This is a summary of what was said by WFP Regional Coordinator in Latin America and the Caribbean, Lola Castro, to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the UN Noon Briefing in New York today
NEW YORK/ PANAMA CITY: As the United Nations World Food Programme Regional Coordinator in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2021, I have frequently visited Haiti over the past four years.
Our WFP team and partners on the ground have seen this crisis slowly unfolding and we’ve been sounding the alarm about the ever-deteriorating humanitarian situation for far too long. Immense humanitarian efforts are already underway, but the situation continues to degrade.
Food security update
Hunger in Haiti has never been worse: 5.7 million people – more than half of the country’s population – don’t have enough to eat. This includes more than two million people who are facing emergency levels of hunger (IPC 4) and 8,400 people living in temporary sites for displaced people who are experiencing extreme hunger, severe acute malnutrition and the risk of starvation (IPC5).
Haitiis one of five countries in the world where people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. It’s really dramatic to have this in the Western hemisphere. We cannot imagine the situation in the sites housing displaced people.
Last week I visited the suburban commune of Petionville, in the southeast of Port-au-Prince, where WFP was providing emergency food assistance to thousands of people displaced by violence by armed groups in Kenscoff, a rural mountainside community. These are people who used to come and sell their food in the city. Their story bears testimony of food systems and supply chains breaking down as a result of the expansion of armed groups. Not only were these families forced to flee when criminals took control over their farmland, they now rely on WFP to survive. Conflict has also disrupted agricultural activities and commercial flow of food.
As a woman of course I am watching the situation for women and girls. We’re also extremely worried about the widespread violence that women and girls face in Haiti. With more than 6,000 cases of gender-based violence reported so far this year, Port-au-Prince is one of the most dangerous places in the world for women and girls. Food assistance lessens their vulnerability to abuse.
Running out of resources for emergency response and school meals
Violence, displacement and economic collapse are driving Haiti to the verge of total collapse. We are extremely concerned that growing humanitarian needs are outpacing resources to respond to this crisis.
WFP has significantly scaled up operations in Haiti, reaching over 1.35 million people until March 2025 and we continue providing support. But now we only have stocks and cash to support crisis-affected populations until July. This includes assistance to displaced people as well as to those living in areas facing IPC 4, emergency levels of hunger. Severe funding gaps are threatening the continuity of essential programmes that help anchor communities and prevent further deterioration. Among these, WFP’s flagship school meals programme—a key stabilizing force in the country—is at immediate risk.
This academic year, we’ve managed to provide daily meals to 550,000 schoolchildren, 70 percent of which were sourced from Haitian farmers. Without urgent funding, up to 50 percent of these schoolchildren will not receive meals in the next academic year. What is important is that this food is purchased mostly locally, from smallholder farmers, women and men still producing in areas of rural Haiti. We really need to ensure these children can continue going to school and we can continue to support these farmers to have normal livelihoods.
The Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti in 2025 is only 8 percent funded and we’re halfway through the year. WFP alone needs US$ 46.4 million over the next six months, to sustain its emergency response and address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition.
Lack of preparedness for hurricane season
On top of the dire situation I have already described, we have now officially entered the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs from June to November.
This year, for the first time ever, WFP has no prepositioned food stocks in Haiti, nor the cash liquidity to mount a swift humanitarian response in the case of a hurricane or extreme weather event. In previous years, we’ve always had in-country resources to be able to support between 250,000 and 500,000 people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Unless resources are made available, WFP will have no capacity to respond—there are no contingency supplies, no logistical buffer, and no lifeline for the most vulnerable.
At this moment when half of all Haitians are already going hungry, a single storm could push millions into a humanitarian catastrophe.
WFP expanding operational capacity
Against all these odds, I want to stress that WFP remains fully operational in Haiti.
During my visit last week, I went to our logistics hub in Cap Haitien and witnessed first-hand that, despite the extremely challenging context, WFP’s operational capacity has grown. We have more warehousing space and are receiving food through the port.
Also, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) remains a vital lifeline for the humanitarian community, ensuring the delivery of critical assistance and enabling the continuity of operations across the country. UNHAS continues to be the only safe and cost-effective option for humanitarian workers and the diplomatic community to get in and out of Port-au-Prince.
Our priority in Haiti is to continue providing first-line emergency food assistance to save lives, while also addressing the root causes of hunger. To hold the line on hunger, we’re calling on the international community to provide urgent support – and above all, the country needs peace.
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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.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)
U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced it is backing down from its plans to close several California-based U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offices. The announcement comes on the heels ofSenator Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) letter, which was co-led by Carbajal, to the Administration urging them to reverse their plan to close the offices.
“Today’s announcement is a big victory for California’s agricultural industry, which would have faced needless hardship under the Administration’s reckless plan,”said Rep. Carbajal.“I thank Senator Schiff for leading this fight to protect our state’s critical USDA resources. While today proved that advocacy is still a powerful tool, we must continue to push back against this Administration’s most extreme policies.”
According to USDA, eight of the nine California USDA offices previously slated for termination by the Trump Administration will no longer be closed. Those eight offices are located in Bakersfield, Blythe, Los Angeles, Madera, Oxnard, Salinas, Woodland, and Yreka. The Mt. Shasta office and newly added Brea office have not been removed from the list of terminations. Carbajal will continue to work with Schiff and the California congressional delegation to ensure that the remaining offices can operate without interruption.
Last month, Carbajal led a letter to Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian of the General Services Administration over the planned illegal closures of crucial facilities across the Central Coast. The planned closures would impact the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Forest Service (USFS) facilities in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.
The Commission wants to preserve and expand the EU- United States (US) trade partnership for the benefit of the respective people and businesses.
The Commission regrets US announcements on the possible imposition of tariffs on goods imported from the EU. As the EU and US economies are so closely intertwined, it should also be in the US’ interest to avoid tariff hikes.
The Commission’s priority is to avoid disruptions to EU-US trade and to seek negotiated solutions. Therefore, the Commission decided to delay the imposition of EU countermeasures to allow for negotiations.
At the same time, the Commission is ready to ensure that the EU will react firmly, swiftly and proportionately to any unjustified tariffs or trade measures if no mutually beneficial solution is otherwise attainable.
The Commission recognises the challenges EU industries and agriculture face in terms of competitiveness. To address those, the recently presented Competitiveness Compass[1] and Clean Industrial Deal[2] provide a strategic framework to enhance industrial resilience while ensuring that decarbonisation drives growth.
The aim is to lower energy prices with the measures proposed in the Affordable Energy Action Plan[3], to secure critical raw materials, increase access to capital markets, and to introduce regulatory simplification, which is being done through the Omnibus Simplification Package[4].
The Commission remains committed to evaluating further measures to mitigate competitive imbalances while reinforcing Europe’s economic and industrial leadership.
Conversely, the new Vision for Agriculture and Food[5] identifies a fairer global level playing field as a key element of the EU’s agri-food economic diplomacy while keeping in line with World Trade Organisation rules.
Source: US Whitehouse
Here are 50 reasons why President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is the best chance in a generation to pass critical reforms for which Americans voted:
It delivers the largest tax cut in American history. This means an extra $5,000 in Americans’ pockets with a DOUBLE-DIGIT percent DECREASE to their tax bills. Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 will pay around 15% less in taxes.
It makes the Trump Tax Cuts permanent, preventing the largest tax increase ever. If the bill doesn’t pass, Americans will see the largest tax increase in history.
It raises Americans’ take-home pay by as much as $13,300 and wages by as much as $11,600.
It reverses the spending curse plaguing Washington, D.C. The bill delivers the largest deficit reduction in nearly 30 years, with $1.6 trillion in mandatory savings — the largest single reduction in mandatory spending in our country’s history.
It delivers NO TAX ON TIPS and NO TAX ON OVERTIME. This makes good on two of President Trump’s cornerstone campaign promises and will benefit hardworking Americans where they need it the most — their paychecks.
It provides historic tax cuts for seniors.
It finishes President Trump’s border wall. As a result, 701 miles of primary wall, 900 miles of river barriers, 629 miles of secondary barriers, and 141 miles of vehicle and pedestrian barriers will be constructed.
It boosts Border Patrol and ICE agents on the frontlines with the largest border security investment in history. This means funding to hire 10,000 new ICE personnel, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents to detain and deport at least one million illegal immigrants annually.
It increases the child tax credit to $2,500 per family.
It protects Medicaid for Americans who truly need it. This bill eliminates waste, fraud, and abuse by ending benefits for at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants who are gaming the system.
It implements popular work requirements for able-bodied Americans receiving taxpayer-funded benefits. Through commonsense, Clinton-era work, volunteer, education, or training requirements, the One Big Beautiful Bill lifts Americans up to find a better quality of life through the dignity of work.
It eliminates hundreds of billions of dollars in Green New Scam tax credits. The legislation immediately stops credits from flowing to China, saving taxpayers $500+ billion every year.
It reverses electric vehicle mandates that let radical climate activists set the standards for American energy.
It ends Biden’s war on American energy. The bill finally unleashes American energy dominance by opening federal lands and waters to oil, gas, coal, geothermal, and mineral leasing.
It streamlines onerous permitting processes so America can get building again.
It refills the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to safeguard America’s energy security.
It repeals and rescinds every “green” corporate welfare subsidy in Democrats’ so-called “Inflation Reduction Act.”
It stops illegal immigrants from receiving tax credits and taxes remittances sent to foreign countries.
It supports small businesses by increasing the Section 199A deduction to 23% — promoting the growth and success of Main Street.
It incentivizes MADE IN AMERICA. The bill rewards companies that build their products in America with lower taxes — and allows Americans who buy an American-made vehicle to fully deduct their auto loan interest.
It creates new Trump Savings Accounts for newborns — allowing children across America to experience the miracle of compounded growth.
It expands access to childcare for hardworking American families.
It provides a historic increase in funding for the U.S. Coast Guard. This will help block illegal drugs and migrants from entering our country, protect our sovereignty in the Arctic, and promote our national security.
It supports building new factories to grow domestic business operations. The bill renews 100% immediate expensing and interest deductions, increases the small business deduction, and establishes 100% immediate expensing for equipment and machinery.
It helps American farmers, producers, and ranchers compete and sell products in foreign markets. The bill makes sure American farmers aren’t crowded out by foreign imports in liquid fuel production markets.
It holds woke, elitist universities accountable by increasing the endowment tax on large universities.
It protects hardworking taxpayers by canceling Biden’s illegal and unfair student loan bailouts.
It ends taxpayer-funded sex changes. It reverses the Biden-era mandate that Medicaid cover so-called “gender transition” procedures — ending the taxpayer-funded chemical castration and mutilation of American children.
It’s a once-in-a-generation chance to revolutionize our nation’s defense capabilities and protect the homeland against new threats by funding President Trump’s Golden Dome.
It enhances the capacity of America’s naval fleet. The bill provides billions of dollars to revitalize America’s shipbuilding and maritime industrial base.
It modernizes air traffic control — fulfilling President Trump’s plan to completely overhaul the systems that keep Americans flying safely and efficiently.
It strengthens SNAP benefits. The legislation requires states to contribute a greater portion of the cost of administering benefits, thereby controlling costs, and closes the excessively broad loopholes for work requirements.
It implements critical program integrity and cost containment provisions in Medicaid to strengthen it for future generations. These include removing deceased individuals from the program and limiting retroactive coverage from three months to one month prior to enrollment.
