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ATLANTA, Oct. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) is supporting recovery and relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene, donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross and making up to $2 million available through its Community Rebuild and Restore Product to assist with the rehabilitation of homes damaged by the storm.
“Across the Southeast, many of the communities that our members serve have been severely impacted by Hurricane Helene and devastating floods,” said Kirk Malmberg, president and CEO of FHLBank Atlanta. “These funds will provide critical support for both immediate relief and rebuilding efforts, helping to ease the burden on local communities.”
FHLBank Atlanta offers the Community Rebuild and Restore Product through its Affordable Housing Homeownership Set-aside Program in partnership with its member financial institutions, providing up to $10,000 to impacted homeowners for the rehabilitation of homes in “major disaster” areas, as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible homeowners.
“Our mission is to promote housing opportunity and homeownership, and there is never a more important time to take action than when a natural disaster damages the places people call home,” Malmberg said. “With these contributions we join many others in supporting recovery initiatives and helping our communities as they rebuild.”
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta FHLBank Atlanta is a member-owned cooperative that offers competitively-priced financing, community development grants, and other banking services to assist its member financial institutions make affordable home mortgages and provide economic development credit to neighborhoods and communities. The Bank’s members are commercial banks, credit unions, savings institutions, community development financial institutions, and insurance companies located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. FHLBank Atlanta is one of 11 district banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Since 1990, the FHLBanks have awarded approximately $9.1 billion in Affordable Housing Program funds, assisting more than 1.2 million households.
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – In the Acts of the Apostles “we see the Spirit work for unity in two ways”: He teaches her to expand in universality, and consolidate in unity. Universal and one: this is the mystery of the Church.During the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis continues the cycle of catechesis dedicated to the Holy Spirit and his role in the Church, reflecting on the role played by the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles.With the account of Pentecost, the Pontiff notes, the author “wished to highlight the universal mission of the Church, as a sign of a new unity between all peoples”. In the following (chapters 10 and 15) we see that the Spirit works for unity in two ways. On the one hand, He drives the Church outwards, so that she can welcome an ever-greater number of people and peoples; on the other hand, she gathers them within to consolidate the unity achieved.The first of the two movements – universality – can be seen in action in the episode of the conversion of Cornelius, “to induce the Apostles to expand their horizon and break down the last barrier, the one between Jews and pagans”. “To this ethnical expansion is added the geographical expansion”, said the Bishop of Rome, who recalls that Paul “wanted to proclaim the Gospel in a new region of Asia Minor; but it is written that they had been “forbidden by the Holy Spirit”; he attempted to enter Bithyn’ia, “but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them”. We immediately discover the reason for these surprising prohibitions of the Spirit: the following night the Apostle received in a dream the order to pass into Macedonia. The Gospel thus left its native Asia and entered into Europe”, said the Pope.The second movement of the Holy Spirit – that which creates unity – can be seen “in the proceedings of the so-called Council of Jerusalem. The problem is how to ensure that the universality achieved does not compromise the unity of the Church”. The Holy Spirit, Francis points out, ” does not always create unity suddenly, with miraculous and decisive actions, as at Pentecost. He also does so – and in the majority of cases – with discreet work, respecting human time and differences, passing through people and institutions, prayer and confrontation. In, we would say today, a synodal manner”. In this context, the Pope quotes Saint Augustine, who explains the unity brought about by the Holy Spirit with a classic image: ” How the soul is of the body of man is the holy Spirit of the body of Christ, which is the Church”. This “image helps us to understand something important. The Holy Spirit does not create the unity of the Church from the outside; He does not limit Himself to commanding us to be united. He Himself is the “bond of unity”. It is He who creates the unity of the Church”.”The unity of the Church is the unity between people – Pope Francis continued – and is not achieved on the drawing board, but in life. Even “Christian unity is built in this way too: not waiting for others to reach us where we are, but moving together towards Christ”.At the end of the Audience, the Pope again turned his thoughts to the peoples of the world affected by the ravages of war. And he invites everyone to pray for peace: “May the month of October, dedicated to the Holy Rosary, be a precious opportunity to cultivate this traditional Marian prayer. I urge you all to pray the Rosary every day, placing yourselves trustingly in the hands of Mary. To her, the caring Mother, we entrust the suffering and the desire for peace of the peoples who suffer the madness of war, especially the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan”. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2024)
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Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – North Korea has cut off road and rail access to South Korea with the aim of “completely separating” the two countries. The North Korean army has announced that it is proceeding to “permanently isolate and block the southern border”, reinforcing the fortifications as a “self-defense measure to prevent war”. Signs of closure such as this – with high symbolic value – mark a historic moment in which tensions between the two parts of Korea have reached their highest levels in recent years. This has not left southern society untouched either, and “the desire for reunification is diminishing”, says Peter Soon-Taick Chung, Archbishop of Seoul and Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang, in an interview with Fides, in which he examines the issue of North-South relations.”I think many young people in the South are beginning to believe that reconciliation or reunification are not viable paths. Hope is fading”, he notes. Therefore, he adds, “I think it is appropriate to continue to dream of peaceful coexistence and to keep the light of hope burning in Korean society, especially today, in the current stalemate, with the total blockade of communication routes, the situation is very bleak”. He adds that “our task is to continue with prayer and education for peace: the Church continues to ask what can and must be done for peace”. “We are approaching the Holy Year, which has as its theme hope: we are pilgrims of hope, also with regard to relations with the North”, he stresses.Simon Kim Ju-young, Bishop of Chuncheon and president of the Episcopal Commission for Reconciliation, meanwhile notes with bitterness that “both sides view each other with a certain hostility and all channels are closed, even that of humanitarian aid, which was kept open in the past. And even if the Korean public opinion is still quite divided on policy towards the North, all Koreans are united when it comes to sending humanitarian aid to North Korea. But North Korea keeps all channels closed, including humanitarian ones.”There is another reason for this attitude, according to political observers: in the current international context, marked by wars in Europe and the Middle East, the arms market has grown and North Korea is one of the countries that sell equipment from its war arsenal. This sector acts as a driving force for the North Korean economy, which is thus less dependent and less reliant on external aid.In this period of closure, “we pray above all for the doors to open. All the faithful of the Church in Korea participate in this prayer,” says Bishop Simon Kim Ju-young. “In some dioceses, for example, the faithful gathered at nine o’clock in the evening to ask God for reconciliation and peace. In Seoul, a Mass is celebrated every week for this intention, and in my diocese of Chuncheon, we hold a special prayer on the 25th of every month.”In all the dioceses of Korea, there is a Commission for Reconciliation and Unification of the Korean People, where religious priests, nuns and lay people come together “to talk about peace and continue to raise people’s awareness of the issue of peace, with initiatives aimed at the Catholic faithful but also at non-Catholics,” the bishop continued.Another way, which practices a kind of “culture of welcome,” is proposed by Benedictine Abbot Blasio Park Hyun-dong, OSB, Apostolic Administrator of the Territorial Abbey of Tokwon in the province of Hamkyongnam in North Korea: the building of the Tokwon Abbey is now used as a University of Agriculture. In 1952, Benedictine monks and nuns fled the North because of the Korean War and founded a new monastery in Waegwan, South Korea. Today, the Abbot of Waegwan, who is also Apostolic Administrator of the Territorial Abbey of Tokwon, reports: “We can continue to show concrete solidarity and welcome the refugees who make it from the North to the South. As religious communities, we do our best to help these refugees, at all levels. Even if reunification is still a long way off, for us this is a kind of preparation for living together and keeps the hope of reconciliation alive.”Looking back, the bishops recall that the Commission for Reconciliation within the Episcopal Conference visited Pyongyang in December 2015 to meet with the local Catholic community and celebrate a Mass in the Changchung Church. “On that occasion,” recalls the then priest Simon Kim Ju-young, “we told the local faithful that South Korean Catholics pray for reconciliation every day at nine in the evening. We asked them to participate in this prayer and they assured us that they would do so.” He added: “I remember their faces and their words. They were people who professed Christianity and I felt in my heart that they said it with a sincere heart and the authenticity of the Holy Spirit. Today, listening to the stories of the refugees, even if we have no news from across the border, we nourish the hope that there are still believers there. We hope that one day we will be able to come together again and pray together”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2024)
