Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Geneva/Washington, D.C., 17 June 2025 – USA for IOM, the U.S. nonprofit partner of the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), today announced the appointment of Joanna Wasmuth as its new Chief Executive Officer. Wasmuth is a visionary leader with extensive expertise in international development and economic empowerment, and a strong track record of building high-impact partnerships to support displaced communities worldwide.
At a time when record levels of displacement are straining global resources, Wasmuth will lead USA for IOM into a new chapter of cross-sector collaboration. Under her leadership, the organization will enhance partnerships that support IOM programming to save lives and advance durable solutions to displacement.
“Joanna brings a blend of courage and creativity to her leadership, and her strategic vision and relentless drive for innovation have set new standards,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “We look forward to seeing USA for IOM flourish under her stewardship, as we build groundbreaking partnerships and unlock new opportunities that broaden support for our work around the world.”
From supporting survivors of trafficking to helping conflict-affected families rebuild their homes, USA for IOM connects private donors, corporations, and foundations with life-changing projects led by IOM’s global teams. These collaborations are transformative investments, blending private sector innovation with humanitarian expertise to expand possibilities for vulnerable people around the world.
“I am honored to lead USA for IOM at this critical time and to work alongside our board, partners, donors, innovators, and communities to build solutions that empower people on the move,” Wasmuth said. “We look forward to growing our partnerships with the private sector to create scalable, sustainable solutions that shape brighter futures for displaced families worldwide.”
Wasmuth has more than 25 years of experience in international development and nonprofit leadership at organizations such as World Vision and Vision Fund International. She has championed partnerships and funding innovations that have strengthened vulnerable populations and developed critical solutions to combat human trafficking.
“On behalf of the Board, we are thrilled to welcome Joanna,” said Anne Richard, USA for IOM Board member, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, and NGO leader. “She has experience building support for worthwhile causes, and we are happy she will be putting her considerable talents and enthusiastic energy to use in support of USA for IOM.”
For more than 30 years, USA for IOM has mobilized funding for a wide range of IOM’s more than 170 country missions – helping conflict-affected communities in Ukraine, protecting extremely vulnerable migrants in Africa and South America, and assisting victims of human trafficking around the world.
About USA for IOM
USA for IOM is the nonprofit partner in the U.S. of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). USA for IOM raises awareness and mobilizes support for humanitarian assistance and development initiatives to improve the lives of displaced people around the world. Join us in creating lasting solutions that empower displaced communities and generate sustainable impact.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted a “real end” to the nuclear problem with Iran and indicated he may send senior American officials to meet with the Islamic Republic as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a fifth straight day.
He made the comments during his midnight departure from Canada, where he attended the Group of Seven nations summit on Monday, according to comments posted by a CBS News reporter on social media platform X.
Trump predicted that Israel would not be easing its attacks on Iran. “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far,” the CBS journalist quoted Trump as saying on Air Force One.
He said “I may”, on the prospect of sending U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet with Iran.
Trump is looking for a “complete give up” by Iran, according to a pool report by Politico.
Washington has said Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, even as the military confrontation unfolds.
World leaders meeting at the Group of Seven summit called for a de-escalation of the worst-ever conflict between the regional foes, saying Iran was a source of instability and must never have a nuclear weapon while affirming Israel’s right to defend itself.
Trump, who left the summit early due to the Middle East situation, said his departure had “nothing to do with” working on a deal between Israel and Iran after French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. had initiated a ceasefire proposal.
“Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform late on Monday.
Israel launched its air war with a surprise attack that has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran’s military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days.
Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agreed to U.S. demands that it accept strict curbs on its nuclear programme.
“Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump said on Monday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that a “more powerful” new wave of missiles was recently launched towards Israel, the state news agency reported. A senior Iranian army commander said a new wave of drones would hit Israel.
Three people were killed and four injured in Iran’s central city of Kashan in an Israeli attack, Iran’s Nournews reported on Tuesday.
EXPLOSIONS, AIR DEFENCE FIRE
Iranian media also reported explosions and heavy air defence fire in Tehran early on Tuesday, with smoke rising in the city’s east after an explosion of suspected Israeli projectiles. Air defences were activated also in Natanz, home to key nuclear installations 320 km (200 miles) away, the Asriran news website reported.
Doctors and nurses have been recalled from leave to carry out their duties, Iranian media reported.
Khorramabad city MP Reza Sepahvand told the Iranian labour news agency that most incidents happening in Iran are due to “infiltrators” rather than direct action from Israel, adding that 21 people were killed in the western province of Lorestan.
World oil markets are on high alert for any developments in the conflict that could hit global supply.
A shipping incident near the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates early on Tuesday morning was not security related but a result of ships colliding. The UAE coast guard said it had evacuated 24 people from oil tanker ADALYNN following a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman, near Hormuz. About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the waterway.
Naval sources have told Reuters that electronic interference with commercial ship navigation systems has surged in recent days around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf, which is having an impact on vessels sailing through the region.
Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it killed Iran’s wartime chief of staff. Israel also said it carried out extensive strikes on Iranian military targets including weapons storage sites and missile launchers.
Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nearly 3,000 Israelis had been evacuated due to damage from Iranian strikes.
Sources told Reuters that Tehran had asked Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to urge Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire. In return, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear negotiations, according to two Iranian and three regional sources.
CHINESE URGED TO LEAVE ISRAEL
“If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. “Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue.”
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
With security concerns growing and Israeli airspace closed because of the war, the Chinese embassy in Israel urged its citizens to leave the country via land border crossings as soon as possible.
The conflict escalated on Monday with Israel attacking Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the BBC that the Natanz plant sustained extensive damage, likely destroying 15,000 centrifuges, while Iran’s Fordow plant remained largely intact.
Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has visited the OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape as part of coordinated efforts by government to offer psychosocial support and social relief packages to the communities adversely affected by the recent floods.
The Minister was joined by Eastern Cape MEC for Social Development, Bukiwe Fanta and Speaker of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, Nomamfengu Siyo-Sokutu.
During the visit, both the Minister and the MEC extended heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured and currently recovering in hospitals and places of safety.
“SASSA [South African Social Security Agency] and Home Affairs are working very closely to ensure that death certificates are released, so that the agency can assist the families that will not be able to lay to rest their loved ones with financial assistance,” the department said in a statement on Monday.
The principals were accompanied by the National Director-General Peter Netshipale, SASSA CEO Themba Matlou, Acting CEO of National Development Agency (NDA) Thabani Buthelezi, SASSA Eastern Cape Regional Manager Bandile Maqetuka, and NDA Provincial Manager, Nokulunga Skeyi.
Following the events of the past week, where approximately 90 people lost their lives and thousands displaced, the social development sector with its partners dispatched its personnel to provide assistance to the affected people.
SASSA, through its Social Relief of Distress (SRD) programme, has acted swiftly to assist families whose homes were severely affected during the floods. To this end, SASSA has been active on three established sites, where people are served with three nutritious meals a day, reinforcing the agency’s commitment to immediate food security.
In anticipation of the transition phase, SASSA has developed a disengagement plan aimed at equipping beneficiaries with basic resources to support reintegration and restore a sense of stability. This includes the provision of urgent packs to restore the dignity of the families who have lost everything they had.
The department explained that the activation of the Disaster Management Act has enabled SASSA and its partners like the Gift of the Givers and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, to provide urgent needed services to the displaced communities.
“The work of the agency has been supervised by the Internal Audit Committee to allow proper accountability at the end of the intervention to avoid and protect the resources of government,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Fairy tale quizzes, drawing workshops, retro games, the Rock, Paper, Scissors championship and much more — as part of the Summer in Moscow for Children project, a rich program has been prepared for young Muscovites and their parents. What to do at city venues from June 18 to 22 — in our article.
Retro games and drawing workshops
The capital’s venues are hosting a large-scale championship “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. Every day, children and adults can compete on Tverskoy Boulevard, as well as in the southwest of the capital. On June 18, the competition will be held on Nagornaya Street (building 29, building 4), on June 19, participants are expected in Vorontsovsky Park (building 3), and on June 20 – on Feodosiyskaya Street (building 7, building 6). The venues will be open from 15:00 to 20:00.
In addition to the championship in the popular children’s game, realistic races will also take place on Tverskoy Boulevard. Participants will be able to immerse themselves in the world of motorsports, sitting in racing seats and pressing the pedals. Children from 150 to 210 centimeters tall are invited.
A large retro games area has been prepared for visitors. There you can play on iconic consoles from different years. Pickleball, gorodki, petanque, croquet, ping-pong and even a large climbing wall await guests. Professionals will help you understand the rules and observe safety precautions.
Fans of creativity will enjoy Chistoprudny Boulevard. There, in the fresh air, everyone will be taught how to create landscapes, sketches, and still lifes in various artistic techniques. On June 18, guests will be given a master class called “Art Beach”, on June 19, a master class called “Summer on the Chile”, and on June 20, an “Art Challenge”.
The duration of one lesson is 45 minutes. Master classes will be held every hour from 12:00 to 20:00.
Painting lessons will also be organized on Sretensky Boulevard. On June 18, there will be a master class called “The Scarlet Flower”, on June 19 — “City Streets”, and on June 20 — “Blooming Field”. Classes will be held every hour from 12:00 to 20:00.
Guests will also be able to create unique works of art at the Art Studio on Strastnoy Boulevard. Children over six years old are invited to participate. On June 18, there will be master classes in watercolor painting called Fruit Lemonade and Starry Night. On June 19, children will be able to draw Moscow landmarks and summer clouds with wax crayons. The classes on June 20 will once again be devoted to watercolor painting. Guests will be introduced to this technique at the master classes Flower Stained Glass and Fruit Slices. The classes will be held from 12:00 to 19:00.
