Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
U.S. Border Protection works with U.S. Marines to reinforce the southern border protective barrier near San Ysidro, Calif.U.S.
Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/CBPgov
Facebook ➤ https://facebook.com/CBPgov
Twitter ➤ https://twitter.com/CBP
Official Website ➤ https://www.cbp.gov
#cbp
#borderpatrol
#bordersecurity
#usmc
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Prime Minister spoke with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau this evening.
The Prime Minister spoke with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau this evening.
The discussion began by reflecting ahead of tomorrow’s call with G7 and European leaders, to mark three years since Russia’s full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine – a grim reminder of the continued suffering of the people of Ukraine.
They both underscored their unwavering commitment to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position going forward.
The leaders reiterated that working together alongside other international leaders was essential to achieve lasting peace and security in Ukraine.
They agreed to keep in touch, with both looking forward to speaking again during Monday’s call, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Trudeau.
Published 23 February 2025
Source: The White House
Here’s what you missed:
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on State of the Union
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent on Sunday Morning Futures
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Fox News Sunday
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Sunday Morning Futures
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Face the Nation
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Sunday Morning Futures
Source: US State of New York
Skip to main content
Monday, February 24 Marks Three Years Since Russia Invaded Ukraine, Beginning Deadly Conflict
Governor Kathy Hochul today directed State landmarks to be illuminated in blue and yellow and directed flags on State buildings to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday, February 24 in recognition of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“As the home of the largest Ukrainian population in the United States, New York proudly stands with Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s deadly assault,” Governor Hochul said. “On the three year anniversary of the conflict, we recognize the victims of this tragedy and commit once more to the freedom and independence of Ukraine.”
Landmarks to be lit include:
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
Recall Reason Description
Possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination
Brand Name(s)
ReadyCare, Imperial
Product Description
Frozen supplemental shakes
FRESNO, Calif. – February 22, 2025 – Lyons Magnus LLC (“Lyons Magnus”) today announced that it is voluntarily recalling 4 oz. Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplemental Shakes due to the potential for the products to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Lyons Magnus is taking this action in response to a recall of the products by their manufacturer, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. (“Prairie Farms”) from the Prairie Farms facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Lyons Magnus handled distribution of the recalled products, which were manufactured and supplied to Lyons Magnus by Prairie Farms. The recalled products were distributed primarily to long-term care facilities and were not available for retail sale. As soon as Lyons Magnus learned of the issue, it took immediate action to halt the purchase of all products from the affected Prairie Farms facility, notify customers, and ensure that impacted products were removed from distribution nationally. Lyons Magnus’ utmost concern is protecting consumers.
The recalled products were distributed throughout the United States and packed in 4 oz. cartons under the Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial brand names. The top of the carton has printing that identifies the Lot Code and Best By Date for these products. A chart listing all recalled products is provided below.
The recall is being conducted in cooperation with Prairie Farms, Sysco, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there have been 38 illnesses associated with the strain of Listeria monocytogenes that may have contaminated these products, including 11 deaths.
Anyone who has a recalled product in his or her possession should quarantine the recalled products. Consumers with questions may visit the Lyons Magnus website at ***.lyonsmagnus.com for more information or contact us at frozenshakerecall@lyonsmagnus.com.
The recalled products are:
|
Key |
Item Number |
Product Name |
BB (Best By) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
1733 |
ReadyCare Frozen Vanilla Shake |
022125 to 022126 |
|
2 |
1734 |
ReadyCare Frozen Chocolate Shake |
022125 to 022126 |
|
3 |
1735 |
ReadyCare Frozen Strawberry Shake |
022125 to 022126 |
|
4 |
1736 |
ReadyCare Frozen Vanilla Shake NSA |
022125 to 022126 |
|
5 |
1737 |
ReadyCare Frozen Strawberry Shake NSA |
022125 to 022126 |
|
6 |
1747 |
ReadyCare Frozen Chocolate Shake Plus |
022125 to 022126 |
|
7 |
1749 |
ReadyCare Frozen Strawberry Shake Plus |
022125 to 022126 |
|
8 |
1754 |
ReadyCare Frozen Vanilla Shake Plus |
022125 to 022126 |
|
9 |
1844 |
ReadyCare Frozen Strawberry Banana Shake NSA |
022125 to 022126 |
|
10 |
3633 |
ReadyCare Frozen Chocolate Shake NSA |
022125 to 022126 |
|
11 |
3338 |
Imperial Frozen Vanilla Shake |
022125 to 022126 |
|
12 |
3339 |
Imperial Frozen Chocolate Shake |
022125 to 022126 |
|
13 |
3340 |
Imperial Frozen Strawberry Shake |
022125 to 022126 |
|
14 |
3341 |
Imperial Frozen Vanilla Shake NSA |
|
|
15 |
3342 |
Imperial Frozen Strawberry Shake NSA |
|
|
16 |
3364 |
Imperial Frozen Strawberry Banana Shake NSA |
|
|
17 |
3699 |
Imperial Frozen Chocolate Shake NSA |
|
About Lyons Magnus
A leader in the food industry, Lyons Magnus produces and markets a wide array of products for the global foodservice and food ingredient channels. Lyons Magnus’ expertise includes a robust product development platform and the ability to commercialize both custom formulations and premium Lyons brand products.
Contacts
Aaron Palash / Spencer Hoffman / Catherine Simon Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
+1 212-355-4449
FDA Outbreak Investigation
Source: US State of New York
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on CBS’ “Face the Nation”.
AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.
A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: We turn now to Trump’s clash with Democratic governors. Joining us now from Albany, New York, is the Governor, Kathy Hochul. Good morning to you, Governor.
Governor Hochul: Good morning.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: I know you were just here in Washington and you met privately with President Trump. In the past, you’ve said the relationship doesn’t have to be adversarial. Was your meeting with him adversarial? And what was your top message?
Governor Hochul: It wasn’t an adversarial meeting, but I was very clear — especially after I found that the Trump Administration had ended a program that was put in place, congestion pricing, by the duly elected members of our Legislature representing the voice of the people — and with a tweet, he claims that he is the king and therefore he has the power to destroy it. And I have a problem with that characterization, because we labored under a king 250 years ago, and as I said, we’re not going back there.
So I wanted to take my case to him directly and let him see the benefits of this program, because our city is paralyzed with gridlock. And we had a path forward to be able to make the City move again, and it’s working. I wanted to just have that opportunity to convey that, but I don’t know that we’re very persuasive on that front, but that’s okay. The people in my state need to know I’m willing to take the fight wherever I have to.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: So just to explain for our audience, congestion pricing — you’re talking about this $9 toll you put on people driving into lower Manhattan, below 60th Street. Your fellow Democrat, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, says he doesn’t like this policy. He actually asked President Trump to stop it. President Trump’s office says this is discriminatory against working class people. How do you respond to that?
Governor Hochul: I respond this way: With all due respect to the State of New Jersey, they do not tell us in New York what to do, nor does Washington when it comes to policies that we believe are going to reduce congestion, move along vehicles; emergency vehicles are moving faster and air quality is improving. So I have arguments that are important, but no one else should be able to second guess us, because that’s not how our system of laws and states was set up. I’m the Governor of New York. I will deal with the internal issues before me without interference from New Jersey, or indeed, the federal government.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: So this is going to the courts?
Governor Hochul: Oh yes, it’s going to the courts. And I believe we will be victorious in the courts and this program will continue.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: You know, this is not the only standoff between the State and federal government, and the tension here. I know you were in Washington with other governors who were meeting with the President this week. Federal funds account for about 40 percent of your state’s budget. President Trump is threatening to withhold federal funds to governors in order to force compliance with his agenda. Here’s what he said to the Governor of Maine. Take a listen.
President Donald Trump: Is Maine here, the Governor of Maine?
Governor Janet Mills: Damn right I am. Yeah, I’m here.
President Donald Trump: Are you not going to comply with it?
Governor Janet Mills: I’ll comply with the state and federal law.
President Donald Trump: Well I’m — we are the federal law. You better do it. You better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: That was about transgender athletes on girls sports teams. Are you Democratic governors going to start to work together on this? Is there legal pushback?
Governor Hochul: What he is doing, as they’ve described it, is flooding the zone. They’re attacking California when it comes to FEMA dollars, they’re filing lawsuits in Illinois, they’re going after Maine on this, and they’re coming after programs that have been duly put in place in the State.
What they’re trying to do is create this theater of all kinds of activity that is trying to be a distraction to us. And when someone floods the zone in a football game, what you need to have is the defenders be very disciplined, smart, but also stand their ground. And that’s exactly what New York governors — the Governor of New York — will do in cooperation with our governors.
