Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Rome, 11 July 2025– The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope,is joining world leaders in Rome on 10–11 July for the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference, calling for renewed global solidarity to support Ukraine’s long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
Mission
The LaSallian is the official student publication of De La Salle University.
It is of the students, by the students, and for the students; it is a student publication that strives for nothing less than journalistic excellence. Committed to the University’s mission of developing Lasallian Achievers for God and Country who teach minds, touch hearts, and transform lives, its student writers, photographers, videographers, artists, and web managers seek the truth and work for change as competent leaders and ambassadors of critical thinking.
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
14:00 CEST
Persons with disabilities, older persons, and others who utilize assistive technology (AT) face increased risks during disasters and climate-induced emergencies. Disruptions in access to essential assistive products-such as mobility aids, hearing devices, or communication tools-are common. At the same time, preparedness and response efforts often overlook the specific requirements of AT users, including accessible early warning systems, safe and inclusive evacuation procedures, accessible shelters and facilities, and continuity of critical life-saving services.
To address these gaps, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), in collaboration with the ATscale Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, conducted a global study to formulate a policy brief and to explore how the needs of AT users can be more effectively integrated into disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate action. The study reviewed relevant policies, systems, and practices and engaged nearly 300 stakeholders from 90 countries-half of whom were AT users. Participants included persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, older persons, civil society organizations, humanitarian and DRR practitioners, UN agencies, government representatives, health and rehabilitation professionals, and AT developers and service providers.
The findings have informed the development of a draft policy brief, which will be presented during the webinar for stakeholder consultation and feedback.
For any questions, comments, or to request editing rights to the document (this version is view-only with commenting enabled), please contact the lead consultant, Nino Gvetadze, at: [email protected]
Deadline for feedback: Friday, 25 July 2025
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
Mission
ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, is a cross-sector partnership launched in 2018 by a diverse Forming Committee comprised of 11 organisations, to overcome the significant gap in access to appropriate, high-quality, and affordable assistive technology (AT) globally. ATscale’s goal is to reach 500 million more people with life-changing AT by 2030 to enable a lifetime of potential.
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
Kamal Kishore says crisis-response funding isn’t enough — resilience and risk reduction need to underpin all development finance.
The United Nations’ top official for disaster risk reduction is calling on governments, lenders, and the private sector to ensure that risk reduction is fully embedded in every aspect of development finance, warning that crisis-response funding alone will not prevent mounting losses.
Kamal Kishore, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for disaster risk reduction and head of UNDRR, told Devex that while countries know more than ever about the risks they face, that knowledge still fails to shape mainstream planning and investment.
“I think our understanding of disaster risk is at an all-time high. We have a better way of modeling different kinds of hazards. We have a better way of keeping track of exposure. … But all of that understanding is not underpinning our development thinking, unfortunately,” he said on Monday during an interview at Casa Devex in Sevilla, Spain, on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, or FFD4.
[…]
Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense
BEIJING, July 9 — Recently, the 23rd Chinese Peacekeeping Multi-Role Engineering Company to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) passed the UN equipment inspection withhigh standards.
The equipment inspection is conducted under the requirements of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the UN with the troop-contributing countries to assess whether the peacekeeping troops’ weapons, equipment, and facilities meet corresponding standards.
The inspection team, composed of more than ten members dispatched by the UNIFIL headquarters, thoroughly inspected over 10,000 pieces of equipment in 27 categories including weapons and ammunition, vehicles, mine-clearing equipment, and medical equipment.
Since its deployment, the 23rd Chinese Peacekeeping Multi-Role Engineering Company to UNIFIL has completed minefield clearing, road barrier removal, medical assistance, and various other tasks, contributing to maintaining world peace with concrete actions.
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Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense
BEIJING, July 10 — The 8th International Defense Forum hosted by the National Defense University (NDU) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) kicked off in Beijing recently. More than 200 military and civilian scholars from nearly 100 countries participated in the forum. Under the theme of “International Security Cooperation amid Interweaving Turbulence and Changes”, the forum focused on three topics including the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN and maintaining world peace, international and regional security amid interweaving turmoil, and new paths and initiatives for global and regional security governance.
Through forms such as keynote speeches, sub-topic presentations, group discussions, and plenary discussions and interactions, the participants had exchanges on the joint promotion of peaceful development, artificial intelligence (AI) and future warfare, Global Security Initiative (GSI), China’s solutions to global security challenges, and other topics.
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Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense
BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that China is ready to work with other countries in building a global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the statement in a congratulatory letter to the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting, which opened in Beijing.
He pledged that China will work with other countries to champion equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and implement the Global Civilization Initiative, in a bid to provide fresh impetus for advancing human civilizations and promoting world peace and development.
“The world is, in nature, a place of diverse civilizations,” Xi said in the letter. “History has shown us that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are essential for civilizations to flourish and human progress to be made.”
In a world where transformations and turbulences are interwoven and humanity stands at a new crossroads, there is an ever-pressing need for civilizations to transcend estrangement through exchanges, and to transcend clashes through mutual learning, Xi said.
He also expressed his hope that participating representatives would engage in in-depth exchanges to build consensus and contribute their wisdom and strength to the goal of promoting understanding and friendship among peoples, and achieving harmonious coexistence among civilizations.
Themed “Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilizations for World Peace and Development,” the two-day meeting is co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.
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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that happened in Chek Lap Kok this afternoon (July 10) in which a man died.
The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
​The Home Affairs Department has opened the following additional temporary shelters for people in need:
| Region | Venue | Address |
| New Territories (except Islands District) | Lei Muk Shue Community Hall | G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan |
| New Territories (except Islands District) | Sham Tseng Catholic Primary School | 37 Castle Peak Road, Sham Tseng, Tsuen Wan |
Please refer to the annex for the full list of temporary shelters that are now open. For enquiries, please contact the emergency hotline on 2572 8427.
Source: APO
At an activity assessment meeting held on 7 and 8 July, the National Union of Eritrean Women branch in the Southern Region called for enhanced organizational capacity, particularly among young women.
According to the report presented at the meeting, 65% of the programs planned for 2025 have been completed. In addition, 118 women have been elected as area administrators and managing directors, and 850 women as village coordinators. Encouraging awareness-raising activities were also conducted in collaboration with partners to eradicate underage marriages and other harmful practices.
Participants held extensive discussions based on the reports presented by the heads of 12 sub-zones in the region, focusing on achievements recorded and challenges faced.
Ms. Senait Afwerki, head of the union branch in the Southern Region, provided a briefing on the activities implemented during the first half of the year and called for reinforced participation to achieve better outcomes.
