the benefits of NAMASTE scheme will be extended to them. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 is followed in letter and spirit in Mumbai where cent percent sewer connectivity will be achieved by 2027, she further informed.
Shri Amit Yadav, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, informed that 65,060 SSWs have been profiled under the scheme and 32,734 of them have been provided with PPE kits, while 15,153 workers have been provided with Ayushman health cards till date.
The National Safai Karmacharis Finance Development Corporation (NSKFDC) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) is the implementing agency of ‘NAMASTE’.
Dr. Harshdeep Kamble, Principal Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Ms. Yogita Swaroop, Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, Shri Kiran Dighavkar, Dy. Municipal Commissioner, Mumbai, Shri Prabhat Kumar Singh, Managing Director, National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation and Shri Lahuraj Mali, Managing Director, Mahatma Phule Backward Classes Development Corporation Limited, Mumbai were also present amongst the dignitaries.
Headline: Announcing the 2025 Imagine Cup Semifinalists
We’re excited to announce the next phase of the 2025 Imagine Cup – meet the startups who were selected to advance to the Semifinals! These student founders are the future, and their innovative ideas are sure to capture your interest and perhaps spark your own new idea.
The semifinalists will receive advice and guidance through personalized mentorship and additional benefits within Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub to help further develop their idea and solution as they prepare for the next round of the competition. A panel of judges (including AI experts, startup founders, and venture capitalists – meet them here!) will select the top three startups. These startups will advance to World Championship, competing for the ultimate prize of $100,000 USD1 and a mentorship session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella! The two runners-up will each receive $25,000 USD1.
Inspired by the ideas below? Apply to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub to begin launching your own startup today. Access free industry-leading AI, credits with fewer restrictions, and tools to scale quickly.
Congratulations to the semifinalists! (listed in alphabetical order):
ADA.AI, Indonesia
ADA.AI is an accessible AI-driven job-matching platform that empowers job seekers with disabilities through inclusive hiring and career tools like CV Maker and Career Tree. It addresses corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals for human resources, ensuring seamless and equitable opportunities for all.
Argus, United States
Argus is a two-part device that empowers independence for visually impaired individuals by responding to questions about the world around them, aiding with tasks like object identification, facial recognition, and navigation.
BaharMar, United States
BaharMar automates the sorting and inspection of juvenile fish in hatcheries and RAS farms using AI-powered computer vision and synchronized hardware. Achieving over 90% accuracy, it reduces labor demands, improves fish health, and enhances profitability. Focused on sustainability, it helps farms scale operations to meet rising global seafood demand.
Cognify, United Arab Emirates
Cognify is an AI study app that helps students with ADHD study effectively by generating concise and interactive lessons from their own study materials. It uses eye-tracking technology to alert them when they get distracted.
DaNang Speech, Vietnam
DaNang Speech provides a comprehensive Vietnamese language dictionary equipped with advanced mispronunciation detection capabilities. By leveraging speech recognition and artificial intelligence technologies, it offers seamless API integration to facilitate pronunciation improvement for children, students, and foreign language learners.
FuiZion KrEw, United Arab Emirates
FuiZion KrEw’s product Lexy is an AI-powered reading assistant that makes text accessible for people with dyslexia through personalized content adaptation, smart remixing, and real-time feedback.
HairMatch, United States
HairMatch is an AI-powered hair analysis app for finding natural haircare products, personalizing hair care. It allows women to scan their curly hair and receive product recommendations.
Handify.AI, France
Handify is an AI-powered robotic assistant for disabled individuals and the elderly. It combines a voice-controlled arm and advanced Large Language Model (LLM) to perform tasks, offer real-time analysis, and enhance independence—all at an affordable price.
Intratalent, United States
Intratalent is an AI-powered resume screener by analyzing resumes, GitHub, and research papers. It integrates with existing application tracking systems, ranks top candidates, and reduces time-to-screen by 10x for medium-to-large enterprises, offering deeper contextual matching and transparent rationale for every recommendation.
Koel Labs, United States
Koel Labs provides personalized, actionable, real-time pronunciation feedback through entertaining movie-clips and television shows for the 50% of foreign speakers struggling with their accent every day.
MariTest, United Kingdom
MariTest is an AI-powered, non-invasive malaria diagnostic device. It detects malaria using a paramagnetic signature, making it portable and user-friendly. The device provides real-time diagnosis and data transfer without needing blood samples, labs, or skilled healthcare workers, ideal for remote areas.
MediSmart, Saudi Arabia
MediSmart is a medication reminder application utilizing AI technology. Its goal is to enhance medication adherence through personalized reminders and integrated user support, improving health outcomes and reducing medical costs.
Omniglot, Vietnam
Omniglot is an AI-powered translation tool designed to deliver a seamless and efficient workflow. It combining user-adapted style, cloud-based convenience, and Azure AI-backed privacy, specifically tailored for freelance translators and independent publishers.