In addition, from 12:00 to 20:00 on Strastnoy Boulevard, young visitors will be able to enjoy a busy board with coloring pages, an art house with stickers, and a basketball court.
DIY Bracelet and Party with DJ
An active program has also been prepared in the Green Market of the Made in Moscow project on Bolotnaya Square (Repinsky Square). On June 19 at 14:15 on the main stage there will be a meeting with TRIZ pedagogy expert Evgeniya Gin. She will tell children and their parents how to develop thinking and be creative.
At 18:00, the Green Market will host a master class on making children’s bracelets. Participants will be told how to create a design, determine the size of the future product, and tie reliable knots.
At 20:00, the film “Fedya. People’s Footballer” will be shown at the “Youth Point” festival on Bolotnaya Square. Participation in the event is free, but a registration.
And every Wednesday at 8:00 pm on Bolotnaya Square there are youth parties with a DJ.
Circus divertissements and musical performances
All summer long, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, there will be circus entertainment for the whole family. Aerial gymnasts, equilibrists, jugglers, clowns and four-legged artists will perform for guests in the Moskino Cinema Park and Izmailovsky Park. Also on June 20, the third tent will open in the Yuzhnoye Butovo Landscape Park. Spectators will be able to see acrobatic numbers, clown skits and exciting stunts with the participation of artists from the famous Bolshoi Moscow Circus on Vernadsky Avenue.
On Fridays, performances are held from 19:00 to 20:30, and on Saturdays and Sundays – from 14:00 to 15:30 and from 18:00 to 19:30. You can find out more and buy tickets on the official website project.
The Zaryadye Hall has also prepared a children’s program for the weekend. On June 22, as part of the III Summer Music Festival, the symphonic fairy tale with sand animation “The Wizard of the Emerald City” will return to its stage. On the same day, June 22, People’s Artist of Russia Yulia Rutberg, together with the State Academic Big Symphony Orchestra named after P.I. Tchaikovsky under the direction of Denis Lotoev, will present the program “Artist and War”. The program includes wartime memories from diaries and memoirs, excerpts from articles related to the difficult years of Russian history, as well as music by great composers of the 20th century.
And at the festival “Theater Boulevard” Young residents and guests of the capital will be able to see several productions. On June 17, a musical performance will be shown on Chistoprudny Boulevard “Curious Baby Elephant” about children asking questions and adults who are too lazy to answer them. Starts at 16:00.
On the same day, at the Clown House on Tsvetnoy Boulevard at 8:00 p.m. you can watch a production “Mechanicus”This is an interactive performance with pantomime and poetic clowning.
On June 18, in the amphitheater of the Polytech Museum Park, artists from the Moscow Illusion Theater will perform a modern show “Teleport”. Guests can expect tricks with disappearances, transformations and flights. The beginning is at 19:00. And on June 19 at 18:00 there will be a performance “My grandfather was a cherry”It is based on a touching, funny and at the same time sad story about family, devotion and loneliness.
On June 20 at 16:00 on Chistoprudny Boulevard the production will be presented “Kashtanka”The play will tell about the adventures of a young dog who lost his not very good owner in a big city.
On June 21, a performance will be shown in the amphitheater of the Polytech Museum Park “Family Bakery”. Starts at 17:00.
On June 21 at 12:00, Pushkin Square will host a quiz on the sea tales “The Little Mermaid,” “Sinbad the Sailor,” and “Sadko,” as well as a master class “The Sea” on creating appliques for children aged six to nine.
On June 22 at 4:00 p.m. there will be a presentation of the book “Letters from Lidochka M.” dedicated to children of wartime.
And at 18:00 in the park there will be evening readings with Anton Shagin. The author will also present his book “Neblyandiya. Poems for Children”.
Introduction to the world of cinema
On June 21 and 22, the Moskino Cinema Park invites you to go on a walk. On the family excursion “Cinema Expedition”, young guests and their parents will learn how films are shot in different genres, walk through Moscow in the 1940s, see post-war Berlin and a fragment of the Reichstag steps. Participants will also look into the props and costume center “Firebird” and examine rare items that have appeared in the frame more than once. The excursion will be of interest to children over 10 years old and adults who want to learn new facts about the creation of cinema.
The excursions will take place at 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. You can choose a convenient time and pay for participation atwebsite cinema park.
Entertaining origami master classes have also been prepared for guests. On the central square of the cinema park on weekends at 12:00 and 15:35, young visitors will make paper poppies and carnations, at 13:10 and 16:45 – cranes, and at 14:20 and 17:55 – a three-dimensional composition “Eternal Flame”. You can take part in the master class atentrance ticket to the cinema park.
The Gorky Film Studio also invites young Muscovites and their parents on a tour. Guests are expected on June 18 at 15:00 on Sergei Eisenstein Street (8, building 1). Participants will learn about the history of the film studio and how films that have become part of the golden fund of Russian cinema were created. Guests will be told interesting facts about the lives and work of outstanding directors and actors, and will be shown costumes and props from the films Guest from the Future (1984), The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (1963), Frost (1964), Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973), Officers (1971) and others.
The excursion will be interesting for children over six years old. You can buy a ticket atwebsite.
Program in museums and parks
Interesting programs have been prepared for young Muscovites and their parents in the capital’s museums and parks.
On June 20 from 15:00 to 16:00 in the forest libraries in the Vorontsovo estate, the 50th Anniversary of October Park and the Khodynka Field Park a children’s quiz will be held. Participants will recall forgotten literary facts about the life and work of writers and learn new ones.
The Inspiration Festival will be held at the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve on June 21. Guests will enjoy a musical program, performances by orchestras and jazz bands, master classes in art therapy in the open air, functional training, yoga and stretching. Admission is free. The landmark is the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
At the festival “Theatre Boulevard”, which is taking place within the framework of the Summer in Moscow project, this season will feature student groups from five leading creative universities in the country. They have prepared more than a dozen productions in various genres for the audience, said the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Culture Alexey Fursin.
“For young artists, this is an opportunity to try themselves out on an open stage, in front of a large and diverse audience, to offer the festival guests their view of theatrical art and find their audience,” noted Alexey Fursin.
Performances by students from the country’s leading creative universities are planned: the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS, the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, the Moscow Art Theatre School, the Oleg Tabakov Moscow Theatre School and the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts.
Student groups will present 15 works in different genres, including classical dramatic productions, concerts, a plastic performance, and performances for children.
Thus, students of Nina Chusova’s workshop of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS presented the production “The Marriage of Balzaminov. Attempt No. 3. Unreal Scenes from Real Life”, and Elena Poldi’s students together with the “Antique Circus” showed “Tatiana’s Dreams, or Alexander Sergeevich is Well!”. Graduates of Vyacheslav Gordeev’s workshop will introduce viewers to the project “Cuba – My Love!”. The Ivan Popovsky Opera and Drama Studio has already performed the diploma performance “Eugene Onegin”.
Students of the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute showed the audience “Our Final Concert” (artistic directors of the course Pavel Lyubimtsev and Vladimir Tartakovsky), “Musical Vinaigrette” and “Aibolit” (artistic director of the course Anna Dubrovskaya).
The Nemirovich-Danchenko School-Studio (Institute) at the A.P. Chekhov Moscow Art Academic Theatre presented two productions at once. Students from the Marina Brusnikina and Sergei Shchedrin workshop, with the participation of the Praktika Theatre, prepared a concert for the audience entitled “Fate, Fates, Fate, Fate, About Fate”, and students from the Evgeny Pisarev workshop presented a plastic performance entitled “The City Where We…”.
Students of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts under the artistic direction of Vladimir Norenko presented the production “Who Visits in the Morning?” And students of the Moscow Theatre School of Oleg Tabakov showed the plays “Makers of History: Shalyapin”, and the audience is also awaited by the productions “Forgotten August”, “Illusion Art” and a concert program by the school’s students.
The “Teatralny Bulvar” festival is organized by the capital’s Department of Culture on the initiative of Sergei Sobyanin. It is held in within the framework of the project “Summer in Moscow”. Information about the festival, including the current program, poster, map of venues and news, is available atofficial website and in the telegram channel “Theater Boulevard”.
Project “Summer in Moscow”— the main event of the season, uniting the brightest events of the capital. Every day in all districts of the city there are charity, cultural and sports events, most of which are free. The project “Summer in Moscow” is held for the second time, and the new season will be more intense: new festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones — original and colorful.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
JERUSALEM, June 17 (Xinhua) — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday that Ali Shadmani, Iran’s chief of military staff and one of the Islamic Republic’s highest-ranking military officers, was killed in an overnight airstrike on a command center in Tehran.
The strike was carried out by Israeli aircraft after receiving “precise intelligence” and a “sudden opportunity,” the IDF said in a statement.
A. Shadmani, a senior military commander and closest to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, commanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian army.
He was appointed commander of Iran’s armed forces at the start of the ongoing five-day war after his predecessor, Alaa Ali Rashid, was killed in an Israeli strike that started the current fighting.
The killing of A. Shadmani “continued a series of assassinations of Iran’s top military command and disrupted the chain of command,” the IDF said. –0–
Israel’s military intercepted and eliminated 30 drones from Iran overnight, the Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday, describing it as the least impactful night by the Iranian attacks since the beginning of this operation. The IDF also reported Iran fired several ballistic missiles toward Israel, though the exact number was not specified.
