Source: United States Navy
GDANSK, Poland – U.S. and NATO flag and general officers gathered for a Distinguished Visitor (DV) Day as part of Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 25 aboard the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) on June 17.
Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh
A Lurgan based entrepreneur is on a mission to bring the luxury spa experience directly into boutique hotel rooms as the artisan producer invests in a major expansion.
Claire Geddis, founder of Wild Shore, has developed a unique organic spa collection designed to help people experience the healing power of nature, whether at home or while staying in a hotel that doesn’t have a spa.
The business whose products have already been shipped as far afield as China, Australia, and the United States, is now targeting hotels and high-end B&Bs across Ireland and beyond, after receiving assistance from the government-backed enterprise support service, Go Succeed.
Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, Alderman Stephen Moutray, said:
“Claire’s journey is a fantastic example of the innovation and ambition we see in our local business community. Go Succeed is proud to support entrepreneurs like Claire who are taking bold steps to grow their business and represent Northern Ireland on the global stage.”
A former biologist and beauty therapist with 15 years’ experience, Claire combines her scientific background and hands-on knowledge of skincare to handcraft a collection that includes artisan soap, soaking salts, hand and body cream, and a soy candle – all infused with a bespoke blend of five essential oils: lavender, geranium, rosemary, cypress and thyme.
“Every element is organic and made by hand using certified ingredients sourced from across the world,” said Claire. “At the heart of Wild Shore is a desire to let nature do what it does best. I’ve seen a rise in skin sensitivity, psoriasis and eczema, and I wanted to create something healing and luxurious, without the chemicals.”
Now scaling up her business, Claire is focusing her efforts on the boutique hotel market, offering a bespoke in-room guest experience.
“I’m working with boutique hotels to create a special welcome: a small gift box with a mini soap, soak and cream, and a booklet that shares the story behind the products. It instantly elevates the experience, giving guests that spa feeling from the moment they walk in the door – even if the hotel doesn’t have its own spa.”
Since launching, Claire has showcased her products at events across the UK and Ireland including the Gifted Fair in Dublin’s RDS, the Belfast Holiday Show and will attend the European Horse Championships at Blenheim Palace later this year.
To take the next step, Claire turned to Go Succeed – Northern Ireland’s free business support service delivered through all 11 councils – for mentoring and practical support.
“I initially approached Go Succeed to explore financial advice, but the real value was in the mentoring,” she said. “They helped me refocus my business plan and dig deep into the numbers – what was really needed to scale for export. I wouldn’t be where I am now without that support.”
Go Succeed offers free mentoring, peer networks, business planning support and access to funding opportunities, all designed to help entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.
Funded by the UK Government, Go Succeed is delivered via each of Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils and provides entrepreneurs with access to mentoring, events, grant funding, planning tools and business networks. Visit www.go-succeed.com to learn more.
Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen
With the Tall Ships on the horizon, art, heritage, sport and leisure organisations across Aberdeen are set to present a raft of maritime-themed events for local people and visitors to the city.
The Festival of the Sea takes place from 12 to 27 July, the two weeks either side of the Tall Ships Races Aberdeen (19-22 July). From sports camps to singing and storytelling, theatre and dancing to sea dragons and coastal discovery tours, and from exhibitions and creative writing to watercolour workshops, there’s something for all ages to discover and enjoy. Twenty organisations are presenting around 40 free and paid-for events in indoor and outdoor locations across the city.
This is the second Festival of the Sea and it is hoped that it will become an annual event, creating a legacy for the Tall Ships Races in Aberdeen.
Highlights of the programme include
Pirates! Scottish Dance Theatre at His Majesty’s Theatre
Saturday 19, Sunday 20 July, 2pm and 7pm
Join best friends Tom and Daisy as they are swept away into the world of Captain Sandy Rogers and her rowdy crew! This unforgettable adventure features a bunch of slippery zombies, strange underwater creatures and a final, all-out duel with the wicked Captain O’Greed!
