Social Workers in The Highland Council in partnership with NHS Highland are hosting a Joint Social Workers’ Forum to celebrate World Social Worker’s Day 2025 on 18 March 2025 at The Barn Church, Inverness.
This year’s event theme: “Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing” – will see a celebration of the profession. Workers from Justice, Child Health, Adult Services, Children’s Services, and Emergency Social Work Service will come together for a day of inputs and workshops.
In attendance will be, Iain Ramsay, Professional Social Work Adviser Scottish Government and Karin Herber, Professional Officer SASW (Scottish Association of Social Workers) to Highland.
Iain Ramsay will deliver a presentation on the role of Social Workers and their value and positive influence in today’s society. Followed by workshops on the Social Work Education and Learning and how to sustain our love for Social Work and keeping ourselves well.
Also in attendance is Dr Vik Kelly-Teare, Associate Dean of Health Social Care and Life Sciences at UHI who will present her research on Domestic Abuse in Same Sex relationships.
The Forum will be opened by Fiona Duncan, Chief Social Work Officer (Highland Council), alongside Simon Steer, Director of Adult Social Care (NHS Highland).
Fiona Duncan commented “As Social Workers, we are looking forward to this annual conference to share practice both locally and nationally, network within Highland and reflect on the positive and invaluable contributions Social Workers make across the Highlands”.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the State University of Management invite students and employees of higher education institutions to participate in a study of the social and psychological well-being of students and employees of higher education institutions.
In 2025, six anonymous online surveys will be conducted on the research and communications platform “A Caring Person”.
We present to you the topics and schedule of the surveys:
Family Values and Parental Attitudes – March 10-31 (students and postgraduates); Inclusion – April 9-30 (students, staff, teachers); Quality of Education – May 12 – June 9 (students, staff, teachers); Portrait of a First-Year Student – September 15 – October 7 (1st year students); Social and Psychological Well-Being – October 20 – November 17 (students, staff, teachers); *Topic to be determined – November 24 – December 15 (students, staff, teachers).
By taking surveys, you help improve the quality of life of citizens, implement the most important public and state initiatives. And thus become the initiator of changes in public life.
To take surveys, you must register on the “Caring Person” platform.
Look for links to surveys in your electronic personal accounts.
The platform surveys started on April 10, 2023. Respondents answer questions about the quality of education, media consumption, social and psychological well-being, and other topics. More than 450 universities have joined the project to date, and 7 all-Russian surveys have been conducted, with more than 520 thousand respondents taking part.
Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 03/14/2025
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 –
On March 27-28, 2025, the XV International Grushin Sociological Conference will be held in Moscow at the State University of Management (SUM).
The theme of this year’s event is: “Human-centredness vs. socio-centredness: individualization and interaction in the modern world.”
The program included reports, sections and round tables in various areas: technology, public administration, economics, business, personnel, urban space, social connections and cultural changes, new contours of migration processes, modern methods and challenges in sociology, individualization and interaction in the modern world of media, the social effect of public and youth organizations, trends, ethical dilemmas and regulation of the influence of AI on consumer behavior.
Registration is available until March 21 inclusive. Participation is free.
Every year the conference brings together not only representatives of the research industry, but also specialists from science, business, government and the media.
“The Grushinskaya Conference is a traditional platform for discussing the challenges facing the research world and society as a whole. Every year, about 1,500 experts from various fields participate in it. This year, we will discuss human-centrism. What risks and opportunities are opening up thanks to this trend, what problems will we face in the near future? The conference program will be rich, we will discuss the paths to helping sociology, the role of artificial intelligence and media in modern trends, what changes are taking place in cities in the conditions of the new reality and the methodological challenges of the research industry. I am confident that together with the professional community, we will be able to form directions in building a new human-centrism, where everyone will not be an isolated individual, but a full-fledged member of society,” said Valery Fedorov, General Director of VTsIOM.
The full conference program is available on the event website.
The general information partner of the conference is the Russian news agency TASS.
Let us recall that VTsIOM has been holding the Grushin Conference since 2010 with the support of leading scientific, research organizations and universities. The conference is dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Russian sociologist, creator of the first all-Russian network for collecting sociological information Boris Andreevich Grushin (1929-2007).
Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 03/27/2025
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 Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
Specialists Faculty of Computer Science HSE and Sber’s Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed a geometric method for data expansion — Simplicial SMOTE. Tests on different data sets have shown that it significantly improves the quality of AI work. The method is especially useful in situations where rare cases are very important, for example, in the fight against fraud or in the diagnosis of rare diseases. Research results available in the open archive Arxiv.org and will be presented at the International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD) in Toronto in summer 2025.
The problem of imbalanced data is becoming increasingly important in various fields, including banking and medicine. Traditional methods – random duplication or global sampling – often produce low-quality samples or poorly model rare class data.
The new method proposed by scientists from the Higher School of Economics and Sberbank — Simplicial SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique) — solves these problems: it provides more accurate modeling of complex topological data structures and increases the quality of classifiers on unbalanced data sets.
It helps to create new examples of a rare class using information from several close examples (“simplex”), and not just from two close points, as in the original version of SMOTE and its well-known analogues. This allows for a better understanding of the data and improves the work of AI. The method helps improve the training of artificial intelligence on imbalanced data, that is, in situations where there are many examples of one class (for example, normal transactions), but few examples of another (for example, fraud).
The researchers have experimentally demonstrated on a large number of test datasets that the proposed approach significantly improves the quality metrics (F1 measure, Matthews correlation coefficient) of both the basic SMOTE and its modifications. In particular, an improvement was recorded for gradient boosting, a classifier often used in practice.
“Our method is especially effective in tasks where unbalanced data is common and where the rare class is more significant. Banks can use Simplicial SMOTE to better detect fraud, and medical centers to diagnose rare diseases,” comments one of the authors of the article, Andrey Savchenko, a leading researcher. Laboratories of theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence modelsInstitute of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Sciences Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
The new method can be integrated into existing oversampling algorithms (Borderline-SMOTE, Safe-level-SMOTE, and ADASYN), increasing their accuracy without significantly increasing computational complexity. The researchers believe that the developed approach can contribute to the development of more accurate and reliable machine learning models and, therefore, to improved analytics.
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Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The 1st All-Russian scientific and practical conference “Modern approaches in system engineering and digital modeling of complex production systems” (SEDM-2025) was held in the Research Building of the Polytechnic University. The event was organized by the laboratories “Industrial systems of streaming data processing” and “Digital modeling of industrial systems” of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” together with the industrial partner of the SPbPU PISh, the company “Tetracube”.
The conference was dedicated to systems engineering as a methodological approach to the implementation of complex projects in various industries.
Systems engineering is a highly relevant methodological direction in the technological landscape of Russia and the world. It allows implementing complex multi-component projects both for solving frontier engineering problems in the high-tech industry and in other industries – economics, medicine or education. The methodology of systems engineering is universal: it is based on the assessment of all factors, requirements and restrictions that affect the development of the project, and is also a field for the application and development of advanced digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence or mathematical modeling, – noted the chairperson of the conference program committee, head of the Laboratory of PSPOD PISh SPbPU Marina Bolsunovskaya.
The scientific partners of the conference were the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Kazan Federal University, Ivanovo State Polytechnic University and others. The event was supported as industrial partners by the Engineering Center for Textile and Light Industry, the North-West Scientific Center for Hygiene and Public Health of Rospotrebnadzor, Kola MMC, Viziumtex, Olvia and Amdor companies.
SEDM-2025 participants presented scientific research and practical solutions in the field of design, analysis, forecasting and optimization of complex systems in the economy, industry, transport, medicine, social sphere and education. The event attracted more than 200 speakers and listeners – research scientists and representatives of commercial companies and government organizations.
The conference consisted of scientific and practical parts. It was addressed both to “theorists” – specialists who study and develop the methodology of systems engineering, and to practitioners – project managers who use the method of systems engineering to solve specific applied problems at their enterprises.
The presentations were made by recognized experts in the field of studying and implementing approaches to system engineering and digital modeling, theorists and practitioners, as well as students and postgraduates who have chosen system engineering as the direction of their scientific and professional development. For young researchers, the conference became an excellent opportunity to present their research projects to experts, learn their opinions and discuss the practical application of the results.
The plenary session reports presented the main areas of research and development, which were then discussed in more detail in separate sections.
The plenary session was opened by Marina Bolsunovskaya. After welcoming remarks, she spoke about the development of the system engineering methodology using practical examples of the PSPOD Laboratory projects. The speaker noted possible directions for the development of the method and the specifics of its use in implementing complex projects at the enterprises of the laboratory’s industrial partners.
Marina Vladimirovna noted that the requests of enterprises now concern the development of optimization models to identify hidden patterns and develop specific methods for eliminating anomalies. For many customer enterprises, there are no ready-made solutions, so the development of libraries of standard solutions that will allow companies to immediately offer possible solutions for data analysis seems promising.
Elena Tishchenko, Advisor on Digital Economy to the Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Lomonosov Moscow State University, presented a theoretical report on the method of model-based system engineering (Model Based System Engineering) for synthesizing multi-level economic models. The method involves the widespread use of engineering descriptions of objects in the form of models and their platforms in the economy for analyzing complex economic systems.