Around 20 missiles fired from Iran on Tuesday triggered sirens across Israel, including northern and southern areas, central Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Reports indicated a direct hit in central Israel, with property damage confirmed by Israeli police, though authorities have not officially confirmed the strike.
The foreign ministers of 20 Arab and Muslim countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, and Pakistan, denounced Israel’s attacks on Iran and called for de-escalation in a joint statement. The ministers expressed grave concern over the dangerous escalation in the region and urged all parties to settle disputes peacefully while respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also emphasized the importance of creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and urged countries to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
US President Donald Trump called for the immediate evacuation of all of Tehran, issuing the warning shortly after Israeli forces told residents in northeastern Tehran to leave ahead of planned strikes. The Pentagon announced deployment of additional military capabilities to West Asia to enhance defensive posture amid the escalating conflict.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz later clarified that Israel has no intention of deliberately harming Tehran’s residents. “There is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the murderous dictator does to the residents of Israel,” Katz said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Monday that the strikes have set Iran’s nuclear program back “years” and said he is in daily contact with Trump, who left the G7 summit in Canada early amid reports he was heading to Washington to work on a ceasefire deal.
SINGAPORE, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EngageLab, a leading omni-channel customer engagement platform provider, is proud to announce its successful partnership with a prominent Chinese tea beverage brand, supporting the company’s global expansion through EngageLab’s high-delivery rate AppPush notification capabilities. This Chinese new tea beverage brand has recently achieved a significant breakthrough in overseas markets by presenting Eastern tea culture through a modern lens. Built on a foundation of premium original leaf tea, the brand has strategically expanded across global markets through carefully tailored localization strategies. The company has successfully established thousands of stores across more than 100 countries and regions, positioning itself as a leading Chinese brand in the fresh-made tea beverage sector throughout Southeast Asia, North America, and other key markets worldwide.
With rapid business growth and global expansion, the brand encountered challenges in its overseas notification services, such as unstable channel quality and unreliable message delivery. These issues impacted user experience and the efficiency of global operations.
To address these challenges, the brand partnered with EngageLab, adopting its AppPush solution to comprehensively optimize overseas messaging services and achieve three major improvements:
Superior Delivery Capabilities Supporting Global Expansion As the brand expanded to over 100 countries, especially in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, complex network environments posed challenges to efficient communication. EngageLab AppPush integrated international mainstream system channels such as FCM and APNS, along with major smartphone manufacturer push channels including Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, and self-built enhanced channels. This improved message delivery rates by approximately 40%, providing robust technical support for global operations.
Intelligent Cross-Regional Push Notifications Enabling Localized Operations Operating across diverse countries and regions, the brand faced varying user needs and operational strategies. EngageLab AppPush’s dynamic AppKey switching function brought tremendous convenience. When users switch countries within the app, the SDK can apply corresponding country/regional SDK configurations through simple API calls. This enables the brand to flexibly develop and implement independent push strategies, user behavior tracking, and marketing campaigns for different markets, without the need to develop and maintain multiple app versions, significantly reducing development and maintenance costs and enhancing regional market responsiveness.
Global Multi-Data Center Layout Ensuring Compliant Operations In a global environment where data sovereignty and privacy protection are highly valued, compliant handling of user data is crucial for international enterprises. EngageLab has deployed distributed data centers in multiple strategic locations worldwide (including Singapore, Virginia USA, Frankfurt Germany, Hong Kong China, etc.), providing robust localized data compliance solutions. The brand can intelligently select the most appropriate data storage and processing nodes based on users’ regions, strictly adhering to local privacy regulatory requirements.
About EngageLab EngageLab is a world-leading AI-powered omnichannel customer engagement solution provider, unites technology and versatility to offer seamless customer interactions across every channel, including Email, AppPush, WebPush, OTP, SMS and WhatsApp Business. It empowers businesses to build lasting relationships and achieve higher conversions and retention. With a strong focus on innovation and performance, EngageLab supports businesses in over 220 countries and regions, delivering more than 1 million messages every second across various channels.
For more information about EngageLab and its suite of solutions, visit www.engagelab.com.
SINGAPORE, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EngageLab, a leading omni-channel customer engagement platform provider, is proud to announce its successful partnership with a prominent Chinese tea beverage brand, supporting the company’s global expansion through EngageLab’s high-delivery rate AppPush notification capabilities. This Chinese new tea beverage brand has recently achieved a significant breakthrough in overseas markets by presenting Eastern tea culture through a modern lens. Built on a foundation of premium original leaf tea, the brand has strategically expanded across global markets through carefully tailored localization strategies. The company has successfully established thousands of stores across more than 100 countries and regions, positioning itself as a leading Chinese brand in the fresh-made tea beverage sector throughout Southeast Asia, North America, and other key markets worldwide.
With rapid business growth and global expansion, the brand encountered challenges in its overseas notification services, such as unstable channel quality and unreliable message delivery. These issues impacted user experience and the efficiency of global operations.
To address these challenges, the brand partnered with EngageLab, adopting its AppPush solution to comprehensively optimize overseas messaging services and achieve three major improvements:
Superior Delivery Capabilities Supporting Global Expansion As the brand expanded to over 100 countries, especially in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, complex network environments posed challenges to efficient communication. EngageLab AppPush integrated international mainstream system channels such as FCM and APNS, along with major smartphone manufacturer push channels including Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, and self-built enhanced channels. This improved message delivery rates by approximately 40%, providing robust technical support for global operations.
Intelligent Cross-Regional Push Notifications Enabling Localized Operations Operating across diverse countries and regions, the brand faced varying user needs and operational strategies. EngageLab AppPush’s dynamic AppKey switching function brought tremendous convenience. When users switch countries within the app, the SDK can apply corresponding country/regional SDK configurations through simple API calls. This enables the brand to flexibly develop and implement independent push strategies, user behavior tracking, and marketing campaigns for different markets, without the need to develop and maintain multiple app versions, significantly reducing development and maintenance costs and enhancing regional market responsiveness.
Global Multi-Data Center Layout Ensuring Compliant Operations In a global environment where data sovereignty and privacy protection are highly valued, compliant handling of user data is crucial for international enterprises. EngageLab has deployed distributed data centers in multiple strategic locations worldwide (including Singapore, Virginia USA, Frankfurt Germany, Hong Kong China, etc.), providing robust localized data compliance solutions. The brand can intelligently select the most appropriate data storage and processing nodes based on users’ regions, strictly adhering to local privacy regulatory requirements.
About EngageLab EngageLab is a world-leading AI-powered omnichannel customer engagement solution provider, unites technology and versatility to offer seamless customer interactions across every channel, including Email, AppPush, WebPush, OTP, SMS and WhatsApp Business. It empowers businesses to build lasting relationships and achieve higher conversions and retention. With a strong focus on innovation and performance, EngageLab supports businesses in over 220 countries and regions, delivering more than 1 million messages every second across various channels.
For more information about EngageLab and its suite of solutions, visit www.engagelab.com.
SHENZHEN, China, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aurora Mobile Limited (NASDAQ: JG) (“Aurora Mobile” or the “Company”), a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China, today announced that its subsidiary EngageLab, a leading omni-channel customer engagement platform provider, has partnered with a prominent Chinese tea beverage brand. The partnership will support the brand’s global expansion by leveraging EngageLab’s high-delivery rate AppPush notification capabilities. This Chinese new tea beverage brand has recently achieved a significant breakthrough in overseas markets by presenting Eastern tea culture through a modern lens. Built on a foundation of premium original leaf tea, the brand has strategically expanded across global markets through carefully tailored localization strategies. It has successfully established thousands of stores across more than 100 countries and regions, positioning itself as a leading Chinese brand in the fresh-made tea beverage sector throughout Southeast Asia, North America, and other key markets worldwide.
With rapid business growth and global expansion, the brand encountered challenges in its overseas notification services, such as unstable channel quality and unreliable message delivery. These issues impacted user experience and the efficiency of global operations.
To address these challenges, the brand partnered with EngageLab, adopting its AppPush solution to comprehensively optimize overseas messaging services and achieve three major improvements:
Superior Delivery Capabilities Supporting Global Expansion
As the brand expanded to over 100 countries, especially in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, complex network environments posed challenges to efficient communication. EngageLab AppPush integrated international mainstream system channels such as FCM and APNS, along with major smartphone manufacturer push channels including Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, and self-built enhanced channels. This improved message delivery rates by approximately 40%, providing robust technical support for global operations.
Operating across diverse countries and regions, the brand faced varying user needs and operational strategies. EngageLab AppPush’s dynamic AppKey switching function brought tremendous convenience. When users switch countries within the app, the SDK can apply corresponding country/regional SDK configurations through simple API calls. This enables the brand to flexibly develop and implement independent push strategies, user behavior tracking, and marketing campaigns for different markets, without the need to develop and maintain multiple app versions, significantly reducing development and maintenance costs and enhancing regional market responsiveness.
Global Multi-Data Center Layout Ensuring Compliant Operations
In a global environment where data sovereignty and privacy protection are highly valued, compliant handling of user data is crucial for international enterprises. EngageLab has deployed distributed data centers in multiple strategic locations worldwide (including Singapore, Virginia USA, Frankfurt Germany, Hong Kong China, etc.), providing robust localized data compliance solutions. The brand can intelligently select the most appropriate data storage and processing nodes based on users’ regions, strictly adhering to local privacy regulatory requirements.