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Maputo (Agenzia Fides) – “We hope that the elections will be free and fair and, above all, peaceful,” said the President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique and Archbishop of Nampula, Inacio Saure, in an interview with Fides.Today, October 9, presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in the southern African country. No major surprises are expected; FRELIMO (National Liberation Front), in power since independence in 1975, is expected to win the election again this time.Mozambique, which emerged in 1992 from a civil war that broke out in 1975, has been facing jihadist militias in the province of Cabo Delgago, the northernmost province of the country, for several years (see Fides, 19/10/2022).We asked Archbishop Saure to analyze the situation in the country in the light of today’s election.What do you expect from today’s elections?First and foremost, I hope that the elections will be free and fair and, above all, peaceful. The preparations have been marked by some difficulties. We know that there have been delays and problems in registering on the electoral rolls, due to bureaucratic issues but perhaps also to other political problems. Let’s say there was no interest in certain people being registered on the electoral roll. There is also a certain fatigue and disappointment among voters, because the first free elections took place in 1994, 30 years ago, and since then elections have been accompanied by controversy and protests.The war in the north is attributed to the presence of at least one jihadist group. Isn’t this reading a little simplistic?We say it is the jihadists, but I don’t think they are the only reason for this war. There are the resources in the region, primarily gas, but not only: in Balama there are mines with strategic minerals such as graphite, which are crucial for new technologies and the energy transition. That is why we do not know exactly what the real cause of this war is. Is it just religious? I don’t think so. On the other hand, the conflict broke out more or less at the same time as the gas extraction began.You are the Archbishop of Nampula, which has welcomed several internally displaced persons from the war. Can you describe their situation?After Cabo Delgado, the provincial capital where the war is mainly taking place, Nampula is the province that has welcomed most of the refugees fleeing the violence. This is a challenge because Nampula is the most densely populated province in the country and the sudden influx of thousands of people has created problems for the structures in this area. At the beginning, when the first refugees arrived, several international organizations provided assistance. But then the assistance was greatly reduced. They increasingly forgot about us and the more than 6,000 refugees who were still housed in Nampula. Initially, there were as many as 8,000, but some have returned to Cabo Delgado, where there are still many displaced people from the surrounding villages affected by insecurity.As a Church, we are fully committed to helping these people through our diocesan and national Caritas. The problem is that we do not have sufficient resources, especially since international aid has almost disappeared.Is there a fear that the conflict in the north could spread to other areas of Mozambique?Much of Mozambique is at peace, but there is a fear that the instability in the north could spread to the rest of the country, which is exacerbated by great poverty, especially among unemployed youth, especially in the cities.The other big problem is widespread poverty…Yes, especially among young people. Many young people from the countryside have moved to the cities but have not found work there. This is, among other things, a major challenge at a pastoral level. The ideal would be to create vocational training opportunities for these people. However, the Church alone does not have the means to do this. During our last ad limina visit, Pope Francis also recommended not to forget young people and to provide them with training places. During our visit this year, I pointed out to the Holy Father the difficulties we have in supporting young people in vocational training because we, as the Mozambican Church, do not have the means to do so. We try to do what we can, but the means are really very limited.On the other hand, Catholic schools are very valued for the quality of their teaching. However, the State has increased taxes on our schools, making them equal to private companies. which in turn has put us in difficulties.How would you describe the situation of the Church in Mozambique in the face of these problems?It is a living Church. We have many vocations, the seminaries are full. This is truly a grace. Young people come to the Church in droves. Most of our priests are Mozambican. We even have some priests who go as missionaries to other African countries.In addition, the role of the laity is very important, because already in 1977 the National Pastoral Assembly decided to promote a Church of the laity. The catechists play an important role in this, especially in the villages where there is no permanent presence of a priest. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2024)
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Lyon (Agenzia Fides) – Music that lifts the soul and touches the heart, will be the protagonist this year of a prestigious initiative organized by the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in France on the occasion of World Mission Week. This week in France is dedicated to the animation and promotion of Missionary Sunday. The choir “Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois”, a true institution in France since its foundation in 1907, has been collaborating for three years with the French PMS, supporting mainly the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood and supporting several of its projects.This year, the well-known choir will participate in a concert tour that begins tonight in Dijon, at 8:30 pm, in the church of the Sacred Heart, with a show centered on the theme of the mission.Through a varied repertoire ranging from sacred music to French folk songs and traditional songs collected during their numerous trips around the world, the young singers take the audience on a journey through the missionary theme, being themselves the first missionaries of the message of faith transmitted through their music.The proceeds of these concerts, which will take place on Thursday 10 October at 8.30 p.m. in Lyon (Basilica of Ainay), on Friday 11 October at 8.30 p.m. in Annecy (Church of Saint-Maurice) and finally on Sunday 13 October at 4.30 p.m. in Belleville-en-Beaujolais (Church of Notre-Dame), will be donated to the projects carried out by the Church to serve the most needy.To seal this collaboration in the spirit of mission between the Pontifical Mission Societies and the “Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois”, a video clip was also released in recent days, shot entirely in the “Maison de Lorette”, which belonged to Blessed Pauline Jaricot, foundress of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which preserves her historical memory. Since July, the offices of the Pontifical Mission Societies in France have also been housed there. To the sounds of Caccini’s “Ave Maria”, the young singers explore the house, contemplating the face of Blessed Jaricot in paintings, medals minted in her honor, votive candles and coming into contact with objects that belonged to the Blessed. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2024)
Accra (Agenzia Fides) – The fight against illegal mining “Galamsey”, which pollutes waterways, destroys forests and livelihoods and causes serious health and environmental risks for communities, is the aim of the “Environmental Prayer Walk” organized by the Archdiocese of Accra in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious Ghana (CMSR-GH).”The event, called ‘Environmental Prayer Walk’,” writes the President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious Ghana, Father Paul Ennin of the Society of African Missions (SMA), in a note sent to Fides, “will take place on Friday, October 11, 2024 and is in line with our initiatives for the Holy Year 2025: Care for creation and protection of the environment.””This initiative reflects our civil, community and religious commitment to our land and its ecosystem, which is being destroyed,” notes Metropolitan Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, C.S.Sp., in a message addressed to all priests, religious and lay people of the Archdiocese for the occasion.According to reports and human rights groups, dozens of miners have died in recent years when mines collapse, while hospitals and health centers report a high number of early deaths from lung diseases among miners and residents of towns and villages near the mines. These are caused by inhaling dust containing heavy metals such as lead, as well as the toxic fumes of mercury and nitric acid that miners use to extract gold from the sediments. The chemicals are then dumped into the soil or rivers. The Ghana Water Authority says mercury and heavy metals from mining have already contaminated about 65% of water sources.“On October 11, we will undertake a prayer march for peace, praying the rosary, which is our weapon against all enemies. We will gather at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Adabraka, a southern suburb of Kumasi in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, to pray, walk through the main streets and conclude the event with a Holy Mass at the Christ the King Grotto in Cantonment, Accra District. Finally, we will present a petition to the Presidency at Jubilee House,” Archbishop Kwofie concluded.Local statistics show that illegal gold mining grew at a dizzying pace in 2024, following the almost 30 percent increase in global gold prices. According to the Ghana Mining Authority, gold mines produced 1.2 million ounces of gold in the first seven months of this year, more than in the whole of 2023. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2024)
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President Meloni: Government commitment to greater opportunities for young people. New talent to boost Italy’s southern regions
A recruitment process has been launched today, as part of the ‘RIPAM’ public administration requalification project, to hire 2,200 new officials for local authorities in the Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Apulia, Sardinia and Sicily regions and for the Department for Cohesion Policy and Southern Italy, organised by the Department for Public Administration at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, in agreement with the Department for Cohesion Policy and Southern Italy.
This initiative by the Government, supported by the European Commission and funded by both European and national resources through the national operational programme for cohesion capacity 2021-2027, provides for new, additional staff to be hired with permanent contracts for the authorities concerned.
Hiring young graduates also fulfils the Government’s strategic goal to modernise the public administration, with a view to making public action more effective through innovation, digitalisation and new skills.
The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, expressed great satisfaction with this important result: “The Government has undertaken this commitment to meet the needs repeatedly voiced by local areas as well as to offer new opportunities to young people. This will significantly strengthen administrative capacity in Italy’s southern regions, where new talents and skills will give fresh impetus to the implementation of cohesion policy-funded projects”.
The new recruits will in fact be tasked with ensuring that European funds are used more efficiently, accelerating social and economic development in the areas involved and thereby contributing to the nation’s overall growth and helping to reduce historical regional disparities.
In particular, this national recruitment process responds to the need to enhance staffing expressed by Municipalities, the Union of Municipalities, Provinces, Metropolitan Cities and Regions in the areas concerned, and forms part of the Government’s priority actions to make better use of European funds and improve expenditure performance, thus guaranteeing cohesion policy objectives are fully met in the South.
The recruitment procedures will be completed by the end of 2024 and the successful candidates will then undergo specific training on cohesion policy so as to be fully operational by spring 2025.
Furthermore, there is also a parallel initiative to strengthen staffing for authorities unable to benefit from these new hires, involving a specialist-technical support service to facilitate full implementation of cohesion policy projects in local areas. This will also be funded by resources from the national operational programme for cohesion capacity 2021-2027.