Coastal Discovery Day at the Greyhope Bay Centre
Monday 21 July, 10am-4pm
Meet organisations connected to the coast and local area to learn about their work protecting the Aberdeen coast and species that call it home, take part in a beachcombing acvitity and a litter pick.
Viktor Wynd and the Museum of Curiosities at Aberdeen Art Gallery
Thursday 17 July, 7pm-8pm
Artist and writer Viktor Wynd offers a glimpse of his extraordinary, not to say infamous, curiosity museum in London’s West End. We may hear stories about mermaids, mandrakes, and monsters as well as travellers tales from his adventures
Citymoves Dance Agency: Creatures of the Deep Summer Youth Camp
Monday 21-Friday 25 July, ages 5-12
Enjoy a high-energy creative camp that uses dance and creative expression to explore nautical topics, along with the funky routines, singing, and crafting activities.
Deemouth Artist Studios Workshop Weekender
Wednesday 23 – Sunday 27 July, 10am-5pm
A long weekend of workshops hosted by DAS creative residents, from pottery and jewellery, to weaving, screen printing and more, there’s something for everyone.
Fittie Arts and Crafts Fair
Saturday 19 July, 10am-4pm
Stalls include sea-themed jewellery, handmade candles and rustic charm creations for the home. Fittie themed merchandise is also on offer along with a fundraising stall for the RNLI.
Fish ‘n’ Ships
Saturday 12 July–Wednesday 23 July
Aberdeen Young Ambassadors will be popping up, in and around the city, to trade artworks in exchange for non-recyclable plastics.
Ben Torrie, Director of Programming and Creative Projects at Aberdeen Performing Arts, said: “No Festival of the Sea would be complete without some swashbuckling pirate fun. Scottish Dance Theatre’s energetic and vibrant production at His Majesty’s Theatre is the perfect event for families to take in whilst visiting the city for the Tall Ships Races. Tickets are on SAIL now!”
Lesley-Anne Rose, Creative Director of Open Road, said: “The Festival of the Sea is a perfect fit for Aberdeen and its harbourside communities. We’re excited to build on the success of last year and offer a programme of free family events, artist workshops, storytelling and music.”
Hayley Durward, CEO of Citymoves Dance Agency, said: “We are delighted to be taking part in the Festival of the Sea with our children’s summer camp, Shaper/Caper pop up dance performances, What Moves You performance at Balnagask care home and intergenerational street performance in Torry. The Festival of the Sea programme will help extend the Tall Ships reach into communities and across generations.”
Frances Coombey, Programmes at Operations Manager at Greyhope Bay Centre, said: “We’re really lucky to live in a city such an incredible and diverse coastline. The Festival of the Sea is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our connections to the coast through nature, heritage or creativity. We’re really excited to be working with our volunteers, local experts and artists to deliver a mix of fun and inspiring events for the Festival of the Sea programme.”
Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, said: “Tall Ships Races Aberdeen is set to be Scotland’s biggest free family event this summer. I’m delighted that so many of Aberdeen’s art, culture, heritage and leisure organisations are supporting it with Festival of the Sea activities which are extending the impact of this major event for local people and visitors to the city.”
Organisations taking part in the Festival:
Aberdeen Art Gallery
Aberdeen Arts Centre
Aberdeen City Libraries
Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Aberdeen Sports Village
Aberdeen Young Ambassadors
Citymoves Dance Agency
Clan Cancer Support
Deemouth Artist Studios
Fittie Community Development Trust
Greyhope Bay Centre
Harbour Voices Choir
His Majesty’s Theatre
Music Hall
Old Aberdeen Library
Open Road
Pushing Out the Boat
Stonehaven Folk Festival
Torry Community Library
University of Aberdeen
For full programme details and booking information visit
www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/festivalofthesea
Image L-R: Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, Lesley-Anne Rose of Open Road, Hayley Durward of Citymoves, Frances Coombey of Greyhope Bay Centre
Source: City of Norwich
Communities are being invited to share their priorities to help shape a strong, shared vision for the future of local government in Norfolk.