RSL, Saudi Arabia
RSL is an AI-powered autism screening system using a social robot that engages children with gamified activities while analyzing speech, behavior, and emotions. It provides accurate diagnostics, improving accessibility and efficiency for therapists.
Sabana, United States
Sabana is an AI-driven data management platform designed to simplify how architects and engineers manage, document, and collaborate on product selections and construction specifications.
Signvrse, Rwanda
Signvrse is an AI-powered platform bridging communication gaps between the Deaf and hearing communities. Its tool, Terp, uses lifelike avatars to translate spoken languages into sign language, fostering inclusivity and accessibility on a global scale.
Smart Grade AI, Pakistan
Smart Grade AI automates manual grading with AI-driven essay evaluation, providing instant feedback and analytics to save educators time and improve student outcomes.
ToolDetective, Brazil
ToolDetective provides predictive maintenance for the manufacturing industry by checking metal cutting tool wear during each cycle of machining. It using computer vision based on deep learning algorithms to segment the wear on the image and increase the tool’s lifetime.
Verse, United States
Verse uses AI to provide assignable, voice-based conversations that encourage critical thinking and active learning. It supports over 50 languages and helps prevent plagiarism and AI misuse. Ideal for educators, Verse offers real-time, interactive assignments that promote deeper thinking and accommodate diverse learning styles.
Stay tuned and follow us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for exciting announcements and the latest updates.
1Open only to enrolled high-school or college/university students 18+. For additional eligibility criteria, round start/end dates, and detailed instructions on how to participate, see theImagine Cup Official Rules and Regulations.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Human Rights Council
– Secretary-General/as CARICOM
– Haiti
– Deputy Secretary-General
– South Sudan
– Libya
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Central African Republic
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Israel/Palestine
– Ukraine
– World Day of Social Justice
– Financial Contribution
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
On Sunday, the Secretary-General will arrive in Geneva, where he will take part in the opening of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, which is scheduled to kick off on Monday morning.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to say that without respect for human rights, sustainable peace is a pipedream.
He will also state that breathing life into the work of the Human Rights Council and the Pact for the Future can help end the suffocation of human rights that we see around the world.
The Pact calls for peace processes and approaches rooted in the key pillars that reinforce human rights — from the Universal Declaration to international law and the UN Charter, he is expected to add.
Later in the day, he is also expected to address the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament. He is expected to call on Member States to seize the fresh momentum provided by the Pact for the Future to make tangible progress on disarmament issues.
While in Geneva, he is expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings.
He will be back in New York on Monday night.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/CARICOM
Before he heads to Geneva he has to conclude his trip to Barbados, he is currently in Bridgetown as you know he is attending the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, also known as CARICOM.
This morning, he participated in a closed session with CARICOM Heads of Government, where he exchanged views on pressing issues in the region, such as finance, climate and security, with a focus on Haiti.
Last night, at the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General said that the exquisite beauty of the Caribbean is famed the world over, but that there is trouble in paradise. He noted that wave after wave of crisis is pounding the people of the Caribbean and their islands – with no time to catch their breath before the next disaster strikes.
Stressing that international solutions are essential to create a better today and a brighter tomorrow for the wonderful region and for the world, the Secretary-General said that he sees three key areas where, together, we must drive progress. First, he said, unity for peace and security, particularly to address the appalling situation in Haiti – where gangs are inflicting intolerable suffering on the people of Haiti.
The Secretary-General added that he will soon report to the Security Council on the situation in Haiti, including proposals on the role the UN can play to support stability and security and address the root causes of the crisis.
The Secretary-General further highlighted unity on the climate crisis and sustainable development as areas where progress is needed.
Also yesterday, he held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mia Mottley the host of the meeting, where they exchanged views on regional and global issues, particularly the situation in Haiti and climate change. He commended Barbados for spearheading efforts to advance reforms to the international financial architecture through the Bridgetown Initiative 3.0.
And this morning, he also met with the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, with the Presidential Adviser of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti, Laurent Saint-Cyr, and with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland.
He will be heading back to New York this afternoon.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=20%20February%202025
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, February 20, 2025/APO Group/ —
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Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) forty-eighth regular meeting of Heads of Government, in Bridgetown today:
It is a joy to be with you in Barbados, and an honour to be back in the Caribbean. I am delighted to meet Prime Minister Mottley again so soon after the African Union Summit in Ethiopia, where you delivered such a powerful message on the legacies of slavery and colonialism, and reparatory justice.
The exquisite beauty of the Caribbean is famed the world over. But there is trouble in paradise. Wave after wave of crisis is pounding your people and your islands — with no time to catch your breath before the next disaster strikes: geopolitical tensions fuelling uncertainty; the scarring effects of COVID-19 leaving a trail of socioeconomic crisis; soaring debt and interest rates, on top of a surge in the cost of living. All amidst a deadly swell of climate disasters — ripping development gains to shreds and blowing holes through your national budgets. And all as you remain locked-out of many international institutions — one of the many legacies of colonialism today.