We’re not going to sit idly by and let our rights be attacked. We’ll work with you when there’s common ground, no doubt about it. Let’s build great projects and infrastructure. There’s areas where we’re going to work with you on immigration and getting the violent criminals off our streets. We do not dispute that. But don’t think that you can just come in and bully us around and not expect a reaction from governors.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: You know that when it comes to your state, there’s been a lot of focus on Manhattan and the Department of Justice, because of Eric Adams and the ongoing legal issues he has. In the past week, four Deputy Mayors resigned. Seven federal prosecutors resigned after the Trump justice department moved to dismiss those five counts of federal corruption indictments against Mayor Adams. You know, the allegation is that the dismissal of the charges was related to a quid pro quo around immigration compliance. Did you discuss this case at all with the President when you were in the room with him one on one?
Governor Hochul: No, I did not. In fact, it’s — we’re waiting for the decision by a judge on whether he’s going to accept the recommendation for a dismissal. So that’s still in litigation. But I will say this: We are not allowing the Trump Administration to interfere in the operations of our city. And the legal problems that the Mayor is facing because of the Trump Administration and the phrasing they have used — and indeed, an interview that was done by one of his representatives on national television saying that he’s basically got the Mayor under his control — that’s concerning. And I have to be able to put in safeguards.
Of course everyone says I had the option to remove him. I still hold that option to remove him. It is an extraordinary power, and I know there’s a lot of people disappointed and angry, and want something done immediately. But I will always stand on the fact that we are a nation of laws, and one individual — the Governor of New York — should not use her voice and her will to override the will of the voters. We have an election in a few months in a primary. I’m going to let the voters decide, but I’m also going to be very cognizant. I need to keep an eye on this situation, especially the way the Trump Administration has telegraphed that they want to get into our operations, and I have to be the firewall to stop that.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: So having said that, does that mean you do believe there was a quid pro quo understanding with Eric Adams?
Governor Hochul: I am going by what the perception could be. I cannot let the integrity of the administration in the City of New York be undermined by perception that the Trump Administration actually created. They created this perception. The reality I will never know. But as long as there’s the faith of New Yorkers that has been undermined by what the Trump Administration is doing trying to give the appearance of holding the city hostage — that’s exactly what they’re trying to do.
Again, they’re trying to create chaos, but we have to be smart as Democrats and as leaders, and parse through all this and just go do what’s right. That will always be my North Star.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News: Governor Hochul, thank you for your time this morning.
Source: The Conversation – France – By Benjamin P. Horton, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University
Here is a depressing fact: over the coming decades, sea-level rise will continue to threaten ecosystems, communities and cities. No matter how quickly we reduce our carbon emissions, our past emissions commit us to ongoing sea-level rise, given the long-drawn-out impact of climate warming on the oceans and ice sheets. Just how bad it gets, however, will depend on our current and future emissions.
Even as we strive for net-zero emissions, we must prepare for devastating possibilities. But decision-makers face a major obstacle: the specific rate and magnitude of future sea-level rise is deeply uncertain. Different methods produce different projections of long-term sea-level rise. The problem of reconciling these different methods and projections has undermined planning to protect people from future sea-level rise.
In a recent paper published in Earth’s Future, we and our colleagues tackle this problem. We propose a new method that combines the complementary strengths of different sea-level projections. We use our method to quantify the uncertainty of future sea-level rise. It allows us to estimate a “very likely” range. “Very likely” means that there is a 9-in-10 chance (90% probability) that future sea-level rise will lie within this range, if our future emissions follow an assumed emissions scenario.
Under a low-emissions scenario that corresponds to approximately 2°C warming above pre-industrial levels, global sea level will “very likely” rise between 0.3 and 1.0 metres by the end of this century. Under a high-emissions scenario that corresponds to approximately 5°C warming, global sea level will “very likely” rise between 0.5 and 1.9 metres. Given that we will likely exceed 2°C warming, preparing for more than a metre of sea-level rise by 2100 is, therefore, necessary.
Our method builds on and complements the current reference document for many decision-makers: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report IPCC 6AR. For five emissions scenarios, the IPCC published a most-likely “median” projection and a “likely” range. “Likely” means that there is at least a 2-in-3 chance (66% probability) of sea-level rise within this range. The “likely” range may understate the risk of more extreme possibilities, a weakness that can be addressed by a complementary “very likely” range. However, the IPCC did not estimate a “very likely” range because poorly understood ice sheet processes posed a challenge. We address this challenge, to provide decision-makers with more reliable estimates of future possibilities.
Many processes contribute to sea-level rise. Of particular importance are ice sheet processes in Greenland and Antarctica. Some of these ice sheet processes are well understood, but others less so. We have only a poor understanding of processes that could drive abrupt melting of ice, producing rapid sea-level rise.
À lire aussi :
We used 1,000 historical photos to reconstruct Antarctic glaciers before a dramatic collapse
Climate models and ice sheet models, such as those used in the IPCC 6AR, are very good at simulating well-understood processes, such as thermal expansion of the ocean. The IPCC used model-based projections to derive a reliable median projection and “likely” range. However, these models often neglect poorly understood processes that could cause the ice sheets to melt much faster than we expect. To complement the models, experts can provide alternative projections based on their understanding of these processes. This is known as expert elicitation. Therefore, the use of models and expert elicitation can provide complementary sea-level projections, but planners have great difficulty deciding when and where to apply the two different approaches.
In our paper, we have developed a novel method to combine the complementary sea-level projections from models and experts. We use our method to quantify the full uncertainty range of future sea-level rise using a probability distribution. This is how we can estimate a “very likely” range and explore the question, “What high-end sea-level rise should we plan for?”
To make informed judgements, decision-makers often need information about low-likelihood, high-cost possibilities. A high-end projection of sea-level rise is especially useful when planning long-lasting critical infrastructure that is vital for the functioning of society and the economy. A high-end projection can also highlight a catastrophic risk associated with unrestrained carbon dioxide emissions.
We define our high-end projection as the 95th percentile of the probability distribution under the high-emissions scenario. Our high-end projection of global sea-level rise is 1.9 metres by the end of this century.
Our high-end projection complements existing high-end projections of 21st century sea-level rise. The IPCC 6AR included two: 1.6 metres and 2.3 metres. Our projection of 1.9 metres falls between these two values.
In contrast to the IPCC 6AR, we estimate the probability of reaching the high-end projection. If our future emissions follow the high-emissions scenario, we estimate that the probability of reaching 1.9 metres by the end of this century is 5% (1 in 20). Considering that the high-emissions scenario is unlikely, our high-end projection can be interpreted as a worst-case outcome. We also estimate the probability of exceeding 1.0 metres by the end of this century: 16% (about 1 in 6) under the high-emissions scenario, and 4% (1 in 25) under the low-emissions scenario.
Through climate science, we have learned much about the Earth’s climate system. However, we still have much more to discover. As our understanding improves, the uncertainty in sea-level rise should reduce. Therefore, the “very likely” range of future sea-level rise should narrow, due to the ongoing research efforts of the climate science community.
In the meantime, we need to identify potential solutions that can reduce coastal flood risk in ways that support the long-term resilience and sustainability of communities and the environment, and reduce the economic costs associated with flood damage. Alongside local adaptation, the best way to mitigate sea-level rise is to slow down climate change by implementing the commitments laid out in the Paris Agreement in 2015.
If we can limit warming to well below 2°C, consistent with the agreement, we estimate that the probability of reaching 1.9 metres by the end of the century shrinks to less than 0.2% (1 in 500). The more the world limits its greenhouse gas emissions, the lower the chance of triggering rapid ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica, and the safer we will be.
This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, and National Environment Agency, Singapore under the National Sea Level Programme Funding Initiative (Award No. USS-IF-2020-3) and Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its AcRF Tier 3 Award MOE2019-T3-1-004.
Created in 2007 to help accelerate and share scientific knowledge on key societal issues, the Axa Research Fund has supported nearly 700 projects around the world conducted by researchers in 38 countries. To learn more, visit the website of the Axa Research Fund or follow @AXAResearchFund on X.
Benjamin P. Horton was supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund: MOE2019-T3-1-004.
Benjamin S. Grandey’s research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, and National Environment Agency, Singapore under the National Sea Level Programme Funding Initiative (Award No. USS-IF-2020-3).