This vision puts local people, place and progress right at the heart of how council services are run.
Currently, services are split between the county council and seven borough, city and district councils. The Government wants to replace all eight with a reduced number of ‘unitary councils’, which would deliver all services, and has asked the existing authorities to make proposals for what future services could look like.
Breckland Council, Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, North Norfolk District Council, and Norwich City Council are working together and agree that having three unitary councils would best serve the people of Norfolk (as opposed to having one or two).
Over the summer, we are speaking with as many people as possible across Norfolk – residents, businesses, community groups and others – to champion our shared vision and invite everyone to complete our Future Norfolk survey to share their priorities and help shape a final submission to the Government this autumn.
Our joint proposal to have three unitary councils for Norfolk is based on the findings of an independent report – The Strength of Three – and our collective knowledge of our communities. The strength of having three unitary councils is they are about you:
In a joint statement, the Council Leaders of the six districts (below) said: “Having three unitary councils serving Norfolk is best for local democracy. People would be represented by councillors who live closer to their homes, understand their community and what matters to local people. It will ensure communities have their say and provide more strong, local voices to champion Norfolk at regional and national levels.
“We know Norfolk isn’t the same everywhere, what works well in one place might not work in another, each area has strengths and needs, so three unitary councils can support each other while still enabling services to focus on what matters most to people in each area.
“At the same time, three councils will still be big enough to work well in delivering people’s priorities across all council services, making the most of opportunities for Norfolk to thrive, but agile enough to stay flexible to other national changes while maintaining our local focus.
“Any changes by Government to local councils could affect your services and who helps make decisions for your area – that’s why we want you and everyone in your community to complete our Future Norfolk survey and tell us about your priorities to help inform our submission to the Government.”
You can find out more about the survey and take part until 1 August 2025 at www.futurenorfolk.com
This joint article is on behalf of:
Source: City of Coventry
As part of Better Transport Week, Simon Lightwood MP visited the CVLR track in the city centre.
Better Transport Week began on Monday, 16 June, and will run until 22 June. The annual event celebrates the importance of sustainable transport, which brings people together and connects communities.
Simon Lightwood was welcomed by Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Mayor Richard Parker, and Ben Plowden, CEO, Campaign for Better Transport. He was introduced to CVLR and the track installation process, followed by a visit and ride on the innovative vehicle.
Simon Lightwood, Minister for Local Transport, said: “I think it’s a fantastic innovation by the local authority, a really smooth, light, and airy ride. I can really see the benefits that it could bring, not only here in Coventry, but potentially to the rest of the world.”
Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration, and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said: “There is no better place to celebrate Better Transport Week than in Coventry, where our innovation and manufacturing skills have enabled us to create a new very light rail system that has the potential to change how people move around small to medium sized cities. We are pleased to welcome Simon Lightwood, so we cannot only show him how brilliantly it works but also discuss the potential – that’s what’s really exciting.
“This system will create jobs for local people, and this is just the beginning of our plans to put Coventry Very Light Rail at the heart of the growing green economy here in Coventry.”
An interview with Simon Lightwood and Councillor O’Boyle is available to watch on YouTube.
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Public Diplomacy and Sister Cities Forum will be held from July 3 to 5 in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, local authorities said on social media on Friday.
The event, titled “Deepening People’s Friendship and Promoting Sustainable Development,” will be attended by nearly 400 guests from more than 20 SCO countries, a press conference organized by the Shenyang City People’s Government Information Office was announced on Friday.
The forum will include an exhibition of paintings by children from SCO countries, an exhibition of achievements of SCO countries in the field of people’s friendship and exchanges, as well as an exhibition of achievements in scientific and technical innovations and advanced manufacturing.
The forum’s agenda will also include a sub-forum on exchanges between sister cities and trade and economic cooperation, a sub-forum on scientific and technological innovations and advanced manufacturing among young people, as well as a sub-forum dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.