The Minister for European Affairs, Southern Italy, Cohesion Policy and the NRRP, Raffaele Fitto, commented: “This achievement is the result of months of intense and rewarding work, carried out through ongoing dialogue with local areas and the European Commission. As we promised in the Government’s coalition programme, we are optimising use of European resources, also by providing more than two thousand new recruits with specialist skills through specific training in this area. This is a unique opportunity for Italy”.
Democratic candidate Tim Walz, during the vice presidential debate in which he said he ‘misspoke’ about being in Hong Kong during Tiananmen Square protests.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
During the Sept. 24, 2024, debate, Democratic vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz said he “misspoke” when asked to clarify his story of being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square crackdown in June 1989.
To many, Walz’s use of the word misspoke came across as an attempt to weasel out of what was at best an embellishment and at worst an outright lie.
The word misspoke has certainly long been used to politically backpedal after verbal inaccuracies or blunders, as Ronald Reagan learned in 1981 after he said that Syrian surface-to-air missiles placed in Lebanon were “offensive weapons,” when they were in fact defensive weapons. Both Presidents Bill Clinton and the much “misunderestimated” George W. Bush likewise were deemed to have misspoken after making mistakes, big and small.
For instance, a spokesperson for Clinton claimed he had misspoken when the then-president said that North Korea would not be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb – after there was reason to believe they had already developed them. During George W. Bush’s term in office, verbal errors were so common they earned a nickname of their own: “Bushisms.”
But misspoke’s extension to factual fabrication is one step further down the semantic road. In using it in this way, Walz joined other “misspoken” politicians, such as Hillary Clinton, who used it after falsely recollecting having landed in Bosnia under sniper fire.
As a sociolinguist who writes about how language changes over time, misspoke’s euphemistic recasting of lying as an inadvertent mistake calls for deeper linguistic scrutiny.
Tim Walz, being pressed on a statement he made and whether it was true, during the vice presidential debate.
From mumble to mea culpa
To understand how and why words morph like this, linguists like to trace them to their very beginnings.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “misspeaking” is quite old in the history of English, appearing as “missprecon” in a Northumbrian text dating before the 11th century. Its original sense was one of “to grumble” or “to mumble,” a meaning now obsolete.
But after the 11th century, its meaning shifted from inarticulateness to that of speaking amiss or disparagingly, often mentioned in reference to saying something improper or upsetting. Chaucer makes use of this sense in the “Miller’s Tale”: “And therfore if that I mysspeke or seye, Wyte it the ale of Southwerk, I you preye,” where the Miller handily blames a bit too much ale for whatever impropriety might fall from his mouth.
Around the time Chaucer was composing “The Canterbury Tales” in the late 14th century, the word “misspeak” branched off down yet another semantic path, taking on the meaning of “to speak incorrectly or misleadingly.” It is this sense that gave birth to the modern political mea culpa used when backtracking on a misleading prior statement, such as by Sen. John McCain after he claimed President Barack Obama was directly responsible for terrorist attacks on Americans.
Expanding meaning
These shifts in the meaning of a word over time fall under what linguists refer to as “semantic broadening.” Semantic broadening, which means expansion of a word’s meaning, is incredibly common, generally occurring when a word becomes used more frequently and across more situations. As a result, its core sense can expand to take on supplemental or tangential meanings.
Semantic shift like this is constantly at work, pushing and pulling senses in related but new directions to stay relevant to the needs of speakers.
The word “soon,” for instance, at first carried a meaning of “immediately,” but human nature being what it is, its meaning began to creep in the direction of “as immediately as possible” as people took their merry time.
Some new meanings, such as the nonliteral use of “literally” and Walz’s use of “misspeak,” are sites of contest, with multiple meanings at play.
The semantic broadening of misspeaking to cover not just misleading but knowingly false information didn’t start with Walz, nor did it begin with Clinton. In fact, this politically expedient expansion seems to go back at least to the Nixon administration.
There’s been a lot of misspeaking by politicians over the years, as these stories show. The Guardian US; The Hill; Wall Street Journal; Politico; Washington Post.
‘I misspoke myself’
In 1973, Nixon and his advisers were called to task in a Time article accusing them of a tendency to “make flat statements one day, and the next day reverse field with the simple phrase, ‘I misspoke myself.’” Given the Watergate scandal, it’s safe to say that misspoke as used by his administration had already shifted into deceptive speech territory.
Perhaps misspeaking’s semantic slippery slope started even further back, when the prefix “mis,” with its sense of “badly,” combined with “speaking.”
Consider other potentially weaselly words that are also formed by “mis” prefixation: misunderstood, misinterpret, mishear, mistake. These are all examples of words, like misspeak, that can and have been used by politicians to avoid taking responsibility for the false or “misleading” things they say.
Even if led astray by its prefix, from a linguistic perspective, the broadening of misspeak to cover not just incorrect but fabricated statements turns out to be not such a surprising development given the tendency of words to take on new senses over time, particularly in the world of political doublespeak.
The bigger surprise might be how this new meaning translates with voters, but that’s one surprise that will have to wait for the ballot box.
Valerie M. Fridland 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.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Elena Jackson Albarrán, Associate Professor of History and Global and Intercultural Studies, Miami University
Demonstrators make graffiti reading ‘Columbus Out, Long Live the People’ on a fence protecting a statue of Christopher Columbus in Mexico City on Oct. 12, 2020. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images
This is the season of patriotism in Latin America as many countries commemorate their independence from colonial powers. From July to September, public plazas in countries from Mexico to Honduras and Chile fill with crowds dressed and painted in national colors, parades feature participants costumed as independence heroes, fireworks fill the skies, and schoolchildren reenact historical battles.
Beneath these nationalist displays ripples an uneasy tide: the colonial legacies that still tie the Americas to their Iberian conquerors. And as the calendar turns to October, another holiday highlights similar tensions – Columbus Day.
Since 1937, the U.S. has observed the holiday on the second Monday of the month, commemorating the explorer’s 1492 arrival in the New World. It remains a federal holiday, even as many states and cities rename it “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” rejecting Christopher Columbus as a symbol of imperialism.
Indigenous groups protest in front of a statue of Christopher Columbus on Oct. 12, 1997, during marches in Mexico against ‘Dia de la Raza’ celebrations. David Hernandez/AFP via Getty Images
Most Latin Americans, meanwhile, know Oct. 12 as “Día de la Raza,” or Day of the Race, which also celebrates Columbus’ arrival in the New World and the tide of Iberian conquistadors that followed. But commemorating the event is all the more charged in these countries, home to the Spanish Empire’s most lucrative territorial assets and sweeping spiritual conquests. Days before taking office in September 2024, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her predecessor’s demand that the king of Spain apologize for the genocide and exploitation of the conquest 500 years ago.
As a historian of Latin America, I’ve paid attention to the ways calendars signal a nation’s “official” values and how countries wrestle with these holidays’ meanings.
This moment of contact began Mexico’s 500-year transformation into a “mestizo” nation: a hybrid identity with largely European and Indigenous roots. During the colonial period, racial differences were codified into law, and those with “pure” Spanish bloodlines enjoyed legal privileges over the racially mixed categories that fell below them. The 19th century ushered in independence from Spain and liberal ideas that promoted racial equality – in principle – but in reality, European influence prevailed.
It was Spain that first proposed the Día de la Raza, held on Oct. 12, 1892, to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the Americas – implying a celebration of Spain’s contributions to the mestizo racial mixture.
The celebration was part of a bid to fortify nationalism in Spain, as the waning colonial power continued its retreat from the hemisphere it controlled for the better part of four centuries. Spain also hoped to export the invented holiday to the Americas, strengthening trans-Atlantic cultural affinities tested by the United States’ growing sway. Across the Americas, Día de la Raza came to be synonymous with celebrating European influence.
In Mexico, the 1892 commemoration empowered members of the political elite who promoted European investments and culture as the model for modernizing the country. They used the occasion to extol the civilizing influence of the “madre patria,” or motherland, justifying the conquest and colonialism as a period of benevolent rule.
Mestizo nationalism
Only a few years later, however, the U.S. victory in the Spanish-American War swept the last vestiges of Spanish empire from the hemisphere. Spain’s exit made way for dual – and dueling – phenomena: rising patriotic spirit in Latin American countries, even amid increasing economic pressure and cultural influence from the U.S.
The 1910 Mexican Revolution ignited mestizo nationalism, which soon extended to other countries. In 1930s Nicaragua, Augusto Sandino started a revolution to oust the occupying U.S. Marines while calling for the unification of the “Indo-Hispanic Race.” Meanwhile, Peruvian intellectual José Mariátegui envisioned a modern nation built upon the ideals of a collective, reciprocal society, modeled by the Incan ayllu system. And in Mexico, beauty pageants celebrating native features gained popularity among the social classes accustomed to perusing department stores for Parisian imports.