The cure for these ills is global. International solutions are essential to create a better today and a brighter tomorrow for this wonderful region, and for the world. We have progress on which to build — hard-won global commitments to address the immense challenges we face. But we need the world to deliver.
The irrepressible strength of a unified Caribbean, and commitment to multilateralism — which have done so much to advance global progress — is vital to achieving that aim. And your theme for this year — Strength in Unity — is truly a theme for our times. I see three key areas where, together, we must drive progress.
First, unity for peace and security, particularly to address the appalling situation in Haiti — where gangs are inflicting intolerable suffering on a desperate and frightened people. CARICOM, and the Eminent Persons Group, have provided invaluable support. We must keep working for a political process — owned and led by the Haitians — that restores democratic institutions through elections.
And I will soon report to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Haiti, including proposals on the role the UN can play to support stability and security and address the root causes of the crisis.
It is my intention to present to the Security Council a proposal that is very similar to the one that we have presented for Somalia, in which the UN assumes the responsibility of the structural and logistical expenditures that are necessary to put the force in place, and the salaries of the force are paid through the trust fund that already exists.
And if the Security Council will accept this proposal, we will have the conditions to finally have an effective force to defeat the gangs in Haiti and create the conditions for democracy to thrive. And I urge you to continue your work and advocacy to tackle the weapons and drug trafficking that is fuelling violence across the region, including through prevention.
But let’s be clear: to fight drug trafficking or to fight weapons trafficking, we also need to address the countries of origin and the countries of destination. Without their cooperation, we will never be able to win this battle, and the people of the Caribbean are paying a heavy price for the lack of cooperation that unfortunately, we still face.
Second, unity on the climate crisis. You face a deplorable injustice: A crisis you have done next to nothing to create is wrecking economies, ruining lives, and threatening your very existence. Together, you have fought tooth and nail for the global commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
This year, countries must deliver new national climate action plans, ahead of COP30, that align with that goal, with the Group of 20 (G20) — the big polluters — leading the way.
This is a chance for the world to get a grip on emissions. And it is also a chance for the Caribbean to seize the benefits of clean power, to tap your vast renewables potential and to turn your back on costly fossil fuel imports.
But this requires finance. We need confidence that the $1.3 trillion agreed at COP29 will be mobilized. And we need the world to get serious in responding to the disasters that we know will keep coming. Adaptation is critical for this region to save lives and to make economies resilient. And we need developed countries to honour their promises on adaptation finance — and more.
And we need meaningful contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund. When the fund was created, the pledges made are equivalent to the new contract for just one baseball player in New York City. Let’s be clear: the Loss and Damage Fund must be a serious thing. And we must be able to find new, innovative sources of financing and namely to finally put seriously a price on carbon — and there are different ways to achieve this goal.
This must be part of broader efforts because, third, we need unity for sustainable development. Globally, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are starved of adequate finance, as debt servicing soaks up funds, and international financial institutions remain underpowered. Caribbean countries have been at the forefront of the fight for change — pioneering bold and creative solutions.
And the Pact for the Future agreed last year, together with the Bridgetown Initiative, now 3.0, marks significant progress — and I thank you all for your support. The Pact commits to advancing an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year. And it asks multilateral development banks to consider structural vulnerabilities in access to concessional funds, including through using the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index.
With this, or any other instrument, it is absolutely essential that middle-income countries that have dramatic vulnerabilities, especially because of climate change, have access to concessional funding. Without it, it is impossible to recover and to build the resilience that is so much highlighted in this congress.
It also calls for representation in international financial institutions to correct for the world’s vast inequalities and injustices and for effective action on debt. Without debt relief, and without new debt strategies, it will be impossible to fully recover your economies.
At the same time, we need bigger and bolder multilateral development banks, with more capital, more lending capacity and more capacity to also leverage private funding for the kind of investments that are essential to build resilience and to promote sustainable development in countries like the countries of the Caribbean.
We must push the world to deliver on those commitments. And we must ensure all countries can reap the benefits of technologies for sustainable development — by delivering on the Global Digital Compact.
A unified Caribbean is an unstoppable force. I urge you to keep using that power to push the world to deliver on its promise. And I can guarantee that the United Nations and myself are with you, and will remain with you, every step of the way.
The recent attack on a UN patrol in the Central African Republic (CAR) which resulted in the death of a Tunisian peacekeeper, underlines the constant dangers facing peacekeepers from armed groups there, the head of the UN mission(MINUSCA) told the Security Council on Thursday.
Valentine Rugwabiza condemned the incident early last week, calling on Central African authorities to thoroughly investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the region – larger than Switzerland – has been a hotspot of conflict due to its strategic importance, intercommunal tensions and civil strife.
Troubled past
CAR has been grappling with conflict since 2012, as fighting between the mostly Christian anti-Balaka militia and the mainly Muslim Séléka rebel coalition left thousands dead and many more dependent on aid.
In 2013, armed groups seized the capital and then President François Bozizé was forced to flee. After a brief period of reduced violence in 2015, and elections held in 2016, fighting intensified again.
