Digital Crop Survey (DCS) System has been established to collect crop-sown details via a mobile interface, ensuring data is captured directly from the field. This database provides accurate, real-time crop area information for every agricultural plot, which will help to arrive at accurate production estimation.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has developed the Agri Stack in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other IT laws of the country. AgriStack ensures complete privacy of farmers’ data by ensuring that farmers’ data is collected only with their consent. Farmers have full control over their data, which is only shared with authorized entities based on their consent for a specific purpose. Moreover, Agri Stack has been developed in a federal manner so that states have control over the entire data. The Government of India also ensures robust data security in the Agri Stack, which is fully compliant with the cyber security guidelines of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). Agri Stack sends farmers’ information in a secret code so that only the designated system can read it. Secure APIs and token-based authentication govern all data exchanges, ensuring controlled access to data. In addition, the government conducts security audits of all these IT systems and monitors risks.
Although internet penetration has increased in rural areas, additional steps have been taken to ensure digital inclusion of farmers who do not have mobile phones, they can use existing support structures like Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Krishi Sakhis, and Common Service Centres (CSCs), to get them registered on Agristack and access services and benefits. Further, states are organizing the camps so that no farmer is left out from getting the benefits of Agristack. The Government is providing administrative and technical support to all the states for implementation of the Mission.
The State Farmer Registry under the Digital Agriculture Mission covers all the land holders’ farmers, including women farmers. Farmers Registry application also has the provision to onboard the tenant and lessee farmers. A State can decide to include such farmers in the Farmers Registry as per the state’s policy.
This information was given by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Agriculture is a State subject and Government of India supports the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures, budgetary allocation and various schemes/ programmes. The various schemes/ programmes of the Government of India are meant for the welfare of farmers by increasing production, remunerative returns and income support to farmers. The Government has substantially enhanced the budget allocation of Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare(DA&FW) from Rs. 21933.50 crore BE during 2013-14 to Rs. 1,22,528.77 crore BE during 2024-25. Major schemes/programmes initiated by DA&FW to increase the income of farmers including small and marginal farmers and for the development of agriculture Sector in India are as under:
11. Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises’ (AgriSURE)
12. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)
13. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM)
14. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
15. Soil Health & Fertility (SH&F)
16. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
17. Agroforestry
18. Crop Diversification Programme (CDP)
19. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)
20. Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)
21. National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM)
22. Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM)
23. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
24. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oil Palm
25. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oilseeds
26. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region
27. Digital Agriculture Mission
28. National Bamboo Mission
Indian Council on Agricultural Research (ICAR) has released a compilation of success stories of 75,000 farmers who have increased their income more than two times by convergence of schemes being operated by Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and the allied Ministries/Departments.
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) conducted a Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of Agricultural Households during NSS 77th round (January, 2019 – December, 2019) with reference to the agricultural year July, 2018- June, 2019 in the rural areas of the country.
According to these surveys, the estimated average monthly income per agricultural household increased from ₹6,426 in 2012-13 (NSS 70th round) to ₹10,218 in 2018-19 (NSS 77th round).
As per NSSO Survey on House hold Consumption Expenditure (2023-24), a comparison of the estimates of all-India average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) is as under:
Sector
Average MPCE (Rs.) over different period
2011-12 NSS
(68th round)
2023-2024
Rural
1,430
4,122
Urban
2,630
6,996
Difference as % of Rural MPCE
83.9
69.7
This information was given by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
From Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau: On July 31, 1943, Ohio native and National Guardsman Pvt. Rodger Young demonstrated tremendous courage while helping his platoon withdraw from an enemy ambush on the Solomon Islands, costing him his life but saving many others. For his heroic actions, Pvt. Young was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor—one of the 3,528 heroes we celebrate this National Media of Honor Day.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade
Detained and Missing Staff
Syria/Security Council
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UN Interim Force In Lebanon
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo / Mediation
Burundi
Sudan
South Sudan
Ukraine
Myanmar
Ecuador
Child Mortality
VICTIMS OF SLAVERY AND TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
Today is the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly event to mark the Day and said that the transatlantic slave trade is an indelible stain on the conscience of humanity.
Today, he said, we remember the women, children, and men forced to work in agonizing conditions, savagely punished, and deprived of their dignity and human rights, and we take strength in their resistance and demands for justice.
The Secretary-General said the obscene profits derived from chattel slavery and the racist ideologies that underpinned the trade are still with us, and he urged everyone to play their part in building inclusive societies free from the evils of racism.
DETAINED AND MISSING STAFF
Today is the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members. One hundred and one personnel were arrested or detained last year alone. In total, at least 52 of UN personnel are still in detention globally.
In his message, the Secretary-General says we stand with all those detained, and with their families and loved ones, as we call for their immediate release and safe return.
He urges governments to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel, and to continue pursuing accountability and justice for these crimes, while enhancing support and protection.
And in a video message, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that the rights of all U.N. staff must be fully respected.
Out of the 52 detained colleagues, 23 as you know are arbitrarily detained in Yemen alone. Eight of those are from the Human Rights Office. “Their continued detention is a grave injustice,” Mr. Türk said.
On this Day, the UN renews the calls for their immediate and unconditional release.
SYRIA/SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning at the Security Council, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, told Council members that Syria stands at a crossroads: either to return to violence or to overcome the conflict and revive the economy. To take the right path, Syria needs increased and continued international support, he said.
For his part, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said that we are making progress on the humanitarian front. We are now using more routes to deliver aid.
He added that the reality is still grim. 16 million people – nearly three-quarters of the Syrian population – lack sufficient food, water, shelter, and medicine. We need to move with greater urgency, while we can – he said.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=25%20March%202025
New funding from the Province will allow the City of Merritt to rebuild two damaged dikes to higher standards to better protect against flooding and keep people safe.
The Province is providing the City of Merritt with $60 million to relocate and rebuild two critical dikes, on both banks of the Coldwater River, that were damaged during the flooding of November 2021.
“Today marks a significant step forward in the City of Merritt’s recovery from the 2021 atmospheric river event, which was devastating for the community,” said Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “Moving and rebuilding these dikes will allow the river to flow more naturally, bringing ecosystem benefits while better protecting Merritt from future flooding. We’ll continue to support communities throughout B.C. as they recover from the 2021 event to keep people safe and better prepared.”
Intense rainfall caused the Coldwater River to overflow its banks, leading to failure of the dikes and catastrophic flooding in Merritt. Because the flooding changed the course of the river, the dikes could not be rebuilt at the existing locations and must be rebuilt at alternative sites.
“This $60-million investment is a game-changer for Merritt,” said Micheal Goetz, mayor of Merritt. “The construction of dikes 129 and 130 means our community can finally breathe a sigh of relief, knowing we are taking real steps to protect our homes, businesses, and vital infrastructure. This funding brings us closer to a safer, more resilient future — one where we can face the future with greater confidence and security.”
This funding will allow the City of Merritt to reconstruct the dikes to modern standards and acquire land to build the dikes in new locations. These projects are part of the City of Merritt’s flood mitigation plan to restore and protect the community after the 2021 flooding. Other key projects in the plan, being undertaken with support of the local First Nations, include ecosystem restoration, riverbank restoration and armouring to prevent erosion. Relocating and rebuilding the two dikes will also help reduce flood risks to downstream communities and benefit the local ecosystem by preserving the natural flow of the river.
“The Shackan Indian Band is happy to see our neighbours receive the needed funding for rebuilding these dikes, helping the city mitigate risks from future flooding,” said Chief Lindsay Tighe, Shackan Indian Band. “The flooding in 2021 has been absolutely devastating to our communities; some of our community members remain evacuated as Shackan continues to recover. Our support is a step toward a stronger relationship with the City of Merritt and neighbours, as we all depend on a healthy Nicola Valley. It is encouraging to see various partners throughout the Nicola Valley continuing to work together three years after the devastating flooding, to make our communities stronger and more resilient. ”
Rebuilding these key dikes is one of several flood-mitigation and restoration projects funded by the Province to support the City of Merritt. Other projects include reconstructing the Middlesboro Bridge, rebuilding dikes and banks along the Coldwater River, road repairs, park restorations and water-well restorations.
Learn More:
For information about disaster and climate-risk reduction, visit ClimateReadyBC: https://www.ClimateReadyBC.ca
For more information about the City of Merritt’s flood mitigation plan, visit: https://flood.merritt.ca/
To learn more about the City of Merritt, visit: https://www.merritt.ca/
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
INDIANAPOLIS— 14 individuals have been charged in a federal indictment alleging a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine in Indianapolis, Lafayette, and surrounding communities. The charges follow a successful law enforcement operation in which 13 total individuals have been arrested and are in federal custody. Eight individuals were arrested on March 21, 2025. The following lists the individuals indicted and the charges they face:
Defendant
Charge(s)
Tanesha M. Turner, 39
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Kidnapping
Carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime
Accessory to a crime after the fact
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Charles T. Dunson, 44
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Distribution of methamphetamine
Possession of a machinegun
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Tre J. Dunn, 27
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Causing Death by Using a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime
Possessing, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime
Nahamani I. Sargent, 34
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Retaliating against a witness
Use of fire or explosives
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Byron A. Mason, 38
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Unlawful use of a cell phone
Adrian J. Bullock, 34
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Avery J. Bullock, 27
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute
John M. Whitfield, 37
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Aaliyah Hackett, 23
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Unlawful use of a cell phone
Emorrie J. Dunn, 26
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Chancelor R. Walker, 38
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
D’Ericka Lee, 30
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Lamar T. Browning, 39
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
Mark C. Marshall, 57
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
This was a multi-agency operation, involving ten agencies who assisted with the investigation and the arrests on the morning of March 21, 2025. Law enforcement has asked the public for assistance in locating fugitive Lamar T. Browning. He should be considered armed and dangerous. Those with information are asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
According to the indictment, all 14 defendants allegedly operated a drug trafficking conspiracy, selling meth, fentanyl, cocaine and heroin out of several trap houses in Indianapolis.
Some members of the conspiracy allegedly committed multiple acts of violence, including murder, firing gunshots, throwing Molotov cocktails at a home, kidnapping, and pistol-whipping in order to intimidate drug customers and rival drug dealers The violence was used as a tool to collect money owed to them by their drug customers, to protect the locations that they used to distribute drugs, and to retaliate against potential witnesses.
Specifically, Nahamani Sargent allegedly fired gunshots and threw Molotov cocktails at the home of a customer, believing that the victim had provided information about the conspiracy to law enforcement.
Additionally, Tanesha Turner allegedly kidnapped a victim at gunpoint and held them for ransom because they owed $40. Tre Dunn then allegedly shot the same victim for owing money and providing information to law enforcement.
Tre Dunn also allegedly aided and abetted the murder of a man because he disrespected him and his associate during a failed drug deal. Tanesha Turner then allegedly aided Dunn by driving him to another location following the murder to prevent his arrest.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to life in federal prison.
The following investigative agencies collaborated to make this investigation and recent warrant execution possible:
Federal Bureau of Investigation (Indianapolis, Chicago, and Cincinnati SWAT)
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, SWAT
Fishers Police Department, SWAT
Drug Enforcement Administration
United States Department of Agriculture
Indiana Capitol Police Department
Indiana Department of Homeland Security
Johnson County Sheriff’s Department
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley A. Blackington and Kelsey Massa, who are prosecuting this case.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). This operation is part of the Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program.
