Banbridge town centre was filled with the sound of live music and the buzz of community spirit as Buskfest 2025 welcomed performers and visitors for a relaxed and enjoyable day of entertainment – despite the rain!
With over eighty acts taking part and a prize fund of £3,500 up for grabs, the annual busking competition attracted a wide mix of musical talent, from solo acoustic artists to lively bands. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, with visitors enjoying performances across the town between 2pm and 5pm.
This year’s winners, 4AM Club, were announced during the evening concert in the town centre, which also featured performances from last year’s champions Banshee, popular local act The Reillys, and headliners The Nooks.
Alongside the music, an artisan market offered a range of local food, crafts, and handmade products, while a family funfair at Solitude Park, added to the day’s relaxed, family-friendly feel.
Alderman Stephen Moutray ,Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough, commented: “Buskfest continues to provide a fantastic showcase for emerging and established performers and is a much-loved highlight in the borough’s events calendar. The atmosphere in Banbridge was brilliant, with the town centre buzzing with music, family fun, and a real sense of community. Events like this not only celebrate our local talent but also support our businesses and hospitality sector.”
The judging panel, including BBC Radio Ulster’s Ralph McLean, noted the diversity and quality of talent on show, with many returning acts and new faces adding to the variety. This year’s event was supported by several valued sponsors including Banbridge Chamber of Commerce, The Boulevard Outlet Shopping, Game of Thrones Studio Tour, and Eats and Beats Festival, Newcastle, whose contributions helped ensure a vibrant and well-supported day for performers and visitors alike.
Police are investigating a death at Gilberton this evening.
Just after 7pm on Monday 16 June, police received a report of a person collapsed inside a unit on Walkerville Terrace.
When police arrived, they found a person deceased at the property.
Detectives from Eastern District attended the scene with the assistance of Major Crime officers and Investigators have determined the death to be suspicious.
A woman has been detained and is assisting police in relation to the incident.
Source: US Congressman Gabe Amo (Rhode Island 1st District)
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI)andCongressman Seth Moulton (D-MA)introduced a resolution to establish “Vets Get Outside Day” to support veterans struggling with mental health challenges. Nearly 460,000 veterans were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries between 2020 and 2022, and there were 6,146 veteran suicide deaths in 2020.
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA)andAngus King (I-ME)introduced a companion resolution in the Senate.
“Veterans were willing to lay it all on the line for our country, but service often comes with sacrifice,” saidCongressman Amo.“Many veterans struggle with their mental health. Getting outside in a meaningful way can help ease the transition back to civilian life, which is why I am proud to work alongside colleagues in both the Senate and the House to introduce a bipartisan resolution designating June 14th, 2025, as Veterans Get Outside Day, and encouraging veterans to experience all the natural beauty Rhode Island has to offer.”
“Resuming civilian life can be isolating. When veterans stay active and connected with their community, their mental health and quality of life improve. That is what today is all about,”saidSenator Cassidy.
“From beach walks on the rocky coast to a challenging hike in the woods, Maine’s extraordinary outdoor spaces can bring moments of calm during the most difficult times,” saidSenator King.“I hope that ‘Vets Get Outside Day’ will encourage Maine veterans to find a relaxing outdoor space that helps them process their daily stressors. It’s a simple way to promote two of Maine’s greatest treasures — the great outdoors and our brave veterans.”
“Veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and many face unique, lifelong health challenges as a result of their service. As a Marine veteran, I know firsthand how healing simply spending time outdoors can be. The moments where I can go on a long run or spend time on the water are sacred,” saidCongressman Moulton. “I’m proud to partner with my House and Senate colleagues to designate Vets Get Outside Day. This is a great way to remind every veteran to do something healing for themselves; and it’s another important step toward destigmatizing the national conversation around mental health. We are all in this together, and together we can build a community that leads the way on changing how we talk about mental health.”
Veterans in crisis can dial 9-8-8 and then press 1 to be connected with the Veterans Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Young people from Central Asia, Afghanistan and Mongolia build knowledge on security sector governance and reform, safety of journalists at OSCE-DCAF summer school
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When the Netflix series Adolescence hit TV screens in March this year, its depiction of boyhood, violence and online misogyny sparked debates across the UK and beyond.
As Young People editor at The Conversation, I knew that these were topics that academics who write for us had been building their expertise on for years. The many articles we’ve published include how parents can talk to their children about the “manosphere”, the world of hypermasculine influencers, how hustle culture plays into ideas of male self worth and what girls have to say about all this.
At the charity Cumberland Lodge, with whom I’ve collaborated in the past, the young people who make up their Youth and Democracy network had thoughts, too. And the points they’ve raised have a huge overlap with some of the nuance brought up by our experts.
How much is social media actually to blame for rising misogyny? Are influencers exploiting uncertainty left by a shift away from traditional gender roles? Do young people lack the knowledge and the opportunity to discuss these issues? How does class play a role? And is a culture of blame and a fear of doing harm stopping boys and young men from being part of the solution?
It seemed obvious that we should get everyone together to talk about this – young people giving their perspective, and academic researchers offering theirs. And we’d like you to join the discussion, too. At Newcastle University on Thursday July 3, I’ll be talking to experts and contributors to The Conversation Sophie Lively and Michael Joseph Richardson, along with young people from Cumberland Lodge’s Youth and Democracy project.
The exhibition presents hobbies of all kinds to celebrate their variation, freedom of expression and ingenuity, broadening our perception of who gets to be called creative and where the impulse to create stems from.
On display will be unique hand crafted objects loaned by hobbyists working in diverse disciplines, such as knitters and needleworkers, wood carvers and model makers, potters, painters and illustrators, costume and cosplay makers, model engineers, origami specialists and many more. There will also be collections, including vintage football programmes, kitchenalia, milk bottles, painted eggs, gnomes and stones, alongside comics, action figures and toys – from Goo-jit-Zu to Transformers and He-Man to dollhouses!
The exhibition also features new and existing works by Patel, including a new film that explores the outstanding creativity and passion that people put into their hobbies. A selection of objects by the hobbyists featured in the film will be interspersed throughout the exhibition, including animals sculpted in wool by Mandy Smith, a needle felting enthusiast from Tipton.
Come As You Really Are by Hetain Patel is a nationwide project made up of 13 partner presentations across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales from Summer 2024 – 2026.
Commissioned by Artangel, the project began with a national call out inviting members of the public to share the activity to which they dedicate their spare time. At the heart of this project is a nationwide community of people whose labours of love are a lens through which the artist presents an alternative portrait of the UK. The inaugural exhibition took place at The Hobby Cave at Grants, Croydon, London between 18 July and 20 October 2024. This is being followed by curated presentations at partner venues across the UK throughout 2025 – 2026.
Aiming to showcase hobbies from across the region, Wolverhampton Art Gallery launched a fresh call out in the Midlands in January 2025. Gallery staff have been amazed by the immense skill, passion and imagination demonstrated in the hundreds of responses from hobbyists across the region and further afield.
Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “The power of creativity is unstoppable, and at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, we’re celebrating it in all its forms.
“Come As You Really Are brings together an incredible tapestry of hobbies from handcrafted masterpieces to nostalgic collections – revealing the passion, ingenuity, and individuality behind each one.
“Whether you’re a dedicated hobbyist or simply curious, this exhibition invites you to explore the many ways we express ourselves beyond the everyday. Join us in celebrating the limitless nature of human creativity and the joy of making!”
Hetain Patel said: “There is a vulnerability in sharing something so personal, which often happens in private spaces around the responsibilities of daily life. But there is also a tremendous power in sharing collectively, which is at the heart of this project. I hope people join us in this celebration of the unstoppable nature of self expression that is demonstrated by our hobbies.”
Mariam Zulfiqar, Director at Artangel, said: “Hetain Patel’s work has always invited us to reflect on identity as multidimensional and complex. For Come As You Really Are he generously extends an invitation to people around the country, asking them to share the objects, activities and pastimes that form part of their identity. The ambitious presentation of hundreds of objects loaned by as many hobbyists creates a new kind of picture, where people and their identities are seen beyond national, racial, gendered or age related categories that conventionally categorise who we are.
“Artangel is working with a network of leading arts and cultural organisations to realise this ambitious project across the UK and supporting one of our most exciting artists working today to create an exceptionally memorable and inclusive project.”
Come As You Really Are opens on Saturday 12 July and runs until Sunday 5 October, 2025. The exhibition is free to the public, and timeslots can be booked in advance. Wolverhampton Art Gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10.30am to 4.30pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. For more information, please visit Wolverhampton Arts & Culture.