It safeguards Second Amendment rights by removing tax and registration requirements for firearm silencers and eliminating silencers from the National Firearms Act.
It provides critical disaster recovery funding to farmers, producers, and ranchers.
It provides funding to rebuild America’s military — including $9+ billion to improve quality of life for our servicemembers, $20+ billion to bolster U.S. munitions production, and $12+ billion to modernize our nuclear arsenal.
It expands health savings accounts to give Americans greater choice and flexibility in how they spend their money.
It gives $10,000 bonuses annually over the next four years to Border Patrol and ICE agents on the frontlines.
It incentivizes scholarships that empower American families and students to choose the education that best fits their needs.
It repeals Democrats’ insane attack on the gig economy — ending the requirement that Venmo, PayPal, and other gig transactions over $600 be reported to the IRS.
It reforms and streamlines the federal student loan program to drive down tuition costs and simplify repayment plans. This includes reasonable limits on amounts students can borrow.
It strengthens accountability for students and taxpayers on federal student loans. The bill imposes “skin in the game” requirements to hold universities financially accountable to the government on defaulted federal student loans.
It implements critical reforms to Pell Grants to make sure they prioritize students who truly need financial assistance while promoting completion. The legislation allows grants to be used for short-term, high-quality workforce training programs to support Americans who want to learn a trade instead of the traditional four-year colleges.
It increases timber sales on federal lands. This means an increase in timber production and improvement to forest management — improving the resilience of timber and saving billions on future wildfire suppression costs.
It authorizes the sale of expanded spectrum MHz to strengthen rural broadband and secure America’s technological dominance in AI and other emerging technologies.
It creates permanent fees that illegal immigrants must pay for their applications so American taxpayers aren’t saddled with covering these costs. These fees will bring in over $77 billion to cover adjudication costs and fund immigration processes and enforcement actions.
It protects family farmers. The bill prevents the greedy death tax from hitting two million family-owned farms who would otherwise see their exemptions cut in half and cuts taxes on farmers by over $10 billion.
It ends abusive financing practices in Medicaid by freezing existing provider taxes and prohibiting new provider taxes. This ensures states cannot improperly increase the federal government’s cost-share of a state Medicaid program at the expense of taxpayers.
It reins in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This brainchild of Sen. Elizabeth Warren has long functioned as another woke, weaponized arm of the bureaucracy — with minimal accountability or oversight — that leverages its power against certain industries and individuals disfavored by the so-called “elites.”
It rolls back harmful Biden-era regulations that increase cost and administrative burdens with limited flexibility for states. These burdensome regulations, such as federal staffing mandates at nursing homes, lead to closures, reduced access to care, and increased costs, particularly in areas already overwhelmed by labor shortages.
As the influencer ecosystem expands and its culture evolves, there is increasing pressure for the industry to prioritize ethics over profit.(Shutterstock)
Social media influencers have become cultural powerhouses, setting trends, shaping lifestyles and even swaying political views. As their influence grows, so do ethical debates about them: are they villains exploiting their audiences, victims of an unregulated industry or champions driving positive change?
In our chapter in the recently released book, Influencer Marketing, we synthesized existing literature to explore the ethical minefield of influencer culture and attention economy. We scrutinized the responsibilities of influencers, brands, platforms and consumers, and the broader impact of influencers on society at large.
Influencers as villains
Influencers are often cast as villains in the online world. They are frequently criticized for inauthentic behaviour, such as by failing to disclose partnership agreements, perpetuating unrealistic beauty or lifestyle standards or by lying to their audiences outright.
Despite regulations, many influencers hide their paid partnerships.
In 2023, for instance, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that 81 per cent of influencers failed to properly disclose paid partnerships.
Influencers are incentivized to do this because advertising-heavy content can appear inauthentic and be off-putting to followers. These omissions mislead audiences into thinking products and brand reviews are based on genuine opinion, rather than part of a paid script.
Despite the controversy, Gibson’s story was adapted by Netflix into a series called Apple Cider Vinegar, further fuelling the money-making machine.
Another case is that of Yovana Mendoza, a raw vegan influencer who was filmed eating fish in a Bali restaurant. The video went viral after being leaked by fellow travellers. Despite later revealing that she had stopped being vegan because of health reasons, she still faced backlash and accusations of hypocrisy.
Unrealistic beauty standards
Influencers, and particularly virtual CGI influencers, are also villainized by the masses for perpetuating unrealistic standards and lifestyle choices.
From posing as the “perfect family” or the “perfect wife” (such as trad wife influencer Hannah Neeleman, also known as Ballerina Farm), to flaunting ultra-thin or perfectly chiselled beauty ideals, influencer content fosters harmful social comparisons.
These portrayals can contribute to anxiety and low self-esteem among social media audiences. Influencers prey on these insecurities to make profit and gain influence, which affects the well-being of these audiences.
In the case of male Instagram followers of the hashtag #fitfam, one study found increased pressure to achieve the so-called “instabod” — a sculpted, idealized physique — was linked to symptoms of muscle dysmorphia.
Influencers as champions
Despite the controversies surrounding influencer culture, some content creators are leveraging their platforms to do good. Body positivity influencers, for instance, advocate for self-love and self-acceptance, which can improve body satisfaction and appreciation among young women.
There are also green influencers who champion sustainability. For example, Alessandro Vitale teaches urban farming, while Emma Dendler advocates for zero-waste living.
A study found that many women fashion influencers over 50 engage in what researchers call “styleactivism.” They use their social media platforms to bring about important changes in the ageist and sexist fashion and beauty markets.
There is also a growing movement known as “deinfluencing,” where influencers discourage mindless consumption by critiquing over-hyped products, like the viral Stanley Cup water bottle.
Many influencers operate without the backing of talent managers or influencer agencies, despite taking on multiple roles, including videographers, video editors, scriptwriters, lighting specialists, directors and on-screen talent. This leaves them especially vulnerable to exploitation.
As the influencer ecosystem expands and its culture evolves, there is increasing pressure for the industry to prioritize ethics over profit. Weeding out the unethical practices lurking in various corners of this lucrative industry will require collective efforts from policymakers, brands, as well as influencers and their followers.
Aya Aboelenien receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Ai Ming Chow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)
WASHINGTON D.C.– Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), a senior member of the House Financial Services and House Agriculture Committees, filed legislation to stimulate the creation of jobs in the domestic U.S. space manufacturing sector. The Rural American Vitalization in Extraterrestrial Space (RAVES) Reporting Act, would promote the redevelopment of shuttered factories, abandoned plants, and decommissioned military installations into advanced manufacturing hubs supporting U.S. space exploration and commercialization across rural communities.
“As global competition in space continues to intensify, we must ensure that America’s next-generation space infrastructure is built here at home—by American workers, in American communities,” said Congressman David Scott. “The RAVES Reporting Act will turn economic stagnation into innovation by revitalizing long-abandoned industrial and defense sites and transforming them into vital hubs of extraterrestrial manufacturing and research. China’s latest investment focus to “militarize space” partly through their Made in China 2025 initiative, shows just why the United States must remain the global leader in space investment. My bill will ensure the future of space is built by the same communities that once powered American steel, shipbuilding, and defense. All while strengthening U.S. national security interests.”
The RAVES Reporting Act will instruct the Department of Defense to determine the ability, capacity, and recommendation for transforming abandoned sites into U.S. space-industry manufacturing hubs. Specifically, the bill:
· Taps into the $1.8 trillion space industry for rural communities by identifying and certifying eligible abandoned or underutilized sites.
· Examines best possible solutions for current space supply chain issues through commercial input from agencies like NASA.
· Includes expanded pathways for increased streams in manufacturing jobs and revenue, STEM education, and infrastructure improvements like widespread broadband in rural communities.
· Strengthens U.S. national security by countering Chinese space expansion.
“The Rural Technology Fund appreciates the intent of the RAVES Reporting Act of 2025 and its focus on exploring opportunities for rural revitalization through space-related industries. The bill’s emphasis on workforce development, education, and collaboration with local institutions aligns with our mission to expand access to technology and technical careers in rural communities. We look forward to the insights this study may provide into how existing infrastructure can be part of that future.” Dr. Chris Sanders, Executive Director, Rural Technology Fund
“Innovation focused industries are critical for economic renewal in rural America and aerospace has tremendous potential in these regions, as we have seen through the startups across the Rural Innovation Network. The recycling of existing infrastructure is also important to ensure we can create these companies and jobs without destroying what provides rural places an exceptional quality of life. We wholeheartedly endorse Congressman’s Scott’s Rural American Vitalization in Extraterrestrial Space Reporting Act.” Matt Dunne, Executive Director of the Center on Rural Innovation
“Space is overhead of every American, and every American is vital to the productive utilization of space; not just the traditional centers or large cities, but in revitalizing, innovative rural areas as well. As we’ve been lucky enough to build our company on a rural coastline and now operate hardware on the space station, KMI supports the continued reinvestment to be identified by the RAVES Reporting Act of 2025. For more space solutions to more space challenges, this country needs to not only invest in major space efforts, but rebuild the bedrock that launched humanity from Earth to footsteps on the Moon by encouraging innovation once again across all America.” Troy M. Morris, Co-Founder & CEO, Kall Morris Inc (KMI)
Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is partnering with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to lead a bipartisan effort that would bolster access to propane – an essential agricultural input – for farmers.
The Growing Rural Agricultural Infrastructure Needs to Deliver Rising Yields (GRAIN DRY) Act would allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Storage Facility Loan Program to be used for constructing and upgrading agricultural propane storage infrastructure.
“Propane is a critical input that producers depend on to complete essential daily farm operations like drying and storing grain, keeping livestock warm, and powering farm equipment,” said Senator Ernst. “My GRAIN DRY Act gives farmers access to tools for on-farm propane storage to provide greater certainty and flexibility during harvest and throughout the winter months.”
“We greatly appreciate Senators Ernst and Klobuchar for introducing the GRAIN DRY Act and for championing legislation that strengthens farmers’ access to reliable and cost-effective propane storage,” said Stephen Kaminski, President and CEO of the National Propane Gas Association. “Propane continues to be an essential energy source on America’s farms—from heating homes and livestock buildings to drying grain and crops after harvest. This important bill will empower farmers to invest in additional storage through low-interest loans, helping ensure they have the fuel they need when they need it most.”
Read the full bill here.
Background:
As Chair of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, Ernst is an advocate for farmers who rely on propane to heat livestock facilities and maintain the quality of stored grain. She has pointed out that rising costs and supply chain issues have made consistent access to this critical input less reliable in recent years, elevating the importance of on-farm propane storage.
The Farm Storage Facility Loan program supports agriculture producers in building or upgrading commodity storage facilities, but propane doesn’t currently qualify, even though over 80% of grain dryers run on the energy source.
On the sixth day of the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, visited the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Narayangaon, Pune, where he engaged directly with farmers and agricultural scientists, reaffirming the government’s commitment to farmer welfare, innovation, and modernization in agriculture.
Earlier in the day, Chouhan toured the Narayangaon APMC, the local tomato market, farms, and a cold storage facility, where he interacted with farmers cultivating tomatoes and other crops.
During the interaction, the Minister announced that the government is preparing to enact a stringent law aimed at cracking down on the manufacture and distribution of fake fertilizers and pesticides. “Strict action will be taken against any company or individual involved in such malpractices,” Shri Chouhan said, emphasizing the government’s zero-tolerance approach to harmful agricultural inputs that jeopardize both yields and farmer incomes.