Alexey Gintsyak, Head of the Laboratory of Digital Modeling of Industrial Systems at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, spoke about the development of a set of tools for generating schedules in production systems using a multi-agent approach. The work is being carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation in 2025-2026. The speaker defined multi-agent systems, highlighted the capabilities and features of the multi-agent approach to the applied task of generating production schedules, and revealed the complexity of generating schedules in a multi-agent environment. In conclusion, Alexey Gintsyak noted that taking multi-agency into account allows for obtaining modeling results that are much more adequate to reality.
The report by the head of the laboratory “System Dynamics” Angi Skhvediani was devoted to the application of methods of systems engineering in agriculture. He spoke about the current work on the platform for automatic prediction of the sorption properties of biochar obtained as a result of processing plant waste of the agro-industrial complex. The project includes the development of a database and a program for the analysis and prediction of the sorption properties of waste using machine learning methods, the development of a recommendation system for enterprises and scientists in terms of selecting optimal technological modes of waste processing to obtain functional materials with the best properties.
Associate Professor of the Higher School of Transport of the Institute of Metallurgical Engineering and Technology Dmitry Plotnikov touched upon the topic of digital modeling in the transport industry. The speaker listed interdisciplinary tasks in the development of unmanned ground transport and noted that digital models in the creation of transport systems and processes can be used as a means of supporting decision-making in the design of the life cycle of a vehicle and transport systems in general, as well as an element of the finished product that determines its operational properties. The speaker shared the experience of creating an unmanned car at the Polytechnic University and the complex tasks that the development team faces.
The conference became a platform for exchanging experience in the field of systems engineering in the transport industry, where there was a place for both experienced professionals and young scientists. Interesting works on the use of simulation modeling for effective traffic management were presented. The reports on the creation of intelligent transport systems deserved special attention, – the speaker noted.
The head of the control and audit department of the enterprise “Gorelektrotrans” Elena Ezhelina made a report on the development of a new model for managing the enterprise of ground urban electric transport for the automation and optimization of its work. One of the first steps in this direction, Elena Aleksandrovna believes, could be the automation of the management of the daily cycle of the enterprise’s work, which will require the creation of a single dispatch service.
Deputy Head of the Traffic Safety Service of Gorelektrotrans Alexey Vishensky spoke about his model for distributing tram and trolleybus drivers on city passenger transportation routes. The model is aimed at ensuring the required volume of transport services while complying with legal requirements. The number of drivers is calculated taking into account the design capacity of the fleet, working time fund, work schedules, vacations, knowledge of routes and other factors.
Anastasia Gorbach, an engineer at Radioavionika JSC, presented an analysis of technologies for implementing artificial intelligence in the process of spelling and punctuation checking using a systems approach. Traditional verification methods based on dictionaries and grammar rules are not effective enough for complex language structures. Using AI to check spelling and punctuation is part of a wider range of technologies that can be applied in the development and optimization of complex technical systems to automate and optimize documentation and communication within the system.
The most popular sections among the participants were on systems engineering in the field of economics and on digital modeling in industry and related industries. More than 40 reports were submitted for some sessions.
Teachers and students from various departments of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, such as the Higher School of Computer Technologies and Information Systems of the IKNK, the Higher School of Project Activity and Innovations in Industry and the Higher School of Transport of the IMMIT SPbPU, the Higher School of Engineering and Economics, the Higher School of Business Engineering and the Laboratory of System Dynamics of the IPMET SPbPU, took an active part in organizing and holding the conference.
Students of the master’s program of the St. Petersburg Polytechnical University “Systems Engineering and Digital Modeling in High-Tech Industries” presented their developments in the field of systems engineering at the conference.
The conference was organized for the first time and, it must be said, exceeded our expectations. We saw great interest in the methodology of systems engineering from industrial partners and university researchers – teachers, researchers, students and postgraduates. Next year, we plan to expand the conference topics. In particular, there will be a hybrid modeling section, entirely dedicated to this promising approach within the framework of systems engineering, which allows combining classical analytics and artificial intelligence technologies, – noted Marina Bolsunovskaya.
Based on the results of the conference, a collection of papers will be published with a DOI and ISBN assigned, and full-text article-by-article placement in the Russian Science Citation Index.
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: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and Gazprom Neft Corporate University have launched the Energy to Teach advanced training program. It is aimed at developing new competencies in teachers of secondary vocational educational institutions — participants in the Gazprom Neft College League educational ecosystem.
The goal of the program: to teach teachers to adapt existing college programs to current business needs and demands of industrial partners and to ensure high demand for graduates in the labor market.
The program is designed for 190 hours and is held in a network format from March to May, includes two face-to-face intensive courses and distance modules. 59 teachers from various regions participate in the training.
Development of professional competencies
The program covers modern educational approaches, corporate standards of professions, project methodology and mechanisms for developing educational materials. This approach helps to systematize knowledge and form effective mechanisms for training specialists.
A systematic approach to developing corporate standards allows not only to structure knowledge, but also to form working mechanisms for training specialists in demand. Interaction with experts and project methodology ensure a high level of development of each aspect, – noted Dmitry Tikhonov, Vice-Rector for Additional and Pre-University Education at SPbPU.
Practice-oriented learning
Particular attention is paid to organizing systemic interaction between college teachers and Gazprom Neft representatives. Current employees of the company conduct seminars within the framework of face-to-face modules, and also interact with participants in the formats of direct and inverted internships: they receive teachers at enterprises and go to colleges.
During the implementation of the program, it is important for us to create conditions for the integration of the College League teachers into the Gazprom Neft educational ecosystem and the development of a sustainable system of communications between the college and the customer enterprise on issues of updating educational programs, organizing internships, and exchanging professional expertise, said Ekaterina Solovyova, Head of Development of the Internal Coaching and Mentoring System at the Gazprom Neft Corporate University.
The Role of the Gazprom Neft Corporate University
The corporate university acts as the main customer of the program, actively participating in its development and implementation. It provides methodological support and attracts experts to integrate corporate practices into the educational process.
The Energy to Train program is one of the elements of systematic work with partner colleges to improve the personnel security of the Gazprom Neft group of companies. It is important for us that the educational experience that students receive at the college contributes to their seamless transition to our enterprises, said Bulat Zaripov, Vice-Rector of the Gazprom Neft Corporate University.
Expected results
The program not only allows to bring together the educational programs of secondary vocational education with the needs of the enterprise, but also serves as a platform for building a constructive dialogue between the educational institution and the industrial partner. Participants in the educational process form mutual agreements on the exchange of best practices in matters of personnel training and development, building an internship system, and equipping training grounds.
Responding to market challenges
“Energy to teach” is a response to modern challenges of the secondary vocational education system and industry. Improving teaching skills directly affects the quality of students’ training, and network interaction between the academic environment and business contributes to the formation of highly qualified personnel.
Teachers form future specialists, passing on not only knowledge but also professional values. Our task is to create conditions in which they can master new methods, adapt educational programs and effectively cooperate with business, – emphasized the program curator, head of the Directorate of Continuing Education and Industry Partnership of SPbPU Ivan Kurta.
It should be added that the League of Colleges is one of the largest communities in the field of secondary vocational education, created on the initiative of Gazprom Neft. It unites 20 colleges in 10 regions, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tyumen, Omsk, Khanty-Mansiysk, Sochi and other large cities of the Russian Federation, as well as one college from Uzbekistan.
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: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
March 15, 2025 marks the 95th anniversary of the birth of the Soviet and Russian physicist, academician, Nobel Prize laureate Zhores Ivanovich Alferov. On the eve of the anniversary date, SPbPU employees laid flowers at the memorial plaque of the outstanding scientist, who worked at the Polytechnic University for almost 30 years.
“We remember Zhores Ivanovich as a cheerful person who set ambitious goals for himself and achieved them,” said Vitaly Sergeev, First Vice-Rector of SPbPU, at the beginning of the ceremony. “He did a lot for the Polytechnic University, an entire direction within the Polytechnic was created thanks to Zhores Ivanovich, a huge thank you to him for this and bright memory.”
“For me, Zhores Ivanovich was at first an unattainable star, but then he turned out to be very simple and humane in communication,” shared his memories Vladimir Glukhov, advisor to the rector’s office of SPbPU. “I would like to emphasize that the physics and technology faculty he founded was unusual: there were four departments, and each was headed by an academician. And 80 percent of the teachers were members of the Academy of Sciences. And on the basis of this team, the St. Petersburg Academic University was created. As long as we live, we will remember Zhores Ivanovich Alferov.”
“Zhores Ivanovich was distinguished by a very warm attitude towards students,” added Nikolai Ivanov, acting director of the Physics and Mechanics Institute of SPbPU. “Many departments of the Physics and Engineering Faculty that he created are now in PhysMech. And current teachers who studied with Zhores Ivanovich Alferov say that he had an exceptionally kind attitude towards students. It would seem that the director, an academician, a very busy person, but he found time to talk for a long time with his students and postgraduates.”