The launch weekend on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July celebrates hobbies and hobbyists, with a Friday Late, from 6pm to 9.00pm, and a Hobby Fair, from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the exhibition hobbies and themes in the company of artist Hetain Patel and participating hobbyists, with talks, workshops, demos and live performances including music and fashion.
Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
RN-Uvatneftegaz (part of the oil and gas production complex of NK Rosneft) produced the 100-millionth ton of oil at the Eastern Hub*. This largest field provides more than 50% of the oil production of the Uvat project.
The hub’s production stock includes 1,026 wells producing about 11,000 tons of oil per day. Since the start of the hub’s fields’ operation, the drilling meterage in production drilling has amounted to 3.5 million meters of rock. Currently, the construction of high-tech, mainly horizontal wells using hydraulic fracturing operations (HF) continues. In the construction of wells, modern technologies are used that allow up to 10 HF stages to be carried out, as well as biopolymer drilling mud.
The first fields in this area – Malyka and Urnenskoye – were put into operation in 2009, and geological exploration work continues here, which has allowed the Eastern Hub to increase its recoverable reserves.
High production indicators are ensured by the developed infrastructure of the field. Over the 15 years since the beginning of the development of the territory in a hard-to-reach area, key oil and gas production facilities have been built, which allow new fields to be put into operation at an accelerated pace. The central collection point prepares the extracted raw materials, external oil transportation is provided by a main oil pipeline with a length of more than 260 km. More than 210 km of roads have been built at the hub fields, 560 km of power transmission lines have been installed. A gas turbine power plant with a capacity of 83 MW supplies energy to the main production facilities, using associated petroleum gas as fuel.
More than 2 thousand employees of the enterprise and contractors work at the oil field. RN-Uvatneftegaz creates conditions for their comfortable living, including at autonomous fields. A residential complex for 290 people, a gym, and a medical center have been built here. The construction of the third stage of the residential complex is in its final stage, which will increase its capacity by another 90 people.
The company’s work in the social sphere has been repeatedly recognized with awards at the “Russian Organization of High Social Efficiency” competition.
*For the efficient development of deposits in hard-to-reach marshy terrain, the Uvat project uses a strategy of hubs – centers with a single infrastructure, to which smaller satellite deposits are gradually added. Currently, there are four hubs operating in Uvat: Vostochny, Protozanovsky, Tyamkinsky and Kalchinsky, the infrastructure of which is constantly expanding.
Reference:
RN-Uvatneftegaz LLC, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, is conducting exploration and development of a group of fields located in the Uvatsky District of the Tyumen Region and the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra. The Uvatsky project includes 19 licensed areas with a total area of over 25 thousand square kilometers.
Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft June 16, 2025
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Rosneft held the second corporate triathlon competition in Moscow. Both experienced athletes and newcomers competed for victory in the individual and team events. All participants demonstrated exceptional endurance, fortitude and corporate team spirit.
Rosneft develops a healthy lifestyle culture and comprehensively supports sports. As part of the Energy of Life program, the Company’s employees take part in a number of major sports events, including marathon races, international triathlon competitions, family sports events, the All-Russian Physical Culture and Health Complex GTO festival, and many others.
This year, the participants of the Rosneft Triathlon competition were offered three distance options: Olympic, sprint and super-sprint. They all differed in mileage, but required the same full dedication. The athletes also competed in the relay race – 19 teams took part in it, each of which included three participants.
The competition took place in the Krylatskoye sports complex. The first stage, swimming, took place in the Rowing Canal, followed by a cycling race and running. The triathlon united Rosneft employees from different cities of the country and divisions of the Company. At the same time, the oldest athlete who took part in the distance and successfully completed it turned 57 years old.
In the Olympic distance (1.5 km swimming, 40 km cycling and 10 km running), the winners were Denis Zaitsev from Samaraneftegaz and Kristina Ignatyeva from RN-Vankor. In the sprint (0.75 km swimming, 20 km cycling and 5 km running), the winners were Mikhail Ignatyev from Udmurtneft and Irina Lokhmakova from Slavneft-Krasnoyarskneftegaz. In the super sprint (300 m swimming, 7.3 km cycling and 2 km running), the winners were Dmitry Krupin from SIBINTEK and Victoria Bunyak from RN-Moscow. In the relay, the Udmurtneft team won gold, while the Verkhnechonskneftegaz team and the second Udmurtneft team also made it onto the podium.
Congratulations to the winners and all participants of the Rosneft corporate triathlon competitions!
Reference:
Rosneft has one of the strongest triathlon teams among corporate teams. Rosneft Triathlon has been participating in various competitions since 2015 and unites more than 200 athletes of the Company.
During its performances, the Rosneft triathlon team was awarded the title of “Most Successful Corporate Team” in the annual triathlete rating according to the organizer of international starts IRONSTAR, and took first place in corporate team standings at IRONSTAR triathlon competitions.
As part of the corporate program “Energy of Life”, the Company carries out large-scale information and organizational work to develop a mass sports movement among employees and involve them in a healthy lifestyle. More than 128 thousand employees of the Company participate in the corporate-wide sports and health movement. More than 92 thousand take part in competitions in various sports in corporate-wide competitions and challenges, in competitions at the regional and federal levels. Sports training is organized for employees.
Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft June 16, 2025
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
The verification of applications in the system of events for the development of student sports clubs “Certification”, organized by the Association of Student Sports Clubs of Russia (ASSC of Russia), has been completed.
Based on the results of the assessment, the GUU Student Sports Club took the leading position, receiving the highest “gold” certification status and ahead of well-known Moscow universities, which received “silver”.
It is worth noting that out of 191 sports clubs throughout Russia, only 21 clubs were awarded the “gold” status, which emphasizes the high level of achievements of the SSC GUU.
And this victory would not have been possible without the active participation of students, activists and athletes. Let us continue to maintain this high level together.
Subscribe to Vkontakte and Telegram of the SSK GUU to stay up to date with all the events and get to know the mascot of the GUU better.
The full final table and certification criteria are available at the link: vk.cc/cMLZRv.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Opening Remarks by the IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath Conference on “Sri Lanka’s Road to Recovery: Debt and Governance” Shangri-La Hotel Colombo
June 16, 2025
Excellencies, distinguished guests, colleagues, and friends,
It is a great honor to join you today for this important conference which takes place at a critical juncture in Sri Lanka’s economic journey.
This conference comes not only at the mid-point of Sri Lanka’s IMF-supported economic reform program, but also at a moment when the global economy is facing powerful crosscurrents—slowing growth, rising tariffs, and a rapidly changing global economic order alongside profound uncertainty. Countries are being tested by shocks that are more frequent and more complex. The challenge for all of us is to build resilience in a world that demands it.
Achievements Resulting from Reforms Supported by the IMF-EFF Program
In this light, Sri Lanka’s experience stands out—both for the severity of the crisis the country experienced three years ago, and the remarkable progress that has been achieved in a very short time. The crisis was precipitated by years of declining tax revenues, depleted foreign exchange reserves and an explosive and unsustainable increase in public debt as growth collapsed. There were long lines for fuel, severe shortages of basic goods, record inflation, and widespread power outages. For many households, daily life became an exercise in hardship.
Today, thanks to bold reforms and the commitment of the Sri Lankan people, substantial progress has been made to restore macroeconomic stability and reduce hardships faced by people. Fuel, cooking gas, and medicines are available again. Inflation has been brought under control and economic growth has returned—expanding by 5 percent in 2024. On the fiscal front, the government has achieved an extraordinary adjustment and tax revenues have increased by more than two-thirds as a share of GDP.
The government has also put a strong emphasis on improving governance, which is fundamental for establishing trust with citizens and ensuring sustained growth. Important milestones have been achieved including central bank independence, improving public financial management, and strengthening the legal framework for anti-corruption. Our analysis shows that comprehensive fiscal governance and accountability reforms in Sri Lanka can boost GDP by more than 7 percent and reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio by more than 6 percentage points over 10 years.
Sri Lanka also took the difficult but necessary decision to default on its public debt and pursue a sovereign debt restructuring. These decisive actions on debt have helped ease the burden on the country. External creditors have forgiven $3 billion in debt and restructured another $25 billion, extending repayment over two decades at lower interest rates. Sri Lanka’s bonds are once again included in global indices, and its credit rating has improved.
The experience of Sri Lanka holds important lessons for the world, and I would like to speak to the lessons from its debt restructuring.