Yet a tendency to emphasize Spanish cultural ancestry rather than Indigenous ones persisted. In the late 1930s, for example, October issues of Mexican children’s magazine Palomilla celebrated Columbus’ arrival as a heroic entry that provided the region with a common language and religion.
Pan American Day
Meanwhile, the U.S viewed Pan-Hispanic sentiments as a threat: Spanish economic goals, cloaked in racial and cultural solidarity.
The Pan American Union, an inter-American organization headquartered in Washington, saw the new date as an opportunity to forge common traditions across the hemisphere. It vigorously promoted Pan American Day celebrations, primarily among schoolchildren, exhorting teachers to implement games, puzzles, pageants and songs created in Pan American Union offices.
The holiday met enthusiastic reception in the United States. Midwesterners donned sombreros for parades, and Spanish language clubs in California hosted pageants celebrating the flags of American nations.
But Latin American commemoration was tepid at best. The Organization of American States, the successor to the Pan American Union, still recognizes Pan American Day. However, it never gained traction in Latin America and faded in the U.S. during World War II.
Recent shift
Latin America’s ambivalence toward holidays to commemorate the colonizers has taken a turn since 1992. The 500-year anniversary of Columbus’ arrival corresponded with yet another form of colonialism, in many Latin Americans’ eyes, as a new wave of multinational corporations colluded with heads of state to tap the continent’s oil, lithium, water and avocados.
Activists used the commemoration to call attention to lingering economic, social, racial and cultural inequities. In particular, the anniversary inspired Indigenous rights movements – some of which commemorated an “anti-quincentenary” to celebrate “500 years of resistance.”
A statue in honor of ‘women who fight’ has replaced an effigy of Christopher Columbus on Paseo de la Reforma Avenue in Mexico City. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images
In some places, renaming the holiday has drawn attention to Indigenous rights and culture. Bolivians, for example, draped a statue of a European monarch in a traditional “aguayo” garment, transforming her into an Indigenous woman. However, critics suggest that removing the holiday’s reference to the colonizers erases an important reminder of the conquest and its painful legacy.
As in the U.S., monuments to colonizers are coming down – including the monument to Columbus that occupied a conspicuous spot on La Reforma, one of Mexico City’s most-traversed thoroughfares.
In its place is a new installation: a purple silhouette of a girl with her fist raised, in honor of Latin America’s women activists. She heralds a new era of statues lining La Reforma, and heroes for the future – not mired in the colonial legacies of the past.
Elena Jackson Albarrán 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.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Marat Khusnullin: To accelerate the pace of economic development in Donbass, it is necessary to change the quality of roads
The economic component of new regions depends, among other things, on the condition of the road surface on federal and regional highways. In order to develop the potential of the subjects, the road from Dokuchaevsk to Starobeshevo has been repaired in the Donetsk People’s Republic, and in the Lugansk People’s Republic, sections of the strategically important federal highway Znamenka – Lugansk – Izvarino are being updated. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.
“In order to accelerate the pace of economic development and expand cooperation ties in the new Russian regions, it is necessary to ensure a qualitative change in the transport and logistics component. It is also important to put in order the roads of Donbass bordering other entities. For example, as part of this work, 30 km of one of the main highways of the DPR – the highway from Dokuchaevsk to Starobeshevo – have been repaired. It will provide a comfortable exit to the federal highway R-150 Belgorod – Starobelsk – Lugansk – Donetsk – Mariupol, and will also create conveniences for travel in the direction of the Uspenka and Shramko checkpoints on the border with the Rostov Region,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
The work was carried out under the supervision of specialists from the State Company “Avtodor”.
“About 500 people are working at the facilities in the LPR, and over 250 units of equipment are involved. They are currently renovating the Znamenka-Lugansk-Izvarino highway. At the moment, work is nearing completion on the section from the village of Samsonovka to the settlement of Izvarino. We are also completing the renovation of 23 km of the Raygorodka-Slavyanoserbsk-Mikhailovka highway, which connects the federal highway R-150 with the regional highway on the section from Lugansk to Lisichansk,” said Vyacheslav Petushenko, Chairman of the Board of the State Company “Avtodor”.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Danmarks Nationalbank generally shares the Chairmanship’s assessment of the outlook for the Danish economy and the risk outlook. Interest rate rises in recent years have contributed to slowing growth in the Danish and international economy and to a fall in inflation. This has prompted the European Central Bank (ECB) and others to ease monetary policy again. Like the Chairmanship, Danmarks Nationalbank believes that the development of the Danish economy has been characterised by a dichotomy in recent years. On the one hand, there has been a slowdown in growth in most parts of the domestic economy, while on the other, there has been an increase in exports, in particular driven by production abroad under Danish ownership, known as merchanting and processing (M&P). Like the Chairmanship, Danmarks Nationalbank assesses that M&P activities as such have only a minor impact on the domestic cyclical position. M&P is expected to make a significant contribution to growth in the Danish economy over the next few years, while the rest of the export-oriented industries are also expected to grow. Domestic demand is expected to pick up as real wage growth and gradually looser monetary policy translate into increased private consumption and investment.
The Chairmanship believes that the Danish economy is currently experiencing a boom with more than normal pressure on the labour market. Danmarks Nationalbank shares the view that there is still some pressure on the labour market, although it has eased compared to a few years ago. However, Danmarks Nationalbank believes that the pressure on the labour market, measured by the employment gap, has eased to a greater extent and that it is currently smaller than the Chairmanship’s assessment. This is supported by a number of indicators such as the labour shortages and number of vacancies reported by companies, both of which indicate that the pressure has eased compared to a few years ago. Unlike the Chairmanship, Danmarks Nationalbank believes that the Danish economy is currently in an approximately neutral cyclical position.
Danmarks Nationalbank share the Chairmanship’s expectations that wage growth will slow down next year due to less pressure on the labour market and significantly lower inflation. However, Nationalbanken also expect lower wage increases than the Chairmanship. Inflation is currently fuelled by domestic factors, and Danmarks Nationalbank expects to a larger extend than the Chairmanship that the current high wage increases will lift inflation going forward. Nationalbanken therefore expect slightly higher consumer price increases than the Chairmanship next year.
Like the Chairmanship, Danmarks Nationalbank believes that monetary and fiscal policy is still neededto contribute to an appropriate development in the business cycle in Denmark, which will support stable price development.Nationalbanken has raised interest rates significantly since the summer of 2022 as a result of the tightening of monetary policy implemented by the ECB in the euro area to bring down inflation. The Chairmanship believes that monetary policy has dampened activity in recent years and will also dampen activity next year, whereas fiscal policy is expected to counteract this in 2025. Specifically, the Chairmanship estimates that fiscal policy has been eased by around 1 per cent of GDP in 2025 compared to 2023. Based on the assessment of the current situation of high capacity pressures, the Chairmanship believes that fiscal policy should be tightened. From a purely stabilisation point of view, it is considered appropriate to tighten fiscal policy to return it approximately to the level of 2023.
In the current situation with continued high wage increases and some pressure on the labour market, including low unemployment, Danmarks Nationalbank shares the Chairmanship’s assessment that this is a good time to ease fiscal policy to the extent proposed in the government’s proposal for the 2025 budget. However, Danmarks Nationalbank believes that a tightening of the magnitude recommended by the Chairmanship would be too much. This is due to the fact that inflation has fallen sharply and that pressure on the labour market has been reduced over the past few years. Danmarks Nationalbank also believes that monetary policy and financial conditions remain tight in Denmark.
Danmarks Nationalbank agree with the Chairmanship that the green tripartite agreement (“Agreement on a Green Denmark”) is a step towards uniform taxation of carbon emissions in Denmark, but that the effective tax level, including the proposed basic deduction, is still lower in agriculture than in other industries. Danmarks Nationalbank also shares the Chairmanship’s assessment that there is a risk of the reductions assumed in the agreement not being realised, partly because the agreement involves untested technologies. Thus, it remains unclear whether the carbon tax level is sufficient to ensure the fulfilment of the objectives of the Climate Act. Clarity on future tax levels contributes to price and financial stability by clarifying risks associated with emission-intensive business models.
Danmarks Nationalbank contributed to the work of the “Expert Group for a Green Tax Reform” in 2023 by assessing the impact of carbon taxes on agriculture on banks and mortgage credit institutions. Danish banks and mortgage credit institutions are generally expected to be well equipped to handle any losses resulting from a carbon tax. This is due to their ongoing profits, a decrease in the institutions’ total lending to the industry and a generally high level of security in underlying collateral.
A Met detective has called on parents to make sure they are aware of their children’s online purchases after a youth, who murdered a teenager in Newham with a knife bought from a website, was jailed.
Following a five-week trial at the Old Bailey, a jury found the 17-year-old male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of the murder of 16-year-old Rahaan Ahmed Amin.
He was sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 9 October to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 15 years.
Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen, the lead investigator from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “The defendant’s claim that he acted in self-defence was completely rejected by the jury. Rahaan was murdered in cold blood after the 17-year-old cycled up to him and stabbed him within seconds of arriving, giving him no opportunity to react.
“This case demonstrates how easy it is for young people to purchase deadly knives online. I would urge all parents to be aware of their child’s online activity and what purchases they are making. It is also important for parents to keep their ID documents secure to ensure they are not misused by their children.”
The court heard Rahaan was fatally attacked in West Ham Park on 9 July 2023 after the 17-year-old cycled up to him and stabbed him in the chest. Rahaan died in hospital the next day.
Homicide detectives launched an investigation immediately and a long red knife was found in a tree in the park. Forensic testing recovered the 17-year-old’s fingerprint and Rahaan’s blood.
A number of eye-witnesses were also spoken to and CCTV was collated to piece together what had happened.
A photograph was also identified on a Snapchat account linked to the 17-year-old that showed a collection of nine knives lined up on a bed. One of those knives was identical in appearance to the knife found in the tree at West Ham Park – and also identical in appearance to a knife ordered on the internet through an online shop on 12 June 2023.
Detectives traced the transaction details of that order, along with two similar orders, which had been placed using the name of the father of one of the 17-year-old’s friends. When the police told the man about these transactions, he had no knowledge of them at all. The last of the three orders for knives had a delivery address the same as the 17-year-old’s.
The 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder two days after Rahaan died in hospital (12 July) and he was charged on 13 July.
Lancaster City Council is to temporarily remove cash payments from most of its car parks following a string of thefts and damage to its pay and display machines.
One of the damaged pay and display machines
Ten machines have been damaged in car parks across Lancaster and Morecambe since the end of August, with four of these coming in just the last week. On each occasion the cash boxes attached to the machines have been cut open and the coins removed.
It’s estimated that the cost of replacing the machines, along with the theft of the coins inside the machines, brings the total loss to the taxpayer to around £40,000.
To prevent any more machines being damaged while the police investigate the thefts, the council has taken the decision to remove the coin boxes from all of its machines except at St Nics in Lancaster, which is locked overnight.
Customers are instead being asked to pay by card or via the RingGo system.
Councillor Jean Parr, cabinet member with responsibility for planning and placemaking, said: “We know that this decision will be disappointing for those who like to pay by cash, but we have no other option while a gang of thieves is actively targeting our car parks. Each time a machine is damaged there’s a cost to replace it.
“Hopefully the police will be able to catch the culprits and we will be able to resume normal service as soon as possible.
“In the meantime, we’d ask people to be patient and if anyone has any information about who may be responsible, please contact the police.”
Motorists are reminded that paying for parking at all the councils pay & display car parks is still required and card payments and RingGo is still available.
Non-payment of parking fees may result in a penalty charge notice being issued.
Headline: FEMA Is Contacting People Affected by Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene
FEMA Is Contacting People Affected by Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene
ATLANTA – Georgians who apply for disaster assistance for Tropical Storm Debby or Hurricane Helene may be eligible for assistance for both disasters. FEMA is placing calls to survivors in Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Long, and Screven counties who only registered for one of the disasters to inform them that they can apply for assistance for both disasters if they sustained damaged from both storms.
These calls may come from unfamiliar area codes or phone numbers. FEMA may also send a text message if they are unable to reach you by phone. If you are concerned about verifying if it is FEMA, you can call 800-621-3362. FEMA representatives never charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections or help in filling out applications. Their services are free.
Applications for both storms must be submitted separately. Eligible survivors affected by both storms may receive funds for food, water, baby formula and other emergency needs as well as money to help pay for a temporary place to stay. Federal grant funds may help with survivors’ immediate housing needs and can be used for the cost of staying with friends and family or hotel/motel lodging. If applicants already created a Login.gov account, they may use that same account in accessing both applications.
Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App or call 800-621-3362 to apply for FEMA assistance. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. To view an accessible video on how to apply visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube.
When applying, people will need to describe what damage occurred and on what date, to ensure federal disaster assistance from the two storms is not duplicated. Keep all receipts for expenses associated both disasters, including:
Home repairs
Repairs to a septic system, water well or private road
Purchase of a generator or chainsaw
Replacement of personal property items such as appliances
Vehicle repairs or replacement
Insurance settlement or denial
For the latest information about Georgia’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4821 and fema.gov/disaster/4830. Follow FEMA on X at x.com/femaregion4 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fema.
During 2025 the Isle of Wight Council will be renewing its contract to provide information, advice, guidance and support for unpaid carers across the Isle of Wight.
We want to make sure that the views of local unpaid carers, about the support they need in this area help us to shape theses services moving forward. If you are, or were, or are likely to become and unpaid carer, the council would like to hear from you. Your experience, knowledge and comments are invaluable.
All you need to do to share your thoughts is to complete a very short survey which can be found at Isle of Wight Carers Support Service – User Experience Survey 2024 The survey should take 5 – 10 minutes to complete and all feedback will be taken on-board and considered to shape the service plan. The closing date for the survey is Saturday 30 November. If you would prefer a paper version of the survey this can be arranged by contacting Liz.Hennessy@iow.gov.uk
Laura Gaudion, director of adult social services ‘’The Isle of Wight Council recognises unpaid carers as the ‘quiet heroes’ in our Island’s community and want to ensure that they have the help and support to enable them to carry out their caring responsibilities while improving and protecting their own wellbeing. We want to make sure that the carers services we put in place for local people are of the highest quality so that carers on the Island receive the best possible support to enable them to look after the people they care for.’’
Carers who would like to discuss views or receive help to complete this survey can attend a public meeting and drop-in session on Tuesday 22 October between 2pm and 5pm at the Riverside Centre, The Quay, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 2QR.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Students at a lecture
Leading specialist in training development at ROCKWOOL Natalia Pakhomova gave a lecture to students of SPbGASU on improving the energy efficiency of buildings and fire safety using building materials. The company representative explained that these issues are very relevant, and therefore will be interesting and useful for senior students both for writing final qualifying papers and in general for improving their professional competencies.
ROCKWOOL is the largest manufacturer of insulation materials and solutions made of stone wool. 25 years ago, the company launched its first production in Russia. Today, ROCKWOOL heat and sound insulation is manufactured in the Moscow region, Vyborg, Chelyabinsk region and Tatarstan. Speaking about the advantages of stone wool products and solutions, designs and their application, Natalia Pakhomova drew the students’ attention to the fact that the raw materials and components of the materials are exclusively Russian, which increases their availability.
“Our company has developed a series of lectures on various topics: energy efficiency, fire safety, technology of production of building materials, including stone wool. Therefore, we have something to tell to any faculty, course of specialized universities. We have accumulated quite a lot of experience related to the production and use of stone wool, and we want to share our expertise, promote safe, energy-efficient, fire-safe solutions and products. We closely cooperate with SPbGASU and, for our part, are interested in joint training of sought-after specialists,” explained Natalia Pakhomova.
Associate Professor of the Department of Metal and Wooden Constructions of SPbGASU, PhD in Engineering Stefania Mironova suggested expanding cooperation and, if possible, jointly developing the topic of master’s theses. It turned out that the company “ROCKWOOL” also has experience of such cooperation, and it is ready to increase it. In addition, the company practices organizing internships.
Fourth-year student of the Department of Construction Technology Anita Agzamova has heard about this company. In the construction of the building, which she plans to take as an object for her final qualifying work, the insulation for walls “ROCKWOOL” is used.
“During this lecture, I clearly saw how this is applied in practice. The format of such lectures is very interesting and effective, since we are not familiar with educational and theoretical projects, but with practical solutions. It is useful to learn about them, about what new technologies are being implemented in the industry. The opportunity for an internship is also inspiring, motivating and opens the way to the professional sphere,” Anita said.
Alla Kadyrova, a specialist at the Center for Student Entrepreneurship and Career at SPbGASU, reminded students that such meetings with industry representatives will continue, but this is not the only option for assistance in employment from our university. Thus, at the Center for Student Entrepreneurship and Career, students are helped to write a resume, consulted on job search issues, and offered vacancies in their specialty from the university’s partners.
“If you are not considering a job but intend to engage in entrepreneurship, we invite you to take part in hackathons, accelerators, incubators – federal projects, within the framework of which, on the way to implementing your idea, you will be able to assemble a team, develop an economic model, meet partners and even receive funding. We also help implement the “Startup as a Diploma” program. This is an alternative to the traditional final qualifying work or master’s thesis, where students prepare their business project,” explained Alla Kadyrova.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM)will report its third quarter 2024 financial results at approximately 6:00 p.m. CET on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
ASM will host the quarterly earnings conference call and webcast on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. CET.
Conference-call participants should pre-register using this link to receive the dial-in numbers, passcode and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call.