An indictment or criminal complaint are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Headline: N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Announces America 250 NC Grants to 58 Counties
N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Announces America 250 NC Grants to 58 Counties jejohnson6
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ America 250 NC initiative has dispersed nearly $1.2 million in a second round of grant funds across 58 counties in the state. The grant-funded projects include new cultural events, physical and digital exhibits, historical markers, and more all inspired by North Carolina’s revolutionary history and the themes of America 250 NC. The America 250 NC Grants are designed to spark programs and activities on a local level to create a memorable and meaningful commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
“These America 250 NC grants will help local N.C. communities to more fully participate in the nationwide commemoration of our nation’s founding,” said DNCR Secretary Pamela Brewington Cashwell. “We look forward to working with communities across the state to build a memorable and meaningful celebration for all North Carolinians.”
In June 2024, DNCR issued nearly $900,000 across 34 counties in the first round of America 250 NC grants. Between the two rounds, $2.1 million in grant funds has been awarded in 74 of the state’s 100 counties. The second round of grant awards completed this funding initiative and no additional grant opportunities are currently planned. A list of current awardees is available online.
In 2026, America will commemorate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the development of a new nation dedicated to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
In the years since, our country has undergone many changes and faced many challenges. This commemoration offers a unique opportunity to reflect upon our country’s founding ideals. Explore the pivotal events, places, and voices, both historical and modern, that have shaped our state and country from the Halifax Resolves to the civil rights movement, and beyond.
America 250 NC is North Carolina’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary and is led by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
For more information, visit america250.nc.gov.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
Headline: Historic Halifax State Historic Site Hosts ‘Halifax Resolves Days: Prelude to Revolution’ on April 11-12, 2025
Historic Halifax State Historic Site Hosts ‘Halifax Resolves Days: Prelude to Revolution’ on April 11-12, 2025 jejohnson6
On April 12, 1776, the 4th Provincial Congress in session at Halifax, N.C., passed a resolution that became known as “The Halifax Resolves.” In this document, North Carolinians declared their grievances against British rule and encouraged their delegates in the Continental Congress to vote for independence. It was the first official action of any of the 13 colonies calling for independence.
Historic Halifax State Historic Site will commemorate the 249th anniversary of the Halifax Resolves with an exciting two-day event. Immerse yourself in the past as skilled historians bring to life the Revolutionary-era citizens of Halifax. Discover the pivotal role North Carolina and its people played in shaping the destiny of America. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with history firsthand.
Festivities begin on Friday, April 11. Steven Green will present a lecture about American Indian Patriots at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Room at the Historic Court House. Later that day, at 11 a.m., Tom King will lecture on the life of the Rev. Edward Drumgoole at the First Baptist Church of Halifax. Both lectures on Friday are sponsored by the Halifax County’s A250 Churches, Genealogy, and Cemeteries Committee. At 10 a.m. members of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe will hold a ceremony at Magazine Springs. Guided tours of historic buildings and living history demonstrations are available from noon-5 p.m.
On Saturday, April 12, the Sons of the American Revolution will host a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the Colonial Courthouse at 10 a.m., followed by the Historical Halifax Restoration Association’s annual commemoration ceremony at 2 p.m. Guided tours of historic buildings, living history, historic vignettes, and artillery demonstrations will be ongoing from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., the historic Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church will offer a community church service — all welcome to attend. To finish the night, a free concert on the steps of the Historic Courthouse on King Street will begin at 7 p.m. The concert is sponsored by the Town of Halifax and made possible through funding by America 250 NC.
Special programming by supporting community partners will occur in Halifax on both days. The Bradford-Denton House will offer ongoing hearth cooking, blacksmithing, and other living history demonstrations. The Royal White Hart Lodge #2 will be open for tours. A variety of food trucks will be available throughout the weekend. All activities are free.
A full schedule of events and a site map will be available online at https://www.america250.nc.gov. For more information, please call Historic Halifax State Historic Site at (252) 583-7191.
About Historic Halifax State Historic Site Located on the Roanoke River, the town of Halifax developed into a commercial and political center at the time of the American Revolution. North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress met in Halifax in the spring of 1776 where it unanimously adopted a document on April 12 that became knowns as the “Halifax Resolves,” the first official action by an entire colony recommending independence from England. A temporary visitor center operates Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., from the Tap Room tavern (101 N. King St.). The site is closed Sunday, Monday, and most major holidays
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
Headline: State Historic Preservation Office Begins Graham County Comprehensive Architectural Survey
State Historic Preservation Office Begins Graham County Comprehensive Architectural Survey jejohnson6
Graham County has been chosen as the subject of a comprehensive survey of historic buildings and landscapes planned to take place in 2025. The 2025 architectural survey will intensively document historic buildings and landscapes from the 19th century through the 1970s. Data gathered during the survey will assist Graham County in planning for the preservation of its historic resources for years to come.
Dr. Michael Ann Williams and Audrey Thomas, architectural survey specialists with the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO), will complete the project. They will conduct fieldwork from April to May, with the project concluding in late 2025.
Architectural survey entails documentation of buildings and landscapes that are at least 50 years old. Fieldworkers take photographs, draw site plans, and collect oral history from people they meet on site. They conduct a limited amount of archival research to establish countywide patterns of historical development. Properties that appear to be potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as historic districts, will be identified. National Register properties are potentially eligible for state and federal tax credits for certified historic rehabilitation. The Graham County Comprehensive Architectural Survey will culminate in a final report that analyzes the history of the county through the lens of its historic architecture.
After the survey, the HPO will retain all materials from the survey as part of the statewide architectural record. Public access to the information will be available through HPOWEB, the HPO’s geographic information system, which is accessible online at http://gis.ncdcr.gov/hpoweb/. The survey material will facilitate the environmental review necessary for state and federal undertakings and will aid in planning for future economic and community development projects. Survey products also will be useful for the continued development of heritage tourism programs in Graham County.
For more information on the Graham County Comprehensive Architectural Survey, contact Elizabeth C. King, Architectural Survey Coordinator for the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, at elizabeth.king@dncr.nc.gov or 828-250-3108, or Michael Ann Williams at michaelann.williams@dncr.nc.gov or Audrey Thomas at audrey.thomas@dncr.nc.gov or 828-296-7230.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO OF SEN. WARNER’S OPENING REMARKS IS AVAILABLE HERE
WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) delivered opening remarks at the Intelligence Committee’s annual Worldwide Threats Assessment hearing.
Sen. Warner’s opening remarks as delivered are below:
Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, everybody, and I want to thank all the witnesses for being here.
I got to say, I’ve been on the committee now for 14 years, and this year’s assessment is clearly one of the most complicated and challenging in my tenure on the committee.
And I want to get into that in a moment, but I want to, first of all, address the recent story that broke in the news.
Yesterday, we stunningly learned that senior members of this administration and according to reports, two of our witnesses here today, were members of a group chat that discussed highly sensitive and likely classified information that supposedly even included ‘weapons packages, targets and timing,’ and included the name of an active CIA agent.
Putting aside for a moment that classified information should never be discussed over an unclassified system, it’s also just mind boggling to me that all these senior folks were on this line and nobody bothered to even check, security hygiene 101…
Who are all the names? Who are they?
Well, it apparently includes a journalist.
And no matter how much the Secretary of Defense or others want to disparage him, this journalist had at least the ethics to not report everything he heard.
The question I raise is: everybody on this committee gets briefed on security protocols. They’re told you don’t make calls outside of SCIFs of this kind of classified nature.
Director Gabbard is the executive in charge of all keeping our secrets safe. Were these government devices? Or were they personal devices? Have the devices been collected to make sure there’s no malware?
There’s plenty of declassified information that shows that our adversaries, China and Russia, are trying to break in to encrypted systems like Signal.
I can just say this. If this was the case of a military officer, or an intelligence officer, and they had this kind of behavior, they would be fired. I think this is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly towards classified information, that this is not a one off or a first time error.
Let me take a couple of minutes and review some of the other reckless choices that this administration has made regarding our national security. We all recall it seems like it wasn’t that long ago, but less than two months ago, in the first two weeks, the administration canceled all U.S. foreign assistance.
Now, some may say, how can that how bad can that be, its foreign assistance?
Well, U.S. foreign assistance paid for the units in Ukraine to provide air defense to civilian cities being attacked by Russia.
Foreign assistance paid for guarding camps in Syria, where ISIS fighters are to be detained.
Foreign assistance paid for programs abroad that ensure that diseases like Ebola don’t come home.
And until recently, it paid for the construction of a railway in Africa that would have help given the United States much needed access to critical minerals in Congo.
Now that project… China is going to try to finance it as well.
In the first two weeks, the administration fired several of our most experienced FBI agents, including the head of the criminal Investigative submission, the head of the intelligence division, the head of the Counterterrorism division, the heads of the New York, Washington and Miami field office, all individuals who were distinctly and directly responsible for helping to keep America safe.
The irony a little bit, was the recently dismissed head of the counterterrorism division was involved in disrupting the ISIS attacks planned for Oklahoma City and Philadelphia and helped lead the effort to bring to justice the key planner of the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, who killed 13 U.S. servicemen and 150 civilians.
That very Abbey Gate effort was actually praised by the president in his state of the Union address.
The administration’s response to these agents’ good works and years of service was to force these folks out.
It’s hard to imagine how that makes our country safer.
Nor can I understand how Americans are made more secure by firing more than 300 staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration, including those responsible for overseeing the security and safety of the nuclear stockpile, or by ousting 130 employees at CSA.
The agency directly responsible for trying to take on China’s salt typhoon attack again. After Salt Typhoon, I would have thought folks on that group chat might have thought twice.
Or how are we made safer by sacking a thousand employees at the CDC and NIH. We’re actually directly working on trying to keep our country safe from disease by pushing out hundreds of intelligence officers.
The amazing thing is our intelligence officers, they’re not interchangeable like a Twitter coder. Our country makes $20,000 to $40,000 of an investment just in getting a security clearance.
It literally goes into six figures when you take the training involved. Can anyone tell how firing probationary individuals without any consideration for merit or expertise is an efficient use of taxpayer dollars?
And just to make clear that yesterday’s story in the Atlantic was not this rookie one-off, it’s a pattern.
I want to acknowledge Director Ratcliffe was not here in his position with this took place.
But again, earlier in the administration, when a new unclassified network was used, thereby exposing literally hundreds of CIA officers’ identities.
Those folks can’t go into the field now.
How does that make our government more efficient?
You know, again, this pattern of an amazing, cavalier attitude towards classified information is reckless and sloppy.
And perhaps what troubles me most is the way the administration has decided that we can take on all of our problems by ourselves without any need for friends or allies.
I agree that we’ve got to put America’s priorities first, but American first cannot mean America alone.
The intelligence we gather to keep Americans safe depends on a lot of allies around the world who have access to sources that we don’t have.
That’s sharing of information saves lives. And it’s not hypothetical.
We all remember (because it was declassified) last year when Austria worked with our community to make sure to expose a plot against Taylor Swift in Vienna that could have killed literally hundreds of individuals.
However, these relationships are not built in stone. They’re not dictated by law. Things like the Five Eyes are based on trust built on decades, but so often that trust is now breaking literally overnight.
Yet suddenly, for no reason that I can understand, the United States is starting to act like our adversaries are our friends. Voting in the UN with Russia, Belarus and North Korea. It’s a rogues gallery if ever heard one.
Treating our allies like adversaries, whether it’s threats to take over Greenland or over the Panama Canal, a destructive trade war with Canada, or literally threatening to kick Canada out of the Five Eyes, I feel our credibility is being enormously undermined with our allies, who I believe, and I think most of us on this committee, regardless of party believes, makes our country safer and stronger.
But how can our allies ever trust us as the kind of partner we used to be when we, without consultation or notice, for example, stop sharing information to Ukraine in its war for survival against Russia. Or how can our allies not only not trust our government, but potentially not our businesses with such arbitrary political decision?