Ms. Amete Neguse, Secretary of the PFDJ in the region, commended the successful implementation of various activities over the past six months and urged for strengthened efforts in executing the programs scheduled for the second half of the year.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Source: APO
Three dams have been constructed in Mai-Mne sub-zone, Southern Region, at a cost of over 20 million Nakfa. The construction was carried out through a joint effort by the Southern Region administration and members of the Defense Forces.
The dams, with capacities of 250,000, 85,000, and 75,000 cubic meters respectively, are expected to make a significant contribution to the provision of water for both the population and livestock in the areas.
Engineer Gebreselasie Semere, coordinator of the project, stated that the primary goal of the dam construction is to ensure a sustainable supply of potable water for the Mai-Mne semi-urban center. The dams will also support the development of irrigation-based farming.
Lt. Col. Abraham Haile, administrator of the sub-zone, highlighted the role of the dams in ensuring access to clean water and advancing development programs. He also praised the contributions of Government institutions and the public in completing the construction.
Mai-Mne sub-zone, which includes 76 villages, is located 90 kilometers south of Mendefera city.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Source: APO
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) launched the second edition of Foundations and Evolution of Structured Trade Finance, a landmark publication on a specialised field of trade finance shaped by decades of real-world application.
Authored by Professor Benedict O. Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank and a pivotal figure in the development of Structured Trade Finance (STF), the book provides a practical, step-by-step guide to structuring trade finance transactions. It delves into real-world case studies, explores risks and the theoretical foundations of STF, and broadens its scope beyond commodities to address a wide range of trade scenarios.
The updated edition introduces dedicated chapters on reserve-based lending, supply chain finance, and the use of emerging technologies in structured trade finance. These additions make the book particularly relevant in today’s complex and increasingly risk-sensitive global regulatory environment.
Speaking at the book launch and signing event held during the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Abuja, Nigeria, Professor Oramah reflected on the significant progress made in trade finance since the early 1990s.
“When I joined Afreximbank in 1994 the world was still grappling with a severe sovereign debt crisis, and structured trade finance was just beginning to emerge as a tool for financing trade in challenging markets.
“As Afreximbank began operations in 1994, we embraced structured trade finance for its ability to mitigate risk. At its core, structured trade finance enables practitioners to be innovative, as its fundamental principle allows for the transfer of risks from parties who are less able to bear them to those who are more capable of absorbing shocks,” said Professor Oramah.
The first edition of the book highlighted trade finance structures that largely supported North-South trade—an approach that contributed to trade diversion, with businesses often favouring extra-African over intra-African trade due to more accessible financing.
Today, global trade dynamics have shifted dramatically. South-South trade now dominates, with Africa’s trade with other developing countries rising from approximately 23% of its total trade in 1995 to an estimated 68% in 2024. Over the same period, Africa’s trade with advanced economies has declined to less than 50%.
Structured Trade Finance has played a transformative role in reversing Africa’s trend of de-industrialisation. By extending beyond commodity-based structures, STF has supported the emergence of African manufacturing hubs, fostered regional and domestic value chains, and enabled the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. Afreximbank continues to build the continent’s economic future on this foundation of innovation and resilience.
The second edition of Foundations and Evolution of Structured Trade Finance is now available via Globe Law and Business (www.GlobeLawAndBusiness.com), Amazon, and major retailers including Blackwell’s, Waterstones, Wildy’s, Baker & Taylor, and Gardners.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.
Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
Email: press@afreximbank.com
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About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com
Source: Government of South Africa
Have your say on the Review of the White Paper on Local Government
While the recent inclement weather conditions have reminded us of the power that mother nature wields, it has also served to remind us about how municipalities are run, and their importance.
As inclement weather often brings damage to homes, roads and other infrastructure, municipalities are often the first port of call for residents in such disasters. They are at the coal face of coordinating help for residents, including shelter, food and clothing.
Given the importance of matters of local government, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has extended the deadline for submissions on the Review of the White Paper on Local Government.
The Minister extended the initial deadline that had been set for 30 June to 31 July 2025, due to requests from stakeholders across the country for additional time to prepare and submit inputs.
The Ministry said the extension provides an opportunity for broader consultation and deeper reflection while also encouraging interested individuals and organisations to take full advantage of the additional time to submit their views.
“The Ministry recognises the importance of inclusive participation in shaping a responsive and effective system of local governance and thus welcomes the active engagement from all sectors of society,” the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said.
These contributions are essential in strengthening the future of local government and it is crucial for citizens to make their comments count.
Like the weather, local government has an impact on daily life – whether it be refuse collection, the maintenance of roads, or the provision of electricity.
In the Government Gazette dated 10 April 2025, Minister Hlabisa invited the public, civil society, public institutions and interested stakeholders and all three spheres of government to provide comments towards the review.
Among others, the review speaks to the challenges brought on by the changing weather patterns.
This as the Eastern Cape Provincial Government announced that the floods that battered parts of the province last month claimed 103 lives. The victims include 38 children and public servants who were among the first responders.
In total, in June, South Africa lost 107 lives because of the disaster, of which three were in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Western Cape.
In the aftermath of the disaster, government announced a substantial Disaster Recovery Grant, allocating R1.2 billion to municipalities affected by recent disasters.
Climate change is among the nine interconnected priorities for change that are up for discussion in the review document.
According to the review, the “escalating climate crisis” which has “profoundly reshaped municipal governance priorities,” necessitates that local authorities balance the immediate service delivery demands with long-term resilience planning.
While it feels like mother nature is playing a cruel trick on us in the month that South Africa marks Environment Month, the review notes that municipalities are operating in an era in which climate considerations are present in every aspect of urban and rural management.
“In addition to revealing critical deficits in institutional capacity and resource allocation, this paradigm shift has required structural reforms in financial planning, infrastructure development, and cross-sectoral coordination,” it notes, while also stating that municipalities have been compelled to become frontline responders for climate adaptation.
According to the document, municipal budgets have borne the brunt of climate-induced disasters, with extreme weather events between 1998 and 2025 increasing emergency expenditures by 320% across South African cities.
Flooding in Durban during the 2022 rainy season required R780 million in unplanned drain clearance and road repairs, diverting funds from scheduled housing projects.
“The frequency of such events has necessitated permanent budget line items for disaster response,” noted the report adding that coastal municipalities like Nelson Mandela Bay have seen 22% decreases in rates income from properties in flood-prone areas since 2018.
Additionally, critical municipal infrastructure built to 20th-century climate standards now operate beyond their design thresholds.
According to the document, the key challenges in local government show a breakdown in finance, governance and service delivery resulting in high and growing debt, instability in councils, and a deterioration in and lack of maintenance of infrastructure assets.
The review notes that local government performance has regressed due to a variety of administrative, governance, service delivery, infrastructure, financial, structural, and systemic challenges.