– ref. Sea-level rise: a new method to estimate the probability of different outcomes – including a worst case – https://theconversation.com/sea-level-rise-a-new-method-to-estimate-the-probability-of-different-outcomes-including-a-worst-case-250180
Source: US State of Colorado
Washington, DC – National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis was joined by ParentData CEO Emily Oster and technology journalist Kara Swisher as Governors explored how to harness data and technology to advance education innovations. The conversation was the latest in a series of events held in support of Governor Polis’ NGA Chair’s Initiative, Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success. NGA Vice Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Governors from across the nation shared updates on implementation of education priorities in their states.
“Governors have a responsibility to guarantee every student has access to a quality education,” said Governor Polis. “Our mission with Let’s Get Ready is to learn how to better measure success so we can expand and scale what works, and change what doesn’t. Test scores and high school diplomas are important but no longer sufficient to determine if students are career- or college-ready. With two job openings for every jobseeker in most states, it’s clear we need to do a better job equipping students with the skills they need to succeed. Governors are working to create innovative pathways for students and schools to succeed; no excuses, no exceptions.”
“If kids aren’t leaving high school college ready or career ready, we haven’t done our job,” said Governor Stitt. “Governors are focused on working with businesses, schools and universities to create more internships and apprenticeships that set students up for success. We’re innovating to ensure schools are equipped to succeed, and kids have options to go to the school where they learn best. As Governors, we recognize that building a strong workforce is important for individuals in our states, and it’s important for U.S. competitiveness.”
“The most important general principle here is to say that if we have a policy, we must have something to measure that we can use to evaluate if it works,” said Emily Oster. “If we’re going to have a policy around vocational training, which I think is very important, we need a way to measure that. How do we measure college and career readiness? There’s no systematic way people are measuring that. What do we mean that someone is ready to contribute to the workforce, and how can we try to measure it?”
“It’s really important to think about what’s going to happen with AI and the deleterious effects of technology,” said Kara Swisher. “Ninety-nine percent of intelligence is going to be digital or AI-generated in the future, and 1 percent is going to be human intelligence. We have to think about what does that mean for jobs? I have four children, and I think about this a lot. Three things are critically important: Promoting creativity, because AI cannot make creativity. Second is team-building – teaching kids how to team build, work together and collaborate. Last is critical thinking. There’s no need for memorization anymore. But how do you learn about history, English or humanities and then pull them together in a cogent way?”
Launched in July 2024, Let’s Get Ready is a yearlong initiative designed to support the nation’s Governors in driving innovative education policies. Let’s Get Ready aims to help Governors form policies that better evaluate outcomes for state investments in education and improve outcomes for learners at all stages of their education journey. The initiative also focuses on the ways states can meet the future needs of the workforce by preparing students for success in and outside of the classroom.
At NGA’s Winter Meeting, Governors have met with federal officials and leaders from business, academia and philanthropy for solutions-driven conversations around the top issues in states and territories.
Learn more about the Let’s Get Ready initiative and upcoming bipartisan events on the NGA website.
###
Source: US State of Colorado
WASHINGTON, DC – At the 2025 Winter Meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA), Governors approved federal priorities to advocate to the 119th Congress and the administration. The priorities were developed by three bipartisan, Governor-led task forces who meet regularly to discuss issues and policies that impact states, territories and commonwealths. The federal priorities are backed by a resolution that was unanimously voted on at today’s business session to serve as a roadmap for NGA’s advocacy efforts at the federal level.
“As Governors, we are always looking for new ideas that can help us deliver better results,” said NGA Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis. “State input is key to avoid abrupt changes that create uncertainty and adversely impact the countless services we run to support infrastructure, education, health care, economic growth and disaster response in our states. Governors are ready and willing to work together, and with the administration and Congress, to evaluate and improve the efficiency of these services. We are open to bipartisan conversations with anyone from state and local governments, fellow governors, Congress, and the federal government.”
“Governors of both parties share common purpose when it comes to making our economy, infrastructure, and education and health systems the best they can be,” said NGA Vice Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. “I appreciate the opportunity to talk with fellow Governors to discuss how states and territories can work with the White House and Congress to reduce debt and grow the economy. Governors balance our budgets, and we are the ones building roads and implementing education reforms. The perspective of Governors is critical to ensure states and territories work effectively with the federal government to achieve the best possible outcomes for Americans.”
The full resolution text adopted by Governors for 2025:
Governors believe federal action should be limited to the powers expressly conveyed by the Constitution, preserving state sovereignty in legislative and regulatory matters the Executive Committee has added the following bipartisan priorities:
The task forces have developed the following list of federal priorities to advance the mission of the Association:
Task Force on Economic Development and Revitalization
Task Force on Public Health and Disaster Response
Task Force on Education, Workforce and Community Investment
###
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ruchika Gupta, Assistant Professor and Medical Microbiologist, Department of Pathobiology and Lab Medicine, LHSC and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University
In the landscape of public health, few stories are as compelling as the unexpected return of a disease we once thought was conquered. Measles, a highly contagious viral infection formally considered eliminated from Canada in 1998, is making a surprising comeback, challenging our public health systems and communities at large.
The rising numbers of measles cases are a concern as they represent real people and real risks. The current measles situation in Canada is a public health challenge and a critical moment for awareness and action. From urban centres like Toronto and Montréal to smaller communities across the provinces, an emerging pattern demands attention and understanding.
Current measles outbreaks in Canada are primarily affecting Ontario and Québec. In Ontario, 57 confirmed cases have been documented in 2025, as of Feb. 13. Meanwhile, Québec is experiencing its second outbreak, with 24 confirmed cases reported this year, as of Feb. 21. An earlier outbreak in Québec involved 51 cases from February to June 2024.
This resurgence can be attributed to several factors, including declining vaccination rates, international travel reintroducing the virus into Canada and the highly contagious nature of measles.
Vaccination rates for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine have dropped to approximately 82.5 per cent, a significant decline observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This reduction has created a population of highly susceptible individuals, undermining community immunity — commonly referred to as herd immunity — which requires a vaccination coverage of 95 per cent to effectively prevent outbreaks.
Measles is also one of the most contagious infectious diseases, with a basic reproduction number (R₀) of 12–18. This means that, in a fully susceptible population, one case of measles can lead to an average of 12–18 secondary cases. For the current outbreak, although the initial source was linked to international travel, the majority of cases are now the result of local transmission within Canada, highlighting the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage and swift public health interventions.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that spreads easily through respiratory droplets. When an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, they release virus particles into the air. These particles can remain infectious for up to two hours, even after the person has left the area. What makes measles particularly challenging to control is its extended period of contagiousness.
An infected individual can spread the virus from four days before the characteristic rash appears until four days after its onset. This means people can unknowingly transmit the disease before they even realize they’re infected.
The virus’s ability to spread before symptoms appear, combined with its long contagious period, makes it difficult to contain outbreaks once they begin. This is why maintaining high vaccination rates across the population is crucial. It’s not just about individual protection, but about safeguarding the entire community, especially those who cannot be vaccinated due to age or medical conditions.
While anyone who isn’t immune either through vaccination or previous infection can contract measles, certain groups — including pregnant women, immunocompromised patients and unvaccinated children under age five — are at higher risk of complications including pneumonia and brain swelling.
The message from health-care providers is clear: vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. Here’s what you can do:
If you suspect you or someone in your family has measles, call your health-care provider before visiting a medical facility. This allows them to take necessary precautions to prevent further spread.
Vaccination is our most effective tool against measles. The MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective, with two doses providing up to 99 per cent protection. By maintaining high vaccination rates across our communities, we can prevent outbreaks and protect those who can’t be vaccinated due to age or medical conditions. As we navigate this situation, it’s crucial to stay informed and follow public health guidelines. Together, we can work to contain these outbreaks and protect the health of all Canadians.
The resurgence of measles in Canada is a stark reminder that we cannot take our public health achievements for granted. Vaccination has been one of the most successful public health interventions in history, saving millions of lives. By working together — health-care providers, parents and communities — we can turn the tide on this resurgence and protect our most vulnerable populations from this preventable disease.
Measles is not just a childhood illness or a simple rash. It’s a serious disease with potentially severe complications. But with vigilance, education and a commitment to vaccination, we can once again push measles to the brink of elimination in Canada. The health of our communities depends on it.
Ruchika Gupta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Measles: A resurgent threat in Canada – https://theconversation.com/measles-a-resurgent-threat-in-canada-249932
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Joel Westheimer, University research chair in democracy and education, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
In the wake of Donald Trump’s reelection, the United States has lurched further toward a democratic crisis.