Let me give you a few examples. You know, as a result of a lot of work from this committee and others in Congress, we made sure America’s commercial space industry is second to none from space to launch to commercial sensing and communications.
The United States has taken a lead. Yet overnight, this administration called into question the reliability of American commercial tech industry.
When maps are and other commercial space companies were directed to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
I’m going to tell you… I’m a business guy. Can’t say longer than being an elected official, but pretty close. That shockwave across all of commercial space and frankly, not just commercial space. I’ve heard it from some of our hyperscalers, in the tech community, has sent an enormous chill.
Who’s going to hire an American commercial space company, government or foreign business with the ability to have that taken down so arbitrarily?
It’s not just in the case of commercial space.
We’ve seen that Canada, Germany, Portugal have all been saying they’re rethinking buying F-35s.
I’ve heard from Microsoft and Google directly, and Amazon that they’re having questions about whether they can still sell their services.
We’ve also seen foreign adversaries and friends take advantage of this RIF in our national security areas, and our scientists.
Germany has already put out ads trying to attract some of our best scientists who’ve been RIFed and the Chinese intelligence agencies are posting on social media sites in the hopes of luring individuals with that national security clearance who’ve been pushed out, perhaps arbitrarily, to come into their service.
So, no, the signal fiasco is not a one off. It is, unfortunately, a pattern we’re seeing too often repeated.
I fear that we feel the erosion of trust from our workplace, from our companies, and from our allies and partners can’t be put back in the bottle overnight. Make no mistake, these actions make America less safe.
Spacesuits were an important consideration that Nasa had to factor into its plans to bring the astronauts back home. Wilmore and Williams had travelled to the ISS in Boeing’s experimental Starliner spacecraft, so they arrived wearing Boeing “Blue” spacesuits.
Following helium leaks and thruster (engine) issues with Starliner, Nasa decided it was safer not to send them back to Earth on that vehicle. The astronauts had to wait to return on one of the other spacecraft that ferry crew members to the ISS, the SpaceX Crew Dragon.
This meant they needed a different type of spacesuit, made by SpaceX for use in its vehicle only. Boeing’s suits cannot be used in Crew Dragon in part because the umbilicals (the flexible “pipes” that supply air and cooling to the suit) have connections and standards that don’t work with the ports inside a Crew Dragon.
This highlights a general problem for the growing number of space agencies and companies sending people into orbit, and for planned missions to the Moon and beyond. Ensuring that different spacesuits are compatible, or “interoperable”, with spacecraft they weren’t designed to be used in is vital if we are to protect astronauts’ lives during an emergency in space, especially in joint missions.
The spacesuits worn during a return from space are called “launch, entry and abort” (LEA) suits. These are airtight and provide life support to the astronauts in case there is a decompression, when air is lost from the cabin.
Unfortunately, a decompression has already caused loss of life in space. During the Soyuz 11 mission in 1971, three Soviet cosmonauts visited the world’s first space station, Salyut 1. But during preparations for re-entry, the crew cabin lost its air, killing cosmonauts Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev, who were not wearing LEA suits. All cosmonauts wore them after this incident.
As well as the connections for life support, the Boeing and SpaceX suits also have restraints and connections for communications that are specific to each vehicle. For their return home from the ISS in a SpaceX capsule, Williams was able into use a spare SpaceX suit that was already aboard the space station and the company sent up an additional suit on a cargo delivery for Wilmore to wear.
Two spacecraft are usually docked at the ISS as “lifeboats” to evacuate the astronauts in the event of an emergency. These are generally a SpaceX Crew Dragon and a Russian Soyuz capsule.
If an emergency evacuation were to occur and there weren’t enough of the right spacesuits available – for either the Crew Dragon or Soyuz – it could endanger astronauts during the fiery re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere. Interoperability between spacesuits has therefore become a matter of survival.
The Outer Space Treaty, which provides the basic framework for international space law, recognises astronauts as “envoys of humankind” and grants them specific legal protections. These were expanded on in subsequent UN treaties – notably the Rescue Agreement, which imposes a range of duties on states to render assistance to each others’ astronauts in cases of emergency, accident or distress.
For the ISS, a collaborative space programme with international flight crews, protocols include terms that set forth how this obligation is to be met. However, these protocols do not contain terms relating to spacesuit interoperability.
Risks to astronauts in space
A major potential cause of an emergency evacuation is space debris. The ISS has regularly had to manoeuvre to avoid collisions with debris – including entire defunct satellites.
In his memoir, Endurance, Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly describes being commanded to enter the Soyuz vehicle with two other crew members and prepare to detach from the ISS because of a close approach by a large defunct satellite. Luckily, the spacecraft passed by harmlessly.
As orbits become increasingly congested, with an exponential increase in the number of space objects being launched, the risk of collisions will also increase.
Ever more companies and governments are entering the human spaceflight arena. The Tiangong space station, China’s orbiting laboratory, has been fully operational since 2022, and there are plans to open it to space tourism, just like the ISS.
India is planning to join the community of nations with the capability to launch humans into space, under a programme called Gaganyaan. And while most space travellers remain government-funded astronauts, the number of private space-farers is increasing.
Billionaire Jared Isaacman (who is President Trump’s nominee to run Nasa) has commanded two private missions into orbit using Crew Dragon. On the second of these, he participated in the first spacewalk by privately funded astronauts. The ISS is set to be retired in 2030 – but one company, Houston-based Axiom Space, is already building a private space station.
Against this complex and part-unregulated backdrop, ensuring the interoperability of different spacecraft systems, including spacesuits, will increase levels of safety in this inherently risky activity.
While the safety and practicality of spacesuits has always been the top priority, compatibility between different suits and vehicles should also be high on the list. This requires space agencies and private spaceflight companies to engage with each other in a process to agree on standard interfaces and connections for life support and communications, across all their suits and space vehicles.
Amid this period of increased commercialisation and competition between the organisations and companies involved in orbital spaceflight, a move toward greater collaboration can only be a good thing.
Berna Akcali Gur 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.
I grew up in a mixed-heritage family. Both of my parents’ childhoods were deeply affected by colonialism in India and they often told me stories about this period in their lives. As a result, I inherited a sense of place and a feeling for a country which was never my home.
It’s a strange feeling, which I still struggle to put into words, though I tried in my memoir, Shalimar: A Story of Place and Migration, which holds at its heart the sensation and imagery of India’s climate and its wildlife. India, for me, will always coexist with English weather and the roses my father tended to in our modest, suburban home in Hayes, west London.
While we now have beautifully written, tender children’s books which address colonial history, from Nazneen Ahmed Pathak’s City of Stolen Magic (2023) to Jasbinder Bilan’s Nush and the Stolen Emerald (2024), The Secret Garden still holds a powerful spell over me. That’s because of its representation of nature and its use of fiction to tell a story about England and India, two countries brought together through the healing space of the garden.
I believe that re-contextualising A Secret Garden as an early work of climate fiction – a type of storytelling that imagines how climate change could shape our world – is an apt way to rethink this classic tale.
This article is part of Rethinking the Classics. The stories in this series offer insightful new ways to think about and interpret classic books and artworks. This is the canon – with a twist.
Published in 1911, The Secret Garden unfolds against the backdrop of the fictional Misselthwaite Manor and its walled garden on the Yorkshire Moors.
While Yorkshire and its thick sheets of rain, enveloped in mist and fog, is portrayed vividly by Hodgeson Burnett, the ghostly heat and skies of India are also woven throughout the book’s micro-climates. Hodgeson Burnett’s attention to nature is masterful and magical:
One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands out and throws one’s head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing … And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries.
The climates of India and Yorkshire blur into a new reality when seen through the eyes of the book’s central protagonist, the recently orphaned Mary Lennox. She is sent to live with her uncle after her parents die of cholera in colonial Calcutta.
Wilful and fiery, Mary’s grief and rootlessness seems to be unending until she follows a twitching robin into a walled garden. There she befriends other children including her cousin Colin, who uses a wheelchair, and the gardener, Weatherstaff.
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The hidden sanctuary and wonder of the garden is intertwined with Mary’s inner world and her search for solace after the loss of her parents. Her resilience thrives and blooms, particularly when she becomes a storyteller and draws the other children into this secret place through her tales of adventure.
Here, the telling of the “story” of the garden is as important as the experience of the garden itself. This is where fiction does its work – we need stories like this to recover a sense of care in times of ecological crisis.
Last year saw the launch of the Climate Fiction Prize, a vital endeavour to specifically support literary fiction as a cultural form which permits writers the freedom to imagine alternative paths for human existence. The Secret Garden is a work of such imagination, of transformation from otherwise impossible states of crisis and inertia.
Beyond the Canon
As part of the Rethinking the Classics series, we’re asking our experts to recommend a book or artwork that tackles similar themes to the canonical work in question, but isn’t (yet) considered a classic itself. Here is Davina Quinlivan’s suggestion:
Shaun Tan’s Tales From the Inner City (2018) is a beautiful and extremely moving collection of illustrated, eco-centric stories exploring the relationship between humans and animals in urban environments.
Tan is well known for his elegiac and often uncanny, playful storytelling and Tales From the Inner City skilfully braids these aesthetic values with a powerful message of hope and compassion for the wild and domestic creatures we share our world with. While there is no explicit reference to the climate crisis, Tan’s exquisite images illustrate stories of kinship between humans and dogs, snails, whales, pigeons, cats and tigers – all bound to each other as intertwined species.
Set within cities, the wild beauty of each animal seems enlarged, as does the poignancy of each story, reminding us of what we have to lose. Some of the creatures literally morph into giant versions of themselves, eerie against Tan’s various backdrops of urban space. In one story, two tiny humans are seen being carried through stormy waters, perched between the ears of an enormous cat. It’s an indelible image of hope and survival in the wake of environmental devastation. Tan’s imaginative power is utterly extraordinary.
Davina Quinlivan is an AHRC-funded StoryArcs Fellow based in the Department of English and Creative Writing at The University of Exeter. She is also an Artistic Lead with Emblaze, an imprint of Paper Nations. Paper Nations is an award-winning creative writing incubator illuminating stories of colour in the South West, funded by Arts Council England and produced by The Story Society, Bath Spa University.
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi will deliver the keynote address at the opening of the second meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) Health Working Group on Wednesday.
The meeting will take place at the Capital Zimbali Resort in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, and will last for three days.
The theme of the meeting will be “Accelerating Health Equity, Solidarity, and Universal Coverage”.
Motsoaledi will be joined by Deputy Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, and KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane.
The event will also include several side events that provide a platform for delegates to engage in bilateral and multilateral discussions on various critical issues, including strengthening health systems and promoting equitable access to health services.
Key issues for discussion during the meeting and side events include financial protection for universal health coverage (UHC) and maintaining health financing amid a challenging global economy.
The meeting will also zoom into strengthening investments and advancing UHC, bridging the equity gap to accelerate action to address the burden of non-communicable diseases, and responding to the global health financing emergency.
The Department of Health has announced that a co-sponsored event focused on the elimination of cervical cancer will take place alongside this meeting.
Delegates from G20 countries, invited nations, representatives, and international organisations will be in attendance.
South Africa holds the G20 Presidency from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025, only five years before the deadline of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda. South Africa has embraced the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” for its G20 Presidency.
The G20 comprises 19 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and the United States and two regional bodies, namely the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU).