Peace talks got underway in early 2019 under the auspices of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in CAR, led by the African Union (AU) with UN support. The deal was agreed in Khartoum, but formally signed in CAR’s capital, Bangui.
Elections: Opportunities or risks?
With local, legislative and presidential elections scheduled for 2025, Ms. Rugwabiza noted that the upcoming electoral cycle represents a key opportunity where “safe, transparent and inclusive elections” could “contribute towards addressing roots causes of recurring conflict in the CAR”.
Progress has been recorded in electoral preparations, with voter list revisions successfully conducted in 11 out of 20 prefectures.
MINUSCA supported the process, ensuring that 98 percent of registration centres were operational, allowing over 570,000 new voters to register.
However, security challenges persist, and 58 voter registration centres remain closed.
Security: Still precarious
Despite some improvements, instability persists in CAR, particularly in border areas where armed groups exploit mining sites and transhumance corridors.
Ms. Rugwabiza noted that the ongoing conflict in Sudan has further complicated security dynamics, necessitating strengthened cross-border cooperation.
She highlighted the recent inauguration of CAR’s first multiservice border post in Bembéré, constructed with MINUSCA support, a milestone in border security efforts.
Challenges in the peace process
Six years after the signing of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation, nine of the 14 signatory armed groups have disbanded. However, some factions remain active, undermining peace efforts.
“There is an urgent need for increased political mobilisation, particularly from guarantors, namely the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States to facilitate the return of those armed groups leaders and subsequent long-term disarmament,” Ms. Rugwabiza stressed.
Additionally, she called on CAR authorities to accelerate the operationalisation of the Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission (TJRRC), emphasising the importance of transitional justice and accountability for victims.
Security sector reform
Security sector reform also remains central to CAR’s stabilisation. Ms. Rugwabiza acknowledged recent progress, including the establishment of a military tribunal in Bouar.
However, “the recruitment of former self-defence group members outside regulatory frameworks risks reversing security gains,” she cautioned, urging proper oversight.
Human rights violations remain a pressing concern and while the recent passage of a national law to protect human rights defenders marks a positive step, Ms. Rugwabiza called on the Government to take decisive action against impunity.
Women entrepreneurs driving recovery
Addressing ambassadors via videolink, Portia Deya Abazene, President of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs of CAR, highlighted the role of women in driving the country’s economic recovery.
She noted that despite legal frameworks guaranteeing equality, women in CAR represent only 15.5 percent of business owners in some sectors.
In the past two years, her organization has facilitated training for more than 2,700 women who received education in leadership, digital marketing and finance.
“The CAR cannot reach its full potential as long as more than 51 per cent of its population – I’m referring to women – remain marginalised,” she said.
International support needed
Looking ahead, Ms. Rugwabiza emphasised that “the allocation of timely and adequate resources remains critical to consolidate security gains and translate them into concrete improvements in the lives of the Central African people.”
With elections on the horizon and security threats persisting, MINUSCA’s role remains vital in supporting CAR’s path to stability.
However, without continued political and financial backing, the country’s hard-fought progress risks being reversed.
Snowden was relieved by Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, after serving as the aircraft carrier’s commanding officer since December 2023. Snowden will be temporarily assigned to Naval Air Forces Atlantic.
The relief occurred after Truman was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M on Feb. 12, while operating in the Mediterranean Sea in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt.
The U.S. Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standard and takes action to hold them accountable when those standards are not met. Naval leaders are entrusted with significant responsibilities to their Sailors and their ships.
Capt. Christopher Hill, commanding officer of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), will temporarily serve as Harry S. Truman’s interim commanding officer.
Dwight D. Eisenhower is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard after completing a nine-month deployment to U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command in July 2024.
There is no impact to Harry S. Truman’s mission or schedule due to the relief. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is currently deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
For questions related to this release, contact U.S. Sixth Fleet / Task Force SIX Public Affairs at cne_cna_c6fpao@us.navy.mil
When I first arrived at the top secret Porton Down laboratory, I was aware of very little about its activities. I knew it was the UK’s chemical defence research centre and that over the years it had conducted tests with chemical agents on humans.
But what really happened there was shrouded in mystery. This made it a place which was by turns fascinating and scary. Its association with the cold war, reinforced by images of gas mask-wearing soldiers and reports of dangerous (and in one case fatal) experiments, also made it seem a little sinister.
The shroud of secrecy resulted in it being the subject of some lively fiction, such as The Satan Bug by Alistair MacLean, which revolves around the theft of two deadly germ warfare agents from a secret research facility and in the “Hounds of Baskerville” episode of the BBC drama Sherlock in which the hero uncovers a sinister plot involving animals experiments.
Even Porton’s own publicity material recognises that where secrecy exists imagination can take flight, and attests:
No aliens, either alive or dead have ever been taken to Porton Down or any other Dstl [Defence Science and Technology Laboratory] site.