I. The Nexus between Economic Reforms and Debt Restructuring
Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring had to deal with several challenges:
Calibrating the restructuring targets to deliver sufficient debt relief. This was a complex endeavor. As with all restructurings, debt sustainability needs to be restored through a combination of debt relief and policy adjustments, such as fiscal effort. The targets must be carefully calibrated to consider country specific circumstances. In Sri Lanka’s case, the targets considered the severity of the crisis while also recognizing the country’s high levels of private savings, tourism receipts and remittances. Through this restructuring, over the next decade, external debt service as a share of GDP is reduced by a half, and external and total debt stock will fall by 27 and 34 percentage points of GDP respectively.
Facilitating collaboration in a complex external creditor landscape. A full range of official creditors needed to find ways to coordinate, and not all creditors had the internal processes in place to deliver swiftly. The Official Creditor Committee chaired by France, India and Japan shepherded many creditors together and China informally coordinated with this group. Still there were challenges in the sharing of information across creditor groups and concerns about comparability of treatment across official bilateral creditors. To help move the process along, the IMF staff were very active in providing information and using IMF “good offices” on an ongoing basis to support coordination.
Containing financial and social stability risks from the restructuring. A large share of Sri Lanka’s debt is domestic. The authorities recognized that external debt relief by itself would be unlikely to restore debt sustainability and domestic debt needed to be part of the restructuring effort. This had to be tackled carefully because of the significant exposure of Sri Lanka’s domestic financial sector, the central bank and the public pensions vehicle to government debt. To preserve financial and social stability, the authorities avoided nominal debt reductions and focused on lowering interest rates and lengthening maturities.
The Sri Lankan debt restructuring experience provides several lessons that will help make the process simpler for other countries that need restructuring in the future. Sri Lanka’s experience better illuminated the trade-offs in setting debt targets and directly led to the development of improved methodologies for evaluating state contingent features in debt contracts. It helped creditors learn how to improve coordination and gave them new instrument designs to contemplate. Together with other recent restructuring cases, it helped motivate important reforms to IMF’s debt policies.
Over time, there have been other important improvements in the sovereign debt architecture. The IMF, Bank and G20 Presidency convened the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable to help serve as a forum for creditor dialogue and generate consensus on difficult issues that arise in restructurings. An important recent output of these efforts is a restructuring playbook, published at the time of our Spring Meetings, which lays out the typical steps in a restructuring and an indicative timeline. It is important to recognize that, thanks to these initiatives, experiences, and the G20 Common Framework, the restructuring process has become faster. In the recent case of Ghana’s, it took five months to get from an IMF staff level agreement to delivering the financing assurances required for program approval—roughly half the time it took for Chad in 2021 and Zambia in 2022. Looking ahead, let me assure you that our work on improving the timeliness and effectiveness of the global debt architecture will continue.
For Sri Lanka, the experience with the debt restructuring drives home the importance of managing the economy such that a similar situation will never arise again.
II. Important to Stay the Course
Let us be clear: none of the achievements thus far would have been possible without the courage and sacrifice of the Sri Lankan people. The crisis was costly and painful, particularly for the poor. The reforms undertaken to address the root causes of the crisis—adjustments in taxation, the removal of unsustainable subsidies, efforts to restore cost-reflective energy pricing—have asked a great deal from ordinary citizens. These are difficult measures. They test the social fabric. And yet, they are the foundation of a more resilient future.
That is why we must now turn our focus from crisis response to sustainable recovery. There is a lot that is still needed. Poverty rates at 24.5 percent in 2024, according to the latest World Bank estimates, are too high and need to be brought down quickly. This requires continued macroeconomic stability and successful implementation of structural reforms. Tackling corruption will require major reforms. Implementing the government’s action plan on governance reforms is critical. While much has been done to reduce external debt, domestic debt is still high and steadfast implementation of sound fiscal policy is critical to continue bringing it down.
None of this will be easy. In addition to the domestic challenges, the global environment is difficult with tariffs, geopolitical conflict and economic fragmentation posing major risks for small open economies like Sri Lanka’s.
This is why there is no room for policy errors. As the IMF Managing Director noted during our Spring Meetings in April: the choice facing countries today is between reform and regret. Between building buffers—or risking future crises.
Sri Lanka’s reform program has delivered strongly. But history reminds us of the risks. Of the 16 IMF programs Sri Lanka has engaged in over the years, about half ended prematurely. Often, reform fatigue sets in. Hard-earned gains were reversed. Growth faltered. The country cannot afford to repeat that cycle.
Let me therefore underscore how essential it is to sustain the reform momentum, and in a manner that is inclusive and accountable. Public dialogue matters. Transparency matters. Engaging civil society and listening to diverse voices—not just in Colombo, but across the island—will help ensure that policies are responsive and responsible. This conference is exactly the kind of platform that can foster such engagement. It is a space to reflect, to challenge assumptions, and to build consensus. The IMF will remain a steadfast partner as Sri Lanka pursues stable and inclusive growth that improves the lives of all citizens and future generations.
This time must be different! As President Dissanayake has said, let us ensure this is the last IMF program Sri Lanka will need.
We agree, and believe this is possible if Sri Lanka stays the course.
Managua (Agenzia Fides) – She marked the history of her country as a symbol of democracy. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was the woman who defeated Ortega in Nicaragua and the first woman elected President in the Americas on April 25, 1990.”My heartfelt memory, my gratitude, and my prayers go out to Doña Violeta. She was a woman of integrity, courage, and faith. She now lives forever in the heart of God, in whom she believed and whom she loved. My condolences go out to her children and her entire family in this time of mourning. Thank you, Doña Violeta!” said the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, Silvio José Báez, who lives in exile between Rome, Madrid, and Miami (see Fides, 22/6/2020).She took over a country ravaged by war and divided between the Sandinistas and the opposition. That year, Nicaragua suffered more than 50,000 deaths in the war between the so-called Contras and the army, as well as severe economic bankruptcy. “Doña Violeta” ruled from 1990 to 1997. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, known in Central America as the “President of Peace,” died last Saturday, June 14, 2025, in exile in San José, Costa Rica, leaving a sign and a light that will forever reflect democracy in Nicaragua. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Managua (Agenzia Fides) – She marked the history of her country as a symbol of democracy. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was the woman who defeated Ortega in Nicaragua and the first woman elected President in the Americas on April 25, 1990.”My heartfelt memory, my gratitude, and my prayers go out to Doña Violeta. She was a woman of integrity, courage, and faith. She now lives forever in the heart of God, in whom she believed and whom she loved. My condolences go out to her children and her entire family in this time of mourning. Thank you, Doña Violeta!” said the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, Silvio José Báez, who lives in exile between Rome, Madrid, and Miami (see Fides, 22/6/2020).She took over a country ravaged by war and divided between the Sandinistas and the opposition. That year, Nicaragua suffered more than 50,000 deaths in the war between the so-called Contras and the army, as well as severe economic bankruptcy. “Doña Violeta” ruled from 1990 to 1997. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, known in Central America as the “President of Peace,” died last Saturday, June 14, 2025, in exile in San José, Costa Rica, leaving a sign and a light that will forever reflect democracy in Nicaragua. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – Father Luka Jomo, parish priest in the besieged city of El Fasher, Sudan, was killed by a stray bullet. This was announced in a statement by the diocese of El Obeid on June 13. “Dear fathers, sisters, and all the faithful. It is with great sorrow that I write to inform you of Fr Luka Jomo’s passing to the Father’s House this morning (June 13) at 3am in El Fasher. The cause of death was a stray bullet that took his life and that of two other young people. Let us unite in prayer and ask God the Father that their souls may rest in peace”.El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, considered to be the last stronghold of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in the region, controlled almost entirely by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo who continuously bomb the city. Father Jomo was therefore a victim of these bombings, not the intended victim of a targeted assassination.After the Angelus on Sunday 15 June, Pope Leo XIV addressed his thoughts “to the Republic of Sudan, torn apart by violence for over two years now. I was saddened to receive the news of the death of Father Luke Jumu, parish priest of El Fasher, who was a victim of a recent bombing. I offer the assurance of my prayers for him and all the victims, and I renew my appeal to warring parties to stop the violence, protect civilians and engage in dialogue for peace. I also urge the international community to intensify efforts to provide at least essential assistance to the people, who have been severely affected by this grave humanitarian crisis.” The three-year Sudanese civil war that broke out in April 2023 has left tens of thousands dead, 14 million internally displaced persons and more than three and a half million refugees in neighboring countries. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – Father Luka Jomo, parish priest in the besieged city of El Fasher, Sudan, was killed by a stray bullet. This was announced in a statement by the diocese of El Obeid on June 13. “Dear fathers, sisters, and all the faithful. It is with great sorrow that I write to inform you of Fr Luka Jomo’s passing to the Father’s House this morning (June 13) at 3am in El Fasher. The cause of death was a stray bullet that took his life and that of two other young people. Let us unite in prayer and ask God the Father that their souls may rest in peace”.El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, considered to be the last stronghold of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in the region, controlled almost entirely by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo who continuously bomb the city. Father Jomo was therefore a victim of these bombings, not the intended victim of a targeted assassination.After the Angelus on Sunday 15 June, Pope Leo XIV addressed his thoughts “to the Republic of Sudan, torn apart by violence for over two years now. I was saddened to receive the news of the death of Father Luke Jumu, parish priest of El Fasher, who was a victim of a recent bombing. I offer the assurance of my prayers for him and all the victims, and I renew my appeal to warring parties to stop the violence, protect civilians and engage in dialogue for peace. I also urge the international community to intensify efforts to provide at least essential assistance to the people, who have been severely affected by this grave humanitarian crisis.” The three-year Sudanese civil war that broke out in April 2023 has left tens of thousands dead, 14 million internally displaced persons and more than three and a half million refugees in neighboring countries. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – “The survivors of the massacre are terrified; they have suffered and seen unspeakable violence” Father Remigius Ihyula, Coordinator of the Development, Justice and Peace Commission of the diocese of Makurdi, in the State of Benue (in the central-eastern part of Nigeria) told Fides referring to the massacre of a group of displaced people hosted at the Catholic mission of Yelwata, in the local administrative area of Gouma, cited yesterday, June 15, by Pope Leo XIV.”We are talking about several hundred people who were displaced from their farms by gangs of Fulani nomads and then housed in a parish facility,” Father Ihyula told Fides. “A group of Fulani nomads attacked the facility on the night of June 13-14. At least 200 people were killed.” “The attackers not only carried out a massacre, but also vandalized the building. The survivors now lack everything, from food to clothing, mattresses, blankets, and even medicine,” the priest continued. According to Father Ihyula, “the massacre has been highlighted in the international media because of the large number of dead, but here we witness violent deaths every day. One day, three people are killed, the next, ten, and so on.”The Coordinator of the “Justice and Peace” Commission says he does not at all share the view expressed by some Western media that “the Fulani nomads are victims of climate change.” According to this interpretation, climate change is driving Fulani herders to violently occupy farmers’ land in search of new land and water sources for their livestock. “No, that’s not the case,” he emphasizes, “because the armed Fulani nomads are motivated by an Islamist ideology.They want to conquer the land of Christian farmers in order to later establish an Islamic state.” “As head of the Justice and Peace Commission in the Diocese of Makurdi, I personally sought dialogue with the Fulani nomads. But they have always rejected it,” the Catholic priest concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – “The survivors of the massacre are terrified; they have suffered and seen unspeakable violence” Father Remigius Ihyula, Coordinator of the Development, Justice and Peace Commission of the diocese of Makurdi, in the State of Benue (in the central-eastern part of Nigeria) told Fides referring to the massacre of a group of displaced people hosted at the Catholic mission of Yelwata, in the local administrative area of Gouma, cited yesterday, June 15, by Pope Leo XIV.”We are talking about several hundred people who were displaced from their farms by gangs of Fulani nomads and then housed in a parish facility,” Father Ihyula told Fides. “A group of Fulani nomads attacked the facility on the night of June 13-14. At least 200 people were killed.” “The attackers not only carried out a massacre, but also vandalized the building. The survivors now lack everything, from food to clothing, mattresses, blankets, and even medicine,” the priest continued. According to Father Ihyula, “the massacre has been highlighted in the international media because of the large number of dead, but here we witness violent deaths every day. One day, three people are killed, the next, ten, and so on.”The Coordinator of the “Justice and Peace” Commission says he does not at all share the view expressed by some Western media that “the Fulani nomads are victims of climate change.” According to this interpretation, climate change is driving Fulani herders to violently occupy farmers’ land in search of new land and water sources for their livestock. “No, that’s not the case,” he emphasizes, “because the armed Fulani nomads are motivated by an Islamist ideology.They want to conquer the land of Christian farmers in order to later establish an Islamic state.” “As head of the Justice and Peace Commission in the Diocese of Makurdi, I personally sought dialogue with the Fulani nomads. But they have always rejected it,” the Catholic priest concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Mandalay (Agenzia Fides) – “Throughout Myanmar, there are areas where fighting is taking place, where people are displaced, where civilians are suffering great hardship while fleeing the conflict. In our Diocese of Mandalay, in particular, the Sagaing area is the most affected by clashes, bombings, and immense suffering of the civilian population,” Fr. Peter Sein Hlaing Oo, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Mandalay in north-central Myanmar, told Fides. The Vicar General and the entire local Church appreciate the words of Pope Leo XIV, who, during the Sunday Angelus prayer yesterday, June 15, recalled the ongoing fighting in Myanmar. “We thank him for his words and his attention to the suffering of the civilian population,” he said. The Catholic priest tells Fides about the situation in Sagaing: “Many villages have been abandoned or reduced to rubble due to the constant bombing. The helpless people do not know where to find refuge. There are Catholic churches and parishes in this area, and all of them are in serious difficulty. We have Catholic believers in both the regime-controlled areas and those controlled by the resistance. And there are believers who are caught in the crossfire. The people are helpless and defenseless. But our priests are courageously working for the people, especially the elderly, women, and children, who often lack even the bare necessities to support themselves. Together with religious and catechists, they are providing social services in areas that are very dangerous because they have been affected by the firefights.” “We continue to pray every day, hold Masses and prayer vigils for our people, for peace, for the future of the nation,” the Vicar General concluded. “We continue to trust in God in this terrible situation. And let us not forget that in Mandalay, in addition to the war, we are also experiencing the devastating effects of the earthquake.” Also speaking to Fides, Joseph Kung, a Catholic from Yangon, who is active in the local Church and teaches at a private university, added: “As the Pope has noted, civilian infrastructure continues to be attacked and destroyed by the army throughout the country. The most painful thing is when schools are attacked, when pupils and students are attacked, young people who only wanted to continue their education.” “There is still so much pain and outrage over the massacre a month ago, when an airstrike on the village of Oe Htein Kwin in the Sagaing region killed 20 pupils and two teachers,” he emphasized.”Among the areas most affected by the conflict are Sagaing, Rakhine State, and areas in Chin and Kachin States. We are constantly receiving reports from the dioceses of Bamaw and Myitkyina, both in Kachin, where many villages have been destroyed and civilians continue to be displaced,” he continues. Kung concludes: “We are grateful to Pope Leo for his appeals. When the Pope mentions Myanmar, it gives us hope because we know we are not alone and abandoned. The population is exhausted and scarred by four years of civil war. We wait and pray every day, placing our suffering in the hands of God and the Virgin Mary.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Mandalay (Agenzia Fides) – “Throughout Myanmar, there are areas where fighting is taking place, where people are displaced, where civilians are suffering great hardship while fleeing the conflict. In our Diocese of Mandalay, in particular, the Sagaing area is the most affected by clashes, bombings, and immense suffering of the civilian population,” Fr. Peter Sein Hlaing Oo, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Mandalay in north-central Myanmar, told Fides. The Vicar General and the entire local Church appreciate the words of Pope Leo XIV, who, during the Sunday Angelus prayer yesterday, June 15, recalled the ongoing fighting in Myanmar. “We thank him for his words and his attention to the suffering of the civilian population,” he said. The Catholic priest tells Fides about the situation in Sagaing: “Many villages have been abandoned or reduced to rubble due to the constant bombing. The helpless people do not know where to find refuge. There are Catholic churches and parishes in this area, and all of them are in serious difficulty. We have Catholic believers in both the regime-controlled areas and those controlled by the resistance. And there are believers who are caught in the crossfire. The people are helpless and defenseless. But our priests are courageously working for the people, especially the elderly, women, and children, who often lack even the bare necessities to support themselves. Together with religious and catechists, they are providing social services in areas that are very dangerous because they have been affected by the firefights.” “We continue to pray every day, hold Masses and prayer vigils for our people, for peace, for the future of the nation,” the Vicar General concluded. “We continue to trust in God in this terrible situation. And let us not forget that in Mandalay, in addition to the war, we are also experiencing the devastating effects of the earthquake.” Also speaking to Fides, Joseph Kung, a Catholic from Yangon, who is active in the local Church and teaches at a private university, added: “As the Pope has noted, civilian infrastructure continues to be attacked and destroyed by the army throughout the country. The most painful thing is when schools are attacked, when pupils and students are attacked, young people who only wanted to continue their education.” “There is still so much pain and outrage over the massacre a month ago, when an airstrike on the village of Oe Htein Kwin in the Sagaing region killed 20 pupils and two teachers,” he emphasized.”Among the areas most affected by the conflict are Sagaing, Rakhine State, and areas in Chin and Kachin States. We are constantly receiving reports from the dioceses of Bamaw and Myitkyina, both in Kachin, where many villages have been destroyed and civilians continue to be displaced,” he continues. Kung concludes: “We are grateful to Pope Leo for his appeals. When the Pope mentions Myanmar, it gives us hope because we know we are not alone and abandoned. The population is exhausted and scarred by four years of civil war. We wait and pray every day, placing our suffering in the hands of God and the Virgin Mary.