The first virtual G20 Health Working Group meeting was held in January as part of the country’s G20 Presidency activities planned for this year. – SAnews.gov.za
[BOISE] – Attorney General Raúl Labrador joined 51 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in support of two military veterans and their families who were unlawfully denied their full G.I. Bill education benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In this case, U.S. Army veteran Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yoon and U.S. Air Force veteran Colonel Toby Doran were denied crucial education benefits to which they are clearly entitled. The brief argues that the VA has taken a restrictive interpretation of the G.I. Bills that contradicts the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Rudisill v. McDonough, which confirmed that veterans who qualify under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 G.I. Bills are entitled to a full 48 months of education benefits. Despite the clear precedent, the VA has continued to limit benefits based on an erroneous reading of the ruling, depriving veterans and their families of critical educational opportunities. “Our veterans have made profound sacrifices for our country,” said Attorney General Labrador. “It is the responsibility of the United States to meet every obligation and contractual agreement we as a country made in exchange for their service. Keeping our word is not optional.” This amicus brief was also joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
World news story
UN Human Rights Council 58: UK Statement for the DPRK’s UPR
UK Statement for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Universal Periodic Review Outcomes Session Statement. Delivered at the 58th HRC in Geneva.
Thank you, Madame Vice President.
The UK welcomes the DPRK’s continued engagement with the UPR process, including its report on the recommendations received. We hope that the DPRK will collaborate with the international community to take tangible steps towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
However we remain concerned by the lack of guarantees to ensure the implementation of the DPRK’s human rights obligations, and regret that it did not accept any of the UK’s recommendations, which were to:
Ratify the UN Convention against Torture and reform the judicial system to ensure respect for the right to a fair trial and end sentences that constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment;
Grant access to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK and accept technical cooperation from UN human rights mechanisms; and
Improve regulations to prevent gender-based discrimination and violence, particularly towards women and girls, including in penal facilities and the military.
There are still unacceptable reports of ongoing, widespread, and systematic human rights violations in the DPRK. The UK remains open to discussing any recommendations further.
overnor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $2.1 million in awards to 43 faith-based and not-for-profit organizations through the New York State Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development Services to improve public access to essential technologies. The funds are available to community organizations that will work directly with New Yorkers to help remove barriers for people who need technology resources, including telehealth appointments, career advancement services, remote educational opportunities, social services applications or other computer access needs.
“Technology is rapidly advancing, and we need to make sure that everyone has a fair chance at taking advantage of its resources,” Governor Hochul said. “From doctors appointments to opportunities in education and professional development, we are making these resources easily accessible for all New Yorkers.”
Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “The Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development is making good on Governor Hochul’s commitment to ensuring community-based organizations have access to critical state resources in order to serve the people of our great state. These grants to organizations across New York will help remove barriers for those in need to use technology resources to get telehealth, education, career advancement and any other support to better their lives.”
Director of the Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development Services Caura Washington said, In 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul reimagined the Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development Services Office commissioning this office to go on a 62-county tour. Our dedication to listen, understand, and respond to the needs often highlighted during that tour, in every region across our state, led to the development of this funding opportunity. Through the New York State request for application process, this opportunity was offered statewide, ensuring that funding was awarded with transparency and equal opportunity so that innovation and impact would take precedence. We are excited to continue to provide support across our state and meet the needs of everyday New Yorkers.”
President of New York State Interfaith Council A.R. Bernard said, “I applaud Governor Hochul for her visionary leadership and commitment to strengthening New York’s communities through the announcement of more than $2.1 million in awards to 43 faith-based and nonprofit organizations. This initiative reflects a deep understanding that communities thrive when faith-based and nonprofit partners are empowered to serve. I stand in full support of this effort and celebrate Governor Hochul’s continued promise to help these organizations fulfill their potential as pillars of hope, access, and opportunity for all.”
The grants of up to $50,000 will allow these organizations to further break down barriers for people in need of technology services by offering:
Technology access for communities across NYS.
Helping bridge gaps in technology for vulnerable populations.
Enhancing public programs with technology infrastructure investments.
Creating opportunities for public access to computers and the internet for education, job advancement, telehealth and more.
The goal of these grants is to work together with faith-based and non-profit organizations to enhance the ability to meet the community’s needs, including serving distinctly different populations and/or geographic locations and technology demands. The regions to receive the grants are:
Capital Region
Capital District Center for Independence (CDCI) $48,893
Higher Horizons Development Corp (HHDC) $49,433
Central New York
Syracuse Northeast Community Center (SNCC) $49,999
Finger Lakes
Episcopal SeniorLife Communities (ESLC) $50,000
Literacy West, NY (LWNY) $49,821
Mid-Hudson
CHOICE of New Rochelle (CHOICE of NY) $50,000
Echoes Africa Initiatives $50,000
NYSARC The ARC Mid-Hudson / Cornell Creative Arts Center $50,000
Parcare Community Health Network $50,000
Rockland Independent Living Center (BRIDGES) $50,000
United Hebrew of New Rochelle $42,431
Upon this Rock Ministries, Inc $50,000
Westchester Jewish Community Services, Inc. (WJCS) $50,000
Mohawk Valley
Muslim Community Association of Mohawk Valley (MCAMV) $50,000
Rescue Mission of Utica (RMU) $49,905
New York City Bronx
Bridge Builders Community Partnership (BBCP) $50,000
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) $50,000
Practice of Peace Foundation, Inc. $50,000
New York City Brooklyn
CAMBA $50,000
Kings Bay Y (KBY) $50,000
Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty (Met Council) $41,253
University Settlement Society of New York (USS) $50,000
New York City New York
Chinatown Manpower Project, Inc. (CMP) $50,000
Girls Write Now (GWN) $50,000
Muslim Community Network (MCN) $50,000
New York City Queens
Center for the Integration & Advancement of New Americans (CIANA) $25,000
Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP) $50,000
Korean American Family Services Center (KAFSC) $50,000
Korean Community Services of Metro (KCS) $50,000
Rise Now, Inc $50,000
Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation (RDRC) $49,967
Southern Tier
The Economic Opportunity Program, Inc. (EOP) $48,600
AIM Independent Living Center (AIM) $50,000
Western New York
Ardent Solutions, Inc. $50,000
Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers, Inc. (BFNC) $50,000
ChildCare Network of the Niagara Frontier, Inc. (The LINK) $50,000
Computers for Children, Inc. (AKA Mission: Ignite) $50,000
Gerard Place $49,793
Jewish Family Services of Western NY (JFS) $50,000
Literacy West NY, Inc. (LWNY) $49,533
The Chapel $ 36,715
Contracting organizations will start the development of the Community Resource Rooms to be available in the next few months, expanding technology accessibility for New Yorkers.
About the Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development Services
Since its creation in November of 2023, the New York State Office of Faith & Nonprofit Development Services has stood as a beacon of support and resources for faith-based and not-for-profit organizations across the State. At its core, the Office seeks to empower faith-based and not-for-profit organizations by providing essential information, facilitating access to state grants, and enhancing organizational capacities. More information is available on the Office of Faith & Nonprofit Development Services website.
Source: The White House
PROTECTING UNITED STATES NATIONAL SECURITY: Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order imposing tariffs on countries that import Venezuelan oil.
President Trump is levying a 25% tariff on all goods from any country that imports Venezuelan oil, whether directly from Venezuela or indirectly through third parties.
The tariffs will lapse one year after a country ceases importing Venezuelan oil—or sooner if officials deem it appropriate.
If tariffs are imposed on China, they will also apply to Hong Kong and Macau to prevent transshipment and evasion.
These tariffs aim to sever the financial lifelines of Nicolás Maduro’s corrupt regime and curb its destabilizing influence across the Western Hemisphere.
This action targets transnational criminal threats, such as the Tren de Aragua gang, and addresses the humanitarian crises fueled by Venezuela’s actions.
ADDRESSING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION: The Maduro regime poses an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
The Maduro regime systemically undermines democratic institutions by suppressing free and fair elections and consolidating power illegitimately.
Venezuela’s endemic corruption and mismanagement under Maduro have crushed its people and triggered a regional humanitarian and public health crisis.
Millions of Venezuelans have fled Maduro’s oppressive rule, imposing significant burdens on neighboring countries and destabilizing the Western Hemisphere.
The Maduro regime has aided and facilitated the infiltration of the Tren de Aragua gang—a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization—into the United States by failing to secure its borders, allowing the gang to flourish within Venezuela, and refusing to take action against its members.
These dangerous criminals exploited the previous administration’s open-border policies, establishing a foothold in U.S. communities and preying on American citizens through violent acts, including kidnapping, assault, and murder.
USING OUR LEVERAGE TO SAFEGUARD OUR INTERESTS: President Trump is using America’s economic might to safeguard our interests and punish those who support Maduro’s regime.
Tariffs are a powerful, proven source of leverage for protecting the national interest.
President Trump is sending a clear message that access to our economy is a privilege, not a right, and countries importing Venezuelan oil will face consequences.
As President Trump said in the Presidential Memorandum on American First Trade Policy, trade policy is a critical component in national security.
President Trump has successfully used tariffs in the past to advance America’s interests and address urgent national security threats and is doing so again today.
Medicine and dentistry students stood beside their posters, brightly catching the eye of anyone who seemed interested in their work, as faculty and fellow students browsed the buzzing hall.
“Each year, we are thoroughly impressed by the quality and rigor of the scholarly work that is presented by our students and, if you have looked at the program booklet and have read the abstracts, this year’s presentations will be no different,” School of Dental Medicine Dean Steven Lepowsky promised that morning, as he welcomed attendees to the 2025 Medical and Dental Research Day.
The energy was infectious. This is the second year the research day has been back in person, after taking a hiatus during the pandemic, and students, faculty, and staff happily mingled while viewing posters on a wildly diverse range of topics, from sexually transmitted disease treatment to maxillofacial surgery.
“Year after year our students make us so UConn-proud with their novel research investigations and professional presentations about them. They surely are poised to become the next generation of physician-scientists,” said Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of UConn School of Medicine.
After the poster sessions, Wenyuan Shi, the chief executive officer of the ADA Forsyth Institute, addressed the students with a keynote on how to combine a satisfying career in the health fields with opportunities for technological innovation and business development.
“Research and innovation have everything to do with being a good doctor,” Shi said.
Wenyuan Shi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at the ADA Forsyth Institute, gives a lecture as the keynote speaker at the Medical and Dental Student Research Day at UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine, on FEbruary 27, 2025. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)
The dental and medical students presented 102 projects, enough to fill the hallways and lobby near the rotunda as well as the landing on the way to the library. Every poster contained original research done by second-year students. It was impossible for a single individual to speak with every presenter, but below is a sampling of the work presented by the students.
Root to Crown
Longer roots make for stabler smiles: teeth with longer roots compared to the visible crown of the tooth are more likely to stay put. Especially in orthodontics, the length of the root of the tooth is a good predictor of how successful the treatment will be.
“It’s important to have that good anchor,” dental student Stephanie Salcines said. Salcines’s research looked at whether ethnicity correlated with root length in Asian and Hispanic populations. The answer she found was no, aside from the maxillary lateral incisor—but gender did seem to make a difference, particularly among Hispanics.
Fewer X-rays, Same Imagery
A new 3D x-ray technique that uses just half the radiation can identify problems in the sinuses as well as the standard method, reported Erica Mallon. The second-year dental student showed that cone beam computed tomography scans taken only from behind, rotating around the head from one ear to the other, can allow clear diagnosis of blockages, deformations, and other sinus troubles. The 180-degree behind the head technique fully shows the teeth and the sinuses, while avoiding radiation to the sensitive eyes and thyroid gland, Mallon found. Previous research showed this reduces the total radiation dose by 40% to 60%.
“This is a sweet spot between a reasonably low and balanced radiation exposure and the resolution needed for diagnosis and clinical treatment planning,” said Aditya Tadinada, associate dean for graduate research and one of the principal investigators on the project.