Stressing the importance of practical support, Chouhan urged agricultural scientists to step out of their labs and into the fields. “Scientists must understand local conditions and advise farmers accordingly. Our 16,000 agricultural scientists must work hand-in-hand with farmers to deliver real impact,” he stated.
He also directed scientists to focus on developing tomato and grape varieties with longer shelf life, and emphasized the need for increased research in agri-processing and adaptation to climate change.
Chouhan also outlined the government’s revised Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for TOP crops—Tomato, Onion, and Potato. Under this initiative, the Central Government will bear transportation costs when farmers move their produce to other states offering better market prices. The scheme is designed to ensure farmers get remunerative prices while also helping stabilize retail prices for consumers.
Praising the innovative spirit of Maharashtra’s farmers, the Union Minister noted their contributions to modernized farming practices and increased exports of grapes and bananas. He acknowledged the significant strides made in productivity and development of new crop varieties, affirming Maharashtra’s role as a leader in agricultural innovation.
During the interaction, local farmers shared their views on critical issues such as Minimum Support Prices (MSP), losses due to unseasonal rains, and climate change impacts. They also raised concerns about timely access to seeds, equipment, cold storage, and agri-processing centres. Chouhan assured that these concerns will be addressed through collaborative efforts between the Centre and State Governments, and announced the creation of an area-wise agricultural roadmap.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Murray, DeLauro release updated tally of federal funds Trump is freezing—hurting communities across the country
***VIEW UPDATED TRACKER HERE***
Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, released updated information detailing how President Trump is freezing at least $425 billion in federal funding that Congress has promised to communities across the country.
The updated tracker, which Senator Murray and Congresswoman DeLauro first made public in April, chronicles how President Trump and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought are brazenly violating federal laws and choking off critical investments that families, businesses, and local governments across America depend on.
This update comes as Trump and Vought seek to ask Congress to rescind a small fraction of the funding they have been illegally blocking, and as Vought vowed over the weekend to continue illegally impounding funding.
In a statement, Senator Murray and Congresswoman DeLauro said:
“President Trump continues to block hundreds of billions of dollars that have been signed into law, and it is families, farmers, small businesses, and communities in every part of the country who are suffering the consequences.
“While he works to kick millions off their health care and pad his own pockets with new tax breaks for billionaires, President Trump is choking off funding to lower the cost of living for families, create good jobs, and keep our communities safe.
“This administration’s unprecedented assault on our nation’s spending laws is costing the American people dearly. Students have seen critical support ripped away, disaster survivors are waiting on funds to be unfrozen, and cancer patients are seeing their best hope for treatment thrown into a shredder. Communities have suddenly lost resources to protect people from disease, tackle violent crime, and address the substance use crisis. And all across America, people are losing their jobs as President Trump freezes and cancels investments in energy projects, cutting-edge scientific research, community service, and so much else.
“We are going to continue shining a light on how President Trump’s sweeping, illegal funding freeze is hurting working people everywhere.”
As the updated tracker details, President Trump has—through a variety of different means—frozen, cancelled, clawed back, illegally impounded, and slow-walked federal funding for all manner of key priorities. Among much else, this includes investments in:
Critical research into Alzheimer’s disease, women’s health, cancer, diabetes, and much more, throwing research already conducted into the shredder and setting back treatments and cures.
Mental health services and support for students across the country.
Public safety, including COPS grants, Office of Violence Against Women grants, and programs to help victims of crime.
Relief for states and communities responding to and recovering from natural disasters.
Cutting-edge scientific research, which advances breakthrough innovation and boost economic development.
Farmers and local agriculture businesses, making it more expensive for hardworking people to run their farms and cutting off research they count on.
School lunches and food for child care institutions at the detriment of the farmers who rely on these local markets.
Head Start, with unacceptable funding lags leading to program closures and costly uncertainty for providers and parents alike.
Critical investments in transportation projects—for roads and bridges, airports, public transit, ports, and more—and energy projects across the country that are creating new, good jobs and lowering families’ monthly energy bills.
Our national security and efforts to prevent and end global conflicts.
Essential health services like birth control and cancer screenings for over 800,000 patients—and resources to protect people from public health threats.
Since the tracker was last updated, a small number of funds have begun flowing, but new funds have been frozen or cancelled, as well. The upshot remains: the president is blocking over $425 billion in enacted funding.
About the Tracker
The tracker offers a snapshot-in-time look at the vast array of federal funding that should be going out the door, but that President Trump—in an unprecedented scheme—is holding up or actively fighting in court to block.
The tracker is not comprehensive or exhaustive—but it catalogs a wide range of investments that this administration is choking off, in many cases illegally. Compiled by the Democratic staffs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the tracker details the minimum amount of federal funding the Committees believe the administration is currently freezing, cancelling, or fighting in court to block. It does not detail tens of billions of dollars in funding that President Trump has previously frozen but finally allowed to flow—and it cannot measure the incredible cost of President Trump’s illegal funding freezes to American families, businesses, and communities. Additionally, it does not capture the wide range of funding at serious risk of not going out the door because of President Trump’s unprecedented mass firings or the full range of fiscal year 2025 funding that has yet to be awarded or disbursed, but that should be flowing.
In some instances, there are programs and priorities listed in the tracker that courts have ordered the Trump administration to release—rebuking President Trump’s unprecedented assault on our spending laws. Funding for those programs is listed because the Trump administration is actively fighting in court to block it; any relief provided by the courts at this stage is only temporary; and because this administration has over the last several months—whether through intentional defiance or sheer incompetence—repeatedly failed to get funding to its intended recipients even when ordered by a court to do so.
In addition to flagrantly violating our nation’s spending laws, President Trump and Russ Vought are also taking every step they can to hide what they are doing from the American people. Despite repeatedly vowing to have the “most transparent administration in history,” President Trump has led an administration that has systematically obscured its spending actions and the actions of DOGE, failed to provide responses to oversight requests from Congress, refused to answer basic questions from the press, taken down a key website that OMB is required to publicly post spending decisions on in clear defiance of the law, and failed to submit detailed plans to the Appropriations Committees showing how this administration is spending fiscal year 2025 funding, as required by law. The unprecedented lack of transparency and responsiveness makes tracking what funding is being blocked all the more difficult, and it remains the Trump administration’s responsibility to not only begin to follow our spending laws but to explain its actions to date.
The updated database, which captures funding held up as of June 3, can be found on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees’ websites.
An earlier version of the tracker, which captures funding held up as of April 29, is available HERE.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)
Washington, DC — Last week, Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) led a letter to United States Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer urging improved market access for American agricultural exports – specifically U.S. ethanol, distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) – in India.
In their letter, the lawmakers wrote:
India has publicly expressed its willingness to proceed in high-volume agricultural trade negotiations with the U.S., increasing demand for American farmers. The long-term demand opportunity for DDGS alone could be two million metric tons per year valued at $500 million, which would turn into the second largest export market (behind Mexico). For ethanol, India is already our 3rd largest export destination at 170 million gallons valued at $393 million, however further reducing existing market barriers would allow for over $400 million of additional exports. We are encouraged that the United States and India have been making rapid progress so far in negotiations on reciprocal trade, and are hopeful that farmers throughout the United States can benefit from results in the near future related to exports to India of DDGS and SBM, which comply with its strict non-GMO import restrictions.
…
President Trump’s America First agenda includes increasing exports of U.S. agriculture products to reduce the trade deficit. Each year, American farmers continue to increase yield per acre with fewer inputs. Since 2010, corn and soybean production have increased by 20 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, commodity prices have dropped by over 30 percent in the past three years, intensifying the need to expand export markets to keep up with increasing supplies. We believe U.S. Ethanol, DDGS, and SBM exports to India represents an easy win for American farmers and will be a terrific way to begin addressing the federal trade deficit through mutually beneficial trade with India.
The letter is supported by the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Soybean Association.
This comes as historic advances are made in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with India, the framework of which was announced by Vice President J.D. Vance and USTR in April. Further, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is slated to travel to India, among other countries, this year in efforts to continue discussions to open new markets for agricultural exports.
Read the full letter here.
Additional members who signed the letter include: Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Tony Wied (R-WI), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Mike Flood (R-NE), Ron Estes (R-KS), Mike Carey (R-OH), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Max Miller (R-OH), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Brad Finstad (R-MN), and Mark Messmer (R-IN)
LEEDS, United Kingdom, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nimanode, the first no-code AI agent platform built natively on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), is gaining momentum with its ongoing $NMA token presale. As investor confidence in AI infrastructure and XRP-based innovation grows, Nimanode is drawing serious attention from early adopters seeking exposure to the next phase of Web3 automation.
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Motorists advised of road closures as Summer Jamm comes to town
3 June 2025
The highly anticipated Summer Jamm Festival is set to return to Strabane town centre this Saturday, June 7th from 12-late, promising a day filled with entertainment, family activities, and community celebration that will transform the heart of Strabane into a vibrant hub of creativity and excitement.
The event attracts hundreds of visitors every year, and anyone planning on going along this weekend is encouraged to plan their trip, with some road closures and diversions in place to facilitate the event. From 7am-7pm the following roads will be closed to traffic, Railway Street, Main Street, Castle Street and Castle Place. Traffic diversions will be in place with alternative routes signposted.
Visitors are advised that streets will be busy with lots of activities taking place in and around the town centre, so motorists should use the town centre car parks, or if possible travel to the event using public transport. Please note that Canal Street car park will be closed to facilitate Cullen’s Fun Fair. Disabled parking will be available in the car parks at Canal Basin North, Railway Street, Butcher Street and in Upper and Lower Main Street.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Ruairí McHugh said: “I am absolutely delighted that one of my first major engagements as Mayor will be celebrating Summer Jamm with the people of Strabane. This fantastic festival has become a cornerstone of our community calendar, bringing together residents and visitors alike to celebrate the best of what our town has to offer. There is so much happening in the town on Saturday and there will be a real festival buzz about the place. I just want to remind people that there will be some minor disruption to traffic flow in some areas, so anyone driving to the event should follow directions and plan ahead for parking.
“This is a great day for families to come out and enjoy a wonderful summer event together, and of course the additional visitors to the town bring a welcome boost to local business owners. As your new Mayor, I can’t wait to meet people throughout the day and see everyone enjoying this fantastic celebration of our community spirit.”
Visitors to the town during Summer Jamm are also urged to be aware of the ‘Love Strabane’ campaign spearheaded by Strabane Business Improvement District (BID).
Chair of Strabane BID Kieran Kennedy explained: “We want to showcase the fantastic offering we have here in the town and encourage locals and visitors to call in and support local businesses. Strabane is renowned for being a hotspot for independent businesses which offers unique one-off pieces that you can’t find anywhere else so we’d encourage everyone to love local and support local on the day and we can’t wait to see the town transformed into a hub of activity and vibrancy.
“We have an incredibly strong hospitality sector in Strabane and this year we are particularly looking forward to the evening Music Trail. This will showcase the town’s fantastic venues as visitors can enjoy live music performances in our local bars throughout the evening.”
There’s a packed programme of entertainment planned throughout Saturday for all the family from 12noon – late, with street performances, street drumming, and circus school skills aplenty. New to this year’s event will be the Street Art Festival which features interactive selfie murals and live street art demonstrations throughout the town. Artists will showcase their talents, offering visitors a chance to engage with the art and even try their hand at creating their own masterpieces.