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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Santiago de Chile (Agenzia Fides) – “With deep sorrow”, the Diocese of Temuco joins the Catholic community of Curacautín, where “another arson attack has devastated the San Francisco chapel, in the town of Radalco”. What happened in recent days, in the middle of the night, is the second attack on the chapel of the parish of San Pedro de Curacautín: already in 2023, in fact, the structure had been destroyed and immediately rebuilt, but now only ashes remain of this place of worship.In response to this latest act of violence, according to a statement released by the diocese, Bishop Jorge Concha Cayuqueo has expressed his closeness, inviting all believers to join in prayer for peace: “The fire at the San Francisco Chapel is a serious blow to the life of the Christian community and the local people, because it is a place of worship for Catholics for many years and because the chapel has also served the entire community in many ways, regardless of religious beliefs.”“This is a very hard-working community that had united in recent months to rebuild its chapel. Today, once again, they suffer a total loss. But we trust in faith”, said the parish priest of Curacautín, Father Víctor Núñez.The area of Temuco is at the center of the so-called “Mapuche conflict”, a conflict between the Mapuche communities and the Chilean state. The origin of the conflict are issues related to land, autonomy and indigenous culture. The statement released by the diocese concludes with a call for peace: “We raise our voice to reject all acts of violence that threaten spaces of faith, encounter, and prayer. We call on the entire diocesan community and people of good will to join in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Radalco, for peace in Araucanía and for the mutual respect that allows us to live together in fraternity. May Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of this chapel, intercede for his community and inspire us with his spirit of peace, reconciliation and love for all creation”. (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
Santiago de Chile (Agenzia Fides) – “With deep sorrow”, the Diocese of Temuco joins the Catholic community of Curacautín, where “another arson attack has devastated the San Francisco chapel, in the town of Radalco”. What happened in recent days, in the middle of the night, is the second attack on the chapel of the parish of San Pedro de Curacautín: already in 2023, in fact, the structure had been destroyed and immediately rebuilt, but now only ashes remain of this place of worship.In response to this latest act of violence, according to a statement released by the diocese, Bishop Jorge Concha Cayuqueo has expressed his closeness, inviting all believers to join in prayer for peace: “The fire at the San Francisco Chapel is a serious blow to the life of the Christian community and the local people, because it is a place of worship for Catholics for many years and because the chapel has also served the entire community in many ways, regardless of religious beliefs.”“This is a very hard-working community that had united in recent months to rebuild its chapel. Today, once again, they suffer a total loss. But we trust in faith”, said the parish priest of Curacautín, Father Víctor Núñez.The area of Temuco is at the center of the so-called “Mapuche conflict”, a conflict between the Mapuche communities and the Chilean state. The origin of the conflict are issues related to land, autonomy and indigenous culture. The statement released by the diocese concludes with a call for peace: “We raise our voice to reject all acts of violence that threaten spaces of faith, encounter, and prayer. We call on the entire diocesan community and people of good will to join in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Radalco, for peace in Araucanía and for the mutual respect that allows us to live together in fraternity. May Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of this chapel, intercede for his community and inspire us with his spirit of peace, reconciliation and love for all creation”. (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 16 — China’s economy continued to expand steadily in May, supported by ongoing policy measures that helped sustain recovery amid global uncertainties, official data showed on Monday.
Key economic indicators — industrial production, retail sales, investment and services — extended gains last month, while employment continued its stable trend, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Noting “a rapidly changing international environment,” NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said that China’s economy has demonstrated strong resilience and vitality, backed by government efforts to expand domestic demand and maintain the stability of employment, businesses, markets and expectations.
China’s consumer spending in May posted its strongest growth in nearly 18 months, with retail sales of consumer goods expanding 6.4 percent year on year in May, a 1.3-percentage-point increase from April.
The services sector accelerated, with the services production index climbing 6.2 percent last month, accelerating from the 6 percent growth recorded in April. “Growing domestic consumption and holiday travel drove faster services growth,” Fu noted.
Industrial production rose 5.8 percent year on year in May, NBS data shows, with equipment and high-tech manufacturing leading with 9 percent and 8.6 percent respective growth figures. Fixed-asset investment increased 3.7 percent year on year in the first five months of 2025.
On the job front, the average surveyed urban unemployment rate in China stood at 5 percent in May, down 0.1 percentage points from April.
“The unemployment rate among the main working population remained stable, with the youth unemployment rate declining for a third consecutive month, reflecting continued stability in the overall job market,” Fu revealed.
He told press that May’s stable economic performance was built on sustained macro policy efforts, which facilitated demand expansion, production growth and improved expectations, and unleashed economic vitality.
“The country’s trade-in policies significantly accelerated relevant consumer goods sales,” he noted in particular. Retail sales of household appliances and audio-visual equipment, communication devices, furniture, and cultural and office supplies grew between 25.6 percent and 53 percent year on year last month.
“Together, these categories contributed 1.9 percentage points to the overall growth of retail sales of consumer goods,” Fu said.
China launched a consumer goods trade-in program last year to boost consumer spending, subsidizing trade-ins of automobiles, home appliances and home decoration products. It expanded the scope of the program earlier this year.
The effective implementation of trade-in policies has also boosted consumer demand for green, smart and high-quality products, which in turn drove production growth. In May, the output of new energy vehicles, tablet computers and e-bikes grew 31.7 percent, 30.9 percent and 20.5 percent year on year, respectively.
Fu said that this overall performance suggests strong support for China’s economic growth throughout the year, but also cautioned about the complicated, severe external environment and domestic pressure from the transition from traditional economic drivers.
China’s gross domestic product grew 5.4 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025. The country is targeting full-year economic growth of about 5 percent this year.
Looking ahead, Fu said that the foundation underpinning China’s long-term economic development has not changed, citing the country’s solid development momentum, effective pro-growth policies and strengthened innovation, all of which provide support for quality growth.
“For the first half of 2025, the Chinese economy is expected to maintain its overall stability while achieving stable progress,” he said.
He pledged that China will work to implement its more proactive macro policies, enhance innovation-driven development, and steadily advance high-quality growth to promote solid, sustained economic development.
“China has ample policy reserves that allow for dynamic adjustments to address evolving challenges, which will ensure continued support for stable economic operations,” Fu said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The whistle of a freight train echoed through Wujiashan Station in the central Chinese city of Wuhan Saturday. The train loaded with 55 containers including 10 carrying hot melt adhesive — a construction material in high demand in Central Asia — was bound for Uzbekistan.
“Since April this year, the route from Wuhan to Central Asia has become a regular service, operating one train per week,” said Wang Ziye, business manager at a railway operation company. A week later, another train carrying 51 containers of auto parts is scheduled to depart for Uzbekistan.
Wuhan’s new rail link is part of a broader freight train network that has rapidly expanded across the country, reflecting deepening economic and trade relations between China and Central Asian countries.
The network has been particularly busy this year. On May 20, the northern Chinese city of Tianjin sent 50 containers of auto parts, machinery, construction materials, and home appliances to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Southwestern Chongqing city dispatched in April its inaugural regular Central Asia train, loaded with polyester chips, with plans for two trains per month. In late March, Gansu Province saw its first direct train to Almaty, Kazakhstan, transporting 183 automobiles.
Despite global trade headwinds, the China-Central Asia freight train network is thriving, acting as a vital and stable trade artery.
In 2024, 27 Chinese provinces and cities operated 11,920 freight trains to Central Asia, an 11.3 percent increase from the previous year. The total cargo transported reached 882,712 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 13.2 percent.
Fu Kun, a sales manager at a Chongqing-based supply chain company, attributes this growth to complementary market demands between China and Central Asian countries. The Chinese market, especially China’s western regions, and Central Asia have growing mutual needs, driving increased trade flows, he said.
Zhao Lixun, general manager of a freight company in Tianjin, believes that regular China-Central Asia train services have lowered costs and improved logistics efficiency and reliability.