Troughs of Tears
The thin skin under the eye often sags with age, particularly the area around the tear trough. It’s a common location for cosmetic surgeries, but there are nerves, major blood vessels and veins that must be avoided. Second-year dental student John Fregene surveyed outcomes of tear trough cosmetic procedures and found that surgeons who followed specific guidelines caused little swelling, no artery damage, no nerve damage, and improved the appearance of the tear trough area.
“There should be a standard protocol to follow in tear trough augmentation,” Fregene said.
Exon of Action in Hyperparathyroidism
Hyperparathyroidism is a rare condition in which the parathyroid glands become overactive, causing jaw tumors, renal and uterine issues. There’s a specific gene that commonly causes the condition, called CDC73. Second-year dental student Lorens Carrasquillo found most of the mutations associated with hyperparathyroidism affected Exon 1, a specific location in CDC73.
Objectively Painful
Pain is notoriously subjective—but maybe not, according to work done by Victoria Abalyan, a second-year medical student. She used microfilments to apply precise amounts of pressure on a patient’s forearm and asked them to rate their perceived level of pain. There was definitely a correlation between level of pressure and level of reported pain, indicating women were reliably reporting their pain levels. All the patients in the study were women within 48 hours of having given birth.
“We want to take data further out, at six weeks, or 24 weeks. We might be able to screen for women who are at higher risk of pain in the postpartum period,” Abalyan said.
Medical and dental students present their research at the UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine research day on February 27, 2025. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)
Ultrasound in the Emergency Room
Long waits in the emergency room are common and frustrating for patients. Three student researchers looked at whether ultrasounds done right in the emergency room could speed appropriate treatment for patients with three common issues: joint pain, suspected urinary tract infections, and emergency surgery.
Second-year medical student Michael Kosover looked into whether ultrasound could help triage joint pain. And it could—not a single joint pain patient with a normal ultrasound required surgery or admission to the hospital.
“It was 100% sensitivity,” Kosover said. “And the advantage of ultrasound is it’s quicker, no radiation, and portable.”
Delaney Kehoe looked into whether ultrasounds could diagnose urinary tract infections in the emergency room.
“We expected to see if there was a different in the inner wall of the bladder—a thicker layer, because of inflammation, or just different,” Kehoe said. In this case, the answer seemed to be no—but the study didn’t recruit enough patients, so they may continue it to get a larger sample size and clearer results.
Aspiration (inhaling stomach contents) can be a risk during lifesaving intubations in the emergency room. The risk of aspiration is why patients are advised to fast before surgery—but people who need emergency surgery obviously can’t plan ahead. Nicolette Meka evaluated whether ultrasound can reliably determine stomach size, and if so, which angle of the patient’s torso gives the best ultrasound view of their stomach.
“We found coronal—looking at the stomach from the patient’s side—gave 94.6% specificity,” in whether they had significant food in their stomach, Meka said.
Hives on Social Media
Getting hives – those red, itchy raised welts on the skin – happens to a portion of the population all the time, for no apparent reason. Yee Won Kim had them all the time when she was young, and information on how to treat or prevent them was scarce. Now, people are likely to look for advice on social media, the second-year medical student reports in her research.
“Many people are just asking what helped other people—there are a lot of good conversations happening,” Kim says. She collected information on the people and questions surrounding “chronic spontaneous urticaria,” as hives are known, on social media channels including X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Following the poster day, the judging committee, composed of medical and dental faculty, decided on the winners of the competition.
The winners of the 2025 Student Research Day are below.
Medical and dental students present their research at the UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine research day on February 27, 2025. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)
School of Medicine
CONNECTICUT ACADEMY OF FAMILY PRACTICE: One medical student will receive this $200 monetary gift for excellence in Primary Care Research.
Poster 57 | Survey Connecticut Providers on the Process of Making Patient Referrals to Community-Based Organizations
Paul Jude Isaac
CONNECTICUT HOLISTIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION: Awarded by Dr. Michael Basso, this annual award was established to recognize excellence in research in Integrative/ Complementary and Alternative Medicine. A medical student and a dental student will each receive an award of $100. Special thanks go to Dr. Michael Basso of the Connecticut Holistic Health Association.
Poster 51 | Financial Strain as a Contributor to Cognitive Impairment in Late Life Depression
Brian Fox
Madison Witt
DEAN’S AWARD: In recognition of two outstanding medical student researchers and their faculty mentors. Awards of $250 each will be presented to the four awardees. The awards to faculty mentors will be used for travel to a scientific meeting.
Poster 31 | Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Integration in Pediatric Health Care for Patient Education
Veronica Sofia Arroyo Rodriguez & Dr. Thomas Agresta
Poster 77 | Gastric Distention on Ultrasound: Coronal versus Sagittal Approach
Nicolette Mary Meka & Dr. Meghan Herbst
MR. AND MRS. JEFFREY GROSS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENT: Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Gross established this award. Dr. Jeffrey Gross is Professor Emeritus at UCHC. Awards of $250 each will be given to two medical student researchers who presented excellent studies. One award will go to an oral presentation and one award will go to a poster presentation.
Poster 47 | In vivo modeling of a novel TEK:GAB2 fusion oncogene reveals targetable oncogenic signaling pathways in angiosarcoma
Flora Isabella Dievenich Braes
Poster 52 | Visit characteristics from emergency departments caring for persons living with dementia: a nationally representative sample
James Christopher Galske
JOHN SHANLEY MEMORIAL GLOBAL HEALTH AWARD: The award is to honor the memory of John D. Shanley, MD, MPH, former Chief of Infectious Disease at the University of Connecticut, and Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health and Associate Dean of International Health at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. This award is sponsored by FNE International and will be given in recognition of a project that best exemplifies collaboration towards sustainable services with an international partner. The student will receive a monetary award of $250.
Poster 68 | Assessing Dengue Vaccine Acceptance in Pediatric Caregivers in Kandy, Sri Lanka
Caitlin Alexandra Lawrence
LAWRENCE G. RAISZ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MUSCULOSKELETAL RESEARCH:
In honor and memory of Lawrence G. Raisz, M.D., this award of $250 will be given to a medical student researcher who presented outstanding work in the field musculoskeletal research.
Poster 54 | Effect of 4-Aminopyridine and Smoothened Agonist on Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Christopher Jesse Garcia
PEER RECOGNITION AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH:
This award of $200 will be given to a medical student researcher in recognition of an exemplary poster presentation, as determined by peer review.
Poster 76 | Reassessing Maxillary Sinusitis: Recognizing Odontogenic Origins in the ENT Clinic
Uma Sandeep Mehta
WILLIAM M. WADLEIGH MEMORIAL AWARD FOR CROSS-CULTURAL ANDINTERNATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH: The award is in honor the memory of William M. Wadleigh, PhD, anthropologist and Associate Director of the Center for International Community Health Studies in the Department of Community Medicine and Health Care. This $250 award is given annually to a medical student whose research exemplifies international and cross-cultural understanding of health issues.
Poster 75 | Assessing the Impact of Pediatric Dengue Hospitalization on Caregiver Stress and Functioning
Meghan Martin
School of Dental Medicine
DEAN’S AWARD: Student: Sadhana Sankar Mentor: Dr. Caroline Dealy Awarded in recognition of an outstanding presentation demonstrating clinical application and technique relating to dentistry. This award consists of an expense-paid trip as the School of Dental Medicine’s representative to the Hinman Student Research Symposium held in Memphis, Tennessee in October 2025.
ASSOCIATE DEAN’S AWARD: Student: Daniel Kotait Mentor: Dr. I-Ping Chen Awarded in recognition of an outstanding presentation in basic, clinical, educational, or behavioral science. The award consists of a complimentary meeting registration and travel assistance to present at the AADOCR General Session & Exhibition in 2026.
DENTSPLY-SIRONA STUDENT CLINICIAN AWARD: Student: Claire Ann Mentor: Dr. Frank Nichols Awarded in recognition of an outstanding presentation. Includes travel assistance to the 2026 AADOCR General Session & Exhibition/Dentsply-Sirona SCADA Program as the School’s representative; allowance for lodging, food and other expenses and a Dentsply-Sirona crystal.
CONNECTICUT HOLISTIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION: Student: Madison Witt Mentor: Dr. Gary Schulman Presented by Dr. Michael Basso, this annual award was established to recognize excellence in research in Integrative/ Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Special thanks to Dr. Michael Basso of the Connecticut Holistic Health Association.
HORACE WELLS AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN DENTISTRY: Student: Erica Mallon Mentors: Dr. Pooja Bysani and Dr. Aditya Tadinada Student: Donny You Mentor: Dr. David Shafer Two awards will be given to dental students in recognition of outstanding research with a focus on innovation in dentistry.This award is supported by the Horace Wells Trust.
JAMES AND ELLA BURR MCMANUS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DENTAL RESEARCH: Student: Bradley Rosenberg Mentor: Dr. Alix Deymier Student: Haven Montefalco Mentor: Dr. Frank Nichols Two awards will be given to dental students presenting at the student research day to recognize excellence in research. This award is supported by the James and Ella Burr McManus Trust.
DENTAL STUDENT RESEARCH SOCIETY AWARD: Student: Marcus Costa Mentor: Dr. Flavio Uribe Presented for excellence in a science presentation by dental students at the Student Research Day. Special thanks to Dr. Arthur Hand for supporting this award.
GUSTAVE PERL MEMORIAL AWARD: Student: Henry Shaffer Mentor: Dr. Dong Zhou A scholarship award presented for outstanding original research.
OMICRON KAPPA UPSILON-PHI CHI CHAPTER AWARDS: Two awards given in recognition of outstanding research; the first award is given for basic science research and the second award given for clinical science research.
OKU-Basic Science Research Category Student: Bryson Christian Mentor: Dr. Eliane Dutra
OKU-Clinical Science Research Category Student: Alfredo Rendon Mentor: Dr. Prazwala Chirravur
We would like to acknowledge generous donations from our many sponsors in support and recognition of the hard work of our dental research students. Special thanks to our judges and research committees for their review of the abstracts, posters and judging this event. And lastly, congratulations to all of our dental student researchers and their faculty mentors for making this day possible.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
Acting United States Attorney Matt R. Molsen announced that Gabriel Lee Rice, 36, of Winnebago, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 20, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a spouse or intimate or dating partner. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Rice to 30 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Rice’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
In July 2022, Rice assaulted a woman known to him, pinning her against a wall, then covering her mouth and nose with his hand. Rice restricted the victim’s breathing to the point that the victim could not breathe at all and fell unconscious. The assault occurred in front of a child.
This case was prosecuted in federal court because the offense was a felony and occurred on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in Nebraska.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Indiana of the April 23, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the severe storms and tornadoes occurring on July 9, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the counties of Gibson, Knox, Pike, Posey, Vanderburgh and Warrick in Indiana, as well as Gallatin, Wabash and White counties in Illinois, and Henderson and Union counties in Kentucky.
Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises
EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 23, 2025.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
On March 25, 2025, H.E. Mrs. Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank (NDB) met with President of Indonesia H.E. Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Presidents discussed potential collaboration opportunities. During the meeting, President Subianto announced that Indonesia will join the New Development Bank.
President Rousseff said that it is a great honor to have Indonesia as a new member country, recognizing the importance of Indonesia for the region, for the world, and for the BRICS.
“We are a bank from the Global South, for the Global South. NDB respects the sovereignty of each member country and for that we are demand-led. We rely on the guidance of the strategies, plans, projects and priorities of each country to do a better job. Indonesia has all of these laid down in its Development Strategy: 2025 – 2045, its National Medium-Term Development Plan: 2025 – 2029, and its National Strategic Projects List, with 77 projects that provide investment opportunities,” said President Rousseff, adding that Indonesia’s participation in the NDB would open an enormous potential for a long-term partnership.