The popular Bear Run ’74 Supercar is making its first appearance at this year’s Summer Jamm. Featuring an impressive display of supercars, the Bear Run will also raise funds for the Mayor’s chosen charities – PIPS Suicide Prevention Derry and The Castlederg Patient and Comfort Terminally Ill Fund.
Families will find plenty to enjoy with the Kidz Farm petting zoo, dinosaur encounters, urban sports activities, an interactive drumming circle, and face painting. Street performers, including magicians, dancers, and musicians, will entertain crowds throughout the town centre. Scheduled performances will take place at various locations, ensuring entertainment is always just around the corner.
The Arts and Crafts and Food Quarter will have a variety of crafts stalls to explore along with a diverse range of culinary cuisine and delicious treats to satisfy everyone’s appetite.
The Alley Theatre will host additional family-friendly entertainment, including the FizzWizzPop Magic Show at 12noon (tickets £2), this is an interactive magical experience designed to delight children and parents alike. The Alley will also offer face painting, Barry McGowan Art exhibition, and Arts and Crafts Workshops from 12noon.
Cullen’s Funfair will be taking up residence in the Canal Carpark from June 5th – 8th for anyone who wants to start the celebrations early.
Keep an eye on the Summer Jamm website: www.derrystrabane.com/summerjamm and Whats On Derry Strabane and The Alley Theatre Facebook pages for further updates.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Department of Education’s action follows letter sent last week by Senators Collins and Shaheen calling for the immediate release of funding to current recipients.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the Department of Education has released the TRIO Upward Bound grants—which fund programs preparing high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds for college—to current grant recipients in Maine. This action from the Department follows a letter sent last week by Senators Collins and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to Secretary Linda McMahon urging the immediate release of this funding after reports that multiple Upward Bound programs had yet to receive the funding they’d been promised for the coming program year.
“I am pleased that Secretary McMahon responded quickly to our request and that Upward Bound students in Maine will continue to have access to this lifechanging program,” said Senator Collins. “TRIO has made an incredible difference in the opportunities provided for many low-income and first-generation students seeking higher education. As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to work to ensure this program is protected for Maine families and students across America.”
The following Upward Bound programs received funding, which will support over 180 Maine students:
Bowdoin College Upward Bound – $549,957
Currently serving students at:
Carrabec High School
Lawrence High School
Madison High School
Mt. Abram High School
Skowhegan High School
Spruce Mountain High School
Waterville High School
The University of Maine at Farmington Upward Bound – $437,584
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative James E (Jim) Clyburn (6th District of South Carolina)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus, Representatives James E. Clyburn (D-SC-06), Dave Taylor (R-OH-02), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Bob Latta (R-OH-05), and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), announced the launch of the Caucus in the 119th Congress.
Founded in 2016, the bipartisan Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus has served as a forum for members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to spearhead solutions that close the broadband access gap across the country. The Caucus is aimed at uniting leaders from the federal government, states, and the private sector to ensure all Americans have access to high-speed internet.
“Our efforts to deploy affordable, high-speed internet service are the modern equivalent of rural electrification in the 20th century,” said Rep. Clyburn. “Without reliable connections and meaningful adoption, rural and underserved communities will continue to be left behind in education, health care, and commerce. I look forward to collaborating with the Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus to build on our efforts to finally close the digital divide.”
“It’s hard to even quantify the exact percentage of Ohio’s Second Congressional District that lacks access to high-speed broadband because the existing maps are so wildly inaccurate,” said Congressman Taylor. “For decades, rural Americans have been left behind while those in more digitally-connected regions have been connected with the telehealth care options, educational programs, and job opportunities that should have been available to rural communities as well. Farmers, families, and businesses in Southern Ohio depend on gaining broadband access to keep up with changing technology, connect with the modern economy, and make local family businesses more profitable. I look forward to championing this effort in the Rural Broadband Caucus.”
“Reliable internet access is essential for families in Ohio and across the country. In many areas of my district, particularly in rural areas, I hear the need for reliable, high-speed connectivity,” said Rep. Latta. “It provides enormous opportunities, including educating our children, working remotely, increasing farmers’ yields, and accessing high-quality health care. That is why I’m proud to join my colleagues in re-launching this bipartisan Rural Broadband Caucus to work to advance solutions to ensure federal broadband funding reaches the unserved and underserved communities that need it most.”
“From students taking online classes, to seniors relying on telehealth, to parents working remotely while taking care of kids at home — every Minnesotan needs access to reliable, high-speed internet,” said Rep. Craig. “I’m proud to join my bipartisan colleagues in relaunching the Rural Broadband Caucus to ensure that rural communities across our country are not left behind.”
“High-speed broadband has the power to transform lives, which is why I’m proud to relaunch the Bipartisan Rural Broadband Caucus for the 119th Congress,” said Rep. Wittman. “Expanding internet access is essential to driving economic growth — especially in rural communities like where I live in Virginia’s Northern Neck as well as on the Middle Peninsula and Lower Peninsula. This issue has been a priority for me since my time on the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors over 20 years ago. While we’ve made meaningful progress in narrowing the digital divide, there’s still more work to do. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to eliminate barriers and ensure every American has access to reliable, high-speed internet.”
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ASHGABAT, June 3 (Xinhua) — An opening ceremony of the “Meet and Learn” event on exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations was held in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, on Tuesday. More than 200 guests, including representatives of various social circles of China and Turkmenistan and representatives of some foreign embassies in Turkmenistan, attended the ceremony.
The ceremony officially opened the Dehua White Porcelain Exhibition and the 2025 China Equestrian Culture Exhibition, which were jointly hosted by China and Turkmenistan. The two themed exhibitions reveal the common aesthetic preferences and emotional connection between the peoples of the two countries regarding horses and the color white.
More than 150 horse-related exhibits, such as saddles, photographs, calligraphy works, sculptures, fur paintings, embroidery and paper crafts, have been selected for the China Equestrian Culture Exhibition, which demonstrates the diversity and profound content of China’s equestrian culture.
The Dehua White Porcelain Exhibition features over 40 highly artistic contemporary porcelain pieces with designs that embody ancient motifs and new trends. The exhibits also include pieces featuring fast horses, which are intended to highlight the important role of equestrianism in strengthening ties between the cultures of China and Turkmenistan.
During the ceremony, representatives of the National Museum of China, the China Horse Industry Association, the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan and the National Horse Breeding Federation of Turkmenistan exchanged gifts, such as the Chinese translation of the “Collection of Magtymguly’s Poetry” and white porcelain items.
Chinese and foreign guests shared the view that the two exhibitions fully demonstrate the unique charm of Chinese culture, the profound heritage and vibrant vitality of the friendly relations between the two countries.
The event was organized by the Information Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Turkmenistan. –0–
“Resurrection” Millet – A Plant that Revives after Severe Drought
Contact: ARS Office of Communications, Media Relations Email: ARSPress@usda.gov
Fort Collins, Colo., June 3, 2025 — A new discovery by scientists could help protect crop production and reduce plant mortality due to drought, which accounts for a quarter of U.S. crop production losses.
Water is essential for plants to grow, reproduce, and survive. Drought causes severe stress in plants and can significantly reduce yearly production or kill entire crops. Drought also increases costs for farmers, who must invest in irrigation to keep their crops alive. These impacts and costs result in reduced food supply and higher food prices for consumers.
After years of studying the mechanisms and effects of drought in plants, scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Colorado State University (CSU) identified how plants die during drought and how some of the effects of drought can be reversed. They also discovered a plant species (a wild millet relative) with remarkable resiliency to extreme drought, demonstrating an ability to “resurrect” after acute drought episodes.
Barnyard millet. Getty image.
During severe drought stress, the soil and atmosphere become so arid that liquid water inside the plant changes into water vapor gas. This process, known as embolism formation, results in gas bubble blockages within the water-conducting tissues of the plant. These embolism blockages reduce the transport of water and minerals from the soil [roots] to the leaves, impairing essential processes for the growth, reproduction, and survival of plants.
ARS scientist Sean Gleason and the “resurrection” millet. Photo by CSU Jared Stewart.
Embolism formation was poorly understood in plants because embolisms could not be seen using the types of instrumentation and methodology used in past studies. The team of scientists at ARS and CSU used an innovative method that involved scanning entire plants with a type of laboratory X-Ray machine. The machine allowed them to see water movement through segments of the plant, including stems, roots, and leaves, which enabled the scientists to detect these gas bubble formations, or embolisms, throughout the plant.
“We have discovered that a wild millet relative is capable of reversing embolism formation in the water-conducting tissues,” said Sean Gleason, ARS research plant physiologist at the Water Management and Systems Research Unit in CO. “We call this plant resurrection millet because if the plant is watered even after nearly 100% of the tissue has been embolized, the plant is able to re-fill these embolisms and recover. This study provides the first direct evidence of complete and functional stem xylem ‘refilling’ following severe drought stress. This breakthrough challenges long-standing assumptions about plant hydraulic recovery and has significant implications for crop resilience in water-limited environments.”
Barnyard millet. Getty image.
Troy Ocheltree, a co-author and collaborator with the CSU Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, explained the important implications this study has for both crop improvement and natural grasslands.
“The results suggest that even if plants become severely stressed, they may be able to recover in the same year of the drought and begin growing again,” he said. “This ability impacts the yield of crop production and the amount of forage available for cattle.”
Researchers seek to leverage new technology to transfer the resiliency found in this millet species to other crop species such as wheat, corn, and rice, thus protecting U.S. agriculture.
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) led a letter to U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Representative urging improved market access for American agricultural exports – specifically U.S. ethanol, distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) – in India.
In their letter, the lawmakers write that “India has publicly expressed its willingness to proceed in high-volume agricultural trade negotiations with the U.S., increasing demand for American farmers. The long-term demand opportunity for DDGS alone could be two million metric tons per year valued at $500 million, which would turn into the second largest export market (behind Mexico). For ethanol, India is already our 3rd largest export destination at 170 million gallons valued at $393 million, however further reducing existing market barriers would allow for over $400 million of additional exports. We are encouraged that the United States and India have been making rapid progress so far in negotiations on reciprocal trade, and are hopeful that farmers throughout the United States can benefit from results in the near future related to exports to India of DDGS and SBM, which comply with its strict non-GMO import restrictions.”
“President Trump’s America First agenda includes increasing exports of U.S. agriculture products to reduce the trade deficit. Each year, American farmers continue to increase yield per acre with fewer inputs. Since 2010, corn and soybean production have increased by 20 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, commodity prices have dropped by over 30 percent in the past three years, intensifying the need to expand export markets to keep up with increasing supplies. We believe U.S. Ethanol, DDGS, and SBM exports to India represents an easy win for American farmers and will be a terrific way to begin addressing the federal trade deficit through mutually beneficial trade with India,” the lawmakers added.
The letter is supported by the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Soybean Association.
This comes as historic advances are made in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with India, the framework of which was announced by Vice President J.D. Vance and USTR in April. Further, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is slated to travel to India, among other countries, this year in efforts to continue discussions to open new markets for agricultural exports.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A conference abstract presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Nutrition looks at a new approach for classifying processed foods.
Prof Martin Warren, Chief Scientific Officer and Group Leader, the Quadram Institute, said:
“Refining the definition of processed food is key to improving scientific precision as the current NOVA categories, especially “ultra-processed foods” (UPFs), are too broad and vague, grouping diverse foods together based on processing techniques rather than nutritional composition or health outcomes. Clearly, more precise definitions would allow for more appropriate research on diet and health outcomes.