A simultaneous audio webcast and replay will be accessible at this link.
About ASM International
ASM International N.V., headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, and its subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and process solutions to produce semiconductor devices for wafer processing, and have facilities in the United States, Europe, and Asia. ASM International’s common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol: ASM). For more information, visit ASM’s website at http://www.asm.com.
A charity in London will support the “hidden population” of autistic and learning-disabled people in Westminster, thanks to new funding.
Learning Disability Network London (LDN London) currently runs a community centre, the Enablement Hub, on the Harrow Road in Westminster. With support from Westminster Council the charity will expand its current community programme to Victoria, giving advice and running workshops at a second Hub at Victoria Library.
The charity will grow its team to help more people in the local community.
LDN London’s Enablement Hubs support learning disabled and autistic people who get little or no support to manage their lives. They take part in workshops about life skills, including health and relationships, finance, and safety, make friends, and join in activities and events.
With this funding from Westminster Council’s Fairer Westminster Investment Programme, LDN London will be able to reach more learning disabled and autistic people across Westminster who want help in their daily lives.
On Friday 13 September, LDN London and Westminster Council officially opened the new Enablement Hub at Victoria Library with a ribbon-cutting and a workshop.
Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, Westminster’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, attended the event. She said:
“I am so pleased that we are funding LDN London to provide much-needed support, advice, and activities for learning disabled and autistic residents. This is an important step towards ensuring learning disabled and autistic residents are empowered to extend their independence, learn new skills and participate in activities they enjoy.”
Kym, a local resident who regularly goes to the Enablement Hubs, said:
“I really enjoy coming along to the sessions, especially the sports, dancing and singing sessions. I’ve also enjoyed helping and volunteering. It’s been great socially too and meeting other residents.”
LDN London will also recruit five new team members as part of this programme, including two autistic or learning disabled apprentices.
The charity will hire two community outreach workers to give up to 25 hours one-to-one help, supporting people with managing bills, going to health appointments, and completing forms. LDN London will also employ a community engagement worker to lead on initiatives for autistic people.
Sally, who is one of the interns for LDN London’s Enablement Hub, said:
“I’ve enjoyed the sessions and as part of it I’ve been given the opportunity to be an intern at LDN London focusing on community engagement. I’ve learnt quite a lot”.
LDN London has been supporting learning disabled and autistic people in London for over 60 years. The charity was previously named The Westminster Society.
The Enablement Hubs are tackling inequalities faced by learning disabled and autistic people. Those who don’t qualify for support often must do tasks they find difficult on their own. They also face many challenges in their daily lives because of a lack of the right support and prejudice in society- including poor healthcare, higher rates of mental health problems, loneliness and being victims of crime and hate crimes.
The charity’s aim for The Enablement Hubs is to support people with learning disabilities to overcome social isolation, be more independent and to be fully included in the community.
Mandy Crowford, Assistant CEO at LDN London, said: “Too many learning disabled, and autistic people don’t get the support they want and need, and we hope to change that. We want to help this hidden population to live safe, happy and healthy lives.”
Luana Baptista, head of community engagement at LDN London, said: “We are grateful for this funding, which means we can reach even more learning disabled and autistic people and help them to be fully included in our communities.”
The workshops at The Enablement Hubs focus on life skills that help people to live independently and have healthy, safe and fulfilling lives. Recent workshops have been on voting, having healthy relationships, inclusive trips to The British Museum, as well as regular men’s and women’s groups.
If you would like to find out more about The Enablement Hubs, visit Learning Disability Network London’s website:
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico.
Prof Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London,said:
“Florida should have been braced for catastrophic impacts from Hurricane Milton, especially storm surge and rainfall flooding. The possible disaster is sadly unsurprising, since Florida sits in the usual hurricane zone and it is now hurricane season. Yet the state permitted building development in dangerous locations and does not always support people who need help over the long-term to be ready for hazards.
“Human-caused climate change is strengthening hurricanes while reducing their frequency. Hurricane Milton shows exactly the climate change influence we would expect from higher storm intensity.
“Given Florida’s hurricane history including previous storms in this area in 1848, 1921, and 1946, they should have been much more prepared over the long-term. Planning decisions creating dangers and long-term lack of services to assist people who cannot help themselves for known hazards are all about choices to make disasters.”
Prof Liz Stephens, Professor in Climate Risks and Resilience, University of Reading, said:
“The wide area of intense winds and rainfall from Hurricane Milton will mean that many communities in Florida who are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene will be affected again by this latest storm, even though Milton is expected to make landfall further south.
“Hurricane Milton is forecasted to track across Florida and out into the North Atlantic Ocean. This means that we are not expecting to see the same flash flooding and mudslide impacts as Helene in areas such as the Appalachian mountains, caused by Helene decaying over land.
“Rising sea surface temperatures as a result of climate change are fuelling the intensity of hurricanes, and the warmer atmosphere can carry more water. This means that the storms which do form are becoming more impactful.
“Further research is needed to understand how the risk of consecutive hurricanes is changing, as these clusters of events can greatly stretch resources for emergency preparedness and response.”
Prof Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology, University of Reading, said:
“Hurricane winds grab people’s attention, but flooding is probably the biggest concern with Milton. Winds of 150mph can easily destroy buildings and cause injuries and fatalities if people are caught out in the open by flying debris.
“There are three types of floods that cause the biggest damage – storm surge causing coastal flooding, flash floods from the extremely heavy rain, and river floods as all that water rushes down channels and onto floodplains.
“People’s attention may be turned to the sky, but emergency planners will be worried about what is coming from below.”
Prof John Marsham, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds, said:
How does climate change impact extreme weather?
“Weather extremes increase rapidly for even apparently small increases in global temperature – this is true for heatwaves, floods, droughts and intensity of hurricanes.
Is climate change making hurricanes more common/worse?
“Many aspects of Helene and Milton are absolutely what we expect from climate change – hurricanes need warm oceans to form, and record-breaking ocean temperatures are fuelling these devastating storms. Warm air holds more water, giving heavier rain and more flooding. Increased sea-levels from climate change give more coastal flooding when hurricanes create a temporary “storm surge” rise in sea level. Finally, climate change can give shorter gaps between extreme events allowing less time to recover – we’re now seeing people affected by Helene now having to prepare for Milton. If we rapidly phase out fossil fuels, we can stop these extremes getting much worse but will have to continue to cope with the new climate we have created and will likely have to cope with rising sea levels for centuries.
What is particularly worrying about this hurricane?
“As a climate scientist, and a parent, every extreme weather event is now a reminder of the catastrophe we will face if we do not rapidly phase out fossil fuels. The tragedy is that climate scientists have been warning of this for decades. Rapid action is critical. Most people in the UK want more action on climate change and underestimate how much other people do. We have solutions and rapid action will save trillions.”
Declared interests:
Prof Ilan Kelman: No interests to declare
Prof Liz Stephens: “I also work for the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre”
Prof John Marsham: “I receive funding from UKRI, FCDO and the Met Office”
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
Detectives have launched a murder investigation following a stabbing at a house in Canning Town at the weekend.
Raish Ahmed, 50, died following the assault and two other people were also injured.
Police were called to a residential property in Hartington Road shortly after 16:30hrs on Saturday, 5 October to reports of a stabbing.
Officers attended along with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service where they found Mr Ahmed with stab wounds.
A teenage boy was also found with a slash injury, whilst another man, aged 41, was also assaulted. Both injuries were assessed as not life-threatening.
Mr Ahmed was taken to hospital for treatment, but despite the best efforts of emergency services he sadly died in hospital on Monday, 7 October.
A murder investigation was then launched by officers from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command.
His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Daniel Whybrow, 46 (03.10.78), of Hartington Road, E16, was charged on Sunday, 6 October with attempted murder, the charges of which will now be reviewed by the CPS following Mr Ahmed’s death.
Whybrow was also charged with grievous bodily harm, threats to kill, racially aggravated assault and possession of an offensive weapon.
He will next appear at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, 4 November.
Police are not looking for anyone else involved in this attack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police incident room on 0208 721 4961 or 101, quoting CAD 4781/05OCT.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
Following last summer’s unprecedented wildfires that devastated the historic town of Jasper, the community is rebuilding. Businesses are getting back on their feet. Visitors are returning. Jasper is resilient.
Amid the fires, we worked closely with the Municipality of Jasper and the Government of Alberta to provide urgent support to Albertans and impacted Indigenous communities. As we look ahead, we remain committed to ensuring the long-term recovery of Jasper – one of Canada’s national treasures.
As part of the federal government’s commitment to the people of Jasper, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, will also serve as Ministerial Lead for Jasper.