President Rousseff added that NDB and Indonesia share the same priorities, mainly logistics infrastructure (railways, roads, ports and airports) and digital connectivity. We both aim to invest in sustainable development, energy transition, especially in renewables, and in urban modernization (water and sanitation, treatment of waste and electricity distribution). Our common commitment also includes projects that address inequality, overcome hunger and extreme poverty, and enhance education, health and housing.
“Development is crucial for all EMDCs to reduce their dependency on commodities and avoid the middle-income trap. Catching up to the advanced economies, in the era of fourth industrial and technological revolution, requires investment in technology and innovation, which are a common objective of NDB and Indonesia,” said President Rousseff.
SINGAPORE, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — aiCraft.fun, a rising star in the AI and Web3 space featured on Bitcoin.com, is making significant strides as the leading AI Agent Launchpad on Monad, a high-performance Layer-1 blockchain. With a user base approaching 500K+ in just one month, and a notable presence at the PLS 369 Conference in Las Vegas, the platform is positioning itself as a key player in the intersection of AI, blockchain, and real-world business applications.
aiCraft.fun: Expanding Reach Through 20+ Strategic Partnerships
aiCraft.fun has secured partnerships with Kintsu, Magma, Bean Exchange, and 17+ other firms, broadening its AI Agent applications across diverse sectors. aiCraft’s AI Agents optimize supply chain processes, leveraging Monad’s 10,000 TPS throughput via parallel execution on Kintsu, a liquid staking platform. AI solutions by aiCraft also enter the entertainment sector in collaboration with Magma, a Web3 gaming infrastructure provider, to transform in-game economies—an industry projected to reach $8.6 billion in revenue by 2027, per Newzoo research.
These collaborations build on aiCraft’s existing work with Fizen.io, integrating Travel AI Agents into the Fizen Super App and its portfolio of 4,000+ global gift card brands, including Nike, Adidas, and Uber. They showcase aiCraft’s ability to deliver tailored AI solutions across industries.
Unmatched Community Growth: 500K+ Users and 12M Transactions in Over One Month
As a result of massive go-to-market strategies, aiCraft.fun’s growth trajectory is striking, signaling a huge launch ahead. The platform has surged to over half a million users in just over a month—a 141% jump from the 360K reported on March 17, 2025—while racking up 12M transactions, a 200% increase from 6M in the same period. This meteoric rise has solidified aiCraft’s position as a Top 3 dApp on Monad, surpassing giants like Uniswap and Magic Eden.
With a weekly active user (WAU) of 210K, and a global reach spanning the US, UK, Hong Kong, China, Japan, aiCraft.fun is capturing the imagination of creators and businesses worldwide. Its $AICFUN token sale has also sparked buzz, with over 200 KOLs sharing posts, reflecting the excitement around this AI Agent platform.
Hit the Spotlight at PLS 369 Conference: AI Meets Crypto Innovation
aiCraft.fun’s momentum reached new heights at the PLS 369 Conference, at the Flamingo Las Vegas Conference Center. The team was thrilled to see their advisor, Joey Bertschler, take the stage on the AI panel, bringing aiCraft’s vision of smart tech solutions to the forefront of the crypto and business innovation conversation. Joey, a thought leader with ties to OpenAI and Forbes, highlighted how platforms like aiCraft are bridging AI and blockchain to solve real-world problems, from travel to retail to gaming.
“Seeing Joey at PLS 369 was a proud moment for us,” said Harry, CEO of aiCraft.fun. “We’re en route to making AI Agents a cornerstone of Web3 innovation, and events like these put aiCraft in the global spotlight where it belongs.”
Why aiCraft.fun Is the Future of AI and Web3
Built natively on Monad—a Layer-1 blockchain with $244M in funding and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility—aiCraft.fun empowers creators to train, deploy, and monetize AI Agents easily. From Sales Agents driving revenue for travel and retail to Income Generation Agents earning passive income via tips and commissions, the platform’s one-click deployment and tokenization features (via Initial Agent Offerings) are a game-changer.
With the massive buzz on X by KOL, 20 B2B partners ready to deploy AI Agents, and a technical advisor from OpenAI and Forbes, aiCraft.fun is not just a dApp—it’s a movement. Harry expressed deep appreciation for the platform’s community: “We’re incredibly grateful to the aiNADs community for driving this growth. Their support has been invaluable, and we’re thrilled to be launching our first AI Agent with our partners and rolling out the $AICFUN token.” Built on Monad, which has raised $244 million and offers Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, aiCraft is preparing to deploy its first AI Agent and launch its token, marking a pivotal step in its journey.
Join the AI Revolution Today
The future of AI and Web3 is here, and aiCraft.fun is leading the charge. Whether you’re a creator looking to earn passive income or a business aiming to supercharge operations, now is the time to get involved.
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Thank you for inviting me to open today’s conference. It is taking place at a particularly dynamic and challenging moment for both the global and the Bulgarian economy. Such forums are extremely useful for the exchange of analyses, opinions and ideas at a time when the need to adapt economic processes to new realities is becoming increasingly clear.
Let’s start with the geopolitical context. In my opinion, at least for the last 35 years, it has not been as important for the economic and financial, but also for the political development of Bulgaria, as it is now.
The key words for today’s geopolitical context are uncertainty and unpredictability about what lies ahead or, as the President of the ECB very well put it these days, quoting Paul Valéry: “The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.”
The obvious question is, what to do in such an environment? Politicians are facing it, but not only them. It is not my job to give advice on what should be done on the political front, at least not in my capacity. I shall therefore confine myself to one sentence: Active participation in strengthening and developing the European project in today’s geopolitical context is the surest guarantee for Bulgaria’s good prospects.
I will focus more on the economic and financial aspects.
Developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, the increasing trade conflicts between leading economies and the process of geopolitical fragmentation, as well as the boom in digital technology development are triggering significant structural transformations in global supply chains with uncertain duration, depth and consequences.
These developments are already having a tangible impact on international trade, leading to increased volatility in commodity prices and forcing a number of countries to adapt their economic and, in particular, industrial policies to rising protectionism worldwide. In pursuit of economic security, many economies are reviewing their dependence on external suppliers and taking measures to localise critical industries, restructuring their production chains.
These developments are likely to have an increasing impact on Europe, which remains one of the most vulnerable economies in the context of global geopolitical uncertainties, especially with regard to energy resources. For us, this vulnerability is an even more serious risk factor, given that our country remains one of the most energy-intensive economies in Europe. Breaking long-standing energy dependencies, soaring gas and electricity prices and the need for accelerated energy transformation pose serious challenges to European economies. Energy costs continue to be significantly higher than in the US and some Asian economies, creating serious structural challenges for the competitiveness of European industry.
In this complex global environment, Bulgaria’s starting macroeconomic position is actually not at all bad. In 2024, the country’s real GDP grew by 2.8%, i.e. above expectations, and according to the latest BNB forecast, economic growth will remain stable on positive territory, standing at 2.5% this year and 3.0% in 2026. Growth will be supported primarily by domestic demand in a context of historically very low unemployment and the absence of macroeconomic imbalances.
The performance of our banking sector remains robust, with capital buffers, liquidity coverage and profitability above the EU average.
Despite the deterioration of fiscal indicators in recent years, our country still has manoeuvrability, both in terms of the fiscal space available and in terms of the opportunities to restore the fiscal buffers exhausted by the recent budgets.
Last but not least, our country currently fulfils unconditionally all nominal convergence criteria, including the price stability criterion, with which we have had problems in recent years.
For a small and open economy like ours, which is highly integrated into global supply chains, geopolitical developments also pose a number of risks, mostly related to:
a continued decline in foreign demand for Bulgarian goods and services, especially in view of the deepening structural challenges faced by some of our main euro area trading partners; and
increased fluctuations in the prices of key energy and non-energy raw materials, which affect business production costs and household disposable income.
In an environment of such risks, it is essential that the economy is well prepared for unexpected shocks affecting the aggregate supply of goods and services. Macroeconomic preparations mainly consist of maintaining sufficient buffers in the banking and fiscal sectors. On the one hand, the existence of such buffers would contribute to cushioning the effect of materialisation of risks and, on the other hand, to adapting to and potentially benefiting from changes in the global economy, such as the restructuring of global production chains. A good example in this regard in recent years is the relatively smooth transition of the Bulgarian economy through the COVID crisis. The high levels of fiscal reserve and bank capitalisation maintained at that time allowed our country to recover relatively quickly from the crisis and without the need for external financial support.
In such an environment, it is extremely important to break the momentum of quantitative and structural deterioration of our fiscal position and restore fiscal buffers. I will give the following example. By the end of 2024, the fiscal reserve reached its historical low, both as a percentage of GDP (4.7%) and as a percentage of total budgetary expenditure under the Consolidated Fiscal Programme (12.3%). For comparison, the average values of these indicators for the last two decades amounted to 8.8% and 24.4%, respectively. The consolidation of the fiscal stance will remain a serious medium-term challenge against the objective need for higher public investment and military expenditure.
Let me also say a few words about the role of the BNB. In this uncertain environment, the BNB will continue to apply conservative supervisory and regulatory policies, introducing preventive measures to ensure the resilience of the banking system. The consistency and predictability of the policies we pursue are key to the confidence of the banking sector, businesses and investors.
Our approach will continue to include:
maintaining high capital and liquidity buffers that ensure the resilience of the banking system;
strict supervision of lending to avoid the accumulation of excessive risks on banks’ balance sheets; and
policy flexibility so that we can respond adequately to new challenges, including in terms of anticipatory economic growth objectives.
In other words, we not only want to ensure stability, but also to create a predictable environment in which economic actors can plan and invest with greater confidence.
Finally, of course, I will also touch on the subject of the country’s accession to the euro area.
This topic unites more strongly than before the current issues we are discussing from geopolitics to economics and finance.
We have, indeed, one final step left. I am convinced that we are able to do it with dignity and self-confidence. It is not by chance that I emphasised that at the moment our country meets all the convergence criteria.
As a central bank, we are focused both on the successful implementation of this final step and on our full readiness to work in the context of the shared monetary sovereignty of the euro area. This includes two main groups of tasks.
The first relates to the operationalisation of the existing capacity to operate in the euro area, including the performance of functions that we cannot perform in a currency board environment. These functions relate both to the participation in defining the Eurosystem’s monetary policy, which required the building of strong analytical capacity, and to the implementation of the common monetary policy at national level through its main instruments, including the conduct of open market operations, the preparation of conditions for participation and the technical provision of access for Bulgarian banks to the ECB’s standing facilities. In addition to our participation in the process of creating and distributing the money supply, the BNB will also act as a lender of last resort, providing extraordinary liquidity support to Bulgarian banks in case of need.
The second task is related to logistics and technical preparation of the process of exchange and functioning of the banking system in the context of the euro area. What has been done so far is truly unprecedented for the bank and the country in terms of scale and technical complexity. It includes construction and renting of areas; supply of machinery, equipment and materials; providing in practice a new fleet of armoured and security vehicles; creation of a qualitatively new payment and IT infrastructure; development and approval of transport schemes and security systems; full readiness to mint Bulgarian euro coins and deliver the necessary euro banknotes; obtaining the necessary licences and certificates; carrying out a large number of public procurements. I am making this incomplete enumeration to underline two things: first that we have been working hard on this topic and not since yesterday or today; and second, that the BNB and the banking sector are very ready to join and operate within a euro area context.