The freight network has created a robust trade corridor, facilitating the flow of Chinese goods like home appliances, daily necessities, and new energy vehicles into Central Asia, while also bringing Central Asian products such as fertilizers, cotton, and beef to Chinese consumers.
China’s central and western regions, in particular, have vigorously participated in the economic and trade cooperation with Central Asia. Notably, as the latest evidence of the popularity of Central Asian goods in China’s vast market, high-quality wheat flour from Kazakhstan is now used to cook local Chinese delicacies.
Liu Guangwu, deputy general manager of a Gansu-based international logistics company, said that trade has diversified from basic goods like aluminum and fruit to include daily necessities, auto parts, machinery, and furniture hardware.
Official customs data show that trade between China and Central Asian countries reached a record 94.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, an increase of 5.4 billion U.S. dollars over the previous year.
Ding Xiaoxing, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said China is now the largest trading partner and top investor for multiple Central Asian countries, noting that the country’s cumulative investment in Central Asia has surpassed 30 billion U.S. dollars.
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Forum participants
The team of students from St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering “Legal Support” (second year students of the Faculty of Forensic Expertise and Law in Construction and Transport) took part in the IV Inter-University Patriotic Forum “I Love My Homeland”.
The forum, organized by the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, was held on June 9 at the M. Gorky House of Scientists.
Our university was represented by Anastasia Abramova (team captain), Elena Samoilova, Alina Bashirova and Anastasia Kochukova under the guidance of Associate Professor of the Department of Legal Regulation of Urban Development and Transport Elena Markova.
In addition, students from the All-Russian State University of Justice, the Military Institute (Railway Troops and Military Communications), the Russian Customs Academy, other universities, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation also took part in the forum.
The forum was held in a quiz format. After the teams were introduced, the students answered questions about culture and history, painting, architecture and poetry, Russian cinema, music and composers of our country. The SPbGASU team took fourth place out of nine.
“The value of such events is that students do not compete with each other when answering questions, but interpersonal communication takes place between cadets, students and their leaders from different educational organizations. The main topic of the event is the Motherland, something that every citizen should know, because patriotism is not only the willingness to defend, but also knowledge of the history of your country. Therefore, we recommend that everyone who has the opportunity participate in such events to remember some of the most important moments in the history of Russia and learn something new,” said Elena Samoylova. “The forum dedicated to the topic of patriotism and love for the Motherland left a vivid impression. The questions raised at the event were different: some seemed easy and obvious, others were deep and thought-provoking. Particularly interesting were the speeches of the forum participants, who touched on the topic of the modern understanding of patriotism and the role of youth in the development of the country. Such events unite people, inspire good deeds,” shared Anastasia Kochukova.
“The forum became a source of new information and rethinking of already known facts for me. Particularly valuable was the acquaintance with the experience of various public organizations engaged in patriotic education of youth. Information about new projects aimed at preserving cultural heritage and developing civic activity turned out to be useful. It is important that the information presented was not only educational, but also inspiring, motivating to participate in positive changes,” Alina Bashirova is sure.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
The Housing Bureau said today it has postponed on a temporary basis the development programme of the public housing project in Fanling Area 17 after reviewing the cost-effectiveness of various housing projects under planning.
The bureau made the statement in response to media enquiries about the housing development in Fanling Area 17, saying that it has adjusted the project’s development priority but not abandoned it.
Based on ground investigations, the Housing Department found that the site has a complex geology with a deep bedrock layer. The bedrock level has been found at depths exceeding 80m below ground in general, with the deepest recorded at 120m below ground.
It noted that if the site is to be used for public housing construction, deep foundation work will be involved. Preliminary estimates of the average construction cost per unit will increase by 60% to 90%, and the construction period will be lengthened by at least 10 months.
Upon reviewing different housing construction projects, the Housing Department has decided to prioritise the development of other more cost-effective public housing projects in North District, including the completion of approximately 38,000 public housing units in Fanling, Sheung Shui and Kwu Tung North in the next five years.
The Fanling Area 17 development, which will provide 8,300 flats, was originally scheduled to be completed in the 2031-32.
Apart from the above production in the five-year period, other projects will be expedited and ready for completion in the second five-year period in North District, including 13,000 and 17,000 units in Fanling North and the Kwu Tung North New Development Area.
The Housing Bureau reaffirmed that the target supply of 308,000 public housing units in the next 10 years remains unchanged.
It explained that the adjustment in the priority of the development on this occasion will allow the authority to focus resources on developing first the more cost-effective public housing projects in order to provide homes to those in need as soon as possible.
Reaching for a pint of ice cream after a hard day can certainly be comforting. But when eating in response to bad feelings rather than physical hunger becomes a pattern, it also becomes a problem.
Loneke Blackman Carr, assistant professor of nutritional sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, recently published a study in Eating Behaviors demonstrating the feasibility of a novel approach to weight gain prevention that addresses emotional eating. Blackman Carr conducted this work in collaboration with Rachel Goode, an associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
“Emotional eating” can cause weight gain, which can lead to a host of health risks associated with being overweight or obese including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“Having that disconnect with physiological hunger can lead to weight gain over time,” Blackman Carr says.
This work fills an important gap in existing research which has largely ignored the role of weight gain prevention in favor of strategies targeting weight loss.
“Weight gain prevention is a really important but critically underutilized approach to addressing weight in this country which, we know, is an outstanding prevention challenge for public health,” Blackman Carr says. “Focusing on this intersection of weight gain plus addressing the emotional eating that so many of us deal with, I think could provide a really unique way to improve physical and mental health in the short and long term.”
Over the course of 12 weeks, 31 participants in the “SATISFY” program engaged in online group sessions with a mental health expert with expertise addressing emotional eating, and clinicians experienced in providing obesity treatment.
One element of the program focused on appetite awareness.
“This particular training is really helpful because it is targeted for individuals who are experiencing disordered or emotional eating to help them reduce eating related to that mental state,” Blackman Carr says. “It can help prevent weight gain and really bring people into greater awareness of what their true hunger is [rather than] responding to more of an emotional or mental health need.”
The other part of the program implemented a proven model focused on healthy lifestyle changes for obesity prevention.
Participants received digital scales and fitness trackers to record their meals and physical activity.
Combining appetite awareness training and obesity prevention was a novel advancement in this study.
The goal of this study was to determine if the intervention was feasible and acceptable to participants and hence, if it could be expanded into a larger study.
The answer was a clear yes.
Participants indicated a moderate to high level of satisfaction with the program. Participants’ emotional eating decreased significantly two months after the intervention. More than half – 63% — of participants also achieved weight stabilization at the two-month follow up.
The next step for this work is to conduct a larger pilot study with a randomized control group.
“We’re looking to compare the intervention that we did with a control group so we can see what’s the magnitude of all the different changes that we can observe,” Blackman Carr says. “With a larger sample and using more of a randomized approach that’s really the gold standard for science, we can start asking the questions of not only can it work but how does it work?”
This research was funded by the Office of Research Development at UNC Chappel Hill.
This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally.
Single-cell plants called phytoplankton have a surprising way of remembering conditions in the past to help jump-start their growth in the future, but no one is sure exactly how they do this.
Researchers, including UConn Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Assistant Professor Colin Kremer, David Anderson of the University of Hawaii, Samuel Fey and Hannah Meier of Reed College, and David Vasseur of Yale University, detail their mechanistic theory of how this phenomenon, known as phenotypic memory, works in phytoplankton in their paper published in PNAS and supported by the National Science Foundation.
Though small, phytoplankton are hugely important because they make about as much oxygen globally as all of the oxygen-producers we usually think of like trees and grasses, says Kremer. Phytoplankton are abundant in lakes and oceans and besides acting as vital oxygen creators, they also play significant roles in global nutrient cycles and ecosystems, therefore understanding the conditions that impact their productivity is vital.
“We’re particularly interested in how they are affected by abiotic conditions, like the amount of nutrients available in their environment and temperature, because that influences how quickly they can grow, and where different kinds of species can occur,” says Kremer.
In recent years, researchers began to realize that predicting phytoplankton growth rates is not as straightforward as simply considering current growing conditions, says Kremer, and that past conditions also play a significant role in current growth through phenotypic memory.
“We wanted to understand how it’s possible for them to do that,” says Kremer. “They don’t have brains, so how does this past information influence their performance?”