Institutions once considered stable now feel precarious. The assault on truth — already well underway — has intensified, with political leaders openly flouting constitutional principles, suppressing dissent and dismantling democratic safeguards.
The rhetoric of grievance and retribution has become the soundtrack of public discourse.
The U.S. is not alone. Across the globe, democracy is in retreat. The list of nations such as Hungary, Poland, Brazil and India where autocrats and aspiring autocrats have tried to erode democratic norms is growing. Far-right movements in France, Germany, Finland and elsewhere, bolstered by economic anxieties and digital disinformation, stoke resentment and fear.
Read more:
What does Donald Trump’s win mean for his brand of populist authoritarianism?
People, exhausted by economic precarity and what author, activist and documentarian Astra Taylor calls the deliberate manufacturing of insecurity, are drawn to the false promise of strongman rule. The desire for stability — however undemocratic — threatens to eclipse commitments to liberty and justice.
For educators or civic leaders who teach young people about democracy these are not abstract concerns. Civic educators’ struggles to foster students’ civic engagement and strengthen their commitments to democratic institutions and the growing crisis in democracy makes these efforts even harder.
As a professor of democracy and education, and as an educator, I cannot promise young people that their efforts will always succeed. But I can assure them that whether in the face of victories or defeats, they are walking a powerful and worthwhile path.
One popular approach to strengthening commitments to democracy is to engage students in community projects that address difficult societal challenges.
Some teachers take students to engage in community work that is deeply tied to the curriculum, through approaches known as action civics or service learning.
But when young people take on social action projects — especially those aimed at addressing systemic injustices — the experience can backfire if it leads only to frustration and failure.
Studies have shown that students who participate in civic initiatives that do not produce tangible change often become less likely to engage in civic life in the future.
When efforts to improve conditions in their schools, communities or governments meet bureaucratic obstacles or outright resistance, young people do not always emerge more energized. Instead, many walk away discouraged, cynical and convinced that the system cannot be moved.
This is not to say that teachers, parents or other adult mentors should avoid encouraging activism — far from it. But if educators fail to prepare students for the realities of social change — that it can be slow and difficult — we risk reinforcing exactly the kind of disengagement we seek to combat.
If young people see the struggle for justice only as a series of disappointments, it’s easy to understand why they may turn away.
To counter this despair, we need to redefine what it means to hope.
We need to cultivate the kind of hope that sustains action despite uncertainty — the kind that fuels long-term struggles for justice, even when victories are slow in coming.
Read more:
6 ways to build resilience and hope into young people’s learning about climate change
Václav Havel, the Czech playwright and political dissident who later became president, wrote that hope is not the same as choosing struggles that are headed for quick success: “Hope … is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
This distinction is vital. As I explore in my book about education for democracy, hope is not a guarantee of success, but the insistence that working for justice is meaningful in and of itself. When we work collectively on projects we believe in, we form bonds that are valued and energizing.
Howard Zinn, the late historian and activist, echoed this idea when he urged us to “hold out, even in times of pessimism, the possibility of surprise.”
History is filled with unexpected turns, reversals and moments when change happens against all odds. As German theorist and activist Rosa Luxemburg wrote, before the revolution, everyone says it’s impossible. After, they say it was inevitable.
The singer-songwriter Holly Near expressed this artfully in her anthem to the many social change movements that have existed for as long as there have been things to improve. Change does not always happen at broadband speeds, but knowing one is part of a timeless march toward good goals makes much of what we do worthwhile. In her song “The Great Peace March,” Near sings:
“Believe it or not / as daring as it may seem / it is not an empty dream
To walk in a powerful path / neither the first nor the last / great peace march.”
Social change is about connecting with one another and being part of something larger than ourselves — a “powerful path” that stretches beyond any single moment or movement.
So how do we teach hope? How do we equip young people not just to work for change, but to sustain that work over the long haul?
First, we must be honest about setbacks. Too often, we romanticize past movements, presenting them as linear progressions toward justice. We do young people a disservice when we erase the years of struggle, failure and uncertainty that preceded social victories. A more honest history includes moments of despair as well as triumph.
Second, we must frame civic action as an ongoing practice rather than a single event. Students should see their work as part of a continuum.
Finally, we must model hope ourselves. Young people are watching us. If we meet today’s challenges with cynicism and resignation, they will learn that democracy is a lost cause. But if we demonstrate an enduring commitment to engagement and justice, they will see that democracy is not something we inherit; it is something we build.
We can promise young people that to engage in the work of justice is to be part of a legacy that stretches across generations. And that, I believe, is hope worth teaching.
Joel Westheimer receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
– ref. How to teach hope when democracy is retreating – https://theconversation.com/how-to-teach-hope-when-democracy-is-retreating-249926
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ilan Kapoor, Professor, Critical Development Studies, York University, Canada
When U.S. President Donald Trump first suggested Canada should become the 51st American state, the federal government dismissed it as just a joke. Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc insisted it was “in no way a serious comment.”
Similar skepticism was expressed by political leaders across the world when Trump talked about seizing Greenland and the Panama Canal in early January, by military force if necessary, to buttress U.S. national security. He also floated the idea of taking over Gaza to transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Now that Trump has carried through on his aggressive economic threats — launching a trade war with China and raising the possibility of similar conflicts with Canada, Mexico and the European Union — his imperialist expansionism is in plain sight.
Canadian leaders have come to realize that Trump’s actions may not be a temporary or minor irritant, but rather an attack on Canadian sovereignty itself.
The failure to take Trump’s words seriously is reminiscent of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s skepticism in 1938 that Hitler would actually risk world war despite the latter’s aggressive rhetoric, annexation of Austria and threats to Czechoslovakia and Poland.
What, then, have been the signs of Trump’s expansionist tendencies? American economic and military might, albeit declining relative to emerging powers like China and India, still provides a solid basis for the projection of U.S. supremacy. But there are also two new key elements at play.
The Trump administration appears to operate with a distinctly corporate mindset, treating the nation like a business empire. Trump has stacked his administration with private sector leaders and corporate billionaires such as Elon Musk, Doug Burgum and Howard Lutnick.
Like other billionaires, their immense business success has been founded not on mainstay competitive market practices like productivity or cost-cutting, but on predatory and cannibalistic ones.
These include controlling resources like oil, gold, diamonds and coltan to secure production inputs; buying out competitors to monopolize markets and patents; and deliberately breaking up and destroying companies through mergers and acquisitions with little regard for the resulting job losses.
It is within this framework that Trump’s allegations about buying Greenland and Gaza, annexing Canada through “economic force” and capturing the Panama Canal need to be seen.
Read more:
Billionaires and loyalists will provide Trump with muscle during his second term
Under the guise of national security, the idea is not simply to safeguard borders, but to engage in economic expansionism and real estate development, aided by the U.S. military when needed. Taking control of land, waterways and mineral wealth is critical to building “America’s Golden Age” of corporate capitalism.
This approach seems to be a mainly business one, with little concern for the social costs (recession, unemployment, violence) produced by such imperialistic ventures. In line with his infamous book, The Art of the Deal, Trump appears to view foreign nations and domestic opponents alike as obstacles to be callously bullied, degraded, manipulated, exploited and finally vanquished.
The Trump administration’s imperial ambitions lie in the nationalist populism that propelled Trump and his allies into power for the second time.
Trump’s populism has successfully tapped into widespread anxieties among Americans — job insecurity, food prices, the housing crisis — by promising to soothe their worries through the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) agenda.
Read more:
Trump’s view of the world is becoming clear: America’s allies come second to its own interests
Like other right-wing populist movements around the globe — Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s in Turkey, Viktor Orbán’s in Hungary and the Brexit campaign in the U.K. — the MAGA movement has sought to unify the U.S. by identifying and targeting perceived national enemies. These include so-called “illegal” migrants, transgender people and the country’s largest trading rivals: Mexico, Canada and China.
By blaming these groups, especially those seen as contributing to America’s economic decline, MAGA whips up nationalist sentiment in the form of suspicion, aggression and vengeance. The result is a deeply polarized nationalist discourse in which one is either a loyal supporter or an enemy; a believer or a “woke” liberal.
The combination of U.S. global power, nationalist populism and the Trump administration’s corporate-driven, predatory approach makes for a dangerous dynamic.
This mix is fuelling a form of economic expansionism that is now beginning to manifest itself. The impending trade wars, potential dismantling of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (which Trump initiated in 2018 to avoid unilateral trade moves by its signatories) and the brazen disregard for the socioeconomic consequences of foreign territorial control, such as the forced displacement of Palestinians, are all signs of this.