Allow me to finish with a few conclusions:
First, geopolitical uncertainty is one of the main risks to the country’s economy and finances and requires the maintenance of buffers in the banking and fiscal spheres and readiness to implement adaptive policies;
Second, the banking sector is well prepared to face the risks stemming from the external macroeconomic environment and can play an important role in the materialisation of potential development opportunities for key sectors of the economy by channelling credit resources to them;
Third, unlike the banking sector, public finances need to restore fiscal buffers in the medium term while preserving the long-term sustainability of government debt; and
Fourth, joining the euro area has enormous potential to become a catalyst for the country to navigate successfully in the face of global uncertainty. And this potential needs to be exploited.
Thank you for your attention and I wish you interesting and fruitful discussions!
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University
For nearly 15 years almost no information was available on the population status of Uganda’s large carnivores, including those in its largest national park, Murchison Falls. These species represent a critical part of Uganda’s growing tourism economy. The country is home to the famed tree-climbing lions, which are much sought after for this unique behaviour. Together, lions and leopards generate tens of thousands of dollars annually from safari viewing and allied activities.
Keeping an eye on the proverbial prize could not be more critical for the country. When wildlife isn’t monitored rigorously, populations can disappear within just a few years, as tigers did in India’s Sariska tiger reserve.
But many people working in conservation discourage monitoring. They argue that a “bean counter” approach to conservation overlooks the funds and actions that save animals. Others simply say that it is a hard thing to do at scale and particularly for animals that are naturally shy, have big home ranges (sometimes over multiple countries), and occur in very low numbers.
Even in a comparatively small African country – Uganda ranks 32nd in size out of 54 countries – how does one cover enough ground to see how populations of carnivores are faring? This has been the challenge of our work in Uganda for nearly a decade now, monitoring African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas.
Our two recent studies in Murchison Falls and six protected areas across the country sought to address the problem by drawing on a wide range of local and international experts who live and work in Uganda. Working with the Ugandan government’s Uganda Wildlife Authority research and monitoring team, we set out to identify and bring together independent scientists, government rangers, university students, lodge owners and conservation managers in the country’s major savanna parks.
We hoped to cover more ground with people and organisations that wouldn’t traditionally work together. Doing so exposed many of these individuals for the first time to the science and field skills needed to build robust, long term monitoring programmes for threatened wildlife.
The result is the largest, most comprehensive count of African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. We found spotted hyenas to be doing far better than we expected. But lions are in worrying decline, indicating where conservation efforts need to be focused. Beyond that, our count proved the value of collaborating when it comes to generating data that could help save animals.
Our unique approach
Inspired by Kenya’s first nationwide, science-based survey of lions and other carnivores in key reserves, the first important step of this study was to secure the collaboration of the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s office of research and monitoring. Together, we identified the critical conservation stakeholders in and around six protected areas. These are Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Kidepo Valley, Toro Semliki, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls. Leopards and hyenas occur in some other parks (such as Mount Elgon and Rwenzori National Park) but resource constraints prevented us from surveying these sites.
We had no predisposed notions of who could or would participate in our carnivore surveys, only that we wanted people living closest to these species in the room.
We shortlisted lodge owners, government rangers, independent scientists, university students from Kampala, NGO staff and even trophy hunters. All came together for a few days to learn about how to find carnivores in each landscape, build detection histories and analyse data. We delivered five technical workshops showing participants how to search for African lions in the landscapes together with mapping exactly where they drove.
how to identify lions by their whisker spots in high-definition photographs – these are the small spots where a cat’s whiskers originate on their cheeks
how to determine identity in camera trap images of leopard and spotted hyena body flanks
post data collection analysis techniques
a technique to estimate population densities and abundance.
More than 100 Ugandan and international collaborators joined in the “all hands on deck” survey, driving over 26,000km and recording 7,516 camera trap nights from 232 locations spanning a year from January 2022 to January 2023.
Our scientific approach focused on how to achieve the best possible counts of carnivores. In the process we identified some of the biggest shortcomings of previous surveys. These included double counting individual animals and failing to incorporate detection probability. Even worse was simply adding all individual sighted animals and not generating any local-level estimates.
What our results tell us
As expected, our results painted a grim picture in some areas, but marked hope for others.
In the majestic Murchison Falls national park, through which the River Nile runs east-west, we estimated that approximately 240 lions still remained across some 3,200km² of sampled area. This is the highest number in Uganda and at least five to 10 times higher than in the Kidepo and Queen Elizabeth parks.
In Queen Elizabeth national park, home to the tree-climbing lions, we found a marked decline of over 40% (just 39 individuals left in 2,400km²) since our last survey in 2018.
In the country’s north, Kidepo Valley, the best estimate is just 12 individual lions across 1,430km², in stark contrast with the previous estimate of 132 lions implemented nearly 15 years ago.
In contrast, leopards appeared to continue to occur at high densities in select areas, with Lake Mburo and Murchison Falls exhibiting strong populations. Pian Upe and Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector recorded the lowest densities.
Spotted hyenas have proven far more resilient. They occur at densities ranging from 6.15 to 45.31 individuals/100km² across surveyed sites. In Queen Elizabeth, their numbers could be rising as lion populations decline, likely due to reduced competition and ongoing poaching pressure targeting lions.
These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted conservation interventions, particularly for lions in Uganda’s struggling populations.
Value beyond numbers
Our approach shared the load of data collection, and gave people an opportunity and skills to engage in wildlife science. For many emerging conservationists in the country, this was their first chance to be authors on a scientific paper (an increasingly important component of postgraduate degree applications). Even if many of the people we worked with disagree on how to save large carnivores in Uganda, they could at least agree on how many there are as they had a hand in collecting the data and scrutinising it. Since we have embraced a fully science-based approach, we recognise that our surveys too should improve over time.
Aggrey Rwetsiba, senior manager, research and monitoring at Uganda Wildlife Authority, contributed to the research on which this article is based.
Duan Biggs receives funding from Northern Arizona University and is a member of the IUCN (World Conservation Union).
Alexander Richard Braczkowski and Arjun M. Gopalaswamy do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena, Assistant Professor in Marketing, University of Bradford
Whether it’s selling at a market or working in the home or in the field, south Asian women are contributing to their economies.Florian Augustin/Shutterstock
As a child, I lived with my grandmother in a rural village in Sri Lanka where women often played an active economic role – working in sectors like farming, technology, sewing, household work or some other area. These days across South Asia, businesses led by women are on the rise, with online platforms making it easier for entrepreneurs to start with minimal investment.
If more women could be encouraged into employment in the region, it would, of course, bring wider benefits. For instance, it’s estimated that if women’s participation in India’s workforce reached 50% from its current level of 31%, the country’s annual growth rate could increase by 1.5 percentage points.
Female entrepreneurs in South Asia have been described as “silent contributors”, as their input to the economy and society is still not properly understood. And when their contributions go unrecognised, women can be denied access to education and career development.
Not only that, but it can lead to women having fewer opportunities for leadership roles, financial security, and professional growth. It may discourage the participation of other women, or limit their progress in industries and societies that could benefit from greater female representation.
Research often points to factors such as a lack of education, technical expertise, gender discrimination and low self-esteem as reasons female entrepreneurs may be demotivated.
But after reviewing several studies, I realised there’s a deeper, more complex issue. I identified a three-pillar effect that discourages women from entrepreneurship.
These are socio-cultural barriers, which include traditional gender roles and societal expectations; economic and financial constraints such as limited access to funding; and regulatory and institutional challenges like legal obstacles and a lack of support systems.
These three pillars create significant hurdles for women who are trying to build their businesses.
A study looking at Mumbai, India, found that limited affordable transport can significantly reduce women’s chances of entering the workforce or starting a business.
For example, some Indian and Sri Lankan women are expected to stay close to home to take care of children or elderly relatives. This limits their ability to travel to markets or participate in other work. There is also the issue of poor access to education and technical skills that can hold women back in terms of development and building a business.
These barriers are starting to receive more recognition and were depicted in the award-winning film The Great Indian Kitchen. This 2021 film in the Malayalam language tells the story of a young woman who is expected to follow traditional gender roles after her marriage. The film highlights the social norms that often deter women from working or seeking education.
The Great Indian Kitchen trailer.
Most women entrepreneurs in South Asia work in the informal sector. This includes street vending, agriculture, retail and home-based industries like sewing. But these sectors and enterprises often remain unregistered and are not captured in official economic data.
For example, women in cities like Delhi in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka sell products like vegetables or handmade jewellery on the streets. Often, these women do not have legal businesses or commercial registration numbers. This limits their access to loans, social security and more formal markets. Across South Asia, only 25% of women have a bank account, compared with 41% of men – the biggest gender gap in the world.
Nepal, however, has made strides in financial inclusion, particularly in closing the gender gap. According to Nepal’s financial inclusion report in 2023, women’s access to formal financial services the previous year was at 89% while men’s stood at 90% – showing that change is possible.
The barriers for women
The lack of education and technical training often restricts women’s ability to develop skills and entrepreneurial nous. But it can also expose them to exploitation by officials who can prey on their lack of legal knowledge, forcing them to face bureaucratic hurdles and corruption.
Another thorny issue is that in some cultures it is unacceptable for women to hold seniority or authority over men. Often, government policies and programmes focus on male entrepreneurs, overlooking women’s issues. These include childcare needs or safety concerns.
In Sri Lanka, female-owned businesses face significant challenges in accessing key government incentives simply because of limited awareness. A big issue is that women in rural areas often do not hear about funding programmes, grants and financial schemes.
South Asian women’s economic contributions continue to be damaged by social, cultural and institutional limitations. It is vital to recognise these contributions and bring them into the formal economic system. This should ensure that female entrepreneurs get their rightful place in the broader economic arena.
Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena 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: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University
For nearly 15 years almost no information was available on the population status of Uganda’s large carnivores, including those in its largest national park, Murchison Falls. These species represent a critical part of Uganda’s growing tourism economy. The country is home to the famed tree-climbing lions, which are much sought after for this unique behaviour. Together, lions and leopards generate tens of thousands of dollars annually from safari viewing and allied activities.
Keeping an eye on the proverbial prize could not be more critical for the country. When wildlife isn’t monitored rigorously, populations can disappear within just a few years, as tigers did in India’s Sariska tiger reserve.
But many people working in conservation discourage monitoring. They argue that a “bean counter” approach to conservation overlooks the funds and actions that save animals. Others simply say that it is a hard thing to do at scale and particularly for animals that are naturally shy, have big home ranges (sometimes over multiple countries), and occur in very low numbers.
Even in a comparatively small African country – Uganda ranks 32nd in size out of 54 countries – how does one cover enough ground to see how populations of carnivores are faring? This has been the challenge of our work in Uganda for nearly a decade now, monitoring African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas.
Orin Cornille and Bosco Atukwatse, field coordinaotrs from the Volcanoes Kyambura Lion Project, set remote camera traps for leopards in Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda.Alex Braczkowski
Our two recent studies in Murchison Falls and six protected areas across the country sought to address the problem by drawing on a wide range of local and international experts who live and work in Uganda. Working with the Ugandan government’s Uganda Wildlife Authority research and monitoring team, we set out to identify and bring together independent scientists, government rangers, university students, lodge owners and conservation managers in the country’s major savanna parks.
We hoped to cover more ground with people and organisations that wouldn’t traditionally work together. Doing so exposed many of these individuals for the first time to the science and field skills needed to build robust, long term monitoring programmes for threatened wildlife.
The result is the largest, most comprehensive count of African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. We found spotted hyenas to be doing far better than we expected. But lions are in worrying decline, indicating where conservation efforts need to be focused. Beyond that, our count proved the value of collaborating when it comes to generating data that could help save animals.
Our unique approach
Inspired by Kenya’s first nationwide, science-based survey of lions and other carnivores in key reserves, the first important step of this study was to secure the collaboration of the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s office of research and monitoring. Together, we identified the critical conservation stakeholders in and around six protected areas. These are Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Kidepo Valley, Toro Semliki, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls. Leopards and hyenas occur in some other parks (such as Mount Elgon and Rwenzori National Park) but resource constraints prevented us from surveying these sites.