“The failure to do the basics well has become a major constraint on attracting investment, fostering growth, creating jobs, promoting human development, and serving citizens,” it said.
Key areas
Government has prioritised the reform of the local government system to ensure it does not continue to be a limiting factor in the country’s development.
The other eight interconnected priorities for change in the document are: municipal fiscal and financial reform; manipulative conduct, culture and behaviour, unethical practices and poor accountability; overpoliticisation of municipalities; poor oversight over local government at national and provincial level; weak integration of traditional governance systems; poor relationships with citizens; inability of spheres of government to meaningfully collaborate and persistent spatial inequalities.
Under the issue of municipal fiscal and financial reform, the document states that local government fiscal and financial challenges are multifaceted and impact the delivery of basic services, citizen confidence, and the long-term viability of the local government system.
The document states that the discussion options for a new local government financial model will need to take into account why levels of local government own revenue have declined, with rising debtors resulting in failure to realise potential revenue.
It will also need to consider why expenditure is rising above revenue and, at the same time, declining service delivery, as well as persistent weaknesses in internal controls and financial governance, among others.
On the matter of manipulative conduct, culture and behaviour, unethical practices and poor accountability, the document notes an emergence of “a bureaucratic, hierarchical, command-and-control, and compartmentalised local government institutional culture”.
This according to the document, has distanced many municipalities from the people they serve with manipulation and methods aiming at maintaining power and/or rapid enrichment having spread, resulting in corrupt, nepotistic, and unethical activity in municipalities.
“Culture change needs to start with ethical leaders in all three spheres of government who model transparency, accountability, agility, and responsiveness and support strengthening of anti-corruption measures,” noted the review.
Meanwhile on the priority of poor relationships with citizens, the document states that there is a large divide between many municipalities and their communities (including residential, business, university, and institutional communities).
“The fact that as of 2024, households owe municipalities a staggering R230.5 billion (74% of total municipal debt) is an indicator of the broken social contract.”
It further goes on to say that a three-way partnership between the elected political structure, the administration, and the community is part of the original conceptualisation of municipalities in the 1998 white paper.
“However, relationships have increasingly become strained and, in some cases, have broken down, hence the need for a focus on ways to improve three-way relational governance at the municipal level, within a whole of government and whole of society framework.”
Meanwhile on the issue of persistent spatial inequalities, the document noted that the persistence of spatial inequality in South African towns and cities remains one of the most pressing challenges of the post-apartheid era.
“Despite three decades of democratic governance, the colonial and apartheid-era urban form, characterised by racial segregation, economic exclusion, and fragmented landscapes, continues to define South Africa’s towns and cities,” it said.
While adding that policies like the Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF) and the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) have sought to dismantle this legacy, progress has been hindered by fragmented implementation, among others.
The document noted that the nine focus areas represent “just some of the initial reflections on the causes of local government system failure; the list is not exhaustive.”
The document notes that the process of local government reform in South Africa faces the persistent and deepening weaknesses of the local government system itself and policy implementation failure are pressing challenges.
“These two challenges need to be tackled simultaneously. If the policy reform and implementation processes are not significantly improved and recommendations are not translated into action, the necessary system changes will once again not be made or sustained,” it said.
Local government achievements
While the white paper speaks to the challenges the country faces, there have been several achievements since the dawn of democracy, including the devolution and establishment of autonomous municipalities with constitutional powers to manage local development.
Other successes include a stable, functional democracy with regular elections established at the local level, including ward committees and other mechanisms for community engagement.
It also includes the merging of fragmented local authorities into inclusive municipal systems.
Other developments include the expanding of access to basic services, including an increase in electricity and water provision as well as the Adoption of the Free Basic Services policies.
The document states that the review presents a crucial opportunity to assess progress, identify challenges, and propose policy reforms to enhance local governance.
“Central to this process is public participation, ensuring that diverse perspectives contribute to shaping an inclusive and effective local government system,” noted the document.
The White Paper can be accessed on: https://www.cogta.gov.za/index.php/wplg-page/ .
Contributions can be submitted via email to WPLG26@cogta.gov.za, oRichardP@cogta.gov.za or MaphutiL@cogta.gov.za.
Submissions can also be made to the following postal address:
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Attention: Mr Thabiso Richard Plank (WPLG26 Policy Review)
Private Bag X802, Pretoria, 0001
Alternatively, submission can be dropped off at 87 Hamilton Street, Arcadia, Pretoria.
–SAnews.gov.za
Neo
Source: Reserve Bank of India
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) vide public document ‘High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action’ – 13 June 2025, has called on its members and other jurisdictions to refer to the statement on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran adopted in February 2020 which remains in effect. Further, Myanmar was added to the list of High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action in the October 2022 FATF plenary and FATF has called on its members and other jurisdictions to apply enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risk arising from Myanmar. When applying enhanced due diligence measures, countries have been advised to ensure that flows of funds for humanitarian assistance, legitimate NPO activity and remittances are not disrupted. The status of Myanmar in the list of countries subject to a call for action, remains unchanged.
FATF had earlier identified the following jurisdictions as having strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing and had placed the jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring, which had developed action plan with the FATF to deal with them. These jurisdictions were: Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen. As per the June 13, 2025 FATF public statement, Bolivia and the Virgin Islands (UK) have been added to the list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring while Croatia, Mali and Tanzania have been removed from this list based on review by the FATF.
FATF plenary releases documents titled “High-Risk jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action” and “Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring” with respect to jurisdictions that have strategic AML/CFT deficiencies as part of the ongoing efforts to identify and work with jurisdictions with strategic Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT) deficiencies. This advice does not preclude the regulated entities from legitimate trade and business transactions with these countries and jurisdictions mentioned there.
The detailed information is available in the updated public statements and document released by FATF on June 13, 2025. The statements and document can be accessed at the following URL:
About FATF
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures, and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally. The FATF’s decision making body, the FATF Plenary, meets three times a year and updates these statements, which may be noted.
Ajit Prasad
Deputy General Manager
(Communications)
Press Release: 2025-2026/686
Source: Reserve Bank of India
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) vide public document ‘High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action’ – 13 June 2025, has called on its members and other jurisdictions to refer to the statement on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran adopted in February 2020 which remains in effect. Further, Myanmar was added to the list of High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action in the October 2022 FATF plenary and FATF has called on its members and other jurisdictions to apply enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risk arising from Myanmar. When applying enhanced due diligence measures, countries have been advised to ensure that flows of funds for humanitarian assistance, legitimate NPO activity and remittances are not disrupted. The status of Myanmar in the list of countries subject to a call for action, remains unchanged.