“This also has implications for policy and regulation, as governments and organizations use NOVA to shape food labelling laws as well as dietary guidelines.
“Currently, there is a mismatch with nutrient profiling with some foods classified as UPFs being nutritionally adequate or even beneficial (e.g., some plant-based alternatives, fortified foods). A refined system could integrate both processing level and nutritional quality, enabling more balanced assessments.
“It’s difficult to tell about the quality of this abstract without more detailed analysis of the paper – but the general description and approach seems logical and robust.
“A step in the right direction but there is a lot of work to do with encouraging people to address the need to adopt the five-a-day recommendation, which has such clear health benefits.”
Prof Eileen Gibney, Professor in the School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin (UCD), said:
“This is an interesting piece of work.
“It attempts to address some of the criticisms of the current dialogue around the topic of ultra processed foods. As the authors state some of the issues raised in relation to the current definitions used in the UPF discussion is that you can have two distinctly different foods – a sweet or ‘candy’ bar (e.g. chocolates / sweets) in the same category as a fortified sugar-free whole grain breakfast cereal. This makes it complicated to use the concept of UPF in nutritional guidance, and nutritional advice. You can’t ask individuals to simply remove all UPF from a diet, as this leaves little choice for the consumer, and would be incredibly hard for people to follow. What we need to do is to understand which processed foods to minimise, and those that are in fact beneficial in a diet.
“The work presented here looks more closely at the ingredients, determining which are processed and not, as well as their known impact on health, it then considers how much added sugar the food contains, and how the combined ingredients impact on health, penalising foods with ingredients which have evidence for increased risk of disease.
“Essentially this scoring system aims to consider the level of processing (by considering the ingredients within the foods), but also considers evidence that links those ingredients with health outcomes. This more nuanced evidenced based approach appears to then discriminate foods that have been processed for benefit (e.g. sugar free fortified breakfast cereal) versus those that do not give any nutritional or health benefit e.g. a chocolate bar.
“This differentiation is important as it means that we are not simply considering the ‘presence of processing’ in a food, as the existing categorization does, but using an evidence based approach, informed by scientific evidence that demonstrates if a processing step, and/or ingredient actually impacts health. Evidence based approaches to the provision of nutritional advice is really important, and underpins our approach to public health. It will be important that this scoring system is updated as and when new evidence is available.”
Prof Helen Roche, Full Professor of Nutrigenomics (Nutrition and ‘Omics’), Director Of Academic Centre – Conway Institute School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin (UCD), said:
“It is an example of nice research which advances the ways we can enhance and improve classification of healthy versus unhealthy foods, based on sound, systematic science, to better inform the consumer. It is very difficult to distinguish processed from non-processed food and their potential impact on health. Take for example lasagne, if you make it yourself at home versus a highly processed version, which by virtue of inferior ingredients and extensive food processing – the end products are very different in terms of nutritional quality. The new classification system proposed WISEcode UPF has the potential to more accurately classify processed versus non-processed foods – which when presented in an app might help support consumers choice towards more healthy food options.”
Prof Alexandra Johnstone, Theme Lead for Nutrition, Obesity and Disease, Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, said:
“The press release and abstract are very brief and do not allow for this novel research to be assessed for quality or rigor. The experienced US-based research group present a novel scoring system to classify foods and ingredients according to processing and evidence of impact on health, in comparison to the existing NOVA scale which is commonly used to classify UPF. There is very limited description on the validation of the tool and no perspective on limitations of the dataset. For example, this is being presented at a US nutrition meeting and the trademark terms look to be only relevant for the US food system; it is not clear if this is transferrable in other countries. Prior to a peer-review publication, it is difficult to comment further on the translation of the data.”
Dr Amanda Avery, Associate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Nottingham, said:
“The NOVA system for classifying foods as ultra-processed or not has served us well since it was first introduced in 2009. But it is time to look for an update given that we know that not all ultra-processed foods are equal and some can contribute to a healthy diet. Also given the ever-increasing number of manufactured food products and increasing level of processing.
“It is unsurprising that AI has been used to create an app with a scoring system using an assessment of ingredients weighted based on current scientific knowledge of the associated health risks, the percentage of calories that come from added sugars, and considerations for ingredients with known health concerns (such as high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and salt). Without further information, one assumes that there is also consideration of the positive health benefits of wholegrains providing dietary fibre.
“This scoring system was applied to a large number of foods and many different food ingredients were considered. The USA-based scientists found that the proposed scoring system was better able to differentiate between foods classified as ultra-processed compared to using the NOVA criteria. As one would expect, and hope, there was less differentiation between those foods that are minimally processed.
“It is unlikely that there will ever be a perfect system that accounts for all the nuances that weigh up the risks and benefits of processed food and health. Food manufacturers continue to process food to develop products that are safe and appealing without always considering the wider health impact and of course the health impact is very dependent on how often and how many ultra-processed foods are included in an individual diet. If included occasionally as part of an overall healthy and nutritionally balanced diet, the health risks will be considerably reduced.
“Sadly, whilst such an app may be able to influence healthier food choices, people’s food choices are influenced by a number of factors. Having a greater awareness of the level of processing and ingredients included in a product may not influence choice for everyone. Price for many has a huge influence on the food choices they make, and sadly ultra-processed foods often remain the cheaper option. One exception is that instore brands can often have a better nutritional profile compared to the equivalent branded product and such technology may provide consumers with a greater awareness of this – which is great.
“The abstract being presented is very much describing the development of the app. There does not seem to be any robust evaluation of the use of the app that demonstrates conclusive evidence of the value of the app in improving consumer food choice or the wider health benefits. It would also be good to know if the ability for consumers to be able to compare similar products changes food manufacturing practices to reduce the level of processing and use of artificial ingredients.
“The app has been developed in the USA and whilst a large number of foods and ingredients have been used as part of the development, there are differences in the foods that are available in the UK.”
Abstract title: ‘Ultra-Processed Foods Are Not All Alike: A Novel, Objective Approach to Differentiate Among Processed Foods Including Those Classified As NOVA 4’ by Richard Black et al. It will be presented at the NUTRITION 2025 conference, and is under embargo until 15:00 UK time on Tuesday 3 June 2025.
There is no paper.
Declared interests
Prof Martin Warren: “The Quadram Institute is a UK science national capability strategically supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and also receives funding from other government agencies, national and international charities, and limited funding from industry (six per cent of total funding in 2022/23 came from industry).
Martin’s not got any interests to declare.”
Prof Eileen Gibney: “Eileen R. Gibney is a Professor of Nutrition in University College Dublin, and Director of the UCD Institute of Food and Health. Over the last 5 years she has received research funding through the following; Enterprise Ireland for Technology Centre – Food for Health Ireland (www.fhi.ie) project, co-funded with core partners Carbery, Kerry, Tirlan, Dairygold & Bord Bia; Research Ireland for the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems; Horizon Europe most recently in projects such as FNSCloud, PLANEAT and MarieCurie CareerFIT; PhD studentship funding from Société des Produits Nestlé, Switzerland; UCD Foundation and McCarrick Family has provided funding for PhD studentship.
A travel bursary including Registration, Accommodation and Honorarium for attendance and speaking at the Nestle International Nutrition Symposium 2025, was provided by Société des Produits Nestlé, Switzerland.
Eileen R Gibney has completed consultancy work for the following; Société des Produits Nestlé, Switzerland; Irish Advertising Standards Agency, Food Safety Authority of Ireland. No personal payment was received, all payments were made into a research fund through Consult UCD.”
Prof Helen Roche: “I have no conflict of interest with respect to the study I commented on.”
Prof Alexandra Johnstone: “AJ holds voluntary roles within the UK Nutrition Society, Association for the Study of Obesity and British Nutrition Foundation.
Dr Amanda Avery: “Besides my academic position at the University of Nottingham, I also hold a position at Slimming World as Consultant dietitian in the Nutrition, Research & Health Policy team.
I have no other conflicts of interest to declare.”
On Tuesday, the Agriculture Committee adopted its position on EU standards for the breeding, housing, and handling of cats and dogs.
The first EU rules for the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats were adopted with 35 votes to 2 and 9 abstentions.
Who must comply
MEPs propose the new rules would cover those who are responsible for breeding or selling dogs and cats in establishments and shelters; and those placing dogs and cats into foster homes. They would however not apply to private dog and cat owners who place maximum one litter on the market less frequently than every 18 months.
Microchipping of dogs and cats in the EU
The rules would mean that all dogs and cats held by breeders, sellers and shelters, or offered for sale or donation online, must be individually identifiable with a microchip. Microchipped dogs and cats should be registered in interoperable national databases. MEPs say identification numbers of microchips, along with information about the corresponding national database, should be stored in a single index database operated by the Commission.
Dogs and cats from third countries
To close potential loopholes that would let dogs and cats enter the EU as non-commercial pets but which are then later sold in the EU, MEPs want to extend the rules to cover not only imports for commercial purposes but also non-commercial movements.
Dogs and cats imported from third countries for sale would have to be microchipped before their entry into the EU, and then registered in a national database within two working days after their entry. Pet owners entering the EU would be obliged to pre-register their microchipped animal on an online database, at least five working days before arrival.
Breeding and welfare of dogs and cats
Breeding between parents and offspring, grandparents and grandchildren, as well as between siblings and half-siblings, must be prohibited. Puppies and kittens may not be separated from their mothers until they are at least eight weeks old unless there is a specific veterinary justification. To prevent exploitation, the regulation caps the number of litters per female and introduces mandatory rest periods between pregnancies.
MEPs want a ban on the breeding of dogs or cats that have excessive conformational traits leading to a high risk of detrimental effects on their welfare, as well as a prohibition on these animals – together with mutilated dogs and cats – being used in shows, exhibitions, or competitions.
Quote
After the vote, rapporteur and Chair of the AGRI Committee, Veronika Vrecionová (ECR, CZ), said: “This proposal is a clear move against illegal breeding and the irresponsible importation of animals from outside the EU. At the same time, it fully respects ordinary owners and responsible breeders who should not be unduly burdened by regulations.”
Next steps
The report is now tabled for a vote in Parliament’s plenary. If adopted, talks with EU government ministers can start.
Background
As around 44% of households in the EU have a pet animal, trade in dogs and cats has grown considerably in recent years, with an annual value of EUR 1.3 billion, according to the Commission. The online market, including illegal trade, accounts for 60% of all dog and cat sales in the EU. In the absence of unified minimum animal welfare standards for dogs and cats across the member states, the Commission proposed these new rules on 7 December 2023.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), with a bicameral group of his House and Senate colleagues, is calling on Congressional Appropriations leadership to include enough funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program as part of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding legislation. Tens of thousands of Americans depend on this vital program for safe, stable, and affordable housing. The letter comes as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in March that the program will soon run out of money due largely to rents rising at the fastest pace in decades.
“[Public Housing Agencies] in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve,” wrote the lawmakers. “Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.”
“The EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness,” continued the lawmakers. “At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties.”
As of April, this critical program supports 107,000 individuals who are mostly children under five years old, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and domestic violence survivors. Support for the program is especially important as the Trump Administration cuts vital HUD funding and support staff. The EHV program was established in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan. Congress originally authorized $5 billion in funding for 70,000 vouchers through September 2030, with increased flexibilities for public housing authorities that made the program more successful than typical housing vouchers.