We had no predisposed notions of who could or would participate in our carnivore surveys, only that we wanted people living closest to these species in the room.
We shortlisted lodge owners, government rangers, independent scientists, university students from Kampala, NGO staff and even trophy hunters. All came together for a few days to learn about how to find carnivores in each landscape, build detection histories and analyse data. We delivered five technical workshops showing participants how to search for African lions in the landscapes together with mapping exactly where they drove.
Makerere University students and Karamoja Overland Safari staff set solar powered trail cameras with the lead author in Lake Mburo (left) and Pian Upe (right) as part of the national carnivore survey.
how to identify lions by their whisker spots in high-definition photographs – these are the small spots where a cat’s whiskers originate on their cheeks
how to determine identity in camera trap images of leopard and spotted hyena body flanks
post data collection analysis techniques
a technique to estimate population densities and abundance.
More than 100 Ugandan and international collaborators joined in the “all hands on deck” survey, driving over 26,000km and recording 7,516 camera trap nights from 232 locations spanning a year from January 2022 to January 2023.
Our scientific approach focused on how to achieve the best possible counts of carnivores. In the process we identified some of the biggest shortcomings of previous surveys. These included double counting individual animals and failing to incorporate detection probability. Even worse was simply adding all individual sighted animals and not generating any local-level estimates.
What our results tell us
As expected, our results painted a grim picture in some areas, but marked hope for others.
In the majestic Murchison Falls national park, through which the River Nile runs east-west, we estimated that approximately 240 lions still remained across some 3,200km² of sampled area. This is the highest number in Uganda and at least five to 10 times higher than in the Kidepo and Queen Elizabeth parks.
In Queen Elizabeth national park, home to the tree-climbing lions, we found a marked decline of over 40% (just 39 individuals left in 2,400km²) since our last survey in 2018.
In the country’s north, Kidepo Valley, the best estimate is just 12 individual lions across 1,430km², in stark contrast with the previous estimate of 132 lions implemented nearly 15 years ago.
In contrast, leopards appeared to continue to occur at high densities in select areas, with Lake Mburo and Murchison Falls exhibiting strong populations. Pian Upe and Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector recorded the lowest densities.
Spotted hyenas have proven far more resilient. They occur at densities ranging from 6.15 to 45.31 individuals/100km² across surveyed sites. In Queen Elizabeth, their numbers could be rising as lion populations decline, likely due to reduced competition and ongoing poaching pressure targeting lions.
These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted conservation interventions, particularly for lions in Uganda’s struggling populations.
Value beyond numbers
Our approach shared the load of data collection, and gave people an opportunity and skills to engage in wildlife science. For many emerging conservationists in the country, this was their first chance to be authors on a scientific paper (an increasingly important component of postgraduate degree applications). Even if many of the people we worked with disagree on how to save large carnivores in Uganda, they could at least agree on how many there are as they had a hand in collecting the data and scrutinising it. Since we have embraced a fully science-based approach, we recognise that our surveys too should improve over time.
Aggrey Rwetsiba, senior manager, research and monitoring at Uganda Wildlife Authority, contributed to the research on which this article is based.
– Uganda’s lions in decline, hyenas thriving – new findings from country’s biggest ever carnivore count – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-lions-in-decline-hyenas-thriving-new-findings-from-countrys-biggest-ever-carnivore-count-249724
Ende (Agenzia Fides) – The Carmelite charism continues to expand in eastern Indonesia and will strengthen its service to the population on the island of Flores.Today, March 25, 2025, when the universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation, the Carmelite Order of the Province of Indonesia announced the creation of a new province on the island of Flores, within the East Nusa Tenggara region. The new province has chosen Saint Titus Brandsma as its patron.The first Carmelite religious arrived in Flores in 1969 to begin their mission. Over time, their presence was consolidated through the establishment of formation houses for candidates for religious life. Today, that presence has reached a new level of institutionalization with the creation of the new province. The General Council of the Carmelite Order in Rome has appointed Friar Marselinus Barus OCarm as its first Prior. “With this new province, we hope that the Carmelite mission in eastern Indonesia will continue to grow. My wish is that the Carmelites here, anchored in Christ, will continue to build fraternity and cooperation,” the Prior declared. The impact of the Carmelite presence in Indonesia is evident in three key areas: education, pastoral care, and spiritual accompaniment. In the field of education, the Carmelites seek not only intellectual formation (ratio), but also the formation of the heart and spiritual growth. Therefore, Carmelite schools are deeply marked by the spirituality of the Order. Currently, the Carmelites run two schools in Java, two in Flores, and one in Sumba, in addition to seven dormitory schools distributed throughout these regions. In the pastoral sphere, the religious are present in numerous parishes and dioceses, where their contemplative charism enriches the work of evangelization. In addition to preaching the Word of God, the Carmelites foster fraternal life and promote a concrete commitment to justice. Their presence is valued in dioceses such as Medan, Padang, Palembang, Jakarta, Bandung, Malang, Surabaya, Denpasar, Maumere, Ende, Ruteng, Weetebula, Pontianak, Palangkaraya, Banjarmasin, Makassar, and Sorong Manokwari.In the spiritual sphere, the Carmelites are recognized as masters of prayer and guides in the spiritual accompaniment of the faithful. They organize retreats, formation courses, study days, and seminars on Christian and Carmelite spirituality, often in collaboration with the Indonesian Carmelite Institute (IKI) and utilizing various retreat houses. The Carmelites have also extended their work to the fields of culture and communication.Through their publishing house, “Karmelindo,” they publish books, magazines, bulletins, biblical reflections, and theological texts, with the aim of strengthening catechesis and spiritual formation. More recently, they have promoted multimedia projects, with the creation of “Carmel Vision” and “Radio Carmel,” platforms through which they produce audiovisual and informative content to evangelize and spread Carmelite spirituality.Finally, in its commitment to the most vulnerable, the Carmelite Province in Indonesia founded the NGO “Darma Laksana,” which promotes assistance and cooperation projects for the poor and destitute, bringing a message of hope and salvation to those most in need. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 25/3/2025)
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Vientiane (Agenzia Fides) – The small but vibrant Catholic community of Laos has joyfully welcomed its new bishop. Msgr. Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong, a priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse, received episcopal ordination at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Vientiane, during a solemn Eucharist celebrated on March 25, 2025. His appointment as Apostolic Vicar of Vientiane was announced by Pope Francis in December 2024. The ceremony was attended by the prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Laos and Cambodia (CELAC), gathered in the Laotian capital for their annual assembly.Msgr. Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong, 61, succeeds Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, who turned 80 in April 2024. Fr. Hongsaphong was a professor at the National Major Seminary of Thakeh and responsible for pastoral care in the 11 mission stations of the Apostolic Vicariate of Paksé, his hometown. Ordained a priest in 1994, he completed his studies at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and the Pontifical Angelicum University in Rome. He carried out pastoral service in Thailand and then in 2005, he began contributing to the Laotian Catholic community (a total of 51,000 people) by dedicating himself to the formation of young people at the Pastor Bonus preparatory seminary in Paksé.Among the prelates from Cambodia, Jesuit Father Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzález, Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, highlights “the great hope of the Church in Laos,” highlighting “the vitality of a small but vibrant ecclesial community.” Despite the government ban on the presence of foreign missionaries, the local Church shows signs of growth. Laos has 20 priests in total, but there is a flourishing vocational program that inspires confidence for the future: some 50 Laotian boys and young men are on their way to the priesthood (about 20 in the minor seminary, 10 in the preparatory year, and 20 in the major seminary).The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a socialist state with 7.5 million inhabitants, a Buddhist majority. The Catholic Church in Laos originated within the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Siam and is currently organized into four apostolic vicariates: Vientiane, Pakse, Luang Prabang, and Savannakhet. Since the official recognition of the Church by the Lao Front for National Development in 1979, relations with the government have improved, particularly in terms of religious freedom, recognized in the 1991 Constitution, which allows four religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha’i Faith. However, in some provinces, Christianity is still viewed as a “foreign faith.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 25/3/2025)
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Over 130 influential family office principals and family members from the Mainland, Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East gathered at a principal dinner organised by the Government this evening to set the stage for the third edition of the annual Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit to be held tomorrow.
In his welcome remarks, Acting Chief Executive Chan Kwok-ki said Hong Kong is a ”super connector” bringing together people and ideas, as well as a platform for visionaries looking to create lasting legacies, and a dynamic hub where offices and families can flourish.
Best-selling author and public speaker Maye Musk and University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Prof Irene Tracey joined a fireside chat, sharing their insights on women’s influence in leadership and legacy-building with a focus on the critical role of female leadership in shaping the future of business, innovation, and societal progress.
The event also included a captivating lion ballet performance against the dazzling night view of Victoria Harbour.
The summit will take place tomorrow afternoon with over 300 participants, allowing principals and family members to discuss the future of wealth management in the region and experience the city’s dynamic offerings through its vibrant neighbourhoods, dynamic arts scene and strong community spirit.
Despite increasing global economic uncertainty, Asia has remained a key growth engine for global economy, according to a report released at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Tuesday.
The weighted real GDP growth rate of Asia is projected to reach 4.5 percent in 2025, an increase from 4.4 percent in 2024, according to the annual report titled “Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress.”
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, BFA Secretary General Zhang Jun said that the region is nurturing new potential and opportunities and has become an important force and cornerstone stabilizing and underpinning the global economy.
Asian economies, particularly China and the ASEAN, continue to demonstrate strong resilience despite numerous challenges, leading the world in areas including economic growth, trade in goods and services, and regional integration, Zhang said.
Asia’s economic performance last year beat the projections made by institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations, said Zhang Yuyan, a professor on international politics and economics with the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Founded in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.
Themed “Asia in the Changing World: Towards a Shared Future,” this year’s forum bears great practical and long-term significance as global development is clouded with increased uncertainties due to rising unilateralism, trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions, according to analysts.
At purchasing power parity, the ratio of Asia’s GDP among the global total will rise to 48.6 percent in 2025, up from 48.1 percent in 2024, the report estimated.
It noted that global foreign investments have increased their reliance on Asian economies amid fluctuations, and China and the ASEAN are the most appealing economies in Asia.
As the world’s most economically dynamic region, Asia has become an increasingly vital player in global cross-border direct investment, with the inward and outward foreign direct investment dependence of Asian economies on the region itself reaching 49.15 percent in 2023, according to the report.
It also noted that China continues to be the center of global manufacturing value chains.
Since 2017, global trade in intermediate goods has been more reliant on China than on North America. Global dependence on China for intermediate goods stood at 16 percent in 2023, compared with 15 percent for North America.
The trade frictions initiated by the United States in 2018 have not strengthened its position in the global manufacturing value chains, the report noted.
China and Asia have become the center of free trade, said Temir Porras, managing director of Global Sovereign Advisory, stressing that it is always positive to see that China is committed to promoting free trade and sharing development opportunities with the world.
As a major achievement of Asian economic integration, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has injected new vitality into the member economies, bringing certainty into the uncertain global economy and trade landscape, the report said.
In 2024, the total trade value within the region rose about 3 percent from a year ago, with trade among most member economies achieving year-on-year growth, data showed.
A report on Asia’s sustainable development was also unveiled on Tuesday, highlighting the region’s rapid progress in emerging green technologies, positioning it as a potential leader in advanced battery materials and biodegradable plastics, among others.
China now sources 85 percent of its new energy capacity from renewables, while Indonesia and Singapore are leading efforts in carbon capture and storage, according to this report.