But it’s also the place where in recent years scientists analysed samples confirming that a Novichok nerve agent had been used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter (coincidentally, just a few miles away). And where an active research programme on Ebola played an important role in the UK’s support to Sierra Leone during the 2014 outbreak.
So what is the truth? Over three years my research took me into the heart of the mystery, as I studied its extensive historical archive. The reality was not as I expected. I came across no aliens, but I did discover records of experiments that ran from the ordinary, through to the bizarre. And sadly, in one isolated case, the lethal.
Arriving at Porton Down, for example, was unexpectedly low key. The main gate is located off a public road on an otherwise quiet stretch between Porton Down village and the A30. It is in many ways visually similar to the entrance to Lancaster University in the north of England where I work as a lecturer in epidemiology.
Bar some signs announcing it as the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (dstl) of the Ministry of Defence, the road is devoid of obvious security. No barriers block entry. This sense of the extraordinary hiding behind the ordinary was reinforced by the undistinguished visitor car park from where it is a short walk to the nondescript single story reception building.
There is also (perhaps unusually for a government chemical weapons research centre) a bus stop next to the main gate, from where you can get the number 66 to Salisbury.
So on my first visit in 2002 I made that short walk from the visitor car park to the reception and announced myself. I was pleased to find I was expected and looked into the security camera as bidden. After a hard stare from the receptionist I was issued, on that my first day, with a temporary pass. On it was written: “MUST BE ACCOMPANIED AT ALL TIMES” in bright red.
My contact, Dawn, arrived and led me through the main gate where security started to become more obvious. An armed policeman gave us a small nod as we passed through, his hands staying firmly on the machine gun strapped to his chest. Dawn paid little attention other than a brief hello and we were inside, heading to the headquarters.
It was from here that the management of Porton Down organised the programmes of testing which had ultimately resulted in my presence there – to research the health effects of chemical experiments on humans.
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Since its inception in 1916 it has researched chemical weapons, protective measures against chemical weapons, and has recruited over 20,000 volunteers to participate in tests in its research programmes.
Hut 42 – opening the archive
This archive was opened to my colleagues and I after previously being firmly hidden from public view. This shift in approach was the result of government approval for a study into the long-term health of the human volunteers. The action was triggered by complaints from a group of people who had been tested on and who claimed their health had been damaged as a result.
The government was also keen to ward off accusations of cover ups. In 1953 Ronald Maddison, a young RAF volunteer, died in a nerve agent experiment at the site. The original inquest was held in secret and returned a verdict of misadventure. But in 2004 the government ordered a second, public, inquest.
This, along with a police investigation into the behaviour of some of the Porton Down scientists persuaded the government to fund independent research into the health effect of the experiments.
A research group from the department of public health at the University of Oxford won IS WON RIGHT WORD? sk I was part of that group. Porton participated fully and opened its doors and archive to the project. I went ahead of the research team to deal with the practicalities of gaining access. My first task was to set up an office. So Dawn led me onwards to the building that had been put aside for our use.
We passed into the inner, more secure, area. This part of Porton Down was where the main scientific work was carried out. This inner secure area was surrounded by a high chain link fence and there was one principal entry point, next to a guard room.
Inspecting our passes was another armed MoD police officer. Alerted by my red pass he was all for barring my way until Dawn stepped in. Now vouched for, we were waved through and passed onwards to the building that would become my home for the best part of three years – hut 42.
‘People had neat handwriting then’
Hut 42 was a nondescript redbrick, single-story building, which sits next to the main library and information centre and from the outside could be mistaken for a school boiler room. In it were five desks and several metal filing cabinets closed with combination locks.
Our purpose there was to study the historical archive, including the handwritten books of experiment data. We then transferred that material into a database for later analysis. This process took four people two years of hard work, but we were lucky.
Porton Down’s record keeping was excellent. Early on I had worried that handwritten records would be hard to decipher and had asked a Porton Down librarian whether they would be legible. “Definitely”, was the reply. “People had neat handwriting then. It’s the records from the 1970s you’ll have to watch. They’re dreadfully scrappy,” he said.
And so it was proved. The records of tests from an era before computers, carried out with substances such as mustard gas, were routinely neatly and clearly documented.
Porton Down experiment book, showing drop tests to the arms during one of the first nerve agent tests.
A picture of a page in one of the experiment books on which is recorded the first nerve agent test for Tabun on April 10, 1945. Thomas Keegan
I met Porton Down’s resident medical doctor in the archive to start discussing the nature of the experiments. Simon (not his real name) was in his mid-thirties with boyish curly hair and an anorak. “You’ll find everything you’ll need in here, in these cupboards,” he said. “First, I’ll show you how to open the cupboard. It’s like this”, he said. “A five number combination. Five times anticlockwise to reach the first number, four times clockwise for the second, three times anticlockwise for the third and so on.”
There was a pause while he demonstrated. “Sometimes they can be a bit sticky”, he said after the first attempt. He got the cupboard open on the second try.