While many assumed Trump’s administration would be protectionist and isolationist, a more troubling and nefarious reality is emerging. His administration appears to be intent on securing America’s industrial dominance through trade wars while expanding it through hawkish economic imperialism.
There is a clear ruthlessness to this approach, with a willingness to pressure not only America’s perceived enemies but also its allies. “America First” is starting to looks like “America Above All Others” as Trump attempts to bully U.S. rivals into subordination, with disturbing echoes of past authoritarians.
Many obstacles could prevent Trump’s aggressive expansionism from fully taking shape. While the key ingredients may already be there, and some have begun to be deployed, that doesn’t mean they will come to fruition.
The Trump administration’s policymaking process is often chaotic and theatrical, prioritizing short-term political gains over long-term strategy. This instability undermines any consistent efforts at expansion.
There is also the risk that Trump’s trade wars will backfire. They could end up causing hardship to U.S. companies and consumers through higher food and energy prices, job losses in key industries like agriculture and auto manufacturing, and increased stock market instability. Such consequences could negatively affect Trump’s corporate allies.
Meanwhile, Trump’s economic and military rivals could forge new alliances to challenge his attempts at global supremacy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for instance, recently met with the head of NATO and other European allies to strengthen trade and security ties.
The first step to any countermoves by Trump’s foreign adversaries will be seeing his regime’s designs for what they are: chaotic, perhaps, but serious expansionist ones.
Ilan Kapoor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Trump’s tariff and land grab threats signal U.S. expansionist ambitions – https://theconversation.com/trumps-tariff-and-land-grab-threats-signal-u-s-expansionist-ambitions-249924
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Erin Tolley, Canada Research Chair in Gender, Race, and Inclusive Politics and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, Carleton University
Twenty. That’s it. That’s the total number of Black Canadians ever elected to the House of Commons of Canada. There have been 372 Johns and 77 Jeans.
You can easily find data on women parliamentarians, members of Parliament with military experience and even parliamentarians who have died in office. However, you’d be hard-pressed to find a complete list of Black Canadians in politics, never mind a comprehensive account of their experiences.
Because of their relative absence from accounts of Canada’s political history, Black Canadians’ contributions to politics are often overlooked or ignored. This erasure prevents governments, political parties, and researchers from crafting strategies to address political inequality.
When we lack relevant racial data on political candidacy and electoral outcomes, we can’t track progress or identify barriers. And when Black Canadians aren’t present in politics, public policies are less likely to reflect their circumstances and less responsive to their needs.
Groundbreaking new research from Carleton University and Operation Black Vote Canada aims to change that. Through archival research, a survey and more than 30 in-depth interviews, our report, Black on the Ballot documents the presence, backgrounds, motivations and experiences of Black Canadians in politics. Here’s what we found.
Our research helped to identify more than 380 Black Canadians who have run for and served in elected office over the past two decades. Our focus was on candidates and officeholders at the school board, municipal, provincial and federal levels of politics.
Undoubtedly, there are holes in this list, especially further back in history and at the municipal and school board levels, where more ephemeral record-keeping and gaps in local news coverage make this type of historical research challenging.
From this pool, we tracked down contact information for 212 possible respondents. In January 2023, we invited them to complete the first-ever national survey of Black Canadian candidates and officeholders. Ninety-five did so. This is what they told us.
The local level is an important political entry point for Black candidates. Most survey respondents said they had run at the municipal level as councillors (52 per cent) or mayor (six per cent), while 23 per cent ran as school board trustees. Less costly campaigns and the absence of gatekeeping by political parties contribute to lower barriers to entry at the local level. Nineteen per cent of respondents had run provincially, and 21 per cent federally.
Most Black Canadians in politics are first- or second-generation Canadians. A majority of respondents, 62 per cent, identified as Caribbean. Black candidates and officeholders have high levels of education; 40 per cent have earned a graduate or professional degree, and over half (56 per cent) have a college or university degree.
Business is the most common profession for Black Canadian politicians, followed by government and politics and law. This pipeline into politics roughly mirrors that of other elected officials.
We found that Black men and women were equally likely to run for office. This pattern diverges from research that finds women, in general, are less likely than men to come forward as candidates, at least at the federal level.
More than one-third of survey respondents ran for a provincial or federal party; of these, most (47 per cent) ran for the Liberals, 26 per cent for the New Democratic Party, 12 per cent each for the Greens or Conservatives, and three per cent for the Bloc or Parti Québécois.
When asked about the factors that influenced their decision to run for office, 73 per cent of Black candidates said they felt it was important for people like them to have a strong voice in government. Just over half (52 per cent) said they were interested in addressing a particular policy issue.
Although Black men and women are equally likely to run for office, our research shows other differences in candidate emergence. Just over half of women respondents said they had not seriously considered running until someone else suggested it, compared to 28 per cent of men. While 47 per cent of Black men said running for office was entirely their own idea, just 26 per cent of Black women said the same.
Encouragement is thus an important catalyst for political engagement, especially for Black women. Other research indicates women are less likely to be recruited by political parties to run for elected office.
In our survey, 52 per cent of Black women said a party official suggested they run, compared to just 16 per cent of Black men. Ten times as many women respondents as men said party recruitment was consequential to their decision to run. Political parties seem to play an important facilitative role in Black women candidate’s emergence; this phenomenon is known as “affirmative gatekeeping.”
Our research identifies a number of challenges to gaining elected office, including difficulties raising funds and recruiting volunteers. Half of survey respondents said others had discouraged them from running for office, while 71 per cent said they faced discrimination while running for or serving in office.
We heard that it’s important to share stories of Black success in politics, to adopt multi-pronged recruitment strategies, to demystify the process of running for office and to ensure elections are accessible to all voters.
We also heard that diversification initiatives need to focus on the inclusiveness of political spaces, rather than just how many Black Canadians run for office. Candidates and officeholders reported hostility and feelings of isolation, as well as individual and institutional refusals to address discrimination. These experiences are reiterated by guests on the podcast that accompanies our report.
Despite these challenges, when asked whether they would run again, 87 per cent of survey respondents said yes, a number that reveals Black Canadians’ unflinching commitment to public service and to community. We need to stoke this spark, not extinguish it.
Erin Tolley receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs program and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. This research was undertaken in partnership with Operation Black Vote Canada.
– ref. Black on the ballot: New research sheds light on the experiences of Black Canadians in politics – https://theconversation.com/black-on-the-ballot-new-research-sheds-light-on-the-experiences-of-black-canadians-in-politics-249335
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Shaun Narine, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, St. Thomas University (Canada)
The United States is threatening to impose tariffs on its major trading partners. In the meantime, China is consolidating its position as the world’s manufacturing and technological innovation hub by increasing trade with the Global South.
If the American role in globalization has been to consume the world’s products and resources by building on a foundation of ever-increasing debt, China’s has been to make tangible goods for the international market.
China is opening up its economy, especially to the nations of the Global South.
Effective December 2024, China eliminated all tariffs on goods from the least developed countries. Chinese Premier Li Quang has also described China as an economic opportunity for global investment.
China’s trade surplus with the rest of the world is almost US$1 trillion dollars. Its share of global exports was 14 per cent in 2023, compared to 8.5 per cent for the U.S.
China is working with regional states to make itself the centre of Asian trade. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is funding infrastructure in about 150 countries as Chinese companies invest internationally, both to avoid American tariffs and diversify their markets.
At the moment, China accounts for 35 per cent of the world’s manufacturing. By 2030, the United Nations projects this will rise to 45 per cent.
China has achieved this status by building efficient, high-quality infrastructure.
It’s also fostered highly competitive and innovative technological and commercial ecosystems. The recent emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup that is dramatically disrupting the sector, illustrates this reality.
China also controls global industrial supply chains in a host of critical areas.
Despite its ongoing economic slowdown, China’s economy grew by almost five per cent in 2024 and has potential to grow further as it transitions to a high-tech economy.
By 2030, the country will have what’s known as a consuming class of 1.1 billion people, making it the world’s largest consumer market.
Only 7.8 per cent of the population has the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree, but China produces about 65 per cent of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates globally on an annual basis.
China is also leading the world in most new technologies and industries, but there is room for infrastructure investment in smaller cities and rural areas. Because China is a global leader in using automation and AI, it will also need to lead in managing these technologies’ social and economic effects.
China has economies of scale that no other country — except India — can match. Its manufacturing dominance is the logical outcome of introducing an increasingly technologically sophisticated country with a vast population to the modern global system.