A mix of green algae and diatoms, two of the major types of phytoplankton investigated in this study, as seen under a microscope. (Photo courtesy of D. Gibson)
Kremer and his colleagues wanted to dig into this question and develop a mathematical model to help predict the growth of these important organisms. Knowing these details can help predict how quickly phytoplankton populations grow, how they convert solar energy to biomass for food webs or biofuels, and in the case of some species, predict the location and intensity of toxic algal blooms.
Fey and Meier grew different species of phytoplankton under controlled temperature and light conditions. To manage this, Kremer says he, Vasseur, and Fey built thermal gradient blocks to use space more efficiently while also carefully altering the growing conditions for the many test tubes of phytoplankton they were working with.
“We grew the phytoplankton in test tubes at different temperatures and then manipulated their past and present conditions by moving the test tubes to different places along that block,” Kremer explains. “Then we measure their growth by looking at how much biomass accumulated over time.”
In the paper, lead author Anderson detailed the development of a mathematical theory to describe the mechanism of phenotypic memory. He also compared the experimental data to the theoretical model and Kremer says they were excited with how closely the relatively simple model captured the data they collected in the lab.
“A lot of the work that I do involves trying to develop mathematical and statistical models of how things in ecology work, and very often it’s difficult to fit those mathematical models to experimental data. It’s often a real struggle, and in this case, the model just fit beautifully really early on,” says Kremer.
“We were initially surprised by how well this model predicted the observed data because it’s relatively simple– but often in ecology, the key is to find the sweet spot between needing to measure and understand dozens of biochemical pathways to obtain an accurate predictions for a single species, versus understanding a few key processes to understand how major groups of organisms will respond to their environment,” says Fey.
They found that the ability to store nutrients for future biomass production is integral and determines how quickly phytoplankton can grow.
“The easiest analogy we’ve come up with for this is if you think about a phytoplankton growing in water that’s fairly cold, its ability to grow is fundamentally limited by temperature and its cellular machinery for growth,” says Kremer. “But, for a lot of these phytoplankton, while they’re not growing very quickly, they are still able to take up and store extra nutrients from their environment. It’s like stocking up on snacks and then if their environment warms up, temperature is no longer limiting how quickly they can grow, and they’ve got a ton of snacks, so it supercharges their growth for a period of time.”
After faster growth in warmer conditions, the phytoplankton’s growth eventually slows down. Once temperatures drop again, their growth also slows since they have run out of snacks.
“In some instances, we observe phytoplankton being able to perform Herculean feats for a few days. Even though brief, such instances may be matters of life or death for these organisms. For example, our results indicate phenotypic memory can mitigate the downsides of high temperature stress if heatwaves are initiated from cool starting conditions,” says Fey.
“This nutrient storage or how many snacks they have on hand is a way of carrying over past information about their environmental exposure that then influences how they’re behaving at any given moment in time,” says Kremer.
To further explore this mechanism, the next steps include measuring the quantities of different nutrients stored over time, says Kremer.
“We’ve shown there are consistent patterns that are well explained by our new theory for different species of freshwater phytoplankton and one marine phytoplankton. We think it’s likely to be a general mechanism for different phytoplankton, but we’d like to expand how this data is collected. I also think the theory suggests many different things we can now look for in terms of what is happening physiologically within these cells to figure out if it’s the storage of nitrogen or phosphorus, or some other nutrient that drives these patterns,” says Kremer. “When we see differences between species, do they relate to differences in their ability to store nutrients?”
Other kinds of organisms can store energy and nutrients, not just phytoplankton, and Kremer says they hope if they can begin to understand the dynamics and mechanisms of phenotypic memory in other organisms. These questions become increasingly pressing as the climate changes.
“Abrupt temperature change has been, and will continue to be, a key experience of life of Earth. This work advances our understanding of how individuals may respond to the types of temperature perturbations that will define the 21st century,” says Fey.
“Understanding this mechanism lets us make predictions about the consequences [of variability], and that is important,” says Kremer. “We might be able to improve the predictive ability of ecology for different organisms in environments where temperature and resource levels are starting to become more and more variable.”
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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The Policy Framework and Reform Strategy (PFRS) for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa stands as one of the African Union’s most transformative instruments for advancing the continent’s blue economy. Anchored in the principles of sustainability, food and nutrition security, and inclusive economic growth, the PFRS provides a coherent continental roadmap for policy reform and investment in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Since its adoption in response to the 2010 call from the Conference of African Ministers on Fisheries and Aquaculture (CAMFA), the strategy has been instrumental in guiding AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities, and Fisheries Bodies to strengthen governance, institutional frameworks, and climate resilience in aquatic food systems. Against this backdrop, a Stakeholder Consultation and Validation Workshop is currently underway in Lusaka, Zambia, from 16th to 19th June 2025, hosted by AU-IBAR in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of the Republic of Zambia. The workshop seeks to align national fisheries and aquaculture strategies and agricultural investment plans with the PFRS, while integrating relevant global and regional instruments and addressing climate change adaptation.
Opening the event, Mr. Mwila, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (above picture), highlighted Zambia’s commitment to advancing the fisheries sector through value chain development and increased fish production. “We aim to grow our annual fish output to 225,000 metric tonnes by 2026 by scaling up fingerling production and enhancing monitoring and surveillance systems,” he stated. Mr. Mwila further emphasized that harmonizing legislation and aligning with continental policy through such consultations is vital for Zambia’s policy coherence and long-term sustainability. He noted that the workshop represents a key step in the country’s domestication process and called on stakeholders to consider the benefits of shared continental and global instruments.
Representing the AU-IBAR Director, Mrs. Patricia Lumba reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to supporting Member States in aligning national frameworks with continental strategies. She reminded participants that Zambia is the 16th country AU-IBAR is supporting in this alignment process. Mrs. Lumba also reflected on the origins and impact of the PFRS, noting that its development was driven by a continent-wide consultative process and grounded in the shared aspiration to transform Africa’s aquatic resources into engines of prosperity. “The PFRS and the Africa Blue Economy Strategy are not just policy tools—they are instruments of transformation for communities, economies, and ecosystems across Africa,” she remarked.
Over the four-day workshop, stakeholders—including government officials, regional bodies, researchers, and consultants—are reviewing findings from national consultations on policy coherence with the PFRS. They are also making specific recommendations for the domestication of global instruments, such as those related to biodiversity, food safety, and small-scale fisheries. Discussions are being held in breakout sessions and plenary formats, focusing on improving national agricultural investment plans (NAIPs), ensuring climate-smart approaches, and identifying legal and institutional reforms needed to implement the PFRS effectively.
The agenda covers detailed technical sessions, including analysis of Zambia’s national frameworks, identification of alignment gaps, and the development of actionable policy recommendations. Participants are also reviewing the integration of climate change adaptation into investment planning and assessing how to mainstream sustainability principles into fisheries governance.
As the workshop draws to a close, it is expected to deliver a consolidated communiqué outlining key agreements, next steps, and Zambia’s roadmap for alignment. The workshop aims to review and update National Fisheries Policies, compile best practices, identify policy gaps, establish priority actions, and strengthen the capacity of the AU-MS to ratify prioritized global instruments for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development, while also strengthening NAIPs for investment.
The Lusaka workshop underscores AU-IBAR’s role in driving a pan-African approach to aquatic resources governance, and the importance of consensus-building among stakeholders in realizing shared aspirations for a resilient, inclusive, and thriving blue economy across Africa.
– on behalf of The African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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Egypt’s first integrated solar and battery storage plant will deliver dispatchable clean energy, enhance grid stability, and manage peak demand.
It is expected to generate approximately 3,000 GWh of clean energy and avoid up to 1.4 million tons of emissions annually, supporting Egypt’s decarbonisation goals.
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), European Bank for Development and Reconstruction (EBRD), and the British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, are providing $479.1 million to Obelisk Solar Power SAE, a special purpose vehicle incorporated in Egypt, and owned by Scatec ASA (http://apo-opa.co/3SSYfFL). This financing will support the development of a 1 GW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant integrated with a 200 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the country’s Nagaa Hammadi region.
The African Development Bank Group’s financing package of $184.1 million includes $125.5 million in commercial loans, as well as concessional funding from Bank Group-managed Special Funds the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) worth $20 million, and $18.6 million from the Canada-African Development Bank Climate Fund, a partnership of the African Development Bank and the Government of Canada. A further $20 million will be channelled from the Climate Investment Funds’ Clean Technology Fund through the African Development Bank. The Bank’s Board of Directors approved the funding package on 11 June 2025 (https://apo-opa.co/4le4gsV).
EBRD will be providing a financing package of up to $173.5 million, of which US$101.9 million will benefit from a European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD+) first loss cover guarantee for the first 18 years, in addition to a $6.5 million grant to be provided by the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund.