In this role, Minister Boissonnault will lead the federal government’s work to support people and businesses in Jasper and to ensure the community rebuilds stronger than ever. He will co-ordinate federal support with provincial, municipal, and Indigenous partners to accelerate the recovery process, report on its progress, and ensure environmental protection measures remain world class. He will be supported in this role by a working group of Cabinet ministers – each with their own mandate in helping Jasper recover.
Rebuilding from last summer’s wildfires will require a collective effort. The Government of Canada stands ready to provide financial assistance to the Government of Alberta through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), to help with response and recovery costs and build back stronger.
A home to Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial and a place of natural beauty that has long attracted visitors from all over the world, Jasper is the heart of a vibrant community and national park. Our efforts to restore it are a testament to our commitment to Albertans and to conservation and environmental stewardship for future generations.
Quotes
“Our government is here for the people of Jasper. With Minister Boissonnault’s role as Ministerial Lead, we’re undertaking a collective effort – with resources, investments, and partnerships – to help Jasper recover.”
“As the Alberta Minister in Cabinet and a longtime Jasper visitor, I accept the responsibility that the Prime Minister has given me to lead the rebuild of one of our nation’s most breathtaking communities. Jasper holds a special place in the hearts of millions. My colleagues and I will work hard to give Mayor Ireland, the Town Council, local businesses, and every Jasperite the support they need to build the town back on their terms – and even better than before.”
Quick Facts
Last summer’s wildfires in Jasper National Park were the largest to impact the park in more than a century. Firefighter crews did a heroic job in saving 70 per cent of the infrastructure in the town of Jasper. Recovery and rebuilding efforts are focused on revitalizing both the town and park.
Over the course of the incident, over 3,000 personnel from Parks Canada and other agencies across the country worked with the common goals of suppressing the wildfires and helping community members re-enter the town and national park.
The working group of Cabinet ministers that will support Minister Boissonnault in his role as Ministerial Lead includes:
Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
On July 25, 2024, the Government of Canada approved a request for federal assistance from Alberta to provide firefighting resources, strategic airlift capacity, as well as resources and logistics support from the Canadian Armed Forces to help keep people in Jasper and across the province safe from harm and protect their communities from wildfires.
On July 28, 2024, the federal government announced a donation-matching program with the Canadian Red Cross to support wildfire disaster relief and recovery efforts in Alberta, including in Jasper.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Government of Canada stepped up to ensure all those impacted could receive essential services and benefits. This included:
Providing enhanced Service Canada delivery, outreach to evacuees, and deployment of Service Canada employees to evacuation centres to assist clients in submitting applications for benefits, such as Employment Insurance.
Replacing citizenship, immigration, or travel documents that were lost, damaged, or destroyed; extending or restoring people’s temporary resident status; transitioning employer-specific work permits to open work permits, as needed.
On October 3, 2024, Bill C-76, An Act to amend the Canada National Parks Act, received Royal Assent. The amendments made to the Act aim to enable the transfer of land use planning and development authorities from Parks Canada to the Municipality of Jasper, to support long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), the federal government covers up to 90 per cent of eligible provincial response and recovery expenses following a disaster, including:
Evacuation, transportation, emergency food, shelter, and clothing.
Repairs to public buildings and related equipment, roads, and bridges.
Restoration or replacement of individuals’ uninsurable dwellings (principal residences only), personal furnishings, appliances, and clothing.
Restoration of small businesses and farmsteads, including uninsurable buildings and equipment.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting with the Governor of Omsk Region Vitaly Khotsenko
October 9, 2024
Governor of Omsk region Vitaly Khotsenko
October 9, 2024
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Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting with the Governor of Omsk Region Vitaly Khotsenko
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a working meeting with Omsk Region Governor Vitaly Khotsenko. The parties discussed the creation of solid municipal waste handling facilities in three districts of the region.
As noted, within the framework of the federal project “Integrated System for Handling Municipal Solid Waste” in Omsk Oblast, it is planned to build integrated facilities for handling municipal solid waste in the territory of three districts. Concession agreements have already been concluded for two of them with the involvement of investors’ funds.
Construction of solid municipal waste management facilities can also be implemented using infrastructure bonds issued by PPK “REO”. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, together with PPK “REO”, will work out this issue with the region.
The parties also paid attention to the issue of purchasing buses that use compressed natural gas within the framework of the national project “Environmental Well-being”.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.
IMF staff and the Tajikistan authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on the first review under the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI). The PCI aims to maintain macroeconomic stability, strengthen the authorities’ policy frameworks, and support their efforts to foster more sustainable and inclusive growth.
Macroeconomic performance remains favorable with real GDP growth at 8.3 percent during January-August 2024, and twelve-month inflation slowing to 3.6 percent in August. The current account remained in surplus in the first half of 2024, with international reserves at comfortable levels.
Policy priorities are to enhance revenue mobilization, rationalize tax exemptions, modernize FX and public debt markets, enhance banking supervision and macroprudential oversight, and improve governance and transparency of SOEs and other entities to strengthen the favorable business climate.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Mr. Matthew Gaertner held discussions with the Tajikistan authorities during September 23-October 4, 2024, for the first review of the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) [[1]].
At the conclusion of the mission, Mr. Gaertner issued the following statement:
“The IMF mission held productive discussions with the Tajikistan authorities and reached staff-level agreement on the policies needed to complete the first review under the PCI. The successful completion of the review is subject to approval by IMF management and the IMF Executive Board. Consideration by the Board is expected in November 2024.
“Real GDP continued to grow at 8.3 percent during January-August 2024, supported by strong growth in services and construction. Inflation declined to 3.6 percent in August from 3.8 in December, remaining below the lower bound of the National Bank of Tajikistan’s target range. The current account remained in surplus during the first half of 2024 with strong financial inflows supporting comfortable levels of FX reserves. The authorities recorded a fiscal deficit well below the program’s target in the first half of the year, anchoring a continued reduction in public debt. The banking system is stable, with robust growth in deposits and credit. Strong GDP growth and low inflation are expected to continue in 2025 but geopolitical and climate risks create uncertainty over the medium-term outlook.
“Program implementation has remained on track, with most of the quantitative targets for end-June 2024 being met and all reform targets being observed. The quantitative targets on net international reserves and the fiscal deficit were met comfortably. Improvements in revenue mobilization and debt management remain central to program objectives. Fiscal reforms have focused on quantifying losses from inefficient tax exemptions and implementing a Medium-Term Revenue Plan aiming to increase fiscal space for priority social and development spending. In line with the updated Debt Management Strategy, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has started issuing government securities at market-based rates to diversify financing sources.
“Under the PCI, the authorities have improved monitoring of fiscal risks from state-owned enterprises (SOE), bringing all companies with state ownership of at least 20 percent under the monitoring of the MOF. Monetary and exchange rate policy reforms have centered on improving the functioning of the FX market by rationalizing the system supporting remittances and money transfers through the banking system and improving the mechanism for executing government FX transactions to better reflect prevailing market rates.
“Looking ahead, the authorities will aim to continue to rationalize tax exemptions and tax administration, modernize FX and public debt markets, improve banking supervision and macroprudential oversight, and enhance governance and transparency of SOEs and other public and private entities to support a favorable business climate and foster more sustainable and inclusive growth. Enhanced exchange rate flexibility is essential to strengthen resilience to shocks and support the transition to an interest-rate based framework. The authorities have proposed to expand the fiscal reform agenda through new measures aiming to develop a plan to streamline tax exemptions and including all companies with a minimum of 20 percent state ownership in the 2024 Statement of Fiscal Risks.
“The IMF team would like to thank the authorities for their excellent cooperation and constructive discussions.”
[[1]] The IMF’s Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) is designed for countries that do not need balance of payments financial support. The PCI helps countries design effective economic programs that, once approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, signal to donors, multilateral development banks, and markets the Fund’s endorsement of a member’s policies.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
From October 8 to 11, the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum 2024 is being held in the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre in St. Petersburg. Russia’s leading technical university and the flagship university of PJSC Gazprom, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, traditionally participates in the exhibition and scientific-business programme of the forum. This year, SPbPU and the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences presented a joint stand.
The St. Petersburg International Gas Forum can be called a unique event without exaggeration, because it is not only an exhibition of achievements in the gas industry, but also provides opportunities for a meaningful dialogue between business, government and science. This is necessary to ensure the technological independence of the Russian energy industry, – noted the rector of SPbPU, chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy.
Among the innovative developments that forum guests can see at the Polytechnic stand is the installation of selective laser melting with high-temperature heating of the working area “Mercury”, which solves the problems of import preemption in the economy of our country. This is an innovative project, which has no analogues in Russia. The new equipment was created in cooperation with an industrial partner – the company 3DLAM. Thanks to additive metal printing technologies, which Polytechnic is now actively engaged in, it has become possible to manufacture products of the most complex shapes from difficult-to-process alloys. The resulting samples are highly durable and reliable.