Professors of the Higher School of Fundamental Physics Research Nikita Averkiev and Vadim Korablyov also spoke at the ceremony, noting Zhores Alferov’s contribution to the training of scientific personnel and the development of international relations.
Thanks to the inventions of Zhores Alferov and his students, such familiar things as lasers, semiconductors, LEDs, and fiber-optic networks became available to humanity. His discoveries became the basis for the creation of modern electronic devices, including mobile phones, CD players, fiber-optic communications, and much more. Alferov made a significant contribution to the development of electronics and digital technologies.
One of Alferov’s outstanding discoveries is the creation of heterojunctions in semiconductors. These are microstructures in which two or more semiconductors with different chemical compositions are brought into contact. In the 1960s, scientists understood what fantastic prospects the implementation of the idea of semiconductor devices based on heterostructures opened up. The main problem, which could not be solved for a long time, was to select semiconductors ideally suited for this. Alferov’s merit lies precisely in the fact that he was the first to succeed in doing this.
In 1967, he and his colleagues created heterostructures with the required properties, and in 1970, the first semiconductor heterolaser operating in continuous mode at room temperature. In 1972, Alferov was awarded the highest scientific award of the USSR – the Lenin Prize, and in the same year he became a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. And in 1979, he was elected an academician, this happened on his birthday, March 15. In 2000, Alferov’s contribution was also recognized by the highest world scientific award – the Nobel Prize. The scientist received it for the development of semiconductor heterostructures and the creation of fast opto- and microelectronic components.
Zhores Alferov had scientific intuition and was one of the first to appreciate the prospects for the development of quantum dots. His work on heterostructure lasers was continued in the development of quantum dot lasers.
Alferov’s legacy included not only his outstanding scientific works, but also a school for training scientific personnel. In 1988, he created the Physics and Technology Department at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. Its graduates had encyclopedic knowledge in the field of physics and practical skills in working with modern measuring equipment. The department consisted of four departments: plasma physics, space research, solid-state microelectronics, and solid-state physics. In 2015, the department became part of the Institute of Physics, Nanotechnology, and Telecommunications of SPbPU (now the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications – Ed.), and Alferov became its scientific director.
Zhores Ivanovich understood that the development of science and the success of its practical use are impossible without an effective system for training scientific and pedagogical personnel in universities. That is why, despite his enormous workload, he agreed to be the chairman of the Scientific and Methodological Council for Physics at the Ministry of Education and Science. His name attracted many famous scientists, leaders and organizers of higher education to work at the NMS. Current issues of teaching physics were discussed at the meetings of the Presidium of the NMS.
Zhores Ivanovich was not only an outstanding scientist, but also a wonderful storyteller and loved to cite real-life stories in his reports and official speeches, and he always did so with great humor. Many stories are collected in the book “Alferov Gate”, compiled by Arkady Sosnov. For Zhores Ivanovich’s 95th birthday, the Polytechnic University reissued this book in a new edition.
On March 17, 2020, in memory of Academician Zhores Alferov and on the 90th anniversary of his birth, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the Main Building of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
The memory of the outstanding scientist is also perpetuated by the creation of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on his initiative. This happened in 2023 largely due to the authority and influence of Zhores Ivanovich Alferov. On March 18, the St. Petersburg branch of the RAS will host a ceremonial open meeting dedicated to the 95th anniversary of Academician Zhores Alferov.
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 IMF Executive Board completed the fifth review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement for Nepal, providing the country with access to SDR 31.4 million (about US$ 41.8 million).
Nepal has made tangible progress in implementing economic reforms under the program, despite a challenging political environment and disruptions caused by the September 2024 floods.
The growth recovery is expected to continue in FY2024/25, supported by increased capital spending including on reconstruction, an accommodative monetary policy stance, and additional hydropower generation.
Washington, DC: On March 12, 2025, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the fifth review under the four‑year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Nepal, allowing the authorities to withdraw the equivalent of SDR 31.4 million (about US$ 41.8 million) under the ECF. This brings total disbursements under the ECF for budget support thus far to SDR 219.7 million (about US$ 289.1 million).
The ECF arrangement for Nepal was approved by the Executive Board on January 12, 2022 (see Press Release No. 22/6) for SDR 282.4 million (180 percent of quota). Nepal has made tangible progress in implementing reforms under the program, which has supported early signs of economic recovery while preserving macroeconomic and financial stability and protecting the vulnerable.
The economy continues to face challenges with subdued domestic demand. Economic activity is expected to pick up moderately in FY2024/25 on account of disruptions caused by the September 2024 floods. Growth is expected to reach 4.2 percent in FY2024/25, supported by a planned increase in capital spending including on reconstruction, an accommodative monetary policy stance, and additional hydropower generation. Post-flood supply-side pressures are expected to be short-lived, and average inflation is projected to remain close to the Nepal Rastra Bank’s target of about 5 percent. Efforts to mobilize revenues will support development spending and fiscal sustainability. The outlook is subject to important downside risks including those related to possible under-execution of capital spending, financial-sector vulnerabilities, and political fragility.
Following the Executive Board discussion, Mr. Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director, made the following statement:
“Executive Directors welcomed the continued recovery and the broadly adequate performance under the program, acknowledging the challenges posed by political uncertainty and recent flood-related disruptions. They noted that while the outlook remains broadly favorable, it is subject to downside risks. Accordingly, Directors encouraged continued prudent policies to safeguard macroeconomic stability and steadfast implementation of structural reforms to foster sustainable and inclusive growth. Fund capacity development will also be important to achieve program objectives.
“Directors recommended continued gradual, growth-friendly fiscal consolidation to stabilize debt. Noting the need to mobilize revenue to support higher capital spending and protect the vulnerable, Directors welcomed the newly adopted Domestic Revenue Mobilization Strategy. They also underscored the need to strengthen public investment management to enhance capital spending execution. Further advancing fiscal transparency would help to contain fiscal risks and strengthen fiscal sustainability. Directors emphasized the importance of supporting the most vulnerable including through expanding child grants.
“Directors agreed that monetary policy should remain cautious and data-driven to preserve price and external stability. They highlighted the importance of amending the Nepal Rastra Bank Act to strengthen its governance, independence and accountability.
“Directors underscored that increasing financial sector vulnerabilities warrant a proactive approach. They encouraged steps to further align financial sector regulations with international standards, conduct the planned Loan Portfolio Review, and develop a comprehensive strategy to address problematic savings and credit cooperatives. Noting Nepal’s recent FATF grey listing, Directors stressed the urgency of strengthening the AML/CFT framework through reforms to enhance legal, regulatory, and supervisory frameworks.
“Directors called for ambitious structural reforms to support more sustainable and inclusive growth. They recommended efforts to reduce the high cost of doing business, enhance the investment climate, improve governance, and strengthen anticorruption institutions. Nepal’s high vulnerability to natural disasters underscores the importance of enhancing resilience to climate shocks.”