BII financing includes a US$100 million concessional loan and a US$15 million returnable grant that helps lower the overall cost of the BESS part of the project, making it more financially viable and affordable, while attracting private sector participation and creating models for future investments. BII’s financing is subject to drawn down conditions.
The project’s blended financing of $475.6 million corresponds to approximately 80 per cent of the total estimated capital expenditure of $590 million.
The integrated power plant will be developed by Scatec, a leading renewable energy solutions provider, and built in two phases. The first phase, with 561 MW of solar and 100 MW/200 MWh of battery storage, aims to begin operations in the first half of 2026. The second phase of 564 MW solar aims to start operations in the second half of 2026. The energy will be sold under a USD-denominated 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, backed by a sovereign guarantee.
Upon completion, it will be the first integrated solar photovoltaic and battery storage project of this scale in Egypt, representing a significant milestone in the country’s energy transition. Egypt aims to reach 42 per cent of renewables in its power mix by 2030. The solar power plant is estimated to generate approximately 3,000GWh per year of additional renewable power, which will enhance grid stability and manage peak demand. It will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 1.4 million metric tons annually.
The facility will support the diversification of Egypt’s energy mix and will increase the share of renewable energy contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the country’s decarbonisation goals.
Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat: “The Obelisk Solar Power project represents a landmark in Egypt’s clean energy transition, not only as the first integrated solar and battery storage facility, but also as a model for innovative financing through effective multilateral partnerships. It reflects our continued efforts to scale renewable energy, enhance grid resilience, and drive forward the implementation of Egypt’s Nexus of Water, Food and Energy (NWFE) Country Platform, thus advancing our climate ambitions and creating new opportunities for private sector engagement and sustainable development.”
Wale Shonibare, The African Development Bank’s Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy, and Regulations noted: “This project exemplifies the scale of renewable energy potential across Africa and demonstrates how strong partnerships and innovative solutions can advance the energy transition and foster sustainable economic development. It has a high demonstration and replication potential for similar initiatives across the continent.”
Iain Macaulay, Director and Head of Project Finance (Africa & Pakistan), BII said: “This agreement underscores BII’s commitment to innovative and sustainable energy solutions. The integration of battery storage with solar PV is a game-changer for Egypt’s energy sector, providing reliable and dispatchable renewable energy and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. This project not only meets Egypt’s current energy needs but also sets a precedent for future dispatchable hybrid renewable energy projects in the region.”
Boyd Carpenter, EBRD Managing Director for sustainable Infrastructure, said: “We’re delighted to work with our longstanding partners SCATEC, African Development Bank and BII to support this transformative project, which takes Egypt’s green energy transition to another level by harnessing the power of the sun not just during the day but also at night, thanks to the combination of solar and battery storage. It addresses the growing demand for electricity and reduces the need to import expensive fossil fuels. The project contributes towards the goals of the Egypt’s flagship Nexus on Water, Food, and Energy which was launched at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, and for which EBRD is Egypt’s lead partner on the energy pillar.”
Stefano Sannino, Director-General of the Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf of the European Commission said: “Today, the European Union (EU) launches the EU-Egypt Investment Guarantee for Development Mechanism, a strategic platform designed to fast-track a significant pipeline of investment projects to deliver large-scale financing solutions in Egypt. This is a major milestone in the implementation of the EU-Egypt Strategic Partnership. This particular project is a concrete example of a fruitful collaboration between the EU and the EBRD for supporting green transition in the country, through a large-scale investment. The EU guarantee allows the EBRD to provide a loan alongside other financiers to finance an innovative integrated solution which can attract private investors.”
Terje Pilskog, CEO of Scatec, the project’s operation and maintenance contractor, said: “This project marks a major milestone for Scatec. It proves our ability to deliver large-scale hybrid projects. We are proud to partner with leading development finance institutions to support Egypt’s clean energy ambitions, and we look forward to delivering this important project together with our partners.”
– on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
For media inquiries please contact: The African Development Bank Olufemi Terry media@afdb.org
British International Investment Paschorina Mortty press@bii.co.uk
The European Bank for Development and Reconstruction Nibal Zgheib zgheibn@ebrd.com
Scatec Meera Bhatia meera.bhatia@scatec.com
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About British International Investment: British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor. As a trusted investment partner to businesses in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, BII invests to create productive, sustainable and inclusive economies in our markets. Between 2022-2026, at least 30 per cent of BII’s total new commitments by value will be in climate finance. BII is also a founding member of the 2X Challenge which has raised over $33.6 billion to empower women’s economic development. The company has investments in over 1,580 businesses across 65 countries and total net assets of £8.5 billion. For more information, visit: www.BII.co.uk | watch here (http://apo-opa.co/4jOKyTr).
About The European Bank for Development and Reconstruction: The EBRD is a multilateral bank that promotes the development of the private sector and entrepreneurial initiative in 36 economies across three continents. The Bank is owned by 75 countries as well as the EU and the EIB. EBRD investments are aimed at making the economies in its regions competitive (http://apo-opa.co/4jWC9xg), inclusive (http://apo-opa.co/3FWLuqT), well-governed (http://apo-opa.co/4kNijpm), green (http://apo-opa.co/43Yjvin), resilient and integrated (http://apo-opa.co/3TrRBq8).
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
In partnership with the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health, international charity Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) is preparing for the next phase of its ongoing mission to deliver free, life-changing surgeries and training for healthcare professionals. This new phase is scheduled to begin in August.
As part of the preparations, the Global Mercy™ is temporarily leaving Sierra Leone for a planned maintenance period in Cadiz, Spain. The ship will return in August to continue delivering specialised surgical care until the ship departs in June 2026.
Even after the ship departs, a team on the ground will continue working alongside our partners to strengthen the country’s healthcare workforce and surgical care system through 2030. This aligns with the government’s national priorities to improve access to essential surgical care and strengthen medical capacity.
Since its initial arrival in Freetown in August 2023, the world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship has provided over 3,630 free surgeries and training for more than 290 healthcare professionals, on board the ship as well as on the ground. Each week, the ship has had between 4 and 8 Sierra Leonean participants receiving on-ship training.
Dr. Sandra Lako, Mercy Ships Country Director for Sierra Leone, said: “We look forward to the ship’s return in August as we continue to partner with the Ministry of Health and the University of Sierra Leone to strengthen surgical care. Even after the ship departs in 2026, our agreement with the government underscores a shared commitment to lasting impact through 2030. We’re already witnessing the ripple effect of this sustained partnership in action.”
When the Global Mercy returns in August 2025, this will mark the charity’s third consecutive field service in Sierra Leone and its eighth visit to the country since 1992, reinforcing a long-standing partnership aimed at improving access to safe surgical care for those who need it most.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, said: “Our partnership with Mercy Ship has been truly life-transforming for the people of this country. As a government, we are very proud of the significant contributions they are making in improving access to free surgical services as well as improving capacity of the health workforce through training. We look forward to the next field service and we will provide all the support necessary to make more Sierra Leoneans benefit from their assistance.”
Mercy Ships will continue working alongside the University of Sierra Leone to support the delivery of the nurse anaesthesia diploma course, helping to address the country’s current shortage of anaesthesia providers. The long-term aim is for this program to be fully led by Sierra Leonean faculty to ensure a sustainable increase in qualified professionals.
In addition, Mercy Ships is continuing to partner with the Connaught Hospital in the Safer Surgery programme, which has an emphasis on strengthening surgical teams and working towards measurable improvements in patient care.
Support for dental education will continue through the sponsorship of Sierra Leonean dental students studying at Gamal Abdel Nasser University in Guinea, in partnership with the University of Sierra Leone.
– on behalf of Mercy Ships.
For more information about Mercy Ships, contact: Sophie Barnett Mercy Ships Senior Manager of International PR international.media@mercyships.org
About Mercy Ships: Mercy Ships operates hospital ships that deliver free surgeries and other healthcare services to those with little access to safe medical care. An international faith-based organization, Mercy Ships has focused entirely on partnering with African nations for the past three decades. Working with in-country partners, Mercy Ships also provides training to local healthcare professionals and supports the construction of in-country medical infrastructure to leave a lasting impact. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer professionals from over 60 countries serve on board the world’s two largest non-governmental hospital ships, the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy. Professionals such as surgeons, dentists, nurses, health trainers, cooks, and engineers dedicate their time and skills to accelerate access to safe surgical and anesthetic care. Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and has offices in 16 countries as well as an Africa Service Center in Dakar, Senegal. For more information, visit www.MercyShips.org and follow @ MercyShips on social media.