Senator King has long been committed to ensuring Maine people across the state can access safe and affordable housing, as well as working with his colleagues on creative solutions to combat the housing shortage. He recently introduced the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country — including thousands in Maine. Earlier this year, he introduced the bipartisan Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act to expand existing grant program so rural homeowners can create more housing on their property and help ease housing shortfall.
The full text of the letter is available here and below.
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Dear Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Chair Womack, and Ranking Member Clyburn:
As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you include funding to ensure that the nearly 60,000 households who are currently being served by the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program do not fall into homelessness.
During the pandemic, Congress appropriated $5 billion in mandatory funding for the EHV program to help people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking, access safe, stable and affordable housing during a moment of crisis.
Since 2021, the success of the EHV program and its design, which includes critical administrative flexibilities that are responsive to a tumultuous housing market, cannot be overstated. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that EHVs are leasing at a rate faster than any previous housing voucher program within HUD and drove unprecedented collaboration among public housing agencies (PHAs), homeless services organizations, and victim services organizations to provide rapid and effective housing assistance to vulnerable populations. PHAs in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve. Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.
We understand that the Subcommittee must make difficult decisions. However, the EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness. At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties. Thank you for your consideration of this request and your continued support for the most vulnerable Americans.
Sincerely,
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BAKU, June 3 (Xinhua) — In the small town of Gakh, 350 km northwest of Baku, Chief Engineer Manet Suleymanli was inspecting a mulberry plantation at the Gakh Sericulture Breeding Station on a foggy morning. Pointing to the trees, he said: “There are 30,000 Chinese saplings planted in 2019 growing on these three hectares. See, they are almost reaching my shoulders. In six years, we have imported 4.5 million saplings, they are planted all over the country. This is a revival.”
THIRTY YEARS OF DECLINE: FROM SOVIET GREATNESS TO OBLIVION
Azerbaijan was one of the centers of the eastern silk industry with a history of more than 1,500 years. In the 1960s and 70s, cocoon production exceeded 20 thousand tons – the second place in the USSR after Uzbekistan. In terms of quality, Azerbaijani silk was considered the best in the world and was exported to Japan, Switzerland, and Italy. But after the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, economic ties were destroyed, collective farms disappeared, plantations were abandoned, breeds degraded, and specialists left. Akram Fataliyev, who headed the Gakh station for 40 years, recalls: “In 1986, 6,000 tons of cocoons were produced, in 2014 – only 10 tons, in 2015 – 236 kilograms. Production was disappearing.” According to him, with the decline of sericulture, he had to go into business.
CHINESE TECHNOLOGY BEARS FRUIT: “PROJECT GREEN” REVITALIZES THE INDUSTRY
The turning point came in 2016, when President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on state support for sericulture. The “new silkworm project” began, and the first Chinese seedlings and silkworms crossed the Tien Shan and the Caspian to take root again in Azerbaijan. This became a new chapter in the cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. M. Suleymanli explains: “The Chinese tree has large leaves – the caterpillars love them. But the Chinese caterpillars eat little, but produce a lot of silk.”
In order to develop the industry, the “State Program for the Development of Cocoon Farming and Sericulture in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018-2025” was adopted in 2017. The country began actively purchasing cocoons from China, incubating them and distributing them free of charge to farmers in order to increase cocoon production to 6,000 tons per year.
The main partner is Shandong Guangtong Silkworm Eggs Co., Ltd. Li Qiliang, who worked in Gakh from 2016 to 2019, explains: “The mulberry tree bears fruit for 15-20 years, then the harvest declines. Most of the trees were inherited from the USSR – they are old. China supplies grafted seedlings of the Jisang No. 3 variety – they are resistant to diseases, heat and drought, and produce high-quality leaves.” The Chinese breed of silkworms Huakang No. 3 forms cocoons up to 1,200 meters long – this is 300-400 meters longer than local caterpillars.
GAKHSKAYA STATION OF SILKWORM BREEDING: INDEPENDENT SELECTION OF HYBRID LINES OF SILKWORMS
In 2018, cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the field of sericulture reached a new level. With technical support from China, the breeding station in Gakh was reconstructed. President I. Aliyev and his wife attended the opening ceremony, emphasizing the importance of the project. Three Chinese specialists, including Li Qiliang, took a commemorative photo with the presidential couple.
Silkworms are the basis of sericulture. The Gakh station is the only institution in the country engaged in their breeding. Investment in its restoration was the first step towards self-sufficiency in this area. Founded in 1973, the station ceased operations in 1998, but after reconstruction it occupies five hectares, including an administrative building, a laboratory, incubation and hybrid centers.
Three hectares of mulberry plantations have been created at the station. In 2019, 30,000 Chinese seedlings resistant to the harsh climate began to grow here. That same year, research on silkworm hybridization began – for the first time in the history of Azerbaijan. According to Li Qiliang, the training was carried out strictly according to Chinese standards. Hybridization increases the resistance of silkworms to diseases and increases the yield of cocoons.
Chief Engineer M. Suleymanli said that currently “Gakh-1” and “Gakh-2” are being grown, having reached the fifth age. Soon they will begin to form cocoons, after which mating will occur to obtain a new species. Delivery of two more varieties of gren from China is expected.
In 2018, Lalazar Gaidarova, an employee of the station, completed a two-week training in China. “Chinese technologies are modern and effective. Now we do everything the same way as in China. Even the equipment was brought from there,” she shared. L. Gaidarova advocates for a regular exchange of experience with the Chinese side and sending Azerbaijani youth for internships. “Our specialists are getting older. 62-year-old Manet is the youngest. We need to prepare a replacement,” she says.
This year, the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan again imported 5,000 boxes of garnets from China, supplementing them with 1,000 boxes of local production. A total of 6,000 boxes were distributed among 40 districts and Nakhchivan. The projected harvest is 240 tons. M. Suleymanli noted that in sericulture, as in viticulture, there are lean years, and the current year is not the best.
Farmers have realized the advantages of sericulture: high profits and quick results – after 40 days the caterpillars form cocoons. Capital turnover is only two months. Now farmers in 40 of the country’s 66 regions and in Nakhchivan are engaged in sericulture. The leaders are Zardab, Fizuli, Zagatala and others.
According to Zaur Abbasov, Advisor to the Head of the Gakh District, registration of farmers begins in February. Based on applications, the Ministry of Agriculture imports the required amount of grains. By the end of April and the beginning of May, the grains are distributed among the regions. “Grans and mulberry tree seedlings are provided free of charge. The revival of sericulture is important for diversifying the economy and preserving traditions,” he noted.
To stimulate farmers, the state increased the purchase price of cocoons from three to 11 manats per kilogram, of which five is paid by the buyer and six by the state in the form of a subsidy.
There are already tangible results: 236 kg of cocoons were collected in 2015, and 643.7 tons in 2019, which provided income for more than 10,000 rural families.
Xinhua met Sahib, Azerbaijan’s champion sericulturist. In 2018, he collected one ton of cocoons from 20 boxes of geraniums, setting a record. Now he works with five boxes, expecting a 250-kilogram harvest. His sericulture workshop resembles a factory, with two-tiered racks and temperature and humidity controls. “Look, the caterpillars are sleeping. In 15 days, the cocoons will be ready. At 11 manat per kilogram, that will bring in 2,750 manat, a third of the family’s annual income,” he said. –0–
HOUSTON, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.TM (Nasdaq: SKWD) (“Skyward Specialty” or “the Company”) a leader in the specialty property and casualty (P&C) market, announced its entry into the specialized aviation market with the launch of a new Aviation underwriting unit. The expansion follows the Company’s acquisition of the assets of Acceleration Aviation Underwriters (“Acceleration”) and builds on a strategic partnership between the two companies initiated last year.
This move marks a bold step forward in the Company’s ongoing growth strategy, leveraging technology and data-driven underwriting to expand into highly specialized and underserved markets.
“For the Acceleration team, this is the culmination of our decades long career, and I am very proud to join Skyward Specialty to see our legacy continue,” said Chris Jones, founder of Acceleration Aviation Underwriters. “With Skyward Specialty’s growth-driven strategy and our deep underwriting knowledge, we have the backing and scale to realize the full potential of our business. I am very excited to be part of this next phase in Acceleration’s future and establish Skyward Specialty’s place in the aviation market.”
With the acquisition, Skyward Specialty gains a seasoned team of aviation experts with a proven track record of success in niche, underserved segments, which is an ideal complement to the Company’s focus on complex and hard-to-place risks.
“Over the past couple of years, we have built a terrific relationship with the Acceleration team including as a program manager writing on behalf of Skyward Specialty. They’ve carved out a smart, sustainable niche, particularly in smaller, overlooked risks within the aviation market and we find this is fits well within our strategy,” said Andrew Robinson, Chairman & CEO of Skyward Specialty. “By combining their deep expertise with our advanced analytics and tech-enabled underwriting capabilities, we are well positioned to scale this business and strengthen our position in the aviation market. This integration further reflects our commitment to our strategy to invest in specialty markets where insights, precision and innovation drive lasting value.”
About Skyward Specialty Skyward Specialty (Nasdaq: SKWD) is a rapidly growing and innovative specialty insurance company, delivering commercial property and casualty products and solutions on a non-admitted and admitted basis. The Company operates through nine underwriting divisions — Accident & Health, Agriculture and Credit (Re)insurance, Captives, Construction & Energy Solutions, Global Property, Professional Lines, Specialty Programs, Surety and Transactional E&S.
Skyward Specialty’s subsidiary insurance companies consist of Great Midwest Insurance Company, Houston Specialty Insurance Company, Imperium Insurance Company, and Oklahoma Specialty Insurance Company. These insurance companies are rated A (Excellent) with a stable outlook by A.M. Best Company. For more information about Skyward Specialty, its people, and its products, please visit skywardinsurance.com.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated May 30, 2025, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹2 lakh (Rupees Two Lakh only) on The Jammu and Kashmir State Co-operative Bank Ltd., Srinagar (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act).
The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023 and March 31, 2024. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charge against the bank was sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:
The bank had failed to obtain Officially Valid Documents (OVD) of its customers while establishing the account-based relationship.
This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.
Posted on Jun 2, 2025 in Featured, Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases
STATE OF HAWAIʻI KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR KE KIAʻĀINA
GOVERNOR GREEN WELCOMES NEW STATE FIRE MARSHAL The Position was Abolished Nearly 46 Years Ago
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2, 2025
HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green, M.D., today announced the appointment of Dori Booth as Hawai‘i’s new State Fire Marshal, reviving a critical public safety position that has been vacant for nearly 46 years. The original Office of the State Fire Marshal was abolished by Act 241 of the 1978 Session Laws of Hawaiʻi, with its responsibilities devolved to the counties as of July 1, 1979.
This appointment marks a historic return to a centralized approach to statewide fire protection — one that was strongly recommended by independent wildfire investigation reports following the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires.
“Dori Booth steps into this role at a moment of incredible urgency — and with a mission that’s nothing short of transformative,” said Governor Green. “We are rebuilding an entire fire safety infrastructure at the state level, and Dori is at the center of it. She’ll need to navigate the complex division of responsibilities between the counties and the state, set up a new operational structure, and immediately implement top-priority reforms to protect our communities. It may sound like bureaucracy — but the goal is simple: save lives, protect property and keep Hawai‘i safe.”