FATF had earlier identified the following jurisdictions as having strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing and had placed the jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring, which had developed action plan with the FATF to deal with them. These jurisdictions were: Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen. As per the June 13, 2025 FATF public statement, Bolivia and the Virgin Islands (UK) have been added to the list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring while Croatia, Mali and Tanzania have been removed from this list based on review by the FATF.
FATF plenary releases documents titled “High-Risk jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action” and “Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring” with respect to jurisdictions that have strategic AML/CFT deficiencies as part of the ongoing efforts to identify and work with jurisdictions with strategic Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT) deficiencies. This advice does not preclude the regulated entities from legitimate trade and business transactions with these countries and jurisdictions mentioned there.
The detailed information is available in the updated public statements and document released by FATF on June 13, 2025. The statements and document can be accessed at the following URL:
About FATF
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures, and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally. The FATF’s decision making body, the FATF Plenary, meets three times a year and updates these statements, which may be noted.
Ajit Prasad
Deputy General Manager
(Communications)
Press Release: 2025-2026/686
Source: City of Portsmouth
The Portsmouth Baton of Hope countdown is on and Portsmouth Football Club’s historic Fratton Park will be one of the many exciting destinations it will pass through.
The Baton of Hope is the UK’s biggest suicide prevention initiative and it’s coming to Portsmouth for the very first time on Friday 26 September 2025.
With less than 80 days to go, the full route was announced at Pompey’s iconic home, Fratton Park, where the baton will be carried through the stadium – one of many city locations it will pass through on the day.
The 105 bearers have now been confirmed, all impacted in some way by suicide. They will carry the Olympic torch-style baton through key locations including Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and the Mary Rose, Spinnaker Tower, and across the water and back to Gosport, through Explosion Museum.
On average 19 people a day die by suicide in the UK. It’s something the thousands taking part in the Baton of Hope UK are determined to raise awareness of and prevent.
Portsmouth Baton of Hope Project Leader Lara Kynvin said:
“We are so incredibly proud to bring the baton to Portsmouth.
“The community and organisations across the area have all shown such great support and are keen to be involved to help us to get people talking about suicide, breaking the stigma around it, and saving lives.”
Lina Small, Portsmouth FC’s Head of People & EDI said:
“We’re incredibly proud to support and host the Baton of Hope route announcement at Fratton Park. Suicide affects far too many lives, and this initiative is a powerful reminder that hope, conversation and support can save lives.
At Portsmouth Football Club, we stand with those impacted and are committed to playing our part in breaking the stigma and standing up to suicide.”
Portsmouth City Council is supporting the major event, and Victoria Park – Portsmouth’s ‘People’s Park’ – will host the Baton Bearer Village, with the baton passing through the park and then ending the tour there.
Cllr Chris Attwell, Portsmouth City Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Central Services, said:
“Suicide is the biggest killer of under-35s and the biggest killer of men under 50. Those figures are barely believable, and behind each of them are devastated friends and families left behind.
“The truth is that every single person will have been impacted in some way by suicide. Our Portsmouth Lord Mayor and council staff will be among the 105 people proudly carrying the baton through the Portsmouth route.
“Portsmouth shares the Baton of Hope’s powerful message that we must stand up to suicide. I hope local people come and show their support on 26 September and give a loud cheer to all those taking part.”
The Portsmouth event will kick off on Portsdown Hill in the north in early morning and finish in Victoria Park. Along the route will be ‘hubs’ with taster events and activities for people and families to take part in throughout the day. The baton also is visiting venues where support services are provided to vulnerable people in the area.
The Baton of Hope’s first tour was in 2023. For 2025 it’s back even bigger, starting in Blackpool on 1 September and touring 20 UK locations and finishing in London on 10 October.
Keep up with all the news by following the Baton of Hope Tour25 – Portsmouth Facebook page, where you’ll find video stories from some of the bearers plus up-to-date information.
Source: Channel Islands – States of Alderney
Media Release Date: 9 July 2025
Historic Telegraph Tower Opens to the Public as New Visitor Attraction in Alderney.
The historic Telegraph Tower, a remarkable survivor from the Napoleonic era, will officially open to the public as a visitor attraction on Wednesday 23rd July, in a ceremony led by the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey, Sir Richard Cripwell CB, CBE.
Built in 1809, the Telegraph Tower was part of a short-lived but crucial communication network used to report on the movement of French shipping around the Channel Islands. Designed to relay signals between Alderney and Sark, it remains the only building of its kind in the Islands, offering a unique glimpse into the island’s strategic importance and early optical telegraphy.
Now carefully restored and repurposed, Telegraph Tower will serve as a new heritage site celebrating Alderney’s military and maritime past, with engaging displays on early signalling technology, the history of the tower, and its role in the island’s defences.
Members of the public are warmly invited to attend the opening ceremony and explore this fascinating piece of Alderney’s history from 10.45am. “This is a proud moment for Alderney,” said Caroline Gauvain of Visit Alderney. “Telegraph Tower is not only a rare and historic structure — predating the Victorian forts and Breakwater — but it also tells a powerful story of communication, defence, and island resilience.”
Visit Alderney would like to thank historian Colin Partridge and our dedicated volunteers Nigel Clarke, Andy Mileham, Neil Collings, John Walker, and Nick Collier, without whom this project would not have been possible.
From 23rd July, the Tower will be open daily from 10am to 4pm, with free admission.
Event Details Opening Ceremony: Wednesday 23rd July 2025, 10.45 AM Location: Telegraph Tower, Alderney Admission: Free Visitors are encouraged to walk if possible, or park in the nearby car parking area. Please ensure the Airport Perimeter Road remains clear at all times. ENDS Contact: Caroline or Alex at Visit Alderney Email: tourism@alderney.gov.gg Phone: 01481 822333 visitalderney.com
Source: University of Aberdeen
A discovery likened to finding a needle in a haystack has confirmed that Scotland’s dramatic volcanic landscape once rivalled the fiery activity of modern-day Hawaii
Geologists from the University of Aberdeen have confirmed that cracks in the Earth, called volcanic fissures, helped create many of the Inner Hebrides.
Scientists have long understood that islands such as Skye, Mull, Eigg, Canna and Staffa as well as parts of the mainland were formed from lava flows, however, the way the lava came to the surface has been debated by scientists for over 100 years.
In contrast to the calm, picturesque scenery of today, 60 million years ago, the west coast of Scotland was erupting with lava fountains and other volcanic events.
The new discovery by geoscientists from the University of Aberdeen provides the strongest evidence yet that some of Scotland’s most iconic islands were born not from a single large volcano, but from a network of erupting fissures, just like those found in Hawaii and Iceland.
The research, published in The Journal of the Geological Society, settles the century-old debate over how the lava fields of the Inner Hebrides islands were formed.