Fiscal Indicators: Central Government (in percent of GDP)
Total revenue and grants
22.9
19.3
19.2
19.8
20.9
21.5
22.1
22.6
22.6
of which: Tax revenue
19.8
16.2
16.4
17.0
17.8
18.4
19.1
19.6
19.6
Expenditure
26.1
25.2
21.9
24.3
25.0
25.4
25.8
26.2
26.2
Expenses
21.7
20.8
18.6
19.3
19.4
19.5
19.6
19.8
19.8
Net acquisition of nonfinancial assets
4.3
4.4
3.3
5.0
5.6
5.9
6.2
6.4
6.4
Operating balance
1.2
-1.4
0.6
0.5
1.5
2.1
2.5
2.8
2.8
Net lending/borrowing
-3.1
-5.8
-2.7
-4.5
-4.1
-3.8
-3.7
-3.6
-3.6
Statistical discrepancy
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Net financial transactions
3.1
5.8
2.7
4.5
4.1
3.8
3.7
3.6
3.6
Net acquisition of financial assets
2.6
-0.9
0.5
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.3
Net incurrence of liabilities
5.8
4.9
3.2
5.8
5.4
5.1
5.0
4.9
4.9
Foreign
2.0
1.7
1.6
1.7
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.4
Domestic
3.7
3.3
1.6
4.1
3.9
3.7
3.7
3.5
3.5
Money and Credit (annual percent change)
Broad money
6.8
11.4
13.6
10.1
10.1
10.3
10.5
10.7
10.7
Domestic credit
17.9
8.8
6.2
8.2
9.6
10.3
10.5
10.7
10.7
Private sector credit
13.3
4.6
6.1
7.2
8.1
9.1
10.0
10.7
10.7
Saving and Investment (in percent of nominal GDP)
Gross investment
37.6
31.7
32.9
37.5
39.4
38.3
37.0
35.8
34.7
Gross fixed investment
29.0
25.1
26.1
29.7
31.2
30.4
29.3
28.3
27.5
Private
23.6
21.7
22.7
24.7
25.6
24.5
23.1
21.9
21.1
Central government
5.3
3.4
3.3
5.0
5.6
5.9
6.2
6.4
6.4
Change in Stock
8.7
6.6
6.8
7.8
8.2
8.0
7.7
7.4
7.2
Gross national saving
25.1
30.8
36.7
36.2
35.5
34.5
33.2
32.2
31.0
Private
24.4
32.7
36.5
36.3
34.9
33.3
31.6
30.1
29.1
Central government
0.7
-1.9
0.2
-0.1
0.6
1.2
1.7
2.0
2.0
Balance of Payments
Current account (in millions of U.S. dollars)
-5,174
-361
1,663
-630
-1,969
-2,166
-2,321
-2,479
-2,760
In percent of GDP
-12.6
-0.9
3.8
-1.3
-3.8
-3.8
-3.7
-3.6
-3.7
Trade balance (in millions of U.S. dollars)
-13,759
-10,699
-10,431
-12,481
-15,053
-15,957
-16,797
-17,678
-18,664
In percent of GDP
-33.4
-26.2
-24.0
-26.7
-29.2
-28.2
-27.0
-25.8
-24.8
Exports of goods (y/y percent change)
43.9
-19.9
-2.5
8.9
9.6
9.1
9.7
9.4
9.4
Imports of goods (y/y percent change)
21.9
-22.0
-2.5
18.4
19.4
6.3
5.7
5.7
6.0
Workers’ remittances (in millions of U.S. dollars)
8,326
9,485
10,864
11,151
11,680
12,258
12,766
13,283
13,767
In percent of GDP
20.2
23.2
25.0
23.8
22.7
21.6
20.5
19.4
18.3
Gross official reserves (in millions of U.S. dollars)
8,956
10,954
14,547
15,301
15,004
14,821
14,876
14,897
15,289
In months of prospective imports
7.6
9.3
10.5
9.4
8.7
8.1
7.7
7.2
7.0
Memorandum Items
Public debt (in percent of GDP)
42.7
47.1
48.2
50.0
50.4
50.6
50.6
50.5
50.5
Nominal GDP (in billions of U.S. dollars)
41.2
40.9
43.4
46.8
51.5
56.6
62.3
68.5
75.3
Nominal GDP (in billions of Nepalese Rupees)
4,977
5,349
5,776
6,333
7,040
7,792
8,623
9,543
10,562
Net International Reserves (in millions of U.S. dollars)
8,821
10,507
14,064
14,744
14,451
14,321
14,440
14,541
15,027
Primary Deficit (in billions of Nepali Rupees)
110
239
76
183
179
175
180
182
204
Primary Deficit (in percent of GDP)
2.2
4.5
1.3
2.9
2.5
2.2
2.1
1.9
1.9
Tax Revenue (in billions of Nepalese Rupees)
984
866
945
1,074
1,250
1,436
1,648
1,868
2,065
Tax Revenue (In percent of GDP)
19.8
16.2
16.4
17.0
17.8
18.4
19.1
19.6
19.6
Private sector credit (in percent of GDP)
94.2
91.7
90.1
88.0
85.6
84.3
83.8
83.8
83.9
Exchange rate (NPR/US$; period average)
120.8
130.8
133.0
…
…
…
…
…
…
Real effective exchange rate (average, y/y percent change)
1.6
1.2
1.4
…
…
…
…
…
…
1/ Fiscal year ends in mid-July.
Note: The NSO adopts a 3 year cycle in its national accounts producing preliminary, revised and final estimates for real GDP growth. In May 2023 growth was revised up in FY2020/21 from 4.2 percent to 4.8 percent and from 5.3 percent to 5.6 percent in FY2021/22 in light of new data.
Note: Current baseline forecast is as of January 29, 2025.
Source: Republic of France in English The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
We the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, met in Charlevoix on March 12 to 14, 2025.
Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security
We reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist, and its freedom, sovereignty and independence.
We welcomed ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire, and in particular the meeting on March 11 between the U.S. and Ukraine in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We applauded Ukraine’s commitment to an immediate ceasefire, which is an essential step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the Charter of the United Nations.
We called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully. We discussed imposing further costs on Russia in case such a ceasefire is not agreed, including through further sanctions, caps on oil prices, as well as additional support for Ukraine, and other means. This includes the use of extraordinary revenues stemming from immobilized Russian Sovereign Assets. We underlined the importance of confidence-building measures under a ceasefire including the release of prisoners of war and detainees—both military and civilian—and the return of Ukrainian children.
We emphasized that any ceasefire must be respected and underscored the need for robust and credible security arrangements to ensure that Ukraine can deter and defend against any renewed acts of aggression. We stated that we will continue to coordinate economic and humanitarian support to promote the early recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, including at the Ukraine Recovery Conference which will take place in Rome on July 10-11, 2025.
We condemned the provision to Russia of military assistance by DPRK and Iran, and the provision of weapons and dual-use components by China, a decisive enabler of Russia’s war and of the reconstitution of Russia’s armed forces. We reiterated our intention to continue to take action against such third countries.
We expressed alarm about the impacts of the war, especially on civilians and on civilian infrastructure. We discussed the importance of accountability and reaffirmed our commitment to work together to achieve a durable peace and to ensure that Ukraine remains democratic, free, strong and prosperous.
Regional peace and stability in the Middle East
We called for the release of all hostages and for the hostages’ remains held by Hamas in Gaza to be returned to their loved ones. We reaffirmed our support for the resumption of unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza and for a permanent ceasefire. We underscored the imperative of a political horizon for the Palestinian people, achieved through a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that meets the legitimate needs and aspirations of both peoples and advances comprehensive Middle East peace, stability and prosperity. We noted serious concern over the growing tensions and hostilities in the West Bank and calls for de-escalation.
We recognized Israel’s inherent right to defend itself consistent with international law. We unequivocally condemned Hamas, including for its brutal and unjustified terror attacks on October 7, 2023, and the harm inflicted on the hostages during their captivity and the violation of their dignity through the use of ‘handover ceremonies’ during their release. We reiterated that Hamas can have no role in Gaza’s future and must never again be a threat to Israel. We affirmed our readiness to engage with Arab partners on their proposals to chart a way forward on reconstruction in Gaza and build a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace.
We expressed our support for the people of Syria and Lebanon, as both countries work towards peaceful and stable political futures. At this critical juncture, we reiterated the importance of Syria’s and Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We called unequivocally for the rejection of terrorism in Syria. We condemned strongly the recent escalation of violence in the coastal regions of Syria, and called for the protection of civilians and for perpetrators of atrocities to be held accountable. We stressed the critical importance of an inclusive and Syrian-led political process. We welcomed the commitment by the Syrian interim government to work with the OPCW in eliminating all remaining chemical weapons.
We stressed that Iran is the principal source of regional instability and must never be allowed to develop and acquire a nuclear weapon. We emphasized that Iran must now change course, de-escalate and choose diplomacy. We underscored the threat of Iran’s growing use of arbitrary detention and foreign assassination attempts as a tool of coercion.
Cooperation to increase security and resilience across the Indo-Pacific
We reiterated our commitment to upholding a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific, based on sovereignty, territorial integrity, peaceful resolution of disputes, fundamental freedoms and human rights.
We remain seriously concerned by the situations in the East China Sea as well as the South China Sea and continue to oppose strongly unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular by force and coercion. We expressed concern over the increasing use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippines and Vietnamese vessels as well as efforts to restrict freedom of navigation and overflight through militarization and coercion in the South China Sea, in violation of international law. We emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and reiterated our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. We also expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations.
We remain concerned with China’s military build-up and the continued, rapid increase in China’s nuclear weapons arsenal. We called on China to engage in strategic risk reduction discussions and promote stability through transparency.
We emphasized that China should not conduct or condone activities aimed at undermining the security and safety of our communities and the integrity of our democratic institutions.16. We expressed concerns about China’s non-market policies and practices that are leading to harmful overcapacity and market distortions. We further called on China to refrain from adopting export control measures that could lead to significant supply chain disruptions. We reiterated that we are not trying to harm China or thwart its economic growth, indeed a growing China that plays by international rules and norms would be of global interest.
We demanded that the DPRK abandon all its nuclear weapons and any other weapons of mass destruction as well as ballistic missile programs in accordance with all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. We expressed our serious concerns over, and the need to address together, the DPRK’s cryptocurrency thefts. We called on DPRK to resolve the abductions issue immediately.
We denounced the brutal repression of the people of Myanmar by the military regime and called for an end to all violence and for unhindered humanitarian access.
Building stability and resilience in Haiti and Venezuela
We strongly denounced the ongoing horrifying violence that continues to be perpetrated by gangs in Haiti in their efforts to seize control of the government. We reaffirmed our commitment to helping the Haitian people restore democracy, security and stability, including through support to the Haitian National Police and Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission and an increased role for the UN. We expressed support for Haitian authorities’ efforts to create a specialized anti-corruption jurisdiction that complies with the highest international standards.
We reiterated our call for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela in line with the aspirations of the Venezuelan people who peacefully voted on July 28, 2024, for change, the cessation of repression and arbitrary or unjust detentions of peaceful protestors including youth by Nicolas Maduro’s regime, as well as the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners. We also agreed Venezuelan naval vessels threatening Guyana’s commercial vessels is unacceptable and an infringement of Guyana’s internationally recognized sovereign rights. We reaffirmed respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations as an enduring value.