The first Donald Trump administration used tariffs to try to draw investment into the U.S. and stimulate domestic industry. He believed tariffs would create more manufacturing jobs, shrink the federal deficit and lower food prices.
The second Trump administration has returned to tariffs, again with the goal of pulling jobs and investment from other countries into the U.S.
Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union.
He’s already put 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. and imposed additional 10 per cent tariffs on all Chinese goods. He’s also threatening tariffs on Taiwan, attempting to strip it of its semiconductor industry.
Trump is basically demanding that other countries address trade imbalances by buying more expensive American exports in exchange for unimpeded access to the U.S. market.
He’s trying to recreate an American industrial dominance that existed only under unique circumstances after the Second World War. Similarly, the historical circumstances that led to China’s decline in the 19th and 20th centuries are long past.
To compete with China’s advantages, the U.S. needs a competent and effective government capable of long-term planning. Under Trump, the U.S. is losing this already-weak capacity every day.
The U.S. is the world’s largest consumer economy because both the government and Americans go into extraordinary debt to finance their consumption.
Currently, the American national debt is more than $36 trillion while consumer debt was $17.5 trillion in 2024.
The U.S. can accumulate enormous debt because of the American dollar’s status as the world reserve currency. But the U.S. has weaponized the dollar by freezing the dollar assets of sovereign states and using the dollar’s reserve status to apply American laws and sanctions beyond its borders.
This has created a major push — led by the BRICS countries of Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates — to replace the U.S. dollar with other financial instruments.
In response, Trump has threatened 100 per cent tariffs on any countries that try to drop the U.S. dollar.
The American economy has grown through pumping up asset bubbles, but there’s been a decline in most measures of social well-being in the U.S. This aligns with increasing American social, political and economic instability.
China’s exports to the Global South exceed its exports to the western world. Chinese companies and products are dominant in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
To the Global South, there are clear benefits to accessing affordable, high-quality technology and industrial products from China. The industrialized world can also benefit significantly from Chinese manufacturers, but possibly at the cost of its own established industrial capacity.
While some states may block Chinese imports to protect their industries, China’s increasing manufacturing dominance means that every country will need at least some Chinese products to develop or to sustain industry. It would be next to impossible for most countries to definitively cut all trade with China.
The world is entering a new era of globalization. For many states, that means trying to keep from being economically undermined by the U.S. while deciding how to manage the economic and political costs and benefits of engaging with China’s massive industrial capabilities.
Shaun Narine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. While the U.S. threatens tariffs and builds walls around its economy, China opens up – https://theconversation.com/while-the-u-s-threatens-tariffs-and-builds-walls-around-its-economy-china-opens-up-245012
Source: US Army (video statements)
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Source: United Nations 4
The UN Secretary-General has strongly condemned the killing of a Tunisian peacekeeper serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA.
The ‘blue helmet’ was part of a long-range MINUSCA patrol to protect civilians, that was near the village of Zobassinda, in Bamingui-Bangoran prefecture, which came under attack on Tuesday night by an unidentified armed assailant.
António Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeeper, and to the Government and the people of Tunisia.
“The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law,” said a statement issued by the UN spokesperson’s office.
“He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.”
The UN chief also reaffirmed the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of CAR.
Head of MINUSCA and UN Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza also condemned the attack and said the “cowardly” act would not undermine the mission’s determination to implement its mandate “in the service of peace and stability” in CAR.
© UNICEF/Jospin Benekire
A UNICEF-supported cholera team add chlorine to water collected from a reservoir in Goma, in the DR Congo.
The United Nations on Wednesday called on the M23 armed group to allow the unimpeded movement of UN personnel and humanitarian aid, as the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to displace civilians.
At a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, was facing increasing restrictions in the Kivu provinces.
M23 fighters denied the mission’s contractors access to Goma to deliver food to the MONUSCO bases and obstructed efforts to safely dispose of unexploded ordnance, including one posing a direct threat to peacekeepers and unarmed Congolese forces within a MONUSCO facility.
“The UN Mission calls on the M23 to allow the unimpeded movement of UN personnel and to fully respect established humanitarian corridors,” Mr. Haq said.
He added that on Wednesday, the remains of 18 soldiers – including two MONUSCO peacekeepers and 16 troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission – were repatriated to South Africa.
A MONUSCO peacekeeper from Uruguay, also killed in recent clashes, was flown home on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, ongoing violence in South Kivu has led to further displacement. Earlier on Wednesday, local time, fighting in Ihusi, about 70 kilometres north of Bukavu, forced residents to flee to nearby towns and islands in Lake Kivu, Mr. Haq said.
In North Kivu, UN and humanitarian workers continue to assess needs and provide emergency aid where security allows. However, transportation remains a major challenge, complicating efforts to deliver food and supplies.
In Ituri province, attacks since 8 February have killed at least 59 civilians in Djugu, with many others wounded or missing.
“The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reiterates that all parties must protect civilians and allow access to the essential services they need to survive,” Mr. Haq said.
For the third consecutive year, the UN commemorated the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism, observed on 12 February.
In a social media post on Wednesday, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that preventing violent extremism requires addressing its root causes, which are inequality and injustice.
“On this International Day, let’s commit to fostering inclusion, development, and human rights to build a future free from extremism and terrorism,” she said.
In a video message, the head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), Vladimir Voronkov, said that prevention of violent extremism requires long-term multifaceted solutions that are rooted in cooperation across all sectors.
He listed governments, international and regional organizations, civil society, educators, religious leaders, and the private sector, in this regard.
“This involves strengthening communities, addressing grievances, empowering women, and youth, investing in education, and ensuring inclusive development for all,” he said.
“It demands that we challenge hatred, misinformation, and the forces that seek to divide us, and instead foster dialogue, trust, and respect for human dignity.”
Later at a commemorative event, Mr. Voronkov outlined some of his Office’s work to counter terrorism, such as providing capacity building assistance to beneficiaries to enhance their knowledge and skills in prevention.
Future initiatives include partnering with the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) to examine the emerging risks and opportunities of video gaming in Africa, as part of efforts to invest in new frontier issues.
Source: China State Council Information Office
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will impose retaliatory tariffs on countries that levy digital taxes on U.S. tech companies.
When asked whether he would sign an order regarding digital taxes, Trump gave an affirmative answer.
“We are going to be doing that, digital. What they’re doing to us in other countries is terrible with digital, so we’re going to be announcing that,” he said.
“Though America has no such thing, and only America should be allowed to tax American firms, trading partners hand American companies a bill for something called a digital service tax,” read a fact sheet released earlier this month by the White House.
“Canada and France use these taxes to each collect over 500 million (U.S.) dollars per year from American companies,” the White House said. “Overall, these non-reciprocal taxes cost America’s firms over 2 billion dollars per year.”
In recent years, several European countries have actively pushed for digital taxes on the operations of large tech companies like Google, Amazon, Apple and Meta in their countries, which has been strongly opposed by the United States.
During Trump’s first term, he initiated a “301 investigation” into the digital services taxes of several trade partners, accusing these tax measures of unfairly affecting American businesses.
After Joe Biden took office, the United States reached a compromise with Austria, Britain, France, Italy and Spain regarding the digital services tax dispute in October 2021, and agreed to resolve the issue under the framework of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s global tax deal.
But on his first day back in office on Jan. 20, Trump signed a presidential memorandum that the global corporate minimum tax deal reached under the OECD framework had “no force or effect” in the United States, effectively withdrawing from the agreement that the Biden administration had negotiated with nearly 140 countries.
Source: US State of Nebraska
. Howard, Michael W. Jensen, David M. Wear, all of Omaha, and Phillip K. Kleine of Elkhorn.
The Fourth Judicial District consists of Douglas County. The judicial vacancy is due to the retirement of Judge Jeffrey L. Marcuzzo.
Source: US State of Nebraska
. Pillen Reacts to EPA Confirmation to Keep Date for Implementation of E15 Access
LINOLN, NE – Reassuring news this week for Nebraska motorists and corn growers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed its intent to uphold the current April 28, 2025 implementation date for year-round access to E15. Nebraska is among eight states that had long been fighting a summertime ban on the higher ethanol blend. Last year, the EPA issued its final rule, a significant win for Nebraska and other ethanol-producing states.
“Nebraska is in a leading position to reap the benefits of E-15, both from the production as well as the consumer side. This is a significant step forward in growing our state’s ag and biofuels economy,” said Gov. Pillen.
In a release from the EPA, Administrator Lee Zeldin stated: “Today’s decision underscores EPA’s commitment to consumer access to E15 while ensuring a smooth transition for fuel suppliers and refiners.”