Fire Marshal Booth has familiarized herself with the wildfires investigation reports by the Fire Safety Research Institute and will be leading the charge on executing the 10 priorities identified in the Phase II report.
“It’s an honor to step into this role at such a critical time for Hawaiʻi,” Booth said. “The lessons from the Maui wildfires are still fresh, and our responsibility is clear: We must do everything in our power to prevent future tragedies. That means stronger coordination, smarter planning, and a relentless focus on community safety. And when wildfires or other disasters cannot be prevented, we must be resilient — to protect Hawaiʻi’s most precious resources: its people, history, culture and places of deep significance. I’m committed to working with community members, county, state and federal partners — as well as our first responders — to build a fire protection system that reflects the strength and resilience of Hawaiʻi’s people.”
Booth brings more than two decades of leadership in fire safety and public service. Prior to her appointment, she served as Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction for the Sedona Fire District, and previously rose to Deputy Fire Marshal with the Phoenix Fire Department. In these roles, she led major fire prevention programs, high-risk inspections, hazardous materials response, and public safety planning for large venues and airports. A U.S. Army veteran, Booth served in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, where she specialized in civil-military operations and infrastructure stability. Her service earned her the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Badge.
She holds a Master’s degree in Public Safety Leadership Administration and a Bachelor’s in Sustainable Tourism Development and Management, both from Arizona State University. Booth also serves in a national leadership role with the International Code Council, chairing the Fire Sprinkler Exam Development Committee.
“The Fire Marshal will have a very important role in protecting our communities,” said Department of Law Enforcement Director Mike Lambert. “The Department of Law Enforcement looks forward to helping Dori be successful and we are honored that we have been entrusted to work with her side by side to keep Hawai‘i among the safest states in the nation.”
The fire marshal position was initially recreated by the 2024 Legislature in order to address the post-Maui wildfires third-party investigation reports initiated by the Department of the Attorney General, recommending a prioritized list of action items of changes to be made to improve Hawai‘i’s response to wildfires for the state and all counties. The 2024 legislation was amended in the most recent session to, among other changes, place the office of the State Fire Marshal under the Department of Law Enforcement.
A headshot of Dori Booth can be found here. Additional photos, courtesy the Office of the Governor, can be found here.
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Media Contacts: Erika Engle Press Secretary Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i Office: 808-586-0120 Email: [email protected]
Makana McClellan Director of Communications Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi Cell: 808-265-0083 Email: [email protected]
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed, by an order dated May 30, 2025, a monetary penalty of ₹3 lakh (Rupees Three Lakh only) on The Bathinda Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bathinda, Punjab (the bank) for contravention of provisions of Section 26A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act). This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the BR Act.
The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023 and March 31, 2024. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with statutory provisions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said provisions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made by it during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charge against the bank was sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:
The bank had failed to transfer eligible unclaimed amounts to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund within the prescribed time.
This action is based on deficiencies in statutory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.
JORDAN—The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution from the Government of the People’s Republic of China to support the National School Feeding Programme in Jordan by providing healthy school meals for 30,000 students in the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps.
The contribution will enable WFP to distribute nearly 2.7 million healthy meals over two semesters during the coming scholastic year beginning in September 2025. As much as supporting schoolchildren’s daily nutritional needs, the project will create employment opportunities for 90 refugee women who will prepare the meals in three dedicated kitchens within the camps. The programme also supports local farmers, bakers, and food producers in Jordan.
“We are deeply grateful for this timely and impactful contribution from China,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Jordan Alberto Correia Mendes. “This generous funding enables us to feed vulnerable refugee children, providing healthy school meals that support their well-being and development, while also contributing to addressing food insecurity at the camp level.”
The homegrown meals, which consist of a freshly baked pastry, a fruit, and a vegetable help meet children’s immediate food needs while enhancing dietary diversity and encouraging healthier eating habits.
The Ambassador of People’s Republic of China to Jordan, H.E. Chen Chuandong, praised Jordan for its pivotal role in hosting Syrian refugees and maintaining regional peace and stability. He also acknowledged the World Food Programme’s efforts in supporting Syrian refugees in Jordan. Ambassador Chen highlighted China’s active participation in international humanitarian efforts, driven by the goal of fostering global cooperation and sustainable development.
“This assistance demonstrates China’s tangible commitment to advancing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while serving as a strong example of South-South cooperation,” said Ambassador Chen. He reaffirmed China’s readiness to collaborate with the international community to enhance refugees living conditions and promote food security, urging all parties to continue supporting Syrian refugees.
Under the National School Feeding Strategy, WFP and the Government of Jordan are working to scale up the homegrown healthy meals model to reach 500,000 vulnerable students by 2030.
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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_jordan.
Geneva, Switzerland, 2 June 2025 – The inaugural Global Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Forum opened today with a resounding call to accelerate the implementation of life-saving early warning systems worldwide. Co-led by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the forum brings together governments, international organizations, civil society, private sector actors, and communities to advance the UN Secretary-General’s Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.
As part of the preparatory days for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, the two-day forum aims to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems by the end of 2027. With disasters projected to increase by 40% between 2015 and 2030, and economic losses from disasters in 2023 estimated at $250 billion, the urgency for effective early warning systems has never been greater.
The forum’s opening session featured a comprehensive stock-take of global early warning system progress, highlighting that 108 countries report that they have multi-hazard early warning systems. Building on outcomes from five regional Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Fora held across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe & Central Asia, the Americas & Caribbean, and Arab States, the global gathering captures lessons learned and identifies pathways to close remaining gaps.
Community-centered approaches and innovation at the forefront
Graphic recording of thematic session on community empowerment.
The forum’s first day emphasized the critical importance of people-centered approaches to early warning systems. Thematic sessions explored how communities can be empowered through user-tailored early warnings and early action, with particular attention to the unique challenges faced in fragile and conflict settings.
Mr. Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, reinforced this message, stating, “Leave no one behind comes very important in the context of early warning systems. Women, children and persons with disabilities are not passive recipients of services, they are active participants.”
Participants examined effective governance models that support multi-hazard early warning systems, recognizing that successful implementation requires institutionalized chains of responsibility and multi-stakeholder engagement including South-South and Triangular Cooperation mechanisms. The forum highlighted that early warning systems are strongest when at-risk communities and sectors co-develop and co-own these systems, ensuring trust, timely action, and long-term sustainability.
Innovation emerged as a key theme, with experts showcasing how science, technology, and local knowledge can advance multi-hazard early warning systems. Discussions covered the integration of artificial intelligence, satellite systems, Information of Things (IoT) technologies, and traditional knowledge systems to enhance forecasting accuracy and improve warning dissemination to vulnerable populations.
Ambassador Julien Thöni, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations and other Organisations in Geneva, highlighted the dual nature of innovation: “Early Warning Systems can go hand-in-hand with innovation. New technologies from satellite data to mobile alerts help us predict more accurately and reach people faster. But innovation also means finding smarter ways to work together, adapt to local needs, and make sure no one is left behind.”
Building partnerships for resilient futures
Graphic recording of opening session & stock take on collaborative action and multilateralism.
The forum underscored that no single entity can build and maintain effective early warning systems alone. Participants emphasized the need for stronger partnerships across sectors, levels of government, and international boundaries to achieve Early Warnings for All, by All.
Professor Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, emphasized the critical importance of collaboration: “No warning, however early, is effective unless it reaches the right people at the right time. And that is why we are here today. To cement our partnerships and trust which are essential to early action…Alone we can do very little. But together, we can do so much.”
Early warning systems provide a ten-fold return on investment and are recognized as among the most cost-effective adaptation measures. However, their full socio-economic benefits remain under-documented, highlighting the need for better evidence and advocacy to scale up investments.
The forum’s diverse organizing committee, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the CREWS Secretariat, the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Food Programme (WFP), Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM), the Global Network of Civil Society for Disaster Reduction (GNDR), and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General Climate Action Team, reflects the multi-stakeholder approach essential for success.
Path forward: cooperation and finance
Graphic recording of session on effective governance to support multi-hazard early warning systems.
As the Forum continues, participants will focus on accelerating Early Warnings for All through international, regional and national cooperation and partnerships, alongside solutions for scaling and sustaining investments in multi-hazard early warning systems and building resident capacity.
The Forum will produce an outcome statement sharing overarching needs and priorities, as well as emerging opportunities identified by participants at the global level. These outcomes will feed directly into the Global Platform’s thematic session on early warnings and early action.
With Target G of the Sendai Framework calling for substantial increases in the availability and access to multi-hazard early warning systems, the Global Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Forum represents a critical milestone in the journey toward universal protection from disasters.
The Global Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Forum continues on 3 June 2025, focusing on international cooperation and financing solutions for early warning systems.
The 8th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 (GPDRR2025) began with preparatory events on Monday, 2 June, ahead of the upcoming official programme with highlevel meetings from 4-6 June in Geneva, Switzerland. GPDRR 2025 is organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and hosted by the Government of Switzerland. Two parallel events took place on Monday: the Third Stakeholder Forum and the Global Early Warning for All (EW4All) MultiStakeholder Forum.
Third Stakeholder Forum
Opening
The Third Stakeholder Forum opened with statements by the Governments of Switzerland and Indonesia and senior UN leaders under the theme “United for Resilience.” Speakers highlighted progress on the Bali Agenda for Resilience, an outcome of the 7th Global Platform in 2022, and the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR).
Mirjam Macchi, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, appreciated stakeholders’ solidarity around the evacuation and assistance to the historic village of Blatten, destroyed last week by a glacial landslide 200 km from Geneva. She noted that even livestock were cared for-a powerful reminder that “resilience begins with local people” and inclusive solutions are more effective when those directly affected by disasters bring vital knowledge to action.
Achsanul Habib, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN, reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to risk-informed policies and inclusive approaches. He encouraged all participants to use the Stakeholder Forum as “not only a platform to listen and share, but a platform to act together.”
The event also showcased the Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments online platform (SFVC), where stakeholders can register their commitments, and users can identify areas of activity as well as gaps. Yuki Matsuoka, Head, UNDRR Office in Japan, noted that 729 individual organizations so far have registered their commitments.
Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organisation
Whole-of-society approach for the Sendai Framework on DRR: A collective responsibility
Sarah Wade-Apicella, UNDRR, moderated the session. On effective methods to implement inclusive DRR, Marcie Roth, World Institute on Disability, underscored the need for people with disabilities to be involved early in co-development of disaster risk strategies, and for foresight processes to incorporate diverse voices. Major Hamad Sabah Al-Sawar, Director of Crisis and Disaster Management, Bahrain, described Bahrain’s communication platform providing diverse modes of information sharing in multiple languages, the use of a phone application, and a common hashtag used to mobilize public action.
On intersectional and intergenerational knowledge sharing, Tom Colley, HelpAge International, drew attention to the wide network of older people associations worldwide as opportunities to engage this age group in DRR. He noted these associations can also harness and serve as channels for bringing Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge into DRR strategies. Barrise Griffin, Disaster Risk Management Authority, The Bahamas, emphasized moving away from one-off, extractive approaches to information gathering, and instead facilitating ongoing dialogue. Josefina Miculax Sincal, Huairou Commission, called for frameworks and trainings to strengthen good practices at the community level.
A slide showing the numbers of internal displacement by hazard for 2015- 2024.