Supporting lasting peace in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
We unequivocally denounced the ongoing fighting and atrocities in Sudan, including sexual violence against women and girls, which have led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and the spread of famine. We called for the warring parties to protect civilians, cease hostilities, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access, and urged external actors to end their support fueling the conflict.
We condemned the Rwanda-backed M23 offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the resulting violence, displacement and grave human rights and international humanitarian law violations. This offensive constitutes a flagrant disregard of the territorial integrity of the DRC. We reiterated our call for M23 and the Rwanda Defence Force to withdraw from all controlled areas. We urged all parties to support the mediation led by the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, to promote accountability for human rights abuses by all armed actors, including M23 and the FDLR, and to commit to a peaceful and negotiated resolution of the conflict, including the meaningful participation of women and youth.
Strengthening sanctions and countering hybrid warfare and sabotage
We welcomed efforts to strengthen the Sanctions Working Group focused on listings and enforcement. We also welcomed discussions on the establishment of a Hybrid Warfare and Sabotage Working Group, and of a Latin America Working Group.
QS 2025 ranking: Sciences Po in the worldwide top 5 for the subject ‘Politics’
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, Sciences Po ranks 4ᵉ worldwide in the “Politics” (formerly known as “Politics & International Studies”) category out of more than 1,700 international universities. For the past seven years, Sciences Po has been among the top 5 universities in this discipline internationally. The university remains 1rst in France and 1rst in the European Union (UE).
Sciences Po shines in other fields too
The quality of Sciences Po’s research and teaching has also enabled the institution to make a name for itself in other rankings by subject:
Ahead of World Consumer Rights Day on March 15, new data finds that 70% of Europeans trust that their consumer rights are respected by traders. However, it also shows that online risks for consumers persist, including scams, fake reviews, and misleading advertising practices.
Strength in adversity has always been a European asset. Together, we delivered on the issues that matter to EU citizens. From the reform of the electricity market to the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the entry into force of the world’s first rules on artificial intelligence, we have laid the groundwork for a safer, fairer and more sustainable Europe.– Ursula von der Leyen
Tomorrow, Saturday, 15 March 2025, at 12.15, at the Theological University of Northern Italy – Turin Campus, Via X Settembre 83, Turin, and in live connection with the Holy See Press Office, a press conference will be held to present the initiatives associated with the liturgical feast of the Shroud during the Jubilee year.
The speakers will be:
– Archbishop Roberto Repole of Turin, bishop of Susa, pontifical Custodian of the Shroud;
– Marco Bonatti, head of communication of the diocesan Commission for the Shroud.
The experts of the diocesan Commission, in particular Professors Bruno Barberis and Gian Maria Zaccone, will be present and available to answer any questions.
The press conference will be livestreamed in the original language on the Vatican News YouTube channel, at https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews.
The European Banking Authority (EBA) today launched a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the threshold of activity at which Central Securities Depositories (CSDs) providing ‘banking-type ancillary services’, need to meet certain prudential risk management requirements set out in the Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR). The aim of this work is to allow CSDs to do more settlement of foreign currency in commercial bank money without increasing the risk in CSDs or the overall financial system. This consultation runs until 16 June 2025. A public hearing will be held on 13 May.
The EBA is proposing a threshold with staggered requirements dependent on a CSD’s level and type of activity in banking-type ancillary services. This is to ensure that the threshold is risk sensitive and proportionate, without impacting market stability.
The EBA’s analysis included in this consultation paper shows that the maximum level of activity a CSD can provide before having to meet the requirements set out in CSDR is 2.5% of the total value of all securities transactions against cash settled in the books of the CSD over one year. This accounts for up to EUR 6.25 billion per year. Below 1.5% and up to 3.25bn, CSDs would only have to meet basic prudential requirements on credit worthiness, liquidity risk management policy and procedures, and a recovery plan.
Consultation process
Responses to the consultations can be sent to the EBA by clicking on the “send your comments” button on the consultation page.
All contributions received will be published after the consultation closes, unless requested otherwise. The deadline for the submission of comments is 16 June 2025.
A public hearing on this consultation will take place on 13 May 2025 from 10:00 to 12:00 CEST. Deadline for registration is 9 May 2025 at 16:00 CEST.
Legal basis and background
The EBA has developed these draft RTS under Article 59(9 of CSDR, which mandates the Authority to help support further settlement in foreign currencies by CSDs while still ensuring a level playing field in the industry. In particular, the EBA is mandated to set out a threshold at which CSDs providing ‘banking-type ancillary services’ need to meet certain prudential risk management requirements.
Banking-type ancillary services include activities such as providing cash accounts to, and accepting deposits from, participants in a securities settlement system, and payment services involving processing of cash and foreign exchange transactions.
The future of European Union defence unsurprisingly topped the March 2025 plenary session agenda. Members held a debate on Europe’s security architecture and the EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine, in the presence of the Presidents of the European Council, and European Commission. Debates also took place on the conclusions of the 6 March special European Council meeting and preparation of the regular meeting on 20 21 March 2025. Members marked International Women’s Day with addresses from guests representing European women fighting for freedom and peace: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of Belarus’ democratic forces; Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, a former political prisoner in Belarus; Leniie Umerova, a Crimean Tatar activist; and Tata Kepler, Ukrainian medical volunteer and activist. Members also discussed Council and Commission statements on the Roadmap for Women’s Rights. Debates followed Council and Commission statements on the deteriorating situation in Gaza and secessionist threats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the clean industrial deal, and action plans for the automotive industry and affordable energy. Debates looked at the Commission’s vision for agriculture and food, and the first ‘omnibus’ simplification proposals, as well as on supporting EU regions vulnerable to the effects of climate change; the social and employment aspects of restructuring processes; EU Consumers Day, and the European Schools Alliance.
Europe must swiftly address huge challenges, in the face of a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape and major fiscal policy changes. With an increasingly protectionist United States (US) on one side and China becoming an ever-more direct competitor across industries on the other, Europe’s economic future is fraught with uncertainty. In these testing times, the Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery instrument, which has contributed to the EU economy’s swift rebound from the COVID-19 crisis, is expected to increase its impact on potential growth from 2025. The implementation of the strategic investment and reform plans financed by NGEU continues at varying intensity across the EU, with a number of measures being suggested to tackle possible risks of under-execution.
New methods are now available for processing mined metal ores that produce essentially no pollution compared to existing techniques. The large-scale development of these methods would allow EU mines to reopen, greatly contributing to EU sovereignty targets while lowering carbon emissions. Demonstrations of these technologies in Europe already exist at industrial scale, and current regulatory frameworks could be adapted to accommodate and promote their use. With the rollout of carbon pricing on imports (CBAM), new technologies could meet demand for greener materials. Simultaneously, new recycling technologies could help fulfil circular economy goals and prevent harmful destruction of e-waste.
The IA supports the above proposals with a qualitative assessment of legal, social and economic impacts, complemented by quantified estimates of costs and savings of procedural and administrative costs. Impacts on fundamental rights and digitalisation are also assessed, including concerns raised by stakeholders with respect to data protection. The IA follows a clear intervention logic and is based on solid internal and external sources and various stakeholder consultations. It clearly makes an effort to explain the methods and assumptions underlying the analysis, but could have been more coherent, clear and specific, notably when it comes to the transparency and accessibility of the cost estimates and aggregations. The range of options assessed in the IA appears limited, given the preferred option is a combination of two out of the three options considered in addition to the baseline scenario. Impacts on small and medium-sized enterprises and competitiveness are anticipated to be minor and were therefore not further assessed. The simplification and digitalisation of protection measures for vulnerable adults in cross-border situations are at the core of the IA, which expects considerable procedural cost savings for stakeholders, while adjustment costs would be borne by the competent administrations under the preferred option. The legislative proposals appear to follow the IA’s preferred option.