About EngageLab EngageLab is a world-leading AI-powered omnichannel customer engagement solution provider, unites technology and versatility to offer seamless customer interactions across every channel, including Email, AppPush, WebPush, OTP, SMS and WhatsApp Business. It empowers businesses to build lasting relationships and achieve higher conversions and retention. With a strong focus on innovation and performance, EngageLab supports businesses in over 220 countries and regions, delivering more than 1 million messages every second across various channels. For more information about EngageLab and its suite of solutions, visit www.engagelab.com.
About Aurora Mobile Limited Founded in 2011, Aurora Mobile (NASDAQ: JG) is a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China. Since its inception, Aurora Mobile has focused on providing stable and efficient messaging services to enterprises and has grown to be a leading mobile messaging service provider with its first-mover advantage. With the increasing demand for customer reach and marketing growth, Aurora Mobile has developed forward-looking solutions such as Cloud Messaging and Cloud Marketing to help enterprises achieve omnichannel customer reach and interaction, as well as artificial intelligence and big data-driven marketing technology solutions to help enterprises’ digital transformation. For more information, please visit https://ir.jiguang.cn/.
Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Aurora Mobile’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Aurora Mobile may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Aurora Mobile’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Aurora Mobile’s strategies; Aurora Mobile’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Aurora Mobile’s ability to attract and retain customers; its ability to develop and effectively market data solutions, and penetrate the existing market for developer services; its ability to transition to the new advertising-driven SAAS business model; its ability to maintain or enhance its brand; the competition with current or future competitors; its ability to continue to gain access to mobile data in the future; the laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Aurora Mobile undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For more information, please contact: Aurora Mobile Limited E-mail: ir@jiguang.cn
Christensen In China Ms. Xiaoyan Su Phone: +86-10-5900-1548 E-mail: Xiaoyan.Su@christensencomms.com
In US Ms. Linda Bergkamp Phone: +1-480-614-3004 Email: linda.bergkamp@christensencomms.com
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
SCIO organizes media trip to Jiangsu and Zhejiang
China SCIO | June 17, 2025
Since May, the State Council Information Office has organized a series of media trips aimed at introducing how different regions across China are advancing high-quality development and fulfilling the goals set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).
The second leg of the program was held from June 9 to 13, during which journalists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Singapore, Indonesia, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, and other countries visited Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. They focused on topics such as innovation-driven development, green development, and how major economic provinces are playing a leading role in national growth.
On June 9, 2025, the State Council Information Office holds a press briefing in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, about the province’s progress in innovation-driven development. [Photo by Luan Haijun/China SCIO]
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
From July 23 to 27, the VDNKh will host the International Arts Festival “Inspiration” for the eighth time. It will bring together creative teams and projects of artists from the capital, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, as well as China, India, Turkey, Egypt and other countries. This was reported by Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.
“At various exhibition venues, city residents and tourists will be treated to street plays and dance performances, performances and concerts. The stages will feature works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Mikhail Glinka, Aram Khachaturian, Frederic Chopin and other famous composers,” the deputy mayor said.
The festival will take place at 10 venues, including the Main Alley, the square near the Friendship of Nations fountain, the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman pavilion, and the Slovo Museum of Slavic Literature.
On July 23, the Green Theater will host a performance based on Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace.” It will be performed by a group from Turkey. On July 25, the “Night of One-Act Ballets” project will be presented here. Modern choreographic programs will be demonstrated by dance schools from Egypt and Cuba.
On July 25, the main stage of the festival will host an opera production. It will introduce the culture of China, in particular the traditions and folk legends of the Guangxi province. A classical music concert will also be held at the same venue. Residents and guests of the capital will be able to hear works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Mikhail Glinka, Sergei Rachmaninov and Aram Khachaturian. And on July 27, the performance “Three Sisters” by the Krasnodar Academic Drama Theater named after Maxim Gorky will be shown on the veranda of the VDNKh House of Culture. It is based on the play by Anton Chekhov.
All events are free. Pre-registration is required to attend.website VDNKh.
The Inspiration Festival will be held as part of a large-scale project “Summer in Moscow”. It brings together the most vibrant events in the capital. Every day, charity, cultural and sporting events are held in all areas of the city, most of which are free. The Summer in Moscow project is being held for the second time, and this season will be more eventful: new, original and colourful festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
The first Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a global initiative envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the conservation of big cats, was held in New Delhi on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and attended by ministerial delegations from nine countries, including Bhutan, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guinea, India, Liberia, Suriname, Somalia, and Kazakhstan.
In his address, Bhupender Yadav highlighted India’s global leadership in wildlife conservation under PM Modi’s guidance and called on big cat range countries to collaborate closely under the IBCA framework. He stressed the importance of collective action to protect the habitats of the seven major big cat species — Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
The Assembly unanimously endorsed Bhupender Yadav as the President and S.P. Yadav as the Director General of IBCA. It also ratified key documents, including the Headquarters Agreement with India, the Workplan, Rules of Procedure, and Financial Regulations, laying the groundwork for effective operations of the alliance.
The IBCA, established by the Government of India through the National Tiger Conservation Authority in March 2024, comprises 95 range countries. It aims to create a global platform for conservation cooperation, knowledge sharing, and technical and financial support to halt the decline of big cat populations and safeguard biodiversity.
The participating nations reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance’s goals and pledged to work collectively toward conserving these majestic species and securing the planet’s ecological future.
The first Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a global initiative envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the conservation of big cats, was held in New Delhi on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and attended by ministerial delegations from nine countries, including Bhutan, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guinea, India, Liberia, Suriname, Somalia, and Kazakhstan.
In his address, Bhupender Yadav highlighted India’s global leadership in wildlife conservation under PM Modi’s guidance and called on big cat range countries to collaborate closely under the IBCA framework. He stressed the importance of collective action to protect the habitats of the seven major big cat species — Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
The Assembly unanimously endorsed Bhupender Yadav as the President and S.P. Yadav as the Director General of IBCA. It also ratified key documents, including the Headquarters Agreement with India, the Workplan, Rules of Procedure, and Financial Regulations, laying the groundwork for effective operations of the alliance.
The IBCA, established by the Government of India through the National Tiger Conservation Authority in March 2024, comprises 95 range countries. It aims to create a global platform for conservation cooperation, knowledge sharing, and technical and financial support to halt the decline of big cat populations and safeguard biodiversity.
The participating nations reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance’s goals and pledged to work collectively toward conserving these majestic species and securing the planet’s ecological future.
Anthony Albanese’s failure to get his much-anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump is not the prime minister’s fault, nor should it be characterised as a “snub” by the president.
There was always a risk of derailment by outside events, particularly when the scheduled get-together was late in the piece, rather than soon after the president’s arrival in Canada for the G7.
Nevertheless, the result is something of a debacle for Albanese.
The prime minister needs to meet the president. Pressing issues – tariffs, AUKUS and defence – require discussion at leadership level. Quite apart from having the two leaders, who’ve never met, establishing some personal relationship.
It would have been especially desirable for the prime minister to convey, at the highest level, Australia’s views on the importance of and progress on AUKUS, as the month-long US inquiry into the agreement begins. This inquiry, announced last week, is examining whether the pact serves the US’ interests.
It’s also difficult to see Australia being able to extract concessions on the US tariffs without a discussion between the leaders. Possibly something can be done in phone calls between the two. But they seem as rare as hen’s teeth.
The Albanese government’s spin is, no matter, there will be a chance for a meeting when Albanese goes to the US in September to address the United Nations leaders’ week. He can make a side trip to Washington.
Perhaps. But let’s wait to see the invitation to Washington. Many leaders are in the US at that time, wanting to get to the capital.
Anyway, it’s become increasingly clear Albanese is not keen on facing the now-risky Oval Office ritual. Trump may be in a bad mood. The US journalists present could be feral.
If Albanese hopes the meeting would be in New York, that would be at the whim of Trump’s schedule.
Looking back, whatever the counterarguments (that included the complication of an election campaign), the prime minister should have tried very hard to get to Trump earlier, including braving the Oval Office.
This is not because Australia should kowtow to the Americans, but because any Australian prime minister should engage, as soon as possible, with a new US administration, especially when the president is as volatile as this one.
When things slip, as they have now, it all becomes trickier to navigate.
Those with good memories might recall this is not the first time Albanese has found himself victim of a presidential no-show. In 2023, then president Joe Biden was supposed to come to Australia for the Quad, and address the federal parliament.
Because of a deadlock in negotiations over the US budget, the president didn’t make it. (Later he issued Albanese an invitation for an official visit to Washington, seen as compensation. Not a precedent Albanese should rely on.) The Biden no-show was a big inconvenience but no more, given the very positive relations between the Albanese government and that US administration.
Some in Labor would think about the Trump issue in domestic political terms – that given Australians don’t like Trump, it’s not that important whether there is a meeting. But that sort of approach is not in Australia’s national interests.
An exchange at the joint news conference Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (who has a deal on tariffs) gave in Canada is instructive.
Question: On the AUKUS submarine agreement, is that still proceeding?
Keir Starmer: Yep, we’re proceeding with that. It’s a really important deal to both of us. I think the President is doing a review. We did a review when we came into government, so that makes good sense to me.
Donald Trump: We’re very long-time partners and allies and friends, and we’ve become friends in a short period of time. He’s slightly more liberal than I am, to put it mildly.
Starmer: I stand slightly on the left.
Trump: But for some reason, we get along.
Starmer: We make it work.
Somehow, Albanese needs to find a way to “make it work”.
Michelle Grattan 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.
Anthony Albanese’s failure to get his much-anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump is not the prime minister’s fault, nor should it be characterised as a “snub” by the president.
There was always a risk of derailment by outside events, particularly when the scheduled get-together was late in the piece, rather than soon after the president’s arrival in Canada for the G7.