Source: China State Council Information Office
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that his government will send a commissioner to the United States to gather information on American funds flowing to Hungary’s “pseudo-civil public organizations.”
Speaking in his state-of-the-nation address on Saturday, Orban claimed that these funds have been used to “buy journalists, judges and prosecutors, politicians, foundations, bureaucrats” and to impose what he described as “a liberal dictatorship of opinion” across the Western world.
Recent reports in local media have suggested that funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been used in Hungary to undermine the government.
Orban stated that these revelations “threw the skeletons out of the closet,” exposing a system designed to suppress national sovereignty by influencing civil society and political activities. He pledged that his government would “urgently create the constitutional and legal conditions” necessary to prevent pseudo-civil organizations from serving foreign interests in Hungary, adding that legal amendments could be enacted by Easter.
While further details of the planned measures have not been disclosed, Orban has emphasized that the initiative aims to safeguard national interests and prevent external forces from interfering in Hungary’s political affairs.
Following Orban’s speech, Alexandra Szentkiralyi, head of the ruling Fidesz party’s Budapest chapter, confirmed in a Facebook post that Hungary will send a government commissioner to the United States to “uncover the Hungarian agents” who have received funding from USAID. “Enough with serving foreign interests and the Brussels-based and Soros networks,” she wrote.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that CESAR ALVAREZ-ESPINAL (“ALVAREZ-ESPINAL”), a native of Honduras, pleaded guilty on February 20, 2025 to illegally using a social security number to qualify for employment, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
ALVAREZ-ESPINAL faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five (5) years, up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to court documents, in November 2024, Homeland Security Investigations received information that certain individuals had used fraudulent Social Security cards in an initial application to obtain employment. Prior to finalizing employment with their prospective company, the individuals were required to report to the Gulf Coast Safety Council. The Gulf Coast Safety Council provides safety courses to applicants applying for work with companies that service petrochemical processing plants. On November 13, 2024, ALVAREZ-ESPINAL arrived at the Gulf Coast Safety Council office in St. Rose, Louisiana to complete the safety course. On that day, ALVAREZ-ESPINAL presented a fraudulent United States Social Security card bearing the name and United States Social Security number of a United States citizen, that he represented to be his own in order to obtain employment.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon M. Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: US State of Pennsylvania
February 22, 2025 – York, PA
Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania State Police, and state and local leaders provide an update after tragic shooting in York County
List of Speakers:
Timothy J. Barker, York County District Attorney
Governor Josh Shapiro
Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister
The Prime Minister and the President of the United States spoke today about the war in Ukraine, ahead of Monday’s virtual G7 meeting. The Prime Minister also updated the President about shared progress at the Canada-U.S. border combatting fentanyl, including the work of Canada’s new Fentanyl Czar and Canada’s listing of cartels. The Prime Minister noted seizures of fentanyl at the border have decreased.
Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union
AFSCME, Alliance for Retired Americans, AFT Challenge DOGE’s Access, Executed by Unconfirmed, Acting Official, to Confidential, Private Data of Hundreds of Millions of Americans
Suit filed on heels of SSA Acting Head’s Departure Amid Concerns about DOGE Access to Data
Baltimore, MD — In a new lawsuit filed on Friday night, retirees and unions sued to halt DOGE’s unprecedented, unlawful seizure of personal, confidential, private and sensitive data from the Social Security Administration, without any express authority. Such access has been granted by an unlawful acting official, installed at SSA with disregard for the rules governing such appointments.
The Social Security Administration maintains the financial data, employment information, medical data, and personal addresses of millions of Americans. The lawsuit alleges that such seizure by DOGE is prohibited by and in violation of the many protections Congress and the Executive Branch have in place to protect against such data mining and misuse. These include the Internal Revenue Code, the Privacy Act, the Federal Information Systems Modernization Act, the E-Government Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
“The Social Security Administration holds the financial future of millions of Americans within its doors,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “Elon Musk is an unelected billionaire who has no right to access the benefits working people have paid into. We won’t allow him to undermine the promise that we can all retire with dignity one day; that if we ever get hurt on the job and are unable to work, we won’t go hungry. Social Security insurance belongs to taxpayers, not Musk — no matter how rich he is. We must stop him from gaining unfettered access to our future.”
“Social Security is a sacred trust between the American people and the government.,” said Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, a national grassroots advocacy organization. “Seniors must be able to trust that the Social Security Administration will protect and safeguard their most personal financial and health data. We urge the court to act and ensure the American people’s data is not misused. We cannot risk the catastrophic consequences should this very personal data fall into the wrong hands.”
“Social Security is based on the promise that if you work hard and play by the rules you can retire with dignity and grace,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Everyone who receives Social Security has contributed to it, and they expect the government to uphold its end of the bargain. Elon Musk is breaking that basic bond of trust by illegally raiding people’s private data for his own ends. The financial future of hundreds of millions of Americans has essentially been hijacked by an addled and unelected billionaire intent on laying waste to the accounts working people have spent their lives building up. We’re suing to stop him in his tracks.”
“Americans across the country should be able to have confidence that the government safeguards their data. Yet, over the course of the last month, we have seen a group of unappointed and unvetted individuals disregard the privacy of hundreds of millions of Americans,” said Democracy Forward President & CEO Skye Perryman. “We are honored to represent retirees and worker representatives to protect the privacy and security of such critical data.”
Read the complaint here.
Source: US State of California Department of Justice
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov
Files second amicus brief in support of the agency
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced joining a coalition of 23 attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief in National Treasury Employees Union v. Vought, a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Earlier this week, Attorney General Bonta submitted an amicus brief in another case, Mayor and City Council of Baltimore v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In both briefs, the attorneys general argue that the shuttering of the CFPB would cause catastrophic harm to consumer protections nationwide, leaving state agencies with the sole responsibility to protect consumers from conduct regulated by the CFPB.
“The Trump Administration’s takeover of the CFPB is an effort to destroy the federal agency responsible for protecting American families from being exploited by big banks and payday lenders. Eliminating the only federal agency with oversight over big banks puts everyday consumers at higher risk for financial losses, and places higher demands on states like California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “From bank overdraft fees and credit card late fees to medical debt on credit reports, the CFPB has actively worked to make the lives of everyday people better — its loss will have devastating and deep implications for California, and the financial well-being of households across the nation.”
Background
After examining the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, Congress concluded the crisis resulted in part from the failure of federal banking and other regulators to address significant consumer protection issues detrimental to both consumers and the safety and soundness of the banking system. In direct response to these events, Congress established the CFPB and tasked it with enforcing numerous federal consumer protection statutes and enacting regulations to further these efforts. For over a decade, the CFPB has served as an invaluable partner to state attorneys general and state banking regulators, both by working to protect consumers against fraudulent and abusive practices and by advancing a fair and level playing field in consumer financial markets by issuing regulations under federal law.
In the last month, the Trump Administration has taken a series of actions intended to debilitate the CFPB, including issuing a suspension of work across the agency, terminating probationary employees, and announcing a decision not to draw additional funding from the Federal Reserve. These actions appear to be part of a unilateral effort to permanently shut down the agency, including programs and operations mandated by federal law.
In the brief, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the attorneys general argue the dismantling of the CFPB will cause irreparable harm to consumers and the states’ own consumer protection enforcement efforts, leave no oversight over large national banks, and will rapidly and substantially increase the burden on state agencies to protect consumers from conduct regulated by the CFPB. The loss of the CFPB’s partnership has concrete and widespread implications: from the sharing of complaints and trend data, to providing training, to partnering on joint investigations and litigations, the CFPB has been a force multiplier for California’s consumer protection efforts.
In filing the brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
A copy of the brief can be found here.
# # #
Source: US State of California
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York’s issuance of a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Americans’ personal and private information maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department.
“We are pleased the court granted our request to further halt the Elon Musk-led DOGE from accessing millions of Americans’ private and sensitive data,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Californians can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the California Department of Justice is going to the mat for them and standing up against the Trump Administration’s chilling overreach of power.”
Background
On February 7, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit seeking to block DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury Department material, including millions of Americans’ bank account and social security numbers. Hours after filing the lawsuit, the court responded by granting a temporary restraining order barring DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems and information. Today’s preliminary injunction keeps those restrictions in place pending further order of the court.
Since Inauguration Day, DOGE has infiltrated executive agencies with the goal of eliminating federal funding, services, and personnel. Starting last month, there were reports of billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE associates gaining an unprecedented level of access to vital payment systems of the U.S Treasury.