Tokyo (Agenzia Fides) – How can the treasure of a testimony of faith that took place centuries ago, of which only a few traces remain in historical documents, be passed on to new generations? Manga comics were used for this purpose, since the story to be told to today’s boys and girls took place in Japan.Read by an ever-growing audience all over the world, manga comics have long fascinated young and old alike. In addition to the adventures of unusual superheroes, the comics, drawn in their distinctive format, now also tell the stories of real men and women who, even in times of persecution, held fast to their faith in Christ: the Japanese “hidden Christians.” A phenomenon that began in the 17th century, when Christianity was banned and all missionaries were expelled.Without priests and without churches, Japanese Catholics organized themselves: the village chief led the community, established religious solemnities according to the liturgical calendar, and safeguarded the holy books. The catechist taught the children; those who knew the baptismal formulas administered the First Sacrament; a messenger visited families to announce Sundays, Christian feasts, and days of fasting and abstinence.The drawings are by manga artist Kan Takahama, who will present her project in Italy from March 17 to 20 as part of a series of conferences organized by the Japanese Embassy to the Holy See and the Archdiocese of Lucca. The conferences are taking place in Rome and Lucca as part of meetings organized to mark the 440th anniversary of the “Tensho Embassy.” It was in March 1585 that a delegation from Japan first arrived in Rome to be officially received by the Pope. The name of the Embassy refers to the date of its creation according to the Japanese calendar of the time, i.e., the tenth year of the Tensho era.The idea of sending a group of young Japanese representatives to Europe originated with Alessandro Valignano, an Italian Jesuit who had been engaged in missionary work in the Far East since 1573. He personally selected two boys from three of the largest Christian daimyō families in Japan at the time. The daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates and feudal lords who ruled most of Japan from the 10th century until the beginning of the Meiji period in the mid-19th century thanks to their vast hereditary landholdings.They were joined by two other young noblemen and a small group of companions, including the Jesuit priest Diogo de Mesquita, who served as guide and interpreter. With this journey, which lasted a total of eight years (1582 to 1590), Valignano wanted to raise awareness of Japan among the European church at the time and counter certain stereotypes about the Japanese country.And the story of the cartoonist is also connected to this history. Takahama is from Amakusa, the place where the Society of Jesus founded a college for the training of Japanese priests in 1591, and where the young men represented at the Tensho embassy continued their studies upon their return to Japan, thanks in part to Gutenberg’s printing press, which was introduced with the return of the embassy representatives from Europe. Thanks to them, the first books with Christian themes were printed in Japan.The Amakusa region, along with Nagasaki, became a place where Christians found refuge from persecution for 250 years. Despite the absence of priests, they continued to profess their faith in Christ. Today, these places are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Takahama accidentally discovered old documents about the persecution of Christians in her home’s archives. She has researched how to read these documents and attempted to decipher them. She is also carefully collecting oral traditions not included in the documents, thus continuing her research into the history of the local “hidden Christians.”This was the basis for the work “Shishi to Botan” (“Lion and Peonies”). The story was inspired by another true story, the revolt of oppressed Christian peasants in 1638. The revolt was led by the Christian samurai Amakusa Shiro and bloodily suppressed. But how can historical research be translated into manga comics? This question will be addressed in the lectures given by manga artist Takahama on March 17 and 18 in Rome (at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Salesian University) and on March 20 in the rooms of the Archbishop’s Residence in Lucca. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 14/3/2025)
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Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic advances ammunition stockpile management with OSCE support
Technical specialists from the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic evaluating the stability of nitrocellulose-based propellants, Bishkek, 14 March 2025. (OSCE) Photo details
From 3 to 14 March 2025, eight technical specialists from the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic completed a training course on propellant stability assessment. The course was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic and with support from the Austrian Armed Forces.
Participants gained hands-on experience operating specialized mobile laboratories equipped with QPAK and QPAK+ systems to evaluate the stability of nitrocellulose-based propellants, which is crucial for preventing accidental explosions at ammunition storage sites.
With the tools and knowledge acquired, Ministry staff will be able to more effectively test and monitor propellant stability, contributing to risk mitigation and enhancing the overall security of ammunition stockpiles.
“Arms control is one of our Organization’s priorities. By advancing Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and Conventional Ammunition (CA) through-life management, we take a step forward in ensuring security across the broader OSCE area,” noted Konstantin Bedarev, Head of the Politico-Military Department of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.
This initiative is part of an ongoing series of activities within the extra-budgetary project “Improvement of SALW and CA Life-Cycle Management Capacity of the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic,” supported by Austria, France, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Women’s role in drug trafficking and organized crime was focus of OSCE side event at 68th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Women’s role in drug trafficking and organized crime was focus of OSCE side event at 68th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs | OSCE
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Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE supports strengthening role of youth in political processes
Participants of the three-day capacity building training course for youth wings of political parties, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, RYCO Local Branch Office in Montenegro and the Youth Network of Montenegro, Budva, 13 March 2025. (OSCE) Photo details
Young leaders from twelve political parties gathered in Budva from 11 to 13 March to discuss strategies for the inclusion of youth in political decision-making processes, and to develop teamwork and collaboration for advocating dialogue and co-operation, in the context of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda.
This event was organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) Local Branch Office in Montenegro and the Youth Network of Montenegro.
In his opening address, Giovanni Gabassi, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, encouraged young leaders to influence the modus operandi of their respective parties , raising awareness among their colleagues on the importance of consulting youth. “Most importantly, you are proof that collaboration with peers from across the political spectrum is possible in order to build a better place for Montenegrin youth to prosper together,” said Gabassi.
Edin Koljenović, Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Montenegro, stated that this training course, the first of its kind, “brings together representatives of parties from the opposition and the ruling majority for discussion and potential co-operation in the local community and in the region.” He added that more training sessions of this kind are planned in future.
Vladimir Obradović, State Secretary in the Ministry of Sports and Youth, said that young people were key agents of social change. “While politics is one of the most important means through which you can shape the future of Montenegro. That is why it is important that young leaders are empowered, well-informed and ready for constructive dialogue and co-operation,” said Obradović.
During this three-day event, the Council of Youth Wings of Political Parties was established as part of the Youth Network of Montenegro. One of its first tasks will be the preparation of the 2025 session of the Youth Parliament in the Parliament of Montenegro.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE supports Moldovan law enforcement in enhancing risk assessment and analysis
The OSCE organized a series of meetings focused on risk identification, analysis and management for representatives from the Moldovan General Police Inspectorate (GPI) and the Moldovan General Inspectorate of Border Police (GIBP) in Chisinau, Moldova, from 12 to 14 March. The discussions brought together representatives from key law enforcement bodies, including the Strategic Management Directorate, Operational Management Directorate and Information Analysis Directorate. The participants focused on improving risk assessment methodologies, identifying emerging threats and strengthening interagency co-operation.
Additionally, a dedicated Working Group on Risk Assessment and Analysis convened at the GPI to review the current risk analysis methodology on 13 March. The meeting facilitated discussions on risk assessment frameworks, operational challenges and strategies to enhance risk mitigation. Key action points to strengthen institutional resilience were identified, such as the need to support the GPI in further developing the risk analysis methodology, applying this methodology in practice, and enhancing both intra-institutional and inter-institutional collaboration.
“Effective law enforcement relies on systematic risk identification and analysis. By proactively assessing threats—including crime trends, operational vulnerabilities, and institutional risks such as corruption—police forces can enhance resilience, optimize resources, and uphold public trust through informed and accountable decision-making,” said Alina Grottenthaler, Project Officer at the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department/Strategic Police Matters Unit.
These activities are implemented as part of the extrabudgetary project “Support to the Law Enforcement Agencies in Moldova in Response to the Security Challenges in the Region” funded by the UK Government that bolsters Moldova’s law enforcement capabilities in countering transnational threats.
EU external borders: Irregular border crossings fall 25% in first two months of 2025
The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union dropped by 25 % in the first two months of 2025, to nearly 25 000, according to preliminary data collected by Frontex*. While most routes saw a decrease in the number of arrivals, the Central Mediterranean route defied the trend.
Key Highlights:
Western African route accounted for a significant part of arrivals in January-February.
Central Mediterranean route saw the biggest rise in arrivals (+48% year-on-year).
Western Balkans experienced the steepest drop (-64%).
Top nationalities detected: Afghan, Bangladeshi, and Malian.
Frontex supports national authorities in their efforts to protect Europe’s borders with 2 900 officers along the EU’s external borders.
Despite a 40% decrease from last year, the Western African corridor remained the most active route for irregular migration, with 7 200 arrivals recorded in January-February. Most migrants came from Mali, Senegal, and Guinea.
The Central Mediterranean route witnessed the biggest increase in the first two months of the year, up 48% year-on-year to almost 6 900. This made it the second most active migratory route to the EU.
Libya remains the primary departure point on this route, with smugglers increasingly relying on powerful speedboats to outmanoeuvre authorities. The cost of a sea crossing varies between EUR 5 000 and EUR 8 000 per person.
Bangladeshi nationals remain the most common nationality on this route, frequently leveraging formal agreements between Libya and Bangladesh to enter legally for work before embarking on the sea crossing.
By the end of February, the Eastern Mediterranean ranked as the third busiest migration corridor into the EU, with nearly 6 500 arrivals. However, detections on this route were down 35% from a year ago. After peaking at around 6 700 detections in October, the pressure on this route has steadily eased amid winter weather, with numbers dropping to 2 750 in February.
Sea crossings continue to put migrants’ lives at great risk, with many relying on organised criminal networks to attempt the journey. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 248 people died at sea in January and February. In all of last year, this figure reached 2 300, underscoring the tragic human cost of these hazardous routes.
On the Channel route, the number of migrants attempting to cross into the United Kingdom dropped by 28% compared to last year, with detections slightly above 4 400.
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* Note: The preliminary data presented in this statement refer to the number of detections of irregular border crossing at the external borders of the European Union. The same person may cross the border several times in different locations at the external border.
Source: Switzerland – Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
The Federal Council’s gigabit strategy aims to provide access to high-speed internet throughout Switzerland. A temporary funding programme will drive forward the expansion of broadband via fibre optic and wireless infrastructure. At its meeting on 14 March 2025, the Federal Council opened the consultation on the new Broadband Promotion Act.
A five-story replica of a stamp of Superman in 1998 in Cleveland, home of the superhero’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File
Nearly a hundred years ago, a hastily crafted spaceship crash-landed in Smallville, Kansas. Inside was an infant – the sole survivor of a planet destroyed by old age. Discovering he possessed superhuman strength and abilities, the boy committed to channeling his power to benefit humankind and champion the oppressed.