Nevertheless, the result is something of a debacle for Albanese.
The prime minister needs to meet the president. Pressing issues – tariffs, AUKUS and defence – require discussion at leadership level. Quite apart from having the two leaders, who’ve never met, establishing some personal relationship.
It would have been especially desirable for the prime minister to convey, at the highest level, Australia’s views on the importance of and progress on AUKUS, as the month-long US inquiry into the agreement begins. This inquiry, announced last week, is examining whether the pact serves the US’ interests.
It’s also difficult to see Australia being able to extract concessions on the US tariffs without a discussion between the leaders. Possibly something can be done in phone calls between the two. But they seem as rare as hen’s teeth.
The Albanese government’s spin is, no matter, there will be a chance for a meeting when Albanese goes to the US in September to address the United Nations leaders’ week. He can make a side trip to Washington.
Perhaps. But let’s wait to see the invitation to Washington. Many leaders are in the US at that time, wanting to get to the capital.
Anyway, it’s become increasingly clear Albanese is not keen on facing the now-risky Oval Office ritual. Trump may be in a bad mood. The US journalists present could be feral.
If Albanese hopes the meeting would be in New York, that would be at the whim of Trump’s schedule.
Looking back, whatever the counterarguments (that included the complication of an election campaign), the prime minister should have tried very hard to get to Trump earlier, including braving the Oval Office.
This is not because Australia should kowtow to the Americans, but because any Australian prime minister should engage, as soon as possible, with a new US administration, especially when the president is as volatile as this one.
When things slip, as they have now, it all becomes trickier to navigate.
Those with good memories might recall this is not the first time Albanese has found himself victim of a presidential no-show. In 2023, then president Joe Biden was supposed to come to Australia for the Quad, and address the federal parliament.
Because of a deadlock in negotiations over the US budget, the president didn’t make it. (Later he issued Albanese an invitation for an official visit to Washington, seen as compensation. Not a precedent Albanese should rely on.) The Biden no-show was a big inconvenience but no more, given the very positive relations between the Albanese government and that US administration.
Some in Labor would think about the Trump issue in domestic political terms – that given Australians don’t like Trump, it’s not that important whether there is a meeting. But that sort of approach is not in Australia’s national interests.
An exchange at the joint news conference Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (who has a deal on tariffs) gave in Canada is instructive.
Question: On the AUKUS submarine agreement, is that still proceeding?
Keir Starmer: Yep, we’re proceeding with that. It’s a really important deal to both of us. I think the President is doing a review. We did a review when we came into government, so that makes good sense to me.
Donald Trump: We’re very long-time partners and allies and friends, and we’ve become friends in a short period of time. He’s slightly more liberal than I am, to put it mildly.
Starmer: I stand slightly on the left.
Trump: But for some reason, we get along.
Starmer: We make it work.
Somehow, Albanese needs to find a way to “make it work”.
Michelle Grattan 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.
The expanded Club World Cup has kicked off with healthy crowds, “Messi mania” and a festival atmosphere in Miami, giving an early vindication to world football body FIFA after fears of empty stands and global disinterest.
FIFA controversially awarded Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami a backdoor route into the tournament, ensuring the sport’s biggest name would be there after he propelled soccer to new heights in a country often ambivalent to the world’s most popular game.
Some 61,000 fans packed the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday to watch the Argentine and teammates play Egyptian giants Al-Ahly in a goalless draw.
Another strong crowd turned out on Sunday for the clash between Paris St Germain and Atletico Madrid, which ended in a one-sided 4-0 win for the Champions League winners.
However, Bayern Munich’s 10-0 demolition of semi-professional Auckland City underscored the worrying gulf in quality between some of the competing clubs.
But the opening weekend largely delivered what FIFA had hoped for: vibrant crowds and global representation.
South American supporters made their presence especially felt.
More than 1,000 Boca Juniors fans in blue and gold turned Miami Beach into a party strip on Sunday ahead of their opening match, singing club anthems and waving flags in scenes reminiscent of a World Cup carnival.
“Wherever you go, Boca is here,” Gaston San Paul, a fan who flew in from Entre Rios in Argentina, told Reuters.
“Wherever we are we do this,” he added, referring to the “Banderazo” (flag party), a fan gathering destined to mark territory ahead of a game.
Boca and Real Madrid games were among the top early ticket sellers, according to FIFA, which said that top markets after the U.S. were Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
Talk of empty stands was at least provisionally dismissed as well as heightened anxiety in the immigrant-heavy Miami area following recent federal immigration raids.
At the heart of the opening weekend buzz was Messi, whose presence has elevated Inter Miami’s profile and guaranteed global glamour for the tournament.
$1 BILLION DEAL
Messi, who received a standing ovation before kickoff, was unable to find the net against Al-Ahly but provided flashes of brilliance in a tightly contested, physical match.
FIFA is banking not only on Messi’s star power but also on a radical new broadcast strategy. The tournament is being streamed for free worldwide by DAZN in a $1 billion deal.
That agreement followed Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment, a subsidiary of the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), acquiring a minority stake in DAZN for a reported $1 billion — another marker of the kingdom’s growing investment footprint in sport.
The partnership, one of the largest broadcast packages in football history, is central to FIFA’s push to maximize digital engagement and position the Club World Cup as a global spectacle ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The $1 billion prize money, which ensures a hefty $125 million for the winners, was an obvious incentive for the European clubs.
“There’s a lot of money at stake. If you have the chance to earn a lot of money at a tournament, you should take the chance,” former Bayern legend Karl Heinz Rummenigge said in the run-up.
DAZN has yet to provide viewership data.
While the crowds gave FIFA reason to be cheerful, the Bayern Munich v Auckland City match raised awkward questions about the tournament’s balance as the German champions obliterated their opponents 10-0.
Despite the lopsided contest in Cincinnati, the overall mood among organizers was one of optimism, calling the opening weekend a resounding success.
Many Floridians, however, did not know a global soccer event was taking place in their state.
“There is a World Cup? Hockey?,” said one person working in a restaurant in Miami Beach.
“This tournament is new, and it is different. It is the very first time clubs and players from all over the world have had the chance to face each other in competitive matches on a global stage,” FIFA said, referring to the 32-club format after the previous editions featured seven.
With group matches continuing through the week and Boca’s opener against Benfica expected to draw another bumper crowd in Miami later on Monday, FIFA will be hoping to build on the early momentum — and avoid more one-sided encounters like the one in Cincinnati as European teams appear to be a level above those from other continents’.
Donald Trump said late on Monday his early departure from the Group of Seven nations summit has “nothing to do with” working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, refuting comments by French President Emmanuel Macron who said the U.S. president made a ceasefire proposal.
Macron “mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he left the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington.
“Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that,” Trump added in the post.
Macron said earlier on Monday Trump had made an offer for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. “There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions,” Macron told reporters at the G7.
Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early to return to Washington due to the Middle East situation.
The air war between Iran and U.S. ally Israel – which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran with air strikes – has raised alarms in a region that had already been on edge since the start of Israel’s military assault on Gaza in October 2023.
Since the Israeli strikes on Friday, the two Middle Eastern rivals have exchanged blows, with Iranian officials reporting over 220 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians were killed.
Israel, the U.S. and other Western nations have long sought to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear weapons development.
Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has said it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons.
Washington said Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran.
The Group of Seven nations expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Monday and labeled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East, with the G7 leaders urging broader de-escalation of hostilities in the region.
The air war between Iran and Israel – which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran with air strikes – has raised alarms in a region that had already been on edge since the start of Israel‘s military assault on Gaza in October 2023.
“We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel,” G7 leaders said in the statement.
“Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror,” the statement added and said the G7 was “clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
Israel attacked Iran on Friday in what it called a preemptive strike to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Since then the two Middle Eastern rivals have exchanged blows, with Iranian officials reporting over 220 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians were killed.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has said it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
President Donald Trump planned to leave the G7 summit in Canada early to return to Washington due to the Middle East situation.
The United States has so far maintained that it is not involved in the Israeli attacks on Iran although Trump said on Friday the U.S. was aware of Israel‘s strikes in advance and called them “excellent.” Washington has warned Tehran not to attack U.S. interests or personnel in the region.
“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” the G7 statement said, adding the nations were also ready to coordinate on safeguarding stability in energy markets.
An Israeli strike hit Iran‘s state broadcaster on Monday while Trump said in a social media post that “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.”
Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed the Israel–Iran war in phone calls with his British, French and European Union counterparts on Monday.
Washington said Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran.
The Group of Seven nations expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Monday and labeled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East, with the G7 leaders urging broader de-escalation of hostilities in the region.
The air war between Iran and Israel – which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran with air strikes – has raised alarms in a region that had already been on edge since the start of Israel‘s military assault on Gaza in October 2023.
“We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel,” G7 leaders said in the statement.
“Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror,” the statement added and said the G7 was “clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
Israel attacked Iran on Friday in what it called a preemptive strike to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Since then the two Middle Eastern rivals have exchanged blows, with Iranian officials reporting over 220 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians were killed.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has said it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
President Donald Trump planned to leave the G7 summit in Canada early to return to Washington due to the Middle East situation.
The United States has so far maintained that it is not involved in the Israeli attacks on Iran although Trump said on Friday the U.S. was aware of Israel‘s strikes in advance and called them “excellent.” Washington has warned Tehran not to attack U.S. interests or personnel in the region.
“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” the G7 statement said, adding the nations were also ready to coordinate on safeguarding stability in energy markets.
An Israeli strike hit Iran‘s state broadcaster on Monday while Trump said in a social media post that “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.”
Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed the Israel–Iran war in phone calls with his British, French and European Union counterparts on Monday.
Washington said Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
UNITED NATIONS, June 17 (Xinhua) — The United Nations General Assembly on Monday declared December 4 as the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures.
The adopted resolution calls on States to refrain from adopting, enacting or applying any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures that are not in accordance with international law and the UN Charter and that impede or undermine the full achievement of socio-economic development, particularly in developing countries.
The document notes that the establishment of the International Day will complement ongoing efforts to raise global awareness of the negative consequences of unilateral coercive measures and will contribute to strengthening international cooperation and solidarity between countries in eliminating the consequences of such sanctions.
The resolution was supported by 116 delegations, 51 countries voted against, and six abstained. The countries of the Global North voted against, including the EU, Australia, the UK, Canada, Japan and the US. –0–
VICTORIA, Seychelles and LUXEMBOURG, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has entered a three-year partnership with UNICEF Luxembourg to advance digital skills and blockchain literacy among young people.
The partnership enrolls Bitget into the Game Changers Coalition (GCC) led by UNICEF Office of Innovation (OOI). Support from Bitget will help reach 300,000 people – including adolescent girls, parents, mentors and teachers with blockchain skills – across eight countries; Armenia, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, and South Africa.
Photo from Press Conference (from left to right): Paul Heber, Chief Communications Officer, UNICEF Luxembourg; Gracy Chen, CEO, Bitget; Yannick Naud, Innovative Finance, UNICEF Luxembourg
Through the partnership, Bitget Academy, the educational arm of Bitget, will help develop UNICEF’s first interactive, online and in-person blockchain training module based on video games creation skills development for teachers and young people. This is a welcome inclusion to a curriculum already reaching hundreds of thousands of people. Support from Bitget will also help expand the Coalition’s reach to a ninth country.
“This partnership reflects our shared belief that digital skills are a powerful driver of opportunity and inclusion,” said Sandra Visscher, Executive Director of UNICEF Luxembourg. “By collaborating with Bitget, we want to provide adolescents and young people with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to shape their own futures. Innovation should be a force for inclusion, opening doors, broadening horizons, and ensuring that technology works for everyone, everywhere.”
In a move to extend the ecosystem’s reach, Bitget will also aim to introduce UNICEF to leading blockchain protocols and developers from across the Web3 landscape to participate in the educational initiative. These contributors could serve as mentors and partners, offering diverse perspectives and possibilities for blockchain technologies.
“Emerging technologies should not be reserved for the privileged few—they must be introduced early and equitably. Blockchain, with its real-world use case and potential for social good, is one of the most powerful tools we can give to our younger generation to build products that change the way we look at modern society. With Blockchain4Her, what began as a mission to empower hundreds of women has scaled into a global movement to educate thousands of girls. This is the kind of scale and impact blockchain was built for,” said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget.
Every year, adolescent girls and young women in low and middle-income countries miss out on USD 15 billion in economic opportunities due to a gap in internet access and digital skills relative to their male peers. With 90 per cent of jobs today requiring digital competencies, the Game Changers Coalition responds to the urgency of closing the gender digital skills gap.
Together, Bitget and UNICEF are working to build a scalable, inclusive model that equips young women with the tools to navigate and shape the digital economy of tomorrow.
As part of the Game Changers Coalition, Bitget joins the Global Video Game Coalition, Micron Foundation and ecosystem builders – Women in Games in a shared ambition to reach 1.1 million girls by 2027, with learning and skills-building opportunities.
With the help of Bitget Academy, and support from the $10M initiative Blockchain4Her, Bitget plans to enhance digital literacy and financial independence among women taught to them at a young age.
Bitget’s Blockchain4Her initiative has previously supported women through mentorship programs, funding opportunities, and educational resources.
Together, Bitget and UNICEF Luxembourg aim to empower a new generation of girls with the knowledge and skills they need to participate actively in the evolving crypto economy.
About Bitget
Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 120 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a leading non-custodial crypto wallet supporting 130+ blockchains and millions of tokens. It offers multi-chain trading, staking, payments, and direct access to 20,000+ DApps, with advanced swaps and market insights built into a single platform.
Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist), and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.
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Bitget
This is not the first time Bitget has worked with an UN agency. Gracy Chen, is a UN women delegate. During last Ramadan, Bitget partnered up with world-renowned humanitarian organizations, including the UN Refugee Agency, UN World Food Programme, ShareTheMeal, and the One Billion Meals Endowment to donate thousands of meals. Under $10M Blockchain4Her, promising projects led by women were supported and awards were rewarded for the inspiring contributions of more. Hosting over 10 meetups globally, more than a thousand women participated in networking, learning, and driving innovation in the blockchain space.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to reach the most disadvantaged children and build a better world for every child. UNICEF Luxembourg supports this global mission by mobilizing private sector partnerships and voluntary contributions. It also advocates nationally to uphold children’s rights—focusing on reducing inequalities, promoting gender equality, tackling child poverty, supporting mental well-being, and improving access to justice for every child.
Disclaimer:UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service. This partnership is focused solely on supporting education outcomes for children.
For more information, visit: Website | Facebook | Instagram | x.com | LinkedIn For media inquiries, please contact: UNICEF Luxembourg, Paul Heber, Chief Communication | T (+352) 448715 | M (+352)691198105 | pheber@unicef.lu
About the Game Changers Coalition Building on UNICEF’s existing work of providing girls with digital and 21st-century skills through the Skills4Girls portfolio, spanning 22 countries and reaching close to 6 million girls, the Game Changers Coalition is UNICEF’s platform to convene the video gaming sector and tech industry with the aim to equip this and coming generation of girls with the skills they need and want in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) to become coders, designers, and leaders of a more inclusive, diverse, and safer digital future.
India on Tuesday urged its nationals and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) in Iran to evacuate Tehran, shift to safer locations, and remain in close contact with the Indian Embassy amid growing tensions in the region.
As the Israel-Iran conflict entered its fifth day, hostilities continued to escalate. Several Iranian missiles were fired at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Haifa and dozens of other cities and communities across northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, according to the Israeli military.
“All Indian nationals and PIOs who can move out of Tehran using their own resources are advised to relocate to a safe location outside the city,” the Indian Embassy in Iran posted on X.
“All Indian nationals currently in Tehran and not in touch with the Embassy are requested to contact the Embassy of India in Tehran immediately and provide their location and contact numbers. Kindly contact: +989010144557; +989128109115; +989128109109,” the Embassy added.
The Ministry of External Affairs has also set up a 24×7 Control Room in view of the ongoing developments in Iran and Israel. The helpline numbers shared by the Ministry are: 1800-11-8797 (toll-free), +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905, and WhatsApp number +91-9968291988. Emails may be sent to: situationroom@mea.gov.in.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has also urged people to evacuate Tehran amid the intensifying conflict.
“Iran should have signed the deal I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday.
The U.S. President also announced that he would cut short his visit to the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Canada to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East.
In the latest developments, Bazan Group—Israel’s largest oil refinery company—announced that all of its facilities at the Haifa Port have been completely shut down due to damage caused by an Iranian missile strike.
uring this month of appreciation for fathers, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is highlighting the critical role fathers play in a child’s physical, emotional and social development. The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is working to better support fathers involved in the child welfare system through two programs that provide peer mentorship, parenting skills and supports for incarcerated fathers, as well as a Father’s Advisory Board that provides regular input to ODHS Child Welfare leadership and frontline workers.
The two programs focus on peer mentorship and advocacy to help fathers navigate the system and reconnect with their children. Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) runs the Incarcerated Fathers Program serving African American men during incarceration and post-release. Fathers receive skill building classes to strengthen their parenting skills and build strong relationships with their children. ODHS also partners with Morrison Child and Family Services to connect fathers with open child welfare cases to peer mentors for support and encouragement.
ODHS is investing in these programs because of the expressed need for services and training that do a better job of locating and engaging fathers, and keeping fathers connected to their children after a child welfare intervention. When children enter the child welfare system, fathers are often sidelined or overlooked due to negative perceptions about their interest or capacity to be involved in their children’s lives. National studies show that caseworker bias against fathers can prevent equal outreach to fathers after a child welfare intervention. Yet national child welfare experts say father-inclusive practices in child welfare are essential to child safety and well-being and can minimize the amount of time children are separated from their family. Children with involved fathers are more likely to do well in school, have high self-esteem and avoid high risk behaviors, according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Head Start Bureau.
Negative bias toward fathers is particularly strong if fathers are in recovery or have been/are currently incarcerated. This, in addition to racism and disproportionate numbers of Black, American Indian and Alaska Native children in the foster care system add to the challenges facing fathers who want to stay connected to their children.
“Fathers are vital to a child’s well-being, and it is our job to engage fathers and invite them into the process of reunifying their families. We do that through concerted efforts that show respect and value for the role fathers play as a nurturers and resources for their children,” said ODHS Child Welfare Director Aprille-Flint Gerner. “We are grateful to our community partners for leading culturally responsive programs that support fathers for long-term success.”
After a child welfare case is opened, caseworkers begin working with parents to establish a plan for a variety of services, supports and a plan for reunifying the family when a child has been removed from the home due to safety issues. When parents are separated, do not live together, or a father is incarcerated or in recovery, the mother is the primary contact for child welfare. The perspective of the father is often absent in discussions related to their children, and most resources and supports are designed with the assumption that mothers are the primary caregivers. These assumptions can keep fathers from having a voice in critical decisions related to child welfare cases, visitation, and input into case planning to prepare for the child’s return to their family.