The archive was a mixture of handwritten experimental and administrative records. The administrative records were essentially lists of attendees with dates and personal characteristics such as age. The experimental records reported the results of the tests with people in a variety of ways. Some were in the form of descriptive text, others used pictograms to record the site visually, for example where a drop of mustard gas was placed on the skin. Many contained tables of data, all hand drawn and as legible as if they had been printed. Our cupboards contained around 140 such books spanning a period from the start of the second world war to the end of the 1980s.
The story the records told was a fascinating one.
In the 50 years following the outbreak of the second world war, Porton Down encouraged over 20,000 men, nearly all members of the UK armed forces, to take part in experiments at the site.
These men (the regular armed forces had yet to admit women) took part in a programme of tests that ran from experiments using liquid mustard “gas” dropped onto bare skin to inhalation of nerve agents. There were also tests with antidotes and other gasses and liquids too.
Chemical experiments
The records show that between 1939 and 1989, over 400 different substances were tested at Porton. Mustard gas, sarin, and nitrogen mustard were frequently tested. These chemicals are known as “vesicants” for their ability to cause fluid filled blisters (or vesicles) on the skin or any other site of contact. First world war soldiers were familiar with the horrors of this gas, which was first used by Germany at the Battle of Ypres in 1915. John Singer Sergeant’s powerful painting Gassed expressed the effect of mustard gas on soldiers exposed in the trenches.
Other major chemical tests were riot control agents, such as CS and CR, these being the only chemicals tested that have been used by UK forces in peacetime, their purpose being crowd control.
Mostly, we were kept far away from anything other than paper records. As Britain had given up its chemical arsenal and any offensive capability in the 1950s, there was, as Simon had explained, no stores of chemical agents at Porton Down, except of course, small amounts of those that were needed to test human defences. By a circuitous route however, I came nearer to some than I was expecting.
‘Would you like a sniff?’
Hut 42, was not, it turned out, wholly for our use. While some Porton staff shared access to the archive and popped in now and then to examine records and take photocopies, the building had one other permanent resident – Porton Down’s in-house historian Gradon Carter. Carter was in his late 70s and had worked at Porton Down as an archivist for more than 20 years. He prided himself on knowing more than anyone alive about the history and administration of the institution.
He wore tweed and had the air of a world weary Latin master, but rather than the accoutrements of his trade being Latin textbooks, his were the paraphernalia of chemical warfare. Around his desk were examples of gas masks from various periods of history, and on the wall, posters inviting people to “always carry your gas mask”.
One of his exhibits was a box, about the size of a packet of breakfast cereal, which contained glass phials, each carefully labelled with the contents. These included mustard gas, lewsite and phosgene.
The box was from the 1940s. It was a training tool to help troops recognise different gasses on the battlefield. “Would you like a sniff of mustard?”, he offered. It so happened I did. Nearly 60 years after it was first bottled, I can report that Carter’s mustard gas had very little smell, but I was reluctant to get close to test any of its other properties. He re-corked it. “Some lewisite?” he suggested.
Lewisite was produced in 1918 for use in the first world war but its production was too late for it to be used. Another vesicant, it causes blistering of the skin and mucous membranes (eyes, nose, throat) on contact.
I declined Carter’s kind offer.
Other chemicals appeared in the records less frequently. There were the lovely vomiting agents, which are designed to winkle their way under your gas mask to make you sick, which will make you take off your gas mask making you vulnerable to the next wave of attack by, for example, nerve agents.
These agents were relatively standard members of a chemical arsenal. In an effort to expand its horizons, Porton Down opened its collective mind in the early 1960s to the usefulness of psychedelics in warfare and tested LSD for its potential as a disruptor of enemy military discipline.
The tests showed that troops became unable to put up much of a fight, but ultimately the chemicals were rejected as means of mass disruption. You can see a video of a test at Porton Down with LSD below.
In the video, a troop of Royal Marines can be seen taking part in an exercise during which they are given LSD. Not long afterwards the men become barely capable of military action and seem to find almost everything funny. One man seems not to know which end of a bazooka to point at the enemy.
The most commonly tested substances at Porton, according to our data, were mustard gas, lewisite and pyridostigmine (more of which later) with thousands of tests undertaken. Less frequently tested were a basket of chemicals including sodium amytal (a barbiturate) and more strangely perhaps, 49 tests with pastinacea sativa – the irritant wild parsnip.
Not all men who took part in tests did so with chemical agents. Many visited Porton Down and were “tested” with substances that were not intended to be harmful but which must have been providing useful information of some kind. Some people were tested with “lubricating oil” (498 people) and “ethanol” (204 people). Many tests were with protective equipment such as materials for protective suits and with respirators.
Nerve agent tests
Around 3,000 people were tested with nerve agents. The number of nerve agents tested was not extensive, with six principal agents recorded. These were tabun, (known as GA), soman (GD), sarin (GB), cyclo sarin (GF), and methylphosphonothioic acid (VX).