This is the story of Superman: one of the most recognizable characters in history, who first reached audiences in the pages of Action Comics in 1938 – what many fans consider the most important single comic in history.
As a historian of American immigration and ethnicity – and a lifelong comics fan – I read this well-known bit of fiction as an allegory about immigration and the American dream. It is, at its core, the ultimate story of an immigrant in the early 20th century, when many people saw the United States as a land with open gates, providing such orphans of the world an opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
Taken in and raised by a rural family under the name Clark Kent, the baby was imbued with the best qualities of America. But, like all immigrant stories, Kent’s is a two-parter. There is also the emigrant story: the story of how Kal-El – Superman’s name at birth – was driven from his home on Planet Krypton to embrace a new land.
That origin story reflects the heritage of Superman’s creators: two of the many Jewish American writers and artists who ushered in the Golden Age of comic books.
The American comics industry was largely started by the children of Jewish immigrants. Like most publishing in the early 20th century, it was centered in New York City, home to the country’s largest Jewish population. Though they were still a very small minority, immigration had swelled the United States’ Jewish population more than a thousandfold: from roughly 3,000 in 1820 to roughly 3,500,000 in 1920.
Comic books had not yet been devised, but strip comics in newspapers were a regular feature. They began in the late 19th century with popular stories featuring recurring characters, such as Richard F. Outcault’s “Yellow Kid” and “the Little Bears” by Jimmy Swinnerton.
A few Jewish creators were able to break into the industry, such as Harry Hershfield and his comic “Abie the Agent.” Hershfield’s success was exceptional in three ways: He broke into mainstream newspaper comics, his titular character was also Jewish, and he never adopted an anglicized pen name – as many other Jewish creators felt they must.
Shoppers and vendors outside of haberdasheries on Hester Street in a Jewish neighborhood of New York’s Lower East Side around 1900. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Generally, however, Jews were barred from the more prestigious jobs in newspaper cartooning. A more accessible alternative was the cheaper, second-tier business of reprinting previously published works.
In 1933, second-generation Jewish New Yorker Max Gaines – born Maxwell Ginzburg – began a new publication, “Funnies on Parade.” “Funnies” pulled together preexisting comic strips, reproducing them in saddle-stitched pamphlets that became the standard for the American comics industry. He went on to found All-American Comics and Educational Comics.
Another publisher, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, founded National Allied Publications in 1934 and published the first comic book to feature entirely new material, rather than reprints of newspaper strips. He joined forces with two Jewish immigrants, Harry Donenfeld and Jack Leibowitz. At National, they created and distributed Detective and Action Comics – the precursors to DC, which would become one of the two largest comics distributors in history.
It was at Action Comics that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two second-generation immigrants from a Jewish neighborhood in Cleveland, found a home for Superman. It would also be where two Jewish kids from the Bronx, Bob Kane and Bill Finger – born Robert Kahn and Milton Finger – found a home for their character, Batman, in 1939.
The success of these characters inspired another prominent second-generation Jewish New Yorker, pulp magazine publisher Moses “Martin” Goodman, to enter comics production with his line, “Timely Comics.” The 1939 debut featured what would become two of the early industry’s most well-known superheroes: the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch. These characters would be mainstays of Goodman’s company, even when it became better known as Marvel Comics.
Thus were born the “big two,” Marvel and DC, from humble Jewish origins.
…and Jewish stories
The creation and popularization of superhero comics isn’t Jewish just because of its history. The content was, too, reflecting the values and priorities of Jewish America at the time: a community influenced by its origins and traditions, as well as the American mainstream.
Some of the most foundational early comics echo Jewish history and texts, such as Superman’s story, which parallels the Jewish hero Moses. The biblical prophet was born in Egypt, where the Israelites were enslaved, and soon after Pharaoh ordered the murder of all their newborn sons. Similarly, Superman’s people, the Kryptonians, faced an existential threat: the destruction of their planet.
Moses’ life is saved when his mother floats him down the Nile in a hastily constructed and tarred basket. Kal-El, too, is sent away to safety in a hastily constructed craft. Both boys are raised by strangers in a strange land and destined to become heroes to their people.
Comics also reflected the feelings and fears of Jews in a moment in time. For example, in the wake of Kristallnacht – the 1938 night of widespread organized attacks on German Jews and their property, which many historians see as a turning point toward the Holocaust – Finger and Kane debuted Batman’s Gotham City. The city is a dark contrast to Superman’s shining metropolis, a place where villains lurked around every corner and reflected the darkest sides of modern humanity.
Some comic artists and writers used their platform to make political statements. Jack Kirby – born Kurtzberg – and Hymie “Joe” Simon, creators of Captain America, explained that they “knew what was going on over in Europe. World events gave us the perfect comic-book villain, Adolf Hitler, with his ranting, goose-stepping and ridiculous moustache. So we decided to create the perfect hero who would be his foil.” The comic debut of Captain America in 1941 featured a brightly colored cover with the brand-new hero punching Adolf Hitler in the face.
In later generations, characters penned by Jewish authors continued to grapple with issues of outsider status, hiding aspects of their identity, and maintaining their determination to better the world in spite of rejection from it. Think of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and X-Men. All of these were created by Stan Lee – another Jewish creator, born Stanley Martin Lieber – who was hired into Timely Comics at just 17 years old.
With so many of the most popular comics written by New York Jews, and centered in the city, much of New York’s Yiddish-tinged, recognizably Jewish language made its way onto the pages. Lee’s Spider-Man, for example, frequently exclaims “oy!” or calls bad guys “putz” or “shmuck.”
In later years, Jewish authors such as Chris Claremont and Brian Michael Bendis introduced or took over mainstream characters who were overtly Jewish – reflecting an emerging comfort with a more public Jewish ethnic identity in America. In X-Men, for example, Kitty Pryde recounts her encounters with contemporary antisemitism. Magneto, who is at times friend but often foe of the X-Men, developed a backstory as a Holocaust survivor.
History is never solely about retelling; it’s about gaining a better understanding of complex narratives. Trends in comics history, particularly in the superhero genre, offer insight into the ways that Jewish American anxieties, ambitions, patriotism and sense of place in the U.S. continually changed over the 20th century. To me, this understanding makes the retelling of these classic stories even more meaningful and entertaining.
Miriam Eve Mora does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Saudi Arabia is 2,000 miles from Ukraine and even more politically distant, so at first glance it might seem like it has nothing to do with the ongoing war there. But the Gulf state has emerged as a key intermediary in the most serious ceasefire negotiations since Russia invaded its neighbor three years ago.
The resulting agreement, which is now being mulled in Moscow, is all the more notable given that it followed a diplomatic breakdown just weeks before at the Oval Office between Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Whether the proposed interim 30-day ceasefire materializes is still uncertain. On March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agreed with the proposal in principle, but he added that a lot of the details needed to be sorted out.
Should a deal be reached, there is every reason to believe it will be inked in Saudi Arabia, which has hosted not only the latest U.S.-Ukrainian talks but earlier rounds of high-level Russian-U.S. meetings.
But why is a Gulf nation playing mediator in a conflict in Eastern Europe? As an expert on Saudi politics, I believe the answer to that lies in the kingdom’s diplomatic ambitions and its desire to present a more positive image to the world. And in the background is the goal of better positioning the nation in the event of diplomatic maneuvers in its own region, notably in regards to any talks between U.S. and Iran.
The diplomatic convertion of MBS
Saudi Arabia’s growing diplomatic role has been a feature of the kingdom’s foreign policy since 2022.
Crown Prince Mohammed, who that year succeeded his father as prime minister, views Saudi Arabia as the convening power in the Arab and Islamic world.
Accordingly, officials in the kingdom have been directed to lead regional diplomacy over a number of pressing issues, including the conflicts in Gazaand Sudan.
At the same time, Saudis have started the process of reconciliation with Iran, which has long been perceived as the chief regional rival to Saudi influence.
This approach brought little in the way of stability. Rather, it left the country ensnared in an unwinnable war in Yemen, a fruitless row with Qatar, and diplomatic isolation by Western officials.
Saudi officials, in common with their counterparts in the other Gulf states, have long sought to avoid taking sides in the emerging era of great power competition and strategic rivalry. As such, the kingdom has maintained working relations with both Russia and pro-Western Ukraine since the outbreak of war in Europe.
In 2022, for example, Saudi Arabia and Russia – both leaders of OPEC+ – coordinated oil production cuts to cushion Moscow from the effects of global sanctions the West imposed after it invaded Ukraine. Yet just months later, Saudi Arabia invited Zelenskyy to address an Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
It was a prelude to a 2023 international summit, also in Jeddah, which brought together representatives from 40 countries to discuss the ongoing war.
Despite failing to produce a breakthrough, the meeting illustrated the convening reach of the crown prince and his intention to act as a diplomatic go-between in the Ukraine-Russia war.
Saudi Arabia and neighboring United Arab Emirates later facilitated occasional prisoner exchanges between the two countries – rare diplomatic successes in three years of conflict.