Services and programs for fathers are also minimal compared to those available for mothers. Statewide, there are 250 residential treatment beds for mothers in substance use disorder treatment to be with their children while in treatment. For fathers, there are just 10 beds available through the OnTrack Rogue Valley Dad’s Program in Medford. ODHS awarded OnTrack a grant in 2022 to renovate the Cobblestone Village Complex to add six more beds for fathers in treatment, among other design upgrades and residential facilities to serve families. The renovated complex is due to open in 2026.
The ODHS Father’s Advisory Board members, many of whom work as peer mentors through Morrison Child and Family Services, are making a difference by advocating for the perspective of fathers in ODHS caseworker trainings, and by regularly advising ODHS Child Welfare staff and leadership in Multnomah County.
One peer mentor and Father’s Advisory Board member stated, “Child welfare programs have made progress, but we still need more active outreach and connection with dads. Sometimes dads are informed about a decision, not consulted as an equal parent. The system is confusing and can be really discouraging for fathers who feel judged as deadbeat dads,” he said. “But as advocates, we are here to give other dads hope and let them know, you can do this, you can be there for your kids. It is about making life better for the kids. If I can do it, you can do it.”
Resources
Programs for incarcerated fathers or fathers involved with Child Welfare
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget Wallet, one of the world’s largest self-custodial crypto wallets, has launched LINE NEXT’s Mini Dapp Ecosystem Month in collaboration with LINE NEXT and its Kaia blockchain. This strategic initiative integrates tokenized assets into messaging superapps, offering users access to Web3 games through seamless, gas-free interactions.
LINE NEXT’s Mini Dapp Ecosystem Month begins June 16, featuring a $500,000 prize pool and participation from leading Kaia-based games including Bombie, Fate War, TOFU Story, StarAI, and DarkStar. New games and missions will rotate every two weeks, all delivered gas-free and integrated into Bitget Wallet.
The campaign also features Bombie, a social mini-game developed by the team behind Catizen. With over 12 million users across LINE’s Mini Dapp and Telegram, Bombie is the highest-earning title on LINE’s Mini Dapp platform and the first to debut its own token. Bitget Wallet exclusively supports the token generation event (TGE), enabling users to claim $BOMB tokens directly in-app with zero gas fees and a 100% bonus for early participants. The launch sets a precedent for self-custodial wallets supporting token distribution within mainstream app environments.
An additional key component of the initiative is the TGE Viral campaign, which features Fate War, LARVA Survival, and Slime Miner. Hosted through a dedicated Mini Dapp campaign page powered by Bitget Wallet, the campaign provides token-related missions, exclusive item discounts, and bonus rewards. It is designed to drive engagement by lowering the barrier to entry and providing developers scalable community activation tools.
By embedding token generation, rewards, and transactions into the app environment, Bitget Wallet and LINE NEXT are advancing a model for consumer-grade blockchain adoption.
“Web3 needs to meet users where they already are,” said Jamie Elkaleh, CMO of Bitget Wallet. “By embedding self-custody and rewards into LINE, we’re removing friction and setting a model for how wallets and superapps can scale the next wave of digital interaction.”
About Bitget Wallet Bitget Wallet is a non-custodial crypto wallet designed to make crypto simple and secure for everyone. With over 80 million users, it brings together a full suite of crypto services, including swaps, market insights, staking, rewards, DApp exploration, and payment solutions. Supporting 130+ blockchains and millions of tokens, Bitget Wallet enables seamless multi-chain trading across hundreds of DEXs and cross-chain bridges. Backed by a $300+ million user protection fund, it ensures the highest level of security for users’ assets. Its vision is Crypto for Everyone — to make crypto simpler, safer, and part of everyday life for a billion people.
About LINE NEXT Inc. LINE NEXT Inc., LINE’s venture dedicated to developing and expanding the Web3 ecosystem, providing new digital experiences, and leading Web3 innovation.
In an era of the atomisation of viewing practices through streaming, increasingly short, self-produced videos for TikTok and YouTube, and the reduction of all audiovisual material to “content” for various “platforms”, there is something refreshing about a bunch of strangers assembling in a dark room to collectively watch a giant screen with massive sound.
In other words, going to the movies.
And there’s no better place to see films limited in mainstream release than at film festivals. The standard of the films screening at this year’s Sydney Film Festival was exceptional, and it is difficult to select a top five out of the 40 or so I managed to see. But here goes!
Sirât
Produced by Pedro Almodovar, writer-director Oliver Laxe’s Sirât, which recently won the Jury Prize at Cannes, follows middle-aged Luis (Sergi López) as he travels with his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) and their dog Pipa looking for his estranged daughter in the desert rave scene. They team up with a group of ravers and set off across Southern Morocco towards the next party.
Early on, there are some hints that things are awry on a broader scale – the military break up the opening doof, and we hear, at one point, World War III has broken out.
And as the film unfolds, things take a turn for the worse, with a litany of tragedies – increasingly absurd – afflicting the members of the group. The vaguely futuristic world of the opening crystallises into something much more terrifying than the kind of shrill cinematic post-apocalypticism we’ve become used to through films like Fury Road.
What begins as a kind of paean to raving – replete with bass-thumping speakers (cranked in theatres to eardrum pounding loudness), a “cool” crew of trippers, and an emphasis on the free lives of the ravers (played by real-life party-goers) – rapidly descends into a wild existential nightmare. And the idea that life is a kind of free consumerist party for westerners is viciously dismembered in the second half: we are all refugees in this era.
Sirât is a masterpiece. Its stunning 16mm film images (courtesy of cinematographer Mauro Herve) are complemented by exceptional sound design by Laia Casanova, a majesty of image and sound demanding to be experienced in a cinema.
Somebody
Written and directed by Lee Jung-chan and Kim Yeo-jung, the South Korean film Somebody is a puzzling, intense psycho drama about precociously evil child So-hyun (Gi So-yoo) and the pressures this places on her single mother Yeong-eun (Kwak Sun-young).
An unsettling horror thriller, the film also plays like a study of the evil child archetype. It works through the genre’s cliches, unpicking them while eschewing the usual evil-kid scares in favour of looking at the complex interplay between and ambiguity around the image of child as brat/evil and mother as caring/enabler.
In the first half, the point of view oscillates between an image of the child as evil and the child as scared. In the second half, the evil child has grown up, and we follow her towards the film’s brutal (and unexpected) ending.
And this is where Somebody excels. It taps into the fear of parents that their children are alien parasites – who is this stranger now living off me? – but also the difficulties for children in feeling isolated and scared.
Somebody is a deeply sad and troubling film, buoyed by excellent performances from adults and children alike. In real life, the idea that a kid would be born evil is preposterous, but it’s a movieland cliché that works. Somebody addresses this idea with a genuinely impressive vision.
Harvest
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest is a melancholic, elegiac film set in a rural community in Scotland in the Middle Ages. When the economic harmony of the village is disrupted by the advent of a new noble, three wandering strangers are mercilessly scapegoated, despite the efforts of villager Walter Thirsk (Caleb Landry Jones, in a beautifully understated performance) to protect them.
Despite the turmoil it depicts, the film unfolds as gently as the familiar rhythms of the seasons.
Cinematographer Sean Price Williams’ 16mm images are uncannily beautiful, supported by an astonishing score and sound design from Nicolas Becker.
This fable about the ravages of modernity (recalling Vincent Ward’s The Navigator) – of the violence of calendar time as it overcomes the time of the harvest – is exceptional in every respect.
Not much happens. It’s a slow-moving, brooding film, and it would not be nearly as compelling seen on a small screen. But for those of us willing to make a trip to the movies, Harvest is immensely satisfying.
Redux Redux
Part of the eternally rousing Freak Me Out strand of the program from film critic Richard Kuipers, Kevin and Matthew McManus’ Redux Redux is the kind of high concept film that could easily depend too much on its ingenious conceit (a woman travels throughout the multiverse repeatedly avenging the murder of her daughter) and forget about the stuff that actually makes films work (coherent, striking visual design, immersive sound and compelling performances).
But Redux Redux gets everything right, maintaining its iron grip on the viewer from the opening title card to the closing credits. Michaela McManus – sister of the writer-directors – is brilliant as the grieving, vengeful mother, playing the part with a staid intensity that never tips into hysteria or melodrama.
There are some funny moments – the amusingly lowbrow design of the multiverse machine, for example. But the film never feels like it plays too hard for laughs. Paul Koch’s synth music and sound design are richly atmospheric without coming off as trite, and perfectly support the crisp, economical cinematography of Alan Gwizdowski.
The most impressive thing about the film is the effortlessness with which the story feels like it develops throughout – even though the plot, on the surface, involves the same thing being repeated ad nauseam.
Unlike, for example, in the case of the multiverse-themed Everything Everywhere All at Once, Redux Redux never comes across as self-indulgent, clever for its own sake. It never feels like anything other than a compulsively watchable – and immensely pleasurable – revenge thriller.
Alpha
Writer-director Jan-Willem van Ewijk’s Alpha begins as a lightly comedic intergenerational social satire.
Thirty-something Rein (Reinout Scholten van Aschat), a Dutch snowboarder in the Swiss alps, clashes with his movie-star father, Gijs (Gijs Scholten van Aschar), when Gijs visits him. Gijs flirts with Rein’s girlfriend, asks inappropriate questions about race, and parties with his son’s friends, all the time escalating the stakes, becoming increasingly overbearing and competitive.
It’s funny and familiar fare, treading similar terrain to a Ruben Östland film, and it’s well-done. Pairing a real life father and son is a casting act of genius, adding both pathos and authenticity to their competition.