The period of nerve agent research ran from the early postwar period to the late 1980s, and coincided with the cold war, when military tension between the Nato countries and the USSR was high.
The archive was rich in information on these tests. The records included detail of the time and place of each test along with details of who took part, noting both staff and volunteer participants. Records on the early tests are especially revealing.
Chambers like this were used to carry out tests on nerve agents. Thomas Keegan
For example, in 1945 nerve agents were not yet known to Porton Down scientists. They had come close to discovering nerve agents when they had worked on PF-3, a chemical of the same organophosphate type as the nerve agents, but they had not thought it sufficiently toxic.
However, these agents were well known to German scientists, and to the German military who weaponised them during the second world war. Despite fears to the contrary, gas was not used in the fighting, though Germany had clearly prepared for chemical warfare.
Nazi agents and gin and tonic
Advancing US forces moving through Germany came across stockpiles of artillery shells in a railway marshalling yard near Osnabrück that contained suspicious liquids. The markings on the shells – a white ring on one type and green and yellow rings on the other – were new to the Americans. The shells were sent to the US and Porton Down for investigation.
After initial analysis, Porton scientists found that the shells with the white ring contained tear gas. The other contained an unknown substance (later it would be named tabun).
Tabun is one of the extremely toxic organophosphate nerve agents. It has a fruity odour reminiscent of bitter almonds. Exposure can cause death in minutes. Between 1 and 10 mL of tabun on the skin can be fatal.
On April 10 1945, after some laboratory tests, the scientists decided to test the new chemical on people. In fact, as Carter pointed out to me, disaster could have struck immediately as the first nerve agent to arrive at Porton for testing was transported to the lab in a test tube stoppered only with cotton wool.
Thinking this was a new variety of mustard gas, they placed drops on the participants’ skin. The scientists also placed drops in the eyes of some rabbits. The records show that before any serious effect to the humans could be noted one of the rabbits died, giving the scientists running the tests a fright.
The chemical was quickly wiped off the men’s arms and the test ended there. According to a brief memoir supplied by Carter, Dr Ainsworth (who was involved in the tests) said that Captain Fairly (the Porton scientist being tested on) had been shaken by the experience but recovered “after a stiff gin and tonic in his office”.
This sporting attitude to self-testing was not uncommon among scientists, however. Dr Ainsworth later tested a method for reducing the effect of a splash of nerve agent on the skin which involved a tourniquet and opening a vein – something he thought worked well.
But he was used to the pioneering methods of the day. “Taste this,” the pharmacologist John (later Sir John) Gaddum had ordered on one previous occasion. Dr Ainsworth sipped the liquid offered and reported that it tasted a little like gin. “That’s strange”, Professor Gaddum said. “I can’t taste anything. It’s diluted lewisite and the rats simply won’t drink it.”
Back at the wartime testing lab they were keen to find out more about what was now understood to be a new type of chemical agent developed by German scientists and weaponsied by their armed forces. The following week, ten people were exposed in a chamber, at the higher concentration of 1 in 5 million. In the pioneering spirit not uncommon at Porton, four of the subjects: Commandant Notley, Major Sadd, Mr Wheeler and Major Curten were Porton staff. Major Curten reported having a tightness of chest, and a slight contraction of the pupils, unlike the commandant who had no reaction but thought the gas smelled of boiled sweets.
An undated photograph of the southern end of the Porton Down campus showing the bus stop outside. The grey building is thought to be one of the exposure chambers. Thomas Keegan
Later that morning the scientists had another go, this time at a higher concentration, 1 in 1 million. The symptoms were now more noticeable, with more than one person vomiting and others needing treatment the following day for the persistent symptoms of headaches and eye pain.
Given what we have since learned about tabun, it seems at the very least cavalier of the scientists to conduct these tests on themselves and others. They were were lucky not to have been seriously injured or even killed, but those were the risks they seemed willing to take.
Fatal consequences
The last entries in the archive for nerve agent tests were for 1989 so newer compounds such as novichok, used in an attempted assassination in nearby Salisbury, were not included. One later nerve agent tested in the 1960s was VX, then a scarily potent new nerve agent.
According to the Centers for Disease Control in the US, VX is one of the most toxic of the known chemical warfare agents. It is tasteless and odourless and exposure can cause death in minutes. As little as one drop of VX on the skin can be fatal.
It was not developed into a weapon by the UK, as by then it had abandoned an offensive capability, but tests were carried out on a relatively small number of volunteers. I mentioned VX to Carter. He recalled that the first sample of VX was first discovered, accidentally, at an ICI chemical factory in the UK and sent to Porton in the regular post. Luckily, nobody was exposed.
In one notorious episode however, the tests of nerve agents on humans did not go as expected.
As I referred to earlier, in 1953, during an early nerve agent experiment, the young airman, Ronald Maddison died. Testing was paused at Porton after an inquiry by the eminent Cambridge academic Lord Adrian and limits on exposures were set after resumption in 1954. A second inquest into the death returned a verdict of unlawful killing in 2004.