The team has, for the first time, uncovered physical proof of an ancient volcanic fissure that fed lava into the surrounding landscape.
Finding a preserved fissure is a bit like discovering a dinosaur fossil with skin – it tells us far more than lava alone can. Typically, a very small fraction of a lava field contains these fissures, so it’s an extraordinarily significant find.” Dr Jessica Pugsley
The site, a 5km-long stretch near Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull, reveals preserved deposits from one of these fissures, where magma once erupted in spectacular displays.
Dr Jessica Pugsley from the University of Aberdeen, who led the project, said: “For over 100 years, scientists have debated whether the lava flows on Skye and Mull came from a single volcano or from many fissures like those we see in Iceland and Hawaii today.
“Finding a preserved fissure is a bit like discovering a dinosaur fossil with skin – it tells us far more than lava alone can. Typically, a very small fraction of a lava field contains these fissures, so it’s an extraordinarily significant find.”
The volcanic activity occurred as the Atlantic Ocean began to form, ripping apart ancient land and allowing magma to surge up through the crust. This zone of volcanic remnants is called the British Paleogene Volcanic Province and reaches from the west of Scotland over to parts of Northern Ireland, including the famous Giants Causeway.
The preserved fissure found by the Aberdeen team through fieldwork aided by 3D drone modelling technology, shows exactly where lava once fountained out of the Earth, before being buried by later eruptions and finally revealed by millions of years of erosion.
“To be able to stand and walk on a feature that played such a key role in shaping Scotland’s geography – and to realise it erupted like Iceland and Hawaii’s volcanoes do today – is pretty incredible,” says Dr Pugsley.
Related Content
Source: Amnesty International –
Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by the Bosnian Serb Army, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Europe, Dinushika Dissanayake, said:
“As we mark this solemn milestone and honour the memory of the victims, we also pay tribute to their families and to organizations like Mothers of Srebrenica, who spent the last three decades in tireless pursuit of truth, justice and reparations.
“While many perpetrators have been brought to justice, the anniversary is a painful reminder that nearly 1,000 people presumed killed in Srebrenica in 1995 are still missing. Their families continue to live without answers, unable to lay their loved ones to rest or gain any real sense of closure.
This anniversary is a painful reminder that nearly 1,000 people presumed killed in Srebrenica are still missing
“As families grapple with enduring trauma, they are facing renewed efforts by senior officials in parts of the region to deny the crimes and glorify individuals convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity. The denial of genocide is not only a profound insult to victims and families, it is also a rejection of the definitive rulings by international courts that established beyond doubt that the acts committed in Srebrenica constituted genocide.”
Background
In July 1995, units of the Bosnian Serb Army (‘VRS’) attacked Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was a designated UN “safe area”. On 10-11 July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were taken prisoner and subsequently killed by the Bosnian Serb Army, despite the presence of UN peacekeepers.
In 2007, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Srebrenica massacre was a genocide. While the bodies of more than 7,000 victims have been exhumed, identified and buried, more than 1,000 people are still missing or unidentified.
Despite high-level prosecutions, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, there is still a huge backlog of cases pending before domestic courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In May 2024, the UN General Assembly designated 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.
Source: Amnesty International –
In response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing sanctions against the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:
“This is a shameless and transparent attack on the fundamental principles of international justice. Special Rapporteurs are not appointed to please governments or to be popular but to deliver their mandate. Francesca Albanese’s mandate is to advocate for human rights and international law, essential at a time when the very survival of Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip is at stake. These sanctions come just days after she published a new report detailing how companies have profited from Israel’s illegal occupation, its brutal system of apartheid and its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
This is a shameless and transparent attack on the fundamental principles of international justice.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard
“Following the recent sanctions against the International Criminal Court, the measures announced today are a continuation of the Trump administration’s assault on international law and its efforts to protect the Israeli government from accountability at all costs. They are the latest in a series of Trump administration policies seeking to intimidate and silence those that dare speak out for Palestinians’ human rights. Instead of attacking the Special Rapporteur and further undermining the rule-based order, the US government should focus on putting an end to its unconditional support to Israel, enabling total impunity for its crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“States must forcefully reject these disgraceful, vindictive sanctions and exert maximum diplomatic pressure on the US government to reverse them. The United Nations must also fully support her as an independent UN expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. Governments around the world and all actors who believe in the rule-based order and international law must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of the sanctions against Francesca Albanese and more generally to protect the work and independence of Special Rapporteurs.”
Source: Amnesty International –
People with disabilities, those living in poverty or who have serious health conditions are being left in a bureaucratic limbo due to digital exclusion caused by the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) unchecked roll-out of technologies, Amnesty International said today in a new report.
The report, “Too Much Technology, Not Enough Empathy” exposes how the DWP’s constant testing, rolling out, and rolling back of costly artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies for Universal Credit (UC), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and other social security schemes has created an inaccessible social security system for people who are already marginalized and at risk of poverty in the UK.
Many people requiring social security do not have access to digital technologies, internet or internet connected devices. Their affordability coupled with language barriers and long waiting times for telephone services have led to digital exclusion from DWP’s systems.
“The DWP’s mission to reduce ‘costs’ is the beating heart of fascination with, and overreliance on, problematic tech. People are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table due to cuts in social security and yet the DWP is more concerned about experimental technologies to surveil claimants,” said Imogen-Richmond Bishop, Researcher on Technology, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
“The tech-enabled system to claim and manage welfare benefits is resulting in relentless dehumanization and strain for people who are already wrestling to access their basic needs in a broken system.”
The research is an extension of Amnesty International’s 2025 report, “Social Insecurity: The devastating human rights impact of social security system failures in the UK”that details how the UK’s social security system requires a wholesale overhaul to put it back on track to being human rights compliant and ensure a decent standard of living. The struggles in accessing adequate social security payments to prevent poverty are intersectional and complex, with technology forming one component of the broader social support ecosystem.
The tech-enabled system to claim and manage welfare benefits is resulting in relentless dehumanization and strain for people who are already wrestling to access their basic needs in a broken system.
Imogen-Richmond Bishop, Researcher on Technology, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Both investigations draw their findings from questionnaires, focus group interviews with social security recipients and social security advisors, and build on previous work done by civil society. In total, views of 782 people were captured through this process that took place from October 2024 to January 2025.
Perfect storm of pre-existing flaws and new problems
The use of digital technologies combined with further cuts to the UK’s social security system after years of austerity has created a perfect storm, where pre-existing flaws are being exacerbated, and new problems linked to these new technologies are being created.
Automated systems and the use of AI in the assessment and provision of social security can introduce a significant risk of errors in decision making, due to biased or discriminatory algorithms, with serious consequences for claimants.