The unit is capable of heating the working area to 1300 degrees for printing new-generation heat-resistant alloys. Joint repair of T32 engine components — the Ladoga gas pumping unit — is currently being discussed.
In our partnership, we act as an equipment manufacturer, and Polytech acts as a technology center that develops the technology itself, works out modes and prepares technical specifications, according to which we create innovative installations, noted Nikolai Drobchenko, head of the 3DLAM additive technology department.
Specialists from the research laboratory “Laser and Additive Technologies” of the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University also demonstrate the mobile laser cladding complex “Nomad” and components of gas turbine engines restored using the laser cladding method.
“Here, there is a synergy of combining scientific research, technological and production experience,” said Mikhail Kuznetsov, head of the Laser and Additive Technologies Research Laboratory. “And all of this is combined into a new development. In this case, it is a layer-by-layer growth complex with high-temperature heating.”
Also at the Polytechnic stand, you can get acquainted with the work of virtual demonstration complexes based on VR technologies to study the main actions during maintenance and operation of compressor equipment used at underground gas storage facilities.
Traditionally, the SPbPU History Museum takes part in the exhibition. Its employees tell visitors to the stand about the Polytechnic gas plant, which produced lighting gas for laboratories.
SPbPU and SPbB RAS stand: L2, Pavilion G.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The restoration of the monument to Yuri Gagarin on Leninsky Prospekt has been completed in the capital. Sergei Sobyanin reported this in his telegram channel.
This monument is the world’s first large-scale monument made of titanium. Its height is 42.5 meters.
“It is located on the square of the same name and is its dominant feature. The installation site was not chosen by chance – it was along Leninsky Prospekt that Yuri Gagarin made his historic flight on April 14, 1961, heading from Vnukovo Airport to the Kremlin,” the Moscow Mayor wrote.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin
Over the years, numerous damages appeared on the monument. Specialists put the monument in order. They removed dirt and paint stains from the stylobate, replaced the destroyed facing blocks and slabs, and treated the stones with wax. The monument itself was also cleaned of dirt, corrosion, and all the titanium plates were washed. The work was carried out not only on the outside, but also on the inside – in a space with a diameter of one meter.
At the final stage, a restored model of the Vostok spacecraft’s descent module was installed on the stylobate.
“Now the transformed monument to the cosmonaut who opened the way to the stars for humanity will once again delight Muscovites and guests of the city with its beauty and grandeur,” noted Sergei Sobyanin.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted an angler from Scunthorpe for fishing during the close season.
A fisheries enforcement officer on patrol
Angler caught breaking close season regulations
Case brought by Environment Agency’s fisheries enforcement team
Close season in place to help protect fishing stocks
Lulian Constantinescu, 34, of Mulgrave Street, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, admitted the charge at Humber Magistrates Court in a case heard on 18 September 2024.
He was ordered to pay a total of £307 after admitting that he fished in the close season at South Soak Drain near Wiseman Bridge, Scunthorpe, on 19 March 2024.
The court imposed penalties of a £123 fine, £135 costs and a victim’s surcharge of £49.
Close season
The annual close season (from 15 March – 15 June) prevents fishing for coarse fish in rivers and streams across England, helping to protect fish when they are spawning and supporting vulnerable stocks. Environment Agency officers conduct patrols to ensure anglers respect this no fishing period.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
“The close season is in place to reduce disturbances to protect vulnerable stocks during their peak spawning period.
“We urge anglers to respect the close season in order to help reduce pressures on our fisheries, benefitting fish and the wider environment.
“We hope the penalties will act as a deterrent to any angler who is thinking of fishing during the close season.
“Our fisheries enforcement team work seven days a week to check that anglers are following fishing regulations.”
Fisheries enforcement
The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust.
Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.
Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency Incident Hotline 24/7 on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Fishing licences
All income from fishing licence sales is used to fund our work to protect and improve fish stocks, fisheries and the environment.
This includes improving habitats for fish, reinvesting money back to facilities and clubs for anglers, tackling illegal fishing and working with partners to encourage more people to give fishing a go.
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence.
A 1-day licence costs from just £7.10 and an annual licence costs from just £35.80. Concessions are available. Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.
Licences are available from http://www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The Charge – Lulian Constantinescu
On 19 March 2024 at South Soak Drain near Wiseman Bridge, Scunthorpe, fished for freshwater fish in the close season.
This is contrary to National Byelaw 2 of the Environment Agency Byelaws made on 12 July 2010 and contrary to National Byelaw 6 confirmed March 23 2010 made pursuant to sections 210 and 211 Schedule 25 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland
Statement by TUV MLA Timothy Gaston:
“Confirmation in today’s Belfast Telegraph from the DUP, UUP, Alliance and SDLP that none of their MLAs will sign my motion of no confidence in the First Minister and the Economy Minister is confirmation, if anyone was in doubt, that the Stormont establishment puts preservation of the institutions before child safeguarding.
“Since the scandal broke, I have been in contact with people across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland appalled that it has been left to one MLA to ask the questions which matter about this issue and push for action.
“Frankly, Stormont is unrepresentative of the mood of the country when 89 out of 90 MLAs say they have confidence in Ms O’Neill and Mr Murphy.
“Parties others than TUV have and may well continue to huff and puff about this issue but it is all sound and fury signifying nothing when there is a motion in the business office which they all refuse to sign.
“I would urge people to raise this issue with their local MLAs.”
Government honours victims on anniversary of attack against Israel – Government.se
Published
On 7 October 2023, Hamas committed the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was joined by other ministers in a ceremony at Stockholm’s Great Synagogue on the evening of 7 October 2024 to honour the memory of the victims of the attack.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson delivers a speech during the memorial ceremony at Stockholm’s Great Synagogue on 7 October.
Photo: Ninni Andersson/Government Offices
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in discussion at the memorial ceremony at Stockholm’s Great Synagogue on 7 October, the anniversary of the 2023 terrorist attack against Israel.
Photo: Tom Samuelsson/Government Offices
Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for Migration Johan Forssell, Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Paulina Brandberg and Minister for Civil Defence Carl Oskar Bohlin attended the memorial ceremony.
Photo: Tom Samuelsson/Government Offices
Mr Kristersson delivered a speech during the ceremony and spoke about honouring the memory of those murdered on 7 October, the importance of an immediate and unconditional release of the hostages and the need for the whole of Swedish society to continue to fight antisemitism.
Aron Verständig, Chair of the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, and Ziv Nevo Kulman, Israel’s Ambassador to Sweden also spoke.
Other Government representatives in attendance were Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for Migration Johan Forssell, Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Paulina Brandberg and Minister for Civil Defence Carl Oskar Bohlin.
The ceremony was organised by the Jewish Community in Stockholm and the Embassy of Israel in Stockholm.
The military escalation in Lebanon has had major humanitarian consequences. Sweden is therefore increasing its humanitarian support to Lebanon by a total of SEK 83.5 million. The support will be divided between the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Lebanese Red Cross, Save the Children and the UN Lebanon Humanitarian Fund.
“More than one million people in Lebanon are in need of emergency humanitarian support. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. Sweden therefore supports organisations on the ground that provide for people’s basic needs. This involves everything from blankets and mattresses to sleep on, to emergency medical care and ambulances. At the same time, let me emphasise that under international humanitarian law, parties in a conflict are obliged to protect civilians and aid workers,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa.
On 1 October, the UN launched its Flash Appeal for the humanitarian response in Lebanon. The appeal underscores that one million people are in need of shelter, food, clean water, medicine and life-saving medical care. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) – of which Sweden is one of the largest donors – has already made a payment of USD 10 million. In addition, the European Commission has increased its humanitarian support to Lebanon by EUR 30 million as a result of the crisis.
The SEK 83.5 million support package that Sweden is presenting today is a response to the UN Flash Appeal. SEK 60 million is earmarked core support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and SEK 23.5 million new allocations from Sida. This means that Sweden’s humanitarian support to Lebanon for 2024 has more than doubled as a direct consequence of the critical situation on the ground and now totals SEK 158.3 million.
UNHCR is one of Sweden’s largest core support partners and, with the help of Swedish core support, was able to take immediate action when the crisis in Lebanon escalated. SEK 53 million of Sweden’s core support to UNHCR is now being allocated to the organisation’s activities in the region. This means that people fleeing the conflict can receive emergency assistance on both sides of the border between Lebanon and Syria. In addition, SEK 7 million of Sweden’s core support to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will now be allocated to the Lebanese Red Cross, whose work with emergency medical care, blood banks and ambulance services saves lives every day.
The new allocations approved by Sida involve SEK 20 million to the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, a country-based pooled fund administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The fund allocates financial resources to trusted civil society organisations that are well established in Lebanese society and are able to help the people most in need in the most inaccessible parts of the country. Children are often the most affected by conflicts, which is why Sida has also allocated an additional SEK 3.5 million to Save the Children in Lebanon.