The Treasury Department payment systems — managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) — are responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments. Millions of Americans rely on the support of these payments for services like health care, childcare, and other essential programs, including Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, veterans benefits, salaries for federal employees, and tax refunds. The Treasury Department’s payment systems are critical, sensitive, and incredibly vital. Given their critical importance to U.S. government operations, these systems have been highly regulated and tightly guarded — but with the election of Donald Trump, are no longer safe.
In their complaint, the attorneys general allege the Trump Administration has no constitutional, statutory, or regulatory authority to widen access to the BFS payment system for political appointees or special government employees, including members of DOGE.
A copy of the court’s order can be found here.
# # #
Source: US Republican Governors Association
The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Republican Governors Association (RGA) issued the following statement in response to Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsin Democrats filing a bill to change the word “Mothers” to “Inseminated Person” in state code:
“Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ latest left-wing push isn’t just out of touch, it’s offensive to mothers. Being a mother is the greatest privilege I will have in my lifetime, and every mother I know feels the same. If Tony Evers can reduce motherhood to an ‘inseminated person’ then our society is lost,” said RGA Executive Director Sara Craig.
Source: United Nations 2
Every day, almost one in five young women are married off while still children, according to the UN reproductive and sexual health agency, UNFPA, which is urging countries to say “I don’t” to child marriage, an illegal practice that is almost universally condemned and yet remains widespread globally.
“I was married at 14, and I lost my first child at 16 during pregnancy,” Ranu Chakma said. Child marriage is common in her village of Teknaf Upazila, on the southern coast of Bangladesh, even though it is illegal and a human rights violation.
Those violations occur even at a time when many countries are banning the illegal practice, most recently in Colombia, where a law came into effect earlier this month.
Here are five common misconceptions about child marriage:
Child marriage is banned under many international agreements, from the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994. Still, there are 640 million women and girls in the world who were child brides, with more child marriages taking place every day.
How is that possible? Many countries ban child marriage in principle, but define the permissible age of marriage as something other than 18 or permit exceptions with parental consent or under religious or customary law. In many cases these marriages, and marriages in general, are not legally registered, making enforcement of the law difficult.
Addressing child marriage requires more than laws; it requires rethinking how society values girls.
Programmes like Taalim-i-Naubalighan, in Bihar, India, where two in five children marry before age 18, are having an impact. These programmes encourage young people to think about topics such as gender roles and human rights.
“That’s why I was able to help my sister,” said Altamash, a male student whose sister wanted to avoid child marriage and continue her studies. “When I understood her desire and how it would help her, I advocated for her to my father. She is now going to complete her education, and I am so proud of her.”
© UNFPA Madagascar
In Madagascar, information sessions are key in changing minds and raising awareness about child marriage and other harmful practices.
Child marriage remains pervasive in part because it is seen as a solution to other problems.
In humanitarian crises, child marriage rates often rise, with parents believing marriage will secure a daughter’s future by making a husband responsible for economically supporting her and protecting her from violence. Child marriage is seen as a solution that will preserve the honour of a girl and her family after – or in some cases before – she becomes pregnant. In developing countries, the majority of adolescent births take place within a marriage.
Yet, child marriage is not a real solution to any of these issues. Child marriage itself leads to girls experiencing high levels of sexual, physical and emotional violence from their intimate partners. Pregnancy is dangerous for girls; complications of pregnancy and childbirth are one of the leading causes of death among adolescent girls. Child brides and adolescent mothers are often forced to drop out of school, upending their future prospects.
Nicolette, 16, in Madagascar was so accustomed to seeing her classmates disappear from school after marrying and becoming pregnant, she never thought to question the practice. That’s until she attended a UNFPA-supported awareness session.
“I didn’t know that we could be victims of child marriage,” she said. Now, she wants all the girls in her community to know: “Everyone has the right to realise their ambitions, and marriage is a choice.”
© UNFPA Niger
More than three quarters of girls in Niger are married while they are still children.
Child marriage may sound like a problem of the past or of faraway places, but in fact it remains a serious threat to girls around the world.
While global child marriage rates are slowly falling, the places with the highest rates also have the most population growth, meaning the absolute number of child marriages is expected to increase.
The problem is indeed global. The largest number of child brides live in the Asia and Pacific region, the highest rate of child marriage is seen in sub-Saharan Africa and lack of progress in Latin America and the Caribbean mean that this region is expected to have the second highest prevalence of child marriage by 2030.
Yet, the issue is not limited to developing nations. It takes place in countries like the United Kingdom and United States, too.
“I was basically introduced to somebody in the morning, and I was forced to marry him that night,” Sara Tasneem said, recalling her marriage, first an informal spiritual union at age 15 then legally at age 16. “I got pregnant right away, and we were legally married in Reno, Nevada, where it only required permission signed by my dad.”
To change this, actions must be accelerated to end child marriage, especially by empowering girls.
“I was 13 years old when my father gave my hand in marriage to a cousin,” 16-year-old Hadiza, in Niger, said. Fortunately, she had access to a safe space through a UNFPA-supported youth programme. “I spoke to a safe space mentor, who, with the help of the neighbourhood chief, negotiated with my parents to postpone the wedding.”
Today, Hadiza is an apprentice to a tailor, learning the skills to become economically self-sufficient. “In three years I plan to get married to the man I love,” she said.
© UNFPA Zambia/Julien Adam
Nurse Suvannah Sinakaaba attends to pregnant teenagers at the UNFPA-supported mobile clinic in Namalyo village, Zambia.
Child marriage is sometimes misrepresented as a religiously or culturally mandated practice. But, there are no major religious traditions that require child marriage.
In fact, cultural and religious leaders around the world often take a strong stance against child marriage, especially when provided evidence about the consequences of the practice.
“We have always taught young people that, both religiously and legally, it was not advisable,” Shirkhan Chobanov, the imam of Jumah Mosque in Tbilisi, Georgia, said. “We also explained to those young people that they had to accomplish other tasks, primarily concerning their education, before thinking about starting a family.”
UNFPA works with faith leaders around the world who are working to end child marriage, including priests, monks, nuns and imams.
“We are seeing very good results as far as warding off child marriage is concerned,” said Gebreegziabher Tiku, a priest in Ethiopia.
While the vast majority of child marriages involve girls, boys can also be married off.
Globally, 115 million boys and men were married before age 18, according to 2019 data. These unions are also linked to early fatherhood, constrained education and reduced opportunities in life.
Still, girls are disproportionately affected by the practice, with about one in five young women aged 20 to 24 years old married before their 18th birthday, compared to one in 30 young men. Child marriage rates for boys are very low even in countries where child marriage among girls is relatively high.
© UNFPA Nicaragua
Youth empowerment programmes are reaching all adolescents with information about their human rights in Nicaragua, which has one of the highest rates of child marriage among boys.
No matter the gender of the child affected nor the country in which the union takes place, child marriage is a harmful practice that requires addressing a common set of root causes. They include economic inequality, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and information, and factors such as conflict. One of the biggest root causes – gender inequality – requires urgent and renewed focus.
“While we have abolished child marriage, we have not abolished predatory masculinity,” said Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, director of the Institute of Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad and Tobago, shortly after that country had outlawed child marriage.
Kevin Liverpool, an activist with the advocacy group CariMAN, said men and boys have a critical role to play.
“It’s important to raise awareness among these groups, among these individuals, about what feminism is, why gender equality is important for women, but also for men and for all of society,” he said.
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
This week’s top stories of the week include:
0:15 Leaders’ priorities for 2025 – The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting drew leaders from business, academia and civil society. We asked them all the same question: ‘What should leaders prioritize in 2025?’
4:21 This mobile ‘smart clinic’ saves lives – It’s a 12-metre-long converted coach which is driven to remote rural communities to provide specialist care on the spot, from gynaecologists, psychologists and paediatricians. The Smart Clinic was created by Siemens Healthineers and is equipped and operated in collaboration with the Colombian Red Cross.
8:55 3 super-pollutants in our air – Super-pollutants are a category of greenhouse gases and air pollutants which trap even more heat in the atmosphere than CO2, per tonne. Including them in climate change frameworks would lead to more funding to tackle them, says Jane Burston, Founder and CEO of the Clean Air Fund
13:40 The possible end of AIDS – A revolutionary treatment could spell the end of this terrible disease. 40 million people around the world are living with HIV. Every year 1.3 million more become infected with HIV and every day 1,700 people die from an AIDS-related illness.
_____________________________________________
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
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Source: US Army (video statements)
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