Digital exclusion can be experienced due to a person’s living conditions, educational attainment, health status, and income levels – complex factors that are not always fully captured by automated social security systems.
For one of the claimants interviewed by Amnesty International, gender, and socio-economic status all represented barriers to her access to services online.
“You know, have some form of compassion, you know, make the forms and things easier. I mean, I’m quite illiterate. I mean, a lot of women, and men of my age, can’t use them […] So they’re stuffed. They send me letters on my phone. I can’t open them. So I ring up. I can’t open it. I haven’t got an iPad. I can’t afford an iPad, you know,” the claimant told Amnesty International.
Human rights implications
The digitized and sweeping data collection has also created an all-seeing social security system that impacts claimants’ rights to privacy, data protection, and human dignity.
Using extensive amounts of data to determine eligibility for state support is not new. However, the scale and the breadth of the data used, and the speed with which it is processed now is new and can bring with it new unintended consequences and human rights risks.
“DWP’s experimentation with tech systems has jeopardised human rights and reduced people in need to data points. The success of a claim can be dependent on whether they neatly fit into a box or meet set criteria rather than their actual eligibility. Technology in this instance has oversimplified people’s complex realities and this demeans people’s needs especially when they are unable to get the support they need from a human case worker,” said Imogen Richmond-Bishop.
Amnesty International wrote to the DWP ahead of the publication of the report and provided a comprehensive summary of the research findings and the methodology. DWP declined to comment on the substance of the report at this time of publication.
The UK authorities must carry out an independent, and impartial review of the social security system as well as the digital systems used by the DWP and scrap any that violate human rights. We need laws to regulate AI to ensure it doesn’t contribute to human rights violations. Digital systems must be transparent, explainable, and never mandatory.
Background:
In May 2025, Amnesty International’s “Social Insecurity” report, exposed how cuts, sanctions and systemic failings of the UK’s social security system are pushing people deeper into poverty.
Amnesty International has also done research on public sector automation and digitalization in Denmark, Netherlands, India, Serbia, and supported work in France and Sweden on the resulting human rights risks and impacts of algorithmic decision-making in these jurisdictions.
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: FEMA Assistance May Be Available to Help with Rent
FEMA Assistance May Be Available to Help with Rent
ST
LOUIS – If you don’t have a safe place to live because of recent disasters in Missouri, you can apply for FEMA Assistance to help you pay for alternate temporary housing
To request assistance to help with rent, homeowners and renters need to contact FEMA and let them know
This can be done by:First applying for FEMA Assistance at DisasterAssistance
gov
Visiting a Disaster Recovery Center
For locations, visit: FEMA
gov/DRC
Calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362
If you use a relay service such as VRS, give FEMA your number for that service
Sending your request in writing to FEMA: P
O
Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055
FEMA is required to do a home inspection to verify damage reported on your application
If approved, you will receive an initial rental award of up to two months of rent
Rental Assistance may help cover your monthly rent amount, which may include a security deposit
It might not cover all rental expenses
Important Deadline – March 14-15 Missouri DisasterHomeowners and renters affected by the March 14-15 disaster in Bollinger, Butler, Camden, Carter, Franklin, Howell, Iron, Jefferson, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, St
Louis, Wayne, Webster and Wright counties may be eligible
The deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance is July 22, 2025
Important Deadline – May 16 Missouri DisasterHomeowners and renters affected by the May 16 disaster in St
Louis City, St
Louis County and Scott County may also be eligible
The deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance is August 11, 2025
You can still ask for additional assistance, as long as you submit an initial application before the deadline
The fastest way to apply is at DisasterAssistance
gov
You may also apply by calling FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 or by visiting a Disaster Recovery Center
sara
zuckerman
Wed, 07/09/2025 – 20:42
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: FEMA Assistance May Be Available to Help with Rent
FEMA Assistance May Be Available to Help with Rent
ST
LOUIS – If you don’t have a safe place to live because of recent disasters in Missouri, you can apply for FEMA Assistance to help you pay for alternate temporary housing
To request assistance to help with rent, homeowners and renters need to contact FEMA and let them know
This can be done by:First applying for FEMA Assistance at DisasterAssistance
gov
Visiting a Disaster Recovery Center
For locations, visit: FEMA
gov/DRC
Calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362
If you use a relay service such as VRS, give FEMA your number for that service
Sending your request in writing to FEMA: P
O
Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055
FEMA is required to do a home inspection to verify damage reported on your application
If approved, you will receive an initial rental award of up to two months of rent
Rental Assistance may help cover your monthly rent amount, which may include a security deposit
It might not cover all rental expenses
Important Deadline – March 14-15 Missouri DisasterHomeowners and renters affected by the March 14-15 disaster in Bollinger, Butler, Camden, Carter, Franklin, Howell, Iron, Jefferson, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, St
Louis, Wayne, Webster and Wright counties may be eligible
The deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance is July 22, 2025
Important Deadline – May 16 Missouri DisasterHomeowners and renters affected by the May 16 disaster in St
Louis City, St
Louis County and Scott County may also be eligible
The deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance is August 11, 2025
You can still ask for additional assistance, as long as you submit an initial application before the deadline
The fastest way to apply is at DisasterAssistance
gov
You may also apply by calling FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 or by visiting a Disaster Recovery Center
sara
zuckerman
Wed, 07/09/2025 – 20:42
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: FEMA, SBA and the State of Texas to Open Disaster Recovery Center in Kerrville
FEMA, SBA and the State of Texas to Open Disaster Recovery Center in Kerrville
AUSTIN, Texas – In coordination with the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), FEMA and U
S
Small Business Administration (SBA) staff will open a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) tomorrow, July 10 to offer face-to-face help to survivors affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding that began July 2
Homeowners, renters and eligible non-residents in Kerr County may receive FEMA assistance for losses not covered by insurance
FEMA and SBA will support state-led efforts at the recovery centers to help survivors apply for disaster assistance
They can also identify potential needs and connect survivors with local, state and federal agencies, as well as nonprofits and community groups
The DRC will be open from 8 a
m
to 7 p
m
daily
Kerr CountyFirst Baptist Church625 Washington StKerrville, TX 78028Survivors can visit any open center to meet with representatives of FEMA, the state of Texas and the SBA
No appointment is needed
All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology
If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter, please call 833-285-7448 (press 2 for Spanish)
Additional locations may be added
FEMA staff are easily recognizable by their official photo identification (ID)
If you meet people offering assistance, first ask to see their ID before giving them your personal information
They may have FEMA clothing, but that can be easily imitated
FEMA staff can help in several ways including:Checking the status of an application already in the system and making minor changes to applications
Contacting faith-based organizations, community groups, private sector businesses and public libraries that may have the capability to distribute disaster-related information to residents in the impacted counties
Identifying organizations providing disaster-related services and/or resources to the public for long-term recovery
Gathering information about impacts to communities
Providing flyers explaining how to apply for disaster assistance
Survivors with homeowners or renters’ insurance, should first file a claim with their insurance company as soon as possible
If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may then be eligible for federal assistance
SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the centers to answer questions, assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents, and provide updates on an application’s status
For information and to apply online visit SBA
gov/disaster
Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba
gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance
For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services
Survivors can apply to FEMA in several ways including going online to DisasterAssistance
gov, which is the fastest method, downloading the FEMA App for mobile devices or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
Calls are accepted every day from 6 a
m
to 10 p
m
CT
Help is available in most languages
If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service
To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube
For the latest information about Texas’ recovery, visit fema
gov/disaster/4879
Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x
com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook
com/FEMARegion6
toan
nguyen
Wed, 07/09/2025 – 19:00
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: FEMA, SBA and the State of Texas to Open Disaster Recovery Center in Kerrville
FEMA, SBA and the State of Texas to Open Disaster Recovery Center in Kerrville
AUSTIN, Texas – In coordination with the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), FEMA and U
S
Small Business Administration (SBA) staff will open a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) tomorrow, July 10 to offer face-to-face help to survivors affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding that began July 2
Homeowners, renters and eligible non-residents in Kerr County may receive FEMA assistance for losses not covered by insurance
FEMA and SBA will support state-led efforts at the recovery centers to help survivors apply for disaster assistance
They can also identify potential needs and connect survivors with local, state and federal agencies, as well as nonprofits and community groups
The DRC will be open from 8 a
m
to 7 p
m
daily
Kerr CountyFirst Baptist Church625 Washington StKerrville, TX 78028Survivors can visit any open center to meet with representatives of FEMA, the state of Texas and the SBA
No appointment is needed
All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology
If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter, please call 833-285-7448 (press 2 for Spanish)
Additional locations may be added
FEMA staff are easily recognizable by their official photo identification (ID)
If you meet people offering assistance, first ask to see their ID before giving them your personal information
They may have FEMA clothing, but that can be easily imitated
FEMA staff can help in several ways including:Checking the status of an application already in the system and making minor changes to applications
Contacting faith-based organizations, community groups, private sector businesses and public libraries that may have the capability to distribute disaster-related information to residents in the impacted counties
Identifying organizations providing disaster-related services and/or resources to the public for long-term recovery
Gathering information about impacts to communities
Providing flyers explaining how to apply for disaster assistance
Survivors with homeowners or renters’ insurance, should first file a claim with their insurance company as soon as possible
If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may then be eligible for federal assistance
SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the centers to answer questions, assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents, and provide updates on an application’s status
For information and to apply online visit SBA
gov/disaster
Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba
gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance
For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services
Survivors can apply to FEMA in several ways including going online to DisasterAssistance
gov, which is the fastest method, downloading the FEMA App for mobile devices or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
Calls are accepted every day from 6 a
m
to 10 p
m
CT
Help is available in most languages
If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service
To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube
For the latest information about Texas’ recovery, visit fema
gov/disaster/4879
Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x
com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook
com/FEMARegion6
toan
nguyen
Wed, 07/09/2025 – 19:00
Source: NASA
In response to recent flooding near Kerrville, Texas, NASA deployed two aircraft to assist state and local authorities in ongoing recovery operations.
The aircraft are part of the response from NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System, which is activated to support emergency response for the flooding and is working closely with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the humanitarian groups Save the Children and GiveDirectly.
Persistent cloud-cover has made it difficult to obtain clear satellite imagery, so the Disasters Program coordinated with NASA’s Airborne Science Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston to conduct a series of flights to gather observations of the impacted regions. NASA is sharing these data directly with emergency response teams to inform their search and rescue efforts and aid decision-making and resource allocation.
The high-altitude WB-57 aircraft operated by NASA Johnson departed from Ellington Field on July 8 to conduct aerial surveys. The aircraft is equipped with the DyNAMITE (Day/Night Airborne Motion Imager for Terrestrial Environments) sensor.
The DyNAMITE sensor views the Guadalupe River[KA1] [RC2] and several miles of the surrounding area, providing high-resolution imagery critical to assessing damage and supporting coordination of ground-based recovery efforts. This system enables real-time collection and analysis of data, enhancing situational awareness and accelerating emergency response times.
In addition, the agency’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is flying out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, aboard a Gulfstream III. Managed by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the UAVSAR team is planning to collect observations over the Guadalupe, San Gabriel, and Colorado river basins Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Because UAVSAR can penetrate vegetation to spot water that optical sensors are unable to detect, the team’s goal is to characterize the extent of flooding to help with understanding the amount of damage within communities.
Flights are being coordinated with FEMA, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and local responders to ensure data is quickly delivered to those making decisions on the ground. Imagery collected will be sent to NASA’s Disaster Response Coordination System.
Additionally, the Disasters Program, which is part of NASA’s Earth Science Division, is working to produce maps and data to assess the location and severity of flooding in the region and damage to buildings and infrastructure. These data are being shared on the NASA Disasters Mapping Portal as they become available.
Source: NASA
Imagine shopping for a new pair of running shoes online. If each seller described them differently—one calling them “sneakers,” another “trainers,” and someone else “footwear for exercise”—you’d quickly feel lost in a sea of mismatched terminology. Fortunately, most online stores use standardized categories and filters, so you can click through a simple path: Women’s > Shoes > Running Shoes—and quickly find what you need.
Now, scale that problem to scientific research. Instead of sneakers, think “aerosol optical depth” or “sea surface temperature.” Instead of a handful of retailers, it is thousands of researchers, instruments, and data providers. Without a common language for describing data, finding relevant Earth science datasets would be like trying to locate a needle in a haystack, blindfolded.
That’s why NASA created the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD), a standardized vocabulary that helps scientists tag their datasets in a consistent and searchable way. But as science evolves, so does the challenge of keeping metadata organized and discoverable.
To meet that challenge, NASA’s Office of Data Science and Informatics (ODSI) at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, developed the GCMD Keyword Recommender (GKR): a smart tool designed to help data providers and curators assign the right keywords, automatically.
The upgraded GKR model isn’t just a technical improvement; it’s a leap forward in how we organize and access scientific knowledge. By automatically recommending precise, standardized keywords, the model reduces the burden on human curators while ensuring metadata quality remains high. This makes it easier for researchers, students, and the public to find exactly the datasets they need.
It also sets the stage for broader applications. The techniques used in GKR, like applying focal loss to rare-label classification problems and adapting pre-trained transformers to specialized domains, can benefit fields well beyond Earth science.