Staging ground for diplomacy
Direct engagement in high-stakes international diplomacy over the largest war in Europe since 1945 is undoubtedly a step up in Saudi ambitions. But the country’s efforts aren’t purely altruistic. Riyadh believes there’s mileage to be gained in such diplomatic endeavors.
The advent of a Trump presidency has fit Saudi desires. Trump has made his desire to be seen as a dealmaker and peacemaker clear, but he needs a neutral venue in which the hard work of diplomacy can flourish.
Just weeks into the new U.S. administration, the Saudi capital hosted the first meeting between a U.S. secretary of state and Russian foreign minister since Russia invaded in 2022.
It yielded an agreement to “re-establish the bilateral relationship” and establish a consultation mechanism to “address irritants” in ties.
The two rounds of dialogue in Riyadh – first with Russia, then Ukraine – have positioned the Saudi leadership firmly in the diplomatic process. It has also gone some way to rehabilitate Mohammed bin Salman’s image.
The sight of the crown prince warmly greeting Zelenskyy contrasted sharply with the images from a fractious White House meeting that went around the world, presenting the crown prince as a statesmanlike figure.
Turning to Tehran
Such positive optics would have seemed inconceivable as recently as 2019, when the crown prince was shunned and then presidential candidate Joe Biden labeled the country a “pariah” state.
Changing this negative global perception of Saudi Arabia is crucial if the kingdom is to attract the tens of millions of visitors that are pivotal to the success of the “giga-projects” – sports, culture and tourism events that the Saudis hope will drive its economy and allow the kingdom to be less economically dependent on fossil fuel exports.
Whereas easing tensions with Iran and supporting Yemen’s fragile truce are about derisking the kingdom’s vulnerability to regional volatility, facilitating diplomacy over Ukraine is a relatively cost-free way to reinforce the changing narratives about Saudi Arabia.
After all, any breakdown in the Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations is unlikely to be blamed on the Saudis.
Indeed, Saudi officials may view their engagement with U.S. officials over Ukraine as the prelude to further diplomatic cooperation. And this will be especially true if Crown Prince Mohammed is able to establish himself as an indispensable partner in the eyes of Trump.
Saudi officials were excluded from the last major talks between Iran and the U.S., which also involved several other major world powers and led to the 2016 Iran nuclear deal. Trump withdrew from the deal shortly after assuming office for the first time in 2017, and U.S.-Iranian relations have been moribund since then.
The U.S. administration has already mooted the idea of a resumption of negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear capabilities.
Placing Saudi Arabia in the middle of any attempts to secure a new nuclear agreement that would replace or supersede that earlier deal would be a high-risk move, given the intensity of feeling on both the U.S. and Iranian sides and the uneasy coexistence between Tehran and Riyadh.
But doing so would give the kingdom what it most desires: a seat at the table.
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet have been sworn in, ending Justin Trudeau’s time in office and paving the way for a spring election. Canadians are soon heading to the polls as they watch American democracy crumble.
United States President Donald Trump recently argued “he who saves his country does not violate any Law” as he ignores Congress and the courts, governs by executive order and threatens international laws and treaties.
Republican leaders moved dramatically to the right, and the primary system allowed the choice of an extremist. Republican voters then aligned their opinions with his. Trump’s disdain for democratic fundamentals spread quickly. Partisans defending their team slid away from democratic values.
Canada’s more centrist ideological spectrum is not foolproof against this type of extremism. Public opinion can be moved when our leaders take us there.
Decline can start slowly and then accelerate. America’s democratic backsliding in the first weeks of Trump’s second presidency follows the erosion of democratic norms over decades. Republican attacks on institutions, the opposition, the media and higher education corrosively undermined public faith in the truth, including election results.
Trust in government is holding steady in Canada, however. That provides an important guardrail for Canadian democracy.
The dangers of courting the far right
There are also lessons for our political parties. To maximize their seats, Republicans accepted extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene, but soon needed those types of politicians for key votes.
The so-called Freedom Caucus, made up of MAGA adherents, forced the choice of a new, more extreme, leader of the House of Representatives. This provides a clear lesson that history has shown many times: it is dangerous for the party on the political right to accommodate the far right, which can quickly take control.
Once established within the ruling party, extremists can hold their party hostage.
Austria recently avoided the inclusion of the far right in its new coalition, and now Germany is working to do the same. As Canada’s Conservatives look for every vote, courting far-right voters and candidates risks destabilizing the system.
They clearly did not imagine party loyalty negating the safeguards that protect democracy from an authoritarian-minded president. The Constitution gives Congress the power to legislate and impeach, limits the executive’s power to spend and make appointments, gives the judiciary power to hold an executive accountable and contains the 25th amendment allowing cabinet to remove a president.
But when one party controls the legislative and executive branches during a time of hyper-partisanship, these mechanisms may not constrain an authoritarian. Today, Republican loyalty has eroded these checks and balances and American courts are struggling to step up to their heightened role.
Although counter-intuitive, parliamentary systems like Canada’s are usually less susceptible to authoritarianism than presidential ones because the cabinet or the House of Commons can turn against a lawless leader.
Still, if popular, authoritarian leaders can still retain their party’s support — and then things can slide quickly. The rightward pull of extremists seen in the U.S. House would be more dangerous here since the Canadian House of Commons includes our executive.
Guarding against xenophobia
Lastly, Canada should be wary of xenophobic rhetoric.
“America First” is not simply shopping advice. It began as an isolationist slogan during the First World War but was soon adopted by pro-fascists, American Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. These entities questioned who is really American and wanted not only isolationism, but racist policies, immigration restrictions and eugenics.
Trump did not revive the phrase accidentally. It’s a call to America’s fringes. Alienating domestic groups is a sure sign of democratic decline.
“Canada First” mimics that century-long dark theme in America. In combination with contempt for the opposition, it questions the right of other parties to legitimately hold power if used as a message by one party.
Also, asserting that “Canada is broken” — as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre often does — mimics Trump’s talk of American carnage, language and imagery he uses to justify extraordinary presidential authority.
Such language erodes citizens’ trust in democratic institutions and primes voters to support undemocratic practices in the name of patriotism. Canadian parties and politicians should exit that road.
Ultimately, institutions alone do not protect a country from the rise of authoritarianism. Democracy can be fragile. As a federal election approaches in Canada, it’s important to know the warning signs of extremism and anti-democratic practices that are creeping into our politics.
Matthew Lebo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Sir Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, announced on March 13 that the government will move to abolish NHS England in the next two years. During this period, the government plans to bring its functions under the UK’s health ministry, with the aim of bringing the health service “into democratic control”. What does this mean, and what difference will it make?
When the NHS was established in 1948, part of the aim was to make the local health problems of patients across the country the concern of the national government. The plan succeeded. Today, the NHS is politically highly important – it matters enormously to patients and the public, and has one of the largest spending budgets in the UK.
At the same time, it is technically difficult to manage, with local needs and opportunities and complex organisation that are hard and sometimes inefficient to manage centrally.
Striking the balance between delivering high-quality patient care and addressing the technical complexity of doing so is a continual challenge for governments. The solution chosen as part of the 2012 health and welfare reforms was to establish NHS England as an organisationally independent government body to provide technical and operational leadership for the NHS – leaving ministers insulated from those day-to-day issues and free to set an overall strategy.
The government’s decision to abolish NHS England marks a change back to direct ministerial grip on the system. This may reflect high public concern about the NHS and pressure on its services, as well as a desire by the recently elected government to exercise more direct control over the health service.
How does this compare to other health systems?
The NHS has long been an unusually centralised system. Although the English NHS covers more than 55 million people, it has historically been run by central government, which this change reinforces.
In contrast, although Spain has a similar NHS-style system, the Spanish health system is run by the 17 regional governments through their departments of health, with the largest covering 8.6 million people.
Europe’s other large national health system, in Italy, now also has a decentralised system. The national government sets the overall principles and benefits, but the actual services are under the control of regional governments.
These decentralised systems strike a different balance between political control and operational management, by bringing them together at a more local level.
If the UK government was to extend its aim of bringing the NHS into democratic control by taking a similar decentralisation approach to other NHS-style systems in Europe, what would this look like?
The NHS already has 42 integrated care systems at the local level. These already work with upper-tier local authorities, such as county councils, and are mostly aligned with their boundaries, but are under the control of central government.
Other countries already decentralise their health systems to similar levels. In Sweden, for example, the 21 counties are responsible for financing, purchasing and providing their health services, under the democratic control of the county councillors. While there might be questions about the capacity of local government in England to take on such a role, experience from elsewhere shows that it should be possible.
Compared with those decentralised systems, the abolition of NHS England is a relatively minor change. It puts ministers more directly in charge of the English NHS, but does not change the basic structure of the service nor its control by central government.
Examples from other countries suggest that if the ambition is to bring the health service more into democratic control, there are options for much more profound change. This would strike a whole new balance between political control and local management.
Tom Ling is a member of the Labour party.
Hampton Toole and Nick Fahy do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio Remarks to Press in Shannon, Ireland, on March 12, 2025.
Transcript: https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks-to-press/
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The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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