One of the founders of the Porton Down Veterans Group, Ken Earl was in the same experiment. He remembered vividly being in the same chamber as Maddison, and while not affected seriously at the time, felt his health issues later in life were directly related to the test. In an interview with the BBC, he attributed the many health problems he suffered through his life, including skin conditions, depression and a heart irregularity, to his experience at Porton Down.
Our research could not establish a direct link to the kind of ill health Earl suffered. But our data on the short-term effects did show a good deal about the immediate aftermath of a nerve agent exposure, similar to the type Earl experienced.
The physiological effect of exposure to nerve agents varies greatly between individuals as our previous research has shown. The strength of symptoms varies too. Five of the six participants in the same test as Maddison did not report adverse effects other than feeling a bit cold.
However, tests before this had shown that certain effects were consistently seen with nerve agent exposures. In July 1951 six people participated in a test with soman. The lab book notes:
5/5 experienced pain in eyes, blinker effect and blurred vision 30 minutes after exposure (these symptoms continued for 24 hours). 1 participant vomited 4 hours after exposure. 2 participants vomited 24 hours after exposure. Eye pain and vision improved after 48 hours but not normal – return to normal after 5 days. 4/5 given multiple doses of atropine.
While these effects must have been unpleasant, it is also shown that participants in nerve agent tests had between one and two “exposures”. Those in tests with other chemicals such as mustard gas may have had many.
To further regulate exposures, strict limits on the amount of nerve agent allowed in tests were imposed after Maddison died. The levels of exposure typically experienced by servicemen induced: pinpoint pupils (miosis), headaches, a tightness in the chest and vomiting. These symptoms recur many times in the records, as does documentation of the drugs used to treat them, typically atropine and pralidoxime.
A new era
Despite the range of agents which have been developed, chemical weapons have rarely been used by states in conflict, perhaps held back by adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention or by their difficulty of use.
Despite this they were used by Iraq (not then bound by the CWC) in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), who used mustard gas and tabun against Iranian troops. They have also been used by states against civilians – for example by Iraq against its Kurdish population and more than once by Syria against its civilian population between 2014 and 2020.
In 2017, North Korean agents used VX to assassinate Kim Jong-nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And more recently the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent. He later recovered only to die in a Russian prison in early 2024.
These are not just remote threats. As I previously noted, a particularly high-profile example of a state using a chemical weapon to kill someone took place in the UK in 2018 when it is alleged that the Russian state tried to kill an ex-KGB spy using small quantities of the then new and especially toxic nerve agent Novichok.
Sergei Skripal, the intended victim, and his daughter Yulia survived the attack.
A public inquiry heard how the Skripals were found slumped in a park in Salisbury. While the presence of nerve agents was not at first suspected, the emergency services noted how the Skripals suffered from a range of symptoms including pinprick pupils, muscle spasms and vomiting. For those experienced with nerve agents these symptoms are typical.
But these symptoms were not known to Nick Bailey, a detective sergeant who had been assigned to check over a house in Salisbury, home to the two people that had recently been found collapsed. This should have been routine but the first indication to DS Bailey that something was amiss was when he looked in the mirror.
His pupils, normally wide open at this time of night, had shrunk into pinpricks. He was also beginning to feel very strange. But it was when Bailey’s vision fractured and he vomited that he knew something was seriously wrong.
It would later become clear that the agents sent to kill Skripal had sprayed the liquid nerve agent onto the door handle of the Skripal house. Sergei and his daughter both used the handle and were poisoned. So was Bailey, who had closed the door and locked it after his checks on the house later that evening.
Four months later, the boyfriend of Dawn Sturgess found a discarded perfume bottle in nearby Amesbury, picked it up and then later gave it to her as a present. Neither could have imagined it had been used to bring Novichok to Salisbury and left behind by the attackers. Sturgess died after spraying the contents onto her skin. Her boyfriend survived.
It was in partnership with experts at Porton Down that the local health services were able to treat the victims. According to the inquiry, a key challenge was for the hospital to work out what had poisoned the Skripals so they could treat them effectively. Porton Down worked nonstop to determine what type of nerve agent had been used. Once the cause was known the hospital was able to save the Skripals’ lives.
That Porton Down is situated just a few miles from Salisbury where the Novichok attack took place was probably useful to those treating victims. The Russian state however, used this proximity to try to muddy the waters of accountability for the poisoning, but there seems little doubt that blame for the nerve agent poisoning lies with Russia.
Despite the efforts of those agents, five out six people poisoned with Novichok survived, not unscathed perhaps, but alive. That they did so is in some way the result of the expertise and knowledge gained over years of nerve agent research at Porton Down.
It seems clear that the more information about the effects of nerve agent exposure that are known outside specialist research circles the better. Though nerve agent attack is extremely rare the events in Salisbury and Amesbury have shown they are not impossible.
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The research study that took Thomas Keegan to Porton Down was led by the University of Oxford and funded by the Medical Research Council.