The newly upgraded GKR model tackles a massive challenge in information science known as extreme multi-label classification. That’s a mouthful, but the concept is straightforward: Instead of predicting just one label, the model must choose many, sometimes dozens, from a set of thousands. Each dataset may need to be tagged with multiple, nuanced descriptors pulled from a controlled vocabulary.
Think of it like trying to identify all the animals in a photograph. If there’s just a dog, it’s easy. But if there’s a dog, a bird, a raccoon hiding behind a bush, and a unicorn that only shows up in 0.1% of your training photos, the task becomes far more difficult. That’s what GKR is up against: tagging complex datasets with precision, even when examples of some keywords are scarce.
And the problem is only growing. The new version of GKR now considers more than 3,200 keywords, up from about 430 in its earlier iteration. That’s a sevenfold increase in vocabulary complexity, and a major leap in what the model needs to learn and predict.
To handle this scale, the GKR team didn’t just add more data; they built a more capable model from the ground up. At the heart of the upgrade is INDUS, an advanced language model trained on a staggering 66 billion words drawn from scientific literature across disciplines—Earth science, biological sciences, astronomy, and more.
“We’re at the frontier of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning for science,” said Sajil Awale, a member of the NASA ODSI AI team at MSFC. “This problem domain is interesting, and challenging, because it’s an extreme classification problem where the model needs to differentiate even very similar keywords/tags based on small variations of context. It’s exciting to see how we have leveraged INDUS to build this GKR model because it is designed and trained for scientific domains. There are opportunities to improve INDUS for future uses.”
This means that the new GKR isn’t just guessing based on word similarities; it understands the context in which keywords appear. It’s the difference between a model knowing that “precipitation” might relate to weather versus recognizing when it means a climate variable in satellite data.
And while the older model was trained on only 2,000 metadata records, the new version had access to a much richer dataset of more than 43,000 records from NASA’s Common Metadata Repository. That increased exposure helps the model make more accurate predictions.
The Common Metadata Repository is the backend behind the following data search and discovery services:
One of the biggest hurdles in a task like this is class imbalance. Some keywords appear frequently; others might show up just a handful of times. Traditional machine learning approaches, like cross-entropy loss, which was used initially to train the model, tend to favor the easy, common labels, and neglect the rare ones.
To solve this, NASA’s team turned to focal loss, a strategy that reduces the model’s attention to obvious examples and shifts focus toward the harder, underrepresented cases.
The result? A model that performs better across the board, especially on the keywords that matter most to specialists searching for niche datasets.
Ultimately, science depends not only on collecting data, but on making that data usable and discoverable. The updated GKR tool is a quiet but critical part of that mission. By bringing powerful AI to the task of metadata tagging, it helps ensure that the flood of Earth observation data pouring in from satellites and instruments around the globe doesn’t get lost in translation.
In a world awash with data, tools like GKR help researchers find the signal in the noise and turn information into insight.
Beyond powering GKR, the INDUS large language model is also enabling innovation across other NASA SMD projects. For example, INDUS supports the Science Discovery Engine by helping automate metadata curation and improving the relevancy ranking of search results.The diverse applications reflect INDUS’s growing role as a foundational AI capability for SMD.
The INDUS large language model is funded by the Office of the Chief Science Data Officer within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Office of the Chief Science Data Officer advances scientific discovery through innovative applications and partnerships in data science, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence.
Source: NASA
This 2001 illustration labels important parts of a space shuttle orbiter. The orbiter was the heart and brains of the space shuttle and served as the crew transport vehicle that carried astronauts to and from space. The space shuttle was comprised of the orbiter, the main engines, the external tank, and the solid rocket boosters. The space shuttle was the world’s first reusable spacecraft and the first spacecraft in history that could carry large satellites both to and from orbit.
Image credit: NASA
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
This recall involves updating instructions for using devices and does not involve removing them from where they are used or sold. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause serious injury or death if you continue to use it without following the updated instructions.
Affected Product
Product Names:
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 8 F, Y-Adapter
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 10 F, Elbow
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 8 F, Elbow
Ballard Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, T-Piece
Ballard Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, DSE
Ballard Turbo-Cleaning Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, DSE, MDI
Ballard Turbo-Cleaning Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, DSE
Full List of Affected Devices:
Product Description
REF Number
Lot Number
UDI Information
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 8 F, Y-Adapter (Each)
198
1561168
00609038938264
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 8 F, Y-Adapter (DSP)
198
1561168
10609038938261
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 8 F, Y-Adapter (Case)
198
1561168
20609038938268
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 10 F, Elbow
210
1561165
00609038938349
Ballard Closed Suction System for Neonates/Pediatrics, 8 F, Elbow
20083
15552151555217
00609038938311
Ballard Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, T-Piece
220135
15554531564227
00609038944920
Ballard Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, DSE
2210-5
1555424
00609038983103
Ballard Turbo-Cleaning Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, DSE, MDI
2271418-5
1555430
00609038982632
Ballard Turbo-Cleaning Closed Suction System for Adults, 14 F, DSE
227-5
1555468
00609038989655
What to Do
Do not use the identified affected products listed in the table above.
On March 19, 2025, Avanos Medical, Inc. sent all affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Recall Notice recommending the following actions:
Check your inventory for the affected products listed above.
Stop using any affected products immediately and set them aside in a secure location (quarantine them).
Fill out and email the attached Response Form to productquality@myairlife.com as soon as possible. This helps document what you have and confirms you received this notice.
If you shared this product with others, please let those customers know about the recall. You can include a copy of this letter when notifying them.
Return or confirm destruction of the affected products. Once you do, AirLife will send you replacements. For urgent needs, call AirLife at 1-800-433-2797.
Inform all staff in your organization who need to know about this recall.
Reason for Early Alert
Avanos Medical, Inc. is recalling Ballard Closed Suction Systems due to a failure in the sterilization process. Use of the affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including infection, airway injury, prolonged inflammation, sepsis, or death.
To date, Avanos Medical, Inc. has not reported any serious injuries or deaths associated with this issue.
Device Use
Ballard Closed Suction Systems are used to remove secretions from the airway in patients receiving mechanical ventilation, minimizing the risks associated with disconnecting the ventilator circuit.
Contact Information
Customers in the U.S. with questions about this recall should contact Avanos Medical, Inc. at 1-800-433-2797.
Additional FDA Resources (listed in order of most to least recent):
Unique Device Identifier (UDI)
The unique device identifier (UDI) helps identify individual medical devices sold in the United States from distribution to use. The UDI allows for more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of adverse event reports so that devices can be identified more quickly, and as a result, problems potentially resolved more quickly.
How do I report a problem?
Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these devices to MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
Content current as of:
07/10/2025
Regulated Product(s)