Participants then heard comments and questions from the floor on the role of national DRR platforms in community-level participation, engagement, and school programs for children; managing conflicts of interest; looking beyond immediate impacts of DRR; measuring the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement; shifting risk ownership to local communities to handle disasters; and securing resources.
Data and financing for disaster displacement as loss and damage
Steven Goldfinch, Asian Development Bank (ADB), moderated this session.
Christelle Cazabat, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, explained that research into Hurricane Milton’s impacts in the US shows how people’s aspirations change when displacement stretches into the long term. She noted 2024 saw the highest number of people displaced in a single year globally (45.8 million), as well as the highest number of people continuing to live in displacement (9.8 million).
Noralene Uy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines, noted that her country ensures children have access to child-friendly spaces during displacement, and that national protocols guide national and local assessments and reporting. Isoa Talemaibua, Ministry for Maritime and Rural Development, Fiji, highlighted Fiji’s risk assessment activities and stressed the value of financial tools such as green and blue bonds, and parametric insurance that enables rapid payouts based on environmental triggers.
Hoang Phuong Thao, ActionAid Vietnam, highlighted the organization’s work with marginalized and remote communities to use smartphones for receiving early warnings, as well as for reporting on local conditions, thereby informing the government’s trend analysis. Catalina Díaz Escobar, Corporación Antioquia Presente, emphasized that data collection itself is a political process and should be conducted in an ethical and respectful manner.
From Paris to Sendai: the fundamental connection of climate and DRR
Jamie Cummings, Sendai Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism, moderated the session. Animesh Kumar, UNDRR, underlined that risk is a common denominator across the Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stating that all these global frameworks share the goal of resilience. He encouraged the institutionalization of the agreements at the national level and highlighted the need to localize them. On technical assistance, he stressed that funding applications under the Santiago Network -a mechanism to support countries recovering from loss and damage due to climate change -should be designed to catalyze downstream impacts. Hisan Hassan, National Disaster Management Authority, Maldives, described his country’s focus on EW4All and slow-onset losses. Manon Robin, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, discussed integration of national adaptation plans and DRR strategies and emphasized, supported by Le-Anne Roper, UNDRR, the need to focus on coordinating actors on different aspects of climate resilience. Amber Fletcher, University of Regina, emphasized that slow-onset disaster management and funding are crucial for food producers, and stressed the significance of non-economic loss and damage.
View of the panel during the “From Paris to Sendai: the Fundamental Connection of Climate and DRR” event.
Innovative financing and private sector leadership in DRR
Camila Tapias, UNDRR ARISE Global Board Member, moderated the session. Manisha Gulati, ODI Global, noted that most funding goes toward emergency response after disasters occur. She highlighted that when the private sector invests in critical services, DRR becomes an outcome, not only a target.
Yezid Niño, Private Sector Liaison, UNDRR Americas, emphasized the relevance of understanding that DRR is part of the development of the countries and pointed toward the role of regulatory frameworks in involving the private sector in financing DRR. Terry Kinyua, Co-Chair of the ARISE Global Board, stressed that the resilience of communities amounts to the resilience of a country.
Through digital interaction, attendees identified cost-benefit analysis, data gaps, and trust as the major barriers to private sector investment in DRR. Among the actions leaders can take to accelerate investment in resilience, attendees mentioned political incentives, regulatory alignment, resilience as a national priority, and the involvement of local leaders.
View of the panel during the “Innovative Financing and Private Sector Leadership in DRR” event.
Implementation of climate and DRR gender action plans at the national level-Synergies and strategies
Mwanahamisi Singano, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), moderated this panel discussion unpacking synergies between the different Gender Action Plans (GAPs) under multiple conventions and frameworks, including the Sendai GAP. She noted the need to avoid duplication and ensure cost effectiveness.
Mary Picard, Humanitarian and Development Consulting, gave a keynote address describing the actions leading to the launch of the Sendai GAP in 2024. Panelists mentioned key lessons from their experiences with governments in implementing the GAPs, including the challenge of competing priorities and political preferences among different ministries when attempting to coordinate the different GAPs. Other interventions focused on holding governments and agencies accountable for implementing GAPs and enhancing communication among women’s networks, particularly those involved in DRR. Following interventions on regional mapping tools and GAP observatories that monitor implementation progress, Singano invited participants to provide inputs towards developing a universal DRR gender equality observatory.
Community-led action for resilience, building partnerships for inclusive action
Maité Rodríguez, Fundación Guatemala, moderated this session. The panel featured grassroot women leaders and related international organizations. Godavari Dange, Swayam Shikshan Prayog, a women-led organization of farmer-producers, highlighted women farmers’ work in drought preparedness to cultivate and stockpile animal fodder. She also highlighted technology training conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic for women to use online platforms. Norma Choc Botzoc, Community Practitioners’ Platform for Resilience in Guatemala, described grassroot women’s own development of risk and vulnerability assessments, which, she noted, are being used as tools for advocacy to local authorities to direct resources appropriately. Speakers from ADB and the Centre for Coordination of Disasters in Central America and the Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC) affirmed the central importance of cooperation and co-design of programs for climate resilience and recovery after disasters.
Disaster preparedness and risk reduction in urban areas—Building back better
Ladeene Freimuth, The Freimuth Group, moderated the session. Guilherme Simões, National Secretary for Peripheries, Ministry of Cities, Brazil, outlined the Live Peripheries program, which provides access to better urban infrastructure, social services, and opportunities; and the Peripheries Without Risk strategy, a community-based risk reduction and climate adaptation plan.
Marcie Roth, World Institute on Disability, highlighted EWS as one of the best-proven and cost-effective methods for reducing disaster deaths and losses. She drew attention to “Infinite Access,” a communication platform designed to deliver emergency alerts in multiple accessible formats.
Mario Flores, Habitat for Humanity International, discussed the challenges and opportunities of urban environments, stressing the need to build better in the first place; to have risk-informed development; and to consider housing as a platform for a peoplecentered resilience approach.
Debbra Johnson, ARISE-US Network, addressed the report “Navigating the sustainability-resilience nexus,” which brings together the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the DRR Sendai Framework.
Breaking the DRR financing silos: A systematic shift in DRR financing for localization of inclusive resilience
Camila Tapias, UNDRR ARISE Global Board Member, moderated the session. Noting that financial capital existed but is not reaching local levels, Tanjir Hossain, Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism, called for breaking down silos so funding is not sitting around while millions of people suffer. Steve Goldfinch, ADB, described the National Disaster Management Fund of Pakistan that finances projects with high economic benefits using a 70% – 30% funding model from provincial governments. He also highlighted the National Disaster Risk Management Fund of the Philippines that encourage local governments to invest in disaster response, relief, preparedness and risk reduction measures. Emma Haight, UNDRR Investor Advisory Board, described the adoption of a green sewer design, first developed in Washington DC, which proved so successful that the design was replicated in London, UK, Cape Town, South Africa, and Quito, Ecuador, highlighting its environmental and financial risk reduction, and over USD 200 million in cost savings. Michelle Chivunga, Global Policy House, discussed using artificial intelligence to shift DRR responses, optimize data utilization in local governments, track and mobilize funding, and to use digital capital during humanitarian crisis to make up for funding shortfalls. Sara Hoeflich, United Cities and Local Government, recommended investment in basic services such as water supply, street cleaning, and sewer solutions to ensure clean cities as an investment and risk mitigation measure. Marcos Concepción Raba, Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction, discussed effective localization.
Global Early Warning for All (EW4All) Multistakeholder Forum
Opening
Julien Thöni, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Switzerland, said timely early warning action should provide critical time to act and respond, and noted that innovation better predicts and reaches people faster. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), suggested key criteria for improving early warning systems (EWS), including that science must connect people; and systems and partnerships must include actors “outside the DRR tent,” especially those most at risk. Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Head of UNDRR, said EWS should not be regarded as a once-off intervention. He said national ownership must be strengthened, and the concept of leaving no one behind should be embedded into all efforts. Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, via video, suggested EWS is the most basic tool for saving and protecting lives, and called for high-level political support, a boost in technology access, and public and private finance at scale.
Fireside chat: The state of EWS
Johan Stander, WMO, drew attention to national ownership, stakeholder engagement, and the involvement of funding partners when investing in EW4All. Sujit Kumar Mohanty, Chief of Branch, UNDRR, emphasized co-design and co-ownership approaches to meaningfully engage stakeholders for successful EW4All.
Good practices: Stakeholder perspectives on EWS
Interventions during this panel session included: calls to integrate women and youth in all decisions focused on EWS; investing in women’s leadership, particularly those with disabilities; ensuring young people are equitably involved; reaching those living in remote rural areas and conflict zones; and leveraging the communication power of mobile networks through private-public partnerships.
UNDRR Disability Leaders gather at the end of the day.
Perspectives from across regions on EWS
Panelists in this session focused on: successful collaboration and EWS progress in Zimbabwe after the 2019 Cyclone Idai; institutionalization of the community-based approach to EWS in Barbados; main challenges to integrate scientific tools and remote sensing into EWS in Lebanon; integration of the private sector in EWS decision-making process in Makati, the Philippines; and the role of cross-border cooperation, knowledge sharing, and educating people for effective EWS in Poland.
Thematic Sessions
Four thematic sessions took place during the day. These were:
The Commission currently does not possess any information regarding the ‘63 George Soros-linked NGOs’ mentioned by the Honourable Member.
As for any funding awarded to entities, reference is being made to the publicly accessible Financial Transparency System (FTS)[1] where information is available on beneficiaries of funding from the EU budget implemented directly by the Commission and other EU bodies such as executive agencies.
The Commission received United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding as a contribution through external assigned revenues for the following projects:
— Under the European Development Fund, USD 7 million (EUR 6.52 million) in 2016-2017 for the project TZ/FED/2016/023-851, ‘EU Support programme to the South Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) Initiative’;
— Under the EU General Budget, USD 9.5 million (EUR 8.5 million) in 2016, for the project ENERGY/2014/37651, ‘GPGC — Delivering access to modern, affordable and sustainable energy/renewable energy to 6 million people’.
In well-functioning democracies, transparent and accountable representation of interests is a fundamental and legitimate activity. Ensuring transparency about these activities and entities involved is essential for maintaining both EU citizens’ trust in the democratic process and decision-makers’ ability to exercise their responsibilities.
In 2023, the Commission introduced the Defence of Democracy package[2] which includes a legislative proposal designed to improve transparency and democratic accountability of interest representation activities on behalf of third countries seeking to influence policies, decision making and the democratic space. This proposal is currently under discussion by the co-legislators.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/budget/financial-transparency-system/index.html ; the annual publications are based on Article 38 of the Financial Regulation (OJ L 2024/2509, 26.9.2024, p. 1-239), and in accordance with the third paragraph of the article, information on recipients is not disclosed in specific cases outlined therein.
The Commission is pursuing consultations with Ukraine to review the reciprocal tariff liberalisation under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement[1] in accordance with Article 29 of that Agreement.
This review will lead to a well-balanced solution that will allow for reciprocal trade between the EU and Ukraine in agricultural goods, while at the same time protecting EU farmers and addressing interests flagged by some Member States and Members of the European Parliament.
Furthermore, the Commission is proposing that the negotiated solution would also include a safeguard clause that would be triggered to prevent any adverse impacts of trade flows on the EU market, including one Member State.
The Commission is working in view of having an outcome in place in time to provide a smooth transition after the expiry of the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) Regulation[2]. If this is not achievable the above-mentioned Association Agreement will provide a bridging solution.