Similar to Sirât, Alpha takes a sudden turn at the mid-way point. Father and son are trapped in an avalanche. It becomes a race against time as son tries to rescue father in a gruelling battle for survival.
Its brutal second half completely detonates the entire scaffold of our pleasure from the first half. Testament to the craft of van Ewijk (and the talent of the stars), this radical change in tone never feels incoherent or contrived.
By the end of Alpha, the petty dick-swinging of father and son from the first half – and the energetic (and well-shot) skiing footage – becomes nothing before the austere, cold majesty of the mountains looming over and entrapping them.
Alpha is a masterclass in audience manipulation. A truly devastating experience for the viewer.
Other notable films – and one dud!
There were too many excellent films to note them all. Some include master auteur Christian Petzold’s Mirrors No. 3, a film – typical of Petzold – of people haunted by ghosts of lives lost and faded desires, an understated film which – again, customary for Petzold’s work – has an enigmatic air one can’t quite put one’s finger on.
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent was another standout: a fun, rollicking romp for cinephiles about political machinations in Brazil in the 1970s.
Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, a biopic of American songwriter Lorenz Hart, had a charmingly goofy affect, as did Vie Privée, a breezy French thriller starring Jodie Foster as a psychoanalyst caught up in a mystery.
Olmo, which could easily have made the top five, is a charming coming of age odyssey about a Mexican-American 14-year-old going to a party with his crush. The Love That Remains is a stunningly shot, surreal comedy about the trials and tribulations of an Icelandic family.
As per usual, some exceptional documentaries screened. Joh: The Last King of Queensland made by Kriv Stenders (better known for narrative works like Red Dog), is a formally compelling study of the reign of Australia’s longest serving premier.
The Raftsmen is an uplifting crowd-pleaser about the expedition from Ecuador to Australia that captivated the public’s attention in 1973. The film is built around an exceptional archive of contemporaneous 16mm footage shot by the rafters.
Lowland Kids, produced by Darren Aronofsky, is a carefully observed documentary about a community in Louisiana forced to relocate because of climate change. This tender film counterpoints the grim reality of global warming with the individual disappointments of the characters’ personal lives.
The only truly execrable film I saw was Michel Franco’s Dreams, a hokey, profoundly dumb film masquerading as something cutting edge (wow – there’s sex, and the camera doesn’t move much), cashing in on topical problems in the United States. Worst of all – and despite ballet sequences, which are always good to watch – it’s a very ugly film.
Given the mediocre quality of much contemporary Hollywood cinema, one dud out of 40 isn’t too bad!
Ari Mattes 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.
The Middle East is a region of intense beauty and ancient kingdoms. It has also repeatedly endured periods of geopolitical instability over many centuries.
Today, geopolitical, socio-political and religious tensions persist. The world is currently watching as longstanding regional tensions come to a head in the shocking and escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
The global airline industry takes a special interest in how such tensions play out. This airspace is a crucial corridor linking Europe, Asia and Africa.
The Middle East is now home to several of the world’s largest international airlines: Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. These airlines’ home bases – Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, respectively – have become pivotal hubs in international aviation.
Keeping passengers safe will be all airlines’ highest priority. What could an escalating conflict mean for both the airlines and the travelling public?
Safety first
History shows that the civil airline industry and military conflict do not mix. On July 3 1988, the USS Vincennes, a US navy warship, fired two surface-to-air missiles and shot down Iran Air Flight 655, an international passenger service over the Persian Gulf.
More recently, on July 17 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine as the battle between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists continued.
Understandably, global airlines are very risk-averse when it comes to military conflict. The International Civil Aviation Organization requires airlines to implement and maintain a Safety Management System (SMS).
One of the main concerns – known as “pillars” – of the SMS is “safety risk management”. This includes the processes to identify hazards, assess risks and implement risk mitigation strategies.
The risk-management departments of airlines transiting the Middle East region will have been working hard on these strategies.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, the International Civil Aviation Organization has strict requirements and protocols to keep passengers safe. meunierd/Shutterstock
Route recalculation
The most immediate and obvious evidence of such strategies being put in place are changes to aircraft routing, either by cancelling or suspending flights or making changes to the flight plans. This is to ensure aircraft avoid the airspace where military conflicts are flaring.
At the time of writing, a quick look at flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows global aircraft traffic avoiding the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon. The airspace over Ukraine is also devoid of air traffic.
Rerouting, however, creates its own challenges. Condensing the path of the traffic into smaller, more congested areas can push aircraft into and over areas that are not necessarily equipped to deal with such a large increase in traffic.
Having more aircraft in a smaller amount of available safe airspace creates challenges for air traffic control services and the pilots operating the aircraft.
More time and fuel
Avoiding areas of conflict is one of the most visible forms of airline risk management. This may add time to the length of a planned flight, leading to higher fuel consumption and other logistical challenges. This will add to the airlines’ operating costs.
There will be no impact on the cost of tickets already purchased. But if the instability in the region continues, we may see airline ticket prices increase.
It is not just the avoidance of airspace in the region that could place upward pressure on the cost of flying. Airliners run on Jet-A1 fuel, produced from oil.
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint”, this could see the cost of oil, and in turn Jet-A1, significantly increase. Increasing fuel costs will be passed on the paying passenger. However, some experts believe such a move is unlikely.
A major hub
The major aviation hubs in the Middle East provide increased global connectivity, enabling passengers to travel seamlessly between continents.
Increased regional instability has the potential to disrupt this global connectivity. In the event of a prolonged conflict, airlines operating in and around the region may find they have increased insurance costs. Such costs would eventually find their way passed on to consumers through higher ticket prices.
Across the globe, airlines and governments are issuing travel advisories and warnings. The onus is on the travelling public to stay informed about changes to flight status, and potential delays.
Such warnings and advisories can lead to a drop in passenger confidence, which may then lead to a drop in bookings both into and onwards from the region.
Until the increase in instability in the Middle East, global airline passenger traffic numbers were larger than pre-pandemic figures. Strong growth had been predicted in the coming decades.
Anything that results in falling passenger confidence could negatively impact these figures, leading to slowed growth and affecting airline profitability.
Despite high-profile disasters, aviation remains the safest form of transport. As airlines deal with these challenges they will constantly work to keep flights safe and to win back passenger confidence in this unpredictable situation.
Natasha Heap does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Washington (June 16, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans released the Senate Finance portion of their reconciliation bill text.
“Tonight, Senate Republicans released bill text that would take from children and families, make the biggest cuts to health care in United States history, and forsake the future of our planet – all to give tax breaks to billionaires. Millions of children would lose the Child Tax Credit. Cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act would force hospitals and nursing homes to cut back services or close, and millions of Americans would need to travel further, wait longer, and pay more for their health care.
“Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are doubling down on egregious attacks on the historic investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs and hundreds of billions in investments in our communities. Instead of helping to lower energy costs and reduce pollution, Republicans are continuing their vendetta against wind and solar energy – the cheapest and cleanest sources of electricity – to pad the pockets of their Big Oil and Gas Buddies.
“Republicans do not have to pass this Big, Ugly Bill. There is no need to force people out of work, rip people’s health care away from them, or steal from our future. Republicans must stand up and say no to this Big Billionaire Boondoggle.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday (local time) to participate in the G7 Summit, where he will meet with global leaders and share India’s views on key international challenges.
As part of his ongoing three-nation tour — which began in Cyprus and will conclude in Croatia — PM Modi said that he would highlight the concerns of the Global South during the Summit. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Landed in Calgary, Canada, to take part in the G7 Summit. Will be meeting various leaders at the Summit and sharing my thoughts on important global issues. Will also be emphasising the priorities of the Global South.”
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that PM Modi will participate in G7 discussions on the future of energy security. These discussions will focus on diversification, technological innovation, infrastructure, and investment, aimed at ensuring access and affordability in a changing global landscape.
“At the invitation of PM @MarkJCarney, PM @narendramodi arrives in Alberta, Canada for the G7 Summit,” Jaiswal wrote on X. “PM will be participating in @G7 discussions on energy security… and will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines.”
PM Modi’s arrival in Canada comes at a time of diplomatic recalibration between the two nations, following a period of strained relations.
Other invitees to the G7 meeting are Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Lee Jae-Myung of South Korea, and Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
The G7 Summit is an annual gathering of leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and the European Union. This year’s edition marks PM Modi’s sixth straight attendance at the Summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday (local time) to participate in the G7 Summit, where he will meet with global leaders and share India’s views on key international challenges.
As part of his ongoing three-nation tour — which began in Cyprus and will conclude in Croatia — PM Modi said that he would highlight the concerns of the Global South during the Summit. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Landed in Calgary, Canada, to take part in the G7 Summit. Will be meeting various leaders at the Summit and sharing my thoughts on important global issues. Will also be emphasising the priorities of the Global South.”
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that PM Modi will participate in G7 discussions on the future of energy security. These discussions will focus on diversification, technological innovation, infrastructure, and investment, aimed at ensuring access and affordability in a changing global landscape.
“At the invitation of PM @MarkJCarney, PM @narendramodi arrives in Alberta, Canada for the G7 Summit,” Jaiswal wrote on X. “PM will be participating in @G7 discussions on energy security… and will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines.”
PM Modi’s arrival in Canada comes at a time of diplomatic recalibration between the two nations, following a period of strained relations.
Other invitees to the G7 meeting are Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Lee Jae-Myung of South Korea, and Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
The G7 Summit is an annual gathering of leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and the European Union. This year’s edition marks PM Modi’s sixth straight attendance at the Summit.