The event is expected to see the publication of agreements on actions in the field of sustainable development of people-to-people exchanges between the SCO countries and the Shenyang Initiative following the forum. In addition, a number of agreements or protocols of intent on establishing sister city relations between relevant organizations and cities will be signed.
The forum will be jointly organized by the SCO China Committee on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People’s Government of Liaoning Province. -0-
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will pay an official visit to China from June 22 to 26, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong chose China as the destination for his first visit outside ASEAN since taking office in May, fully demonstrating the importance he attaches to developing China-Singapore relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular ministry press conference.
During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Liu Wong. Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will hold talks with him, and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Zhao Leji will meet with him. According to Guo Jiakun, the two sides will hold in-depth exchanges of views on China-Singapore relations as well as international and regional issues of common interest.
Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Singapore relations have maintained a positive momentum, the Chinese diplomat said. He added that in 2023, the leaders of the two countries announced the establishment of China-Singapore relations as a comprehensive high-quality prospective partnership, which clearly outlined the direction of development of bilateral relations.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Guo Jiakun said. He noted that through this visit, China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with Singapore, deepen cooperation in various fields, jointly uphold the principles of multilateralism and free trade, and promote the further development of China-Singapore relations from a new starting point. -0-
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
URUMQI, June 20 (Xinhua) — Passenger flights linking Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Tajikistan’s Khujand will resume on July 1 and will be operated regularly during the tourist peak season, the prefectural administration said, citing a statement from the Kashgar base of China’s Chengdu Airlines, which is headquartered in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
The roundtrip flights on this route will be operated by the domestically developed C909 regional passenger airliner, formerly known as the ARJ21, once a week on Tuesdays.
According to the Kashgar Prefectural Checkpoint Management Office, the restoration of this route will facilitate international trade and economic cooperation and humanitarian exchanges, and will also increase the level of openness of Kashgar to the outside world, giving new impetus to the high-quality development of the regional economy.
In June 2024, flight EU2977, operated by an ARJ21, departed from Laining International Airport, Kashgar County, to Khujand International Airport, Tajikistan, marking the launch of the route. This is the first route to Central Asia operated by the ARJ21, and the second international air service launched at Laining Airport that year.
It should be recalled that Laining International Airport is the second largest air checkpoint in Xinjiang and one of the important hub airports of the Belt and Road Initiative. -0-
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ST. PETERSBURG, June 20 (Xinhua) — China is willing to work with Russia to continue to make full use of mechanisms such as the China-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Energy Cooperation and promote high-level energy cooperation, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Thursday.
A high-ranking Chinese official made this statement during a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Ding Xuexiang said that in recent years, Chinese-Russian relations have remained stable, healthy and developed at a high level. He recalled that in May, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia and attended the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. During his visit, the heads of the two states reached a number of important agreements on the further development of Chinese-Russian relations and the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation at a high level, he added.
China-Russia energy cooperation is an important cornerstone of practical cooperation between the two countries and a positive force in ensuring global energy security, Ding Xuexiang said, noting that China is willing to work with Russia to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen gas and oil cooperation, and enhance the role of mechanisms such as the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Commission to promote the formation of a high-level energy partnership.
In turn, A. Novak stated that the creation of a Russian-Chinese energy community is a key area of their practical cooperation. According to him, Russia is ready to make joint efforts with the Chinese side to ensure the successful holding of the meeting of the intergovernmental Russian-Chinese commission on energy cooperation, which will be held in Beijing this year, and to give new impetus to the development of bilateral relations.
On the same day, Ding Xuexiang also met with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening cooperation between China and Russia in the gas sector. –0–
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua) — At least nine people were killed on Friday when a car collided head-on with a truck in India’s eastern West Bengal state, local police said.
The accident took place on National Highway 18 near Namshola in Balarampur police station area of Purulia district, about 284 km west of the state capital Kolkata.
The car collided head-on with a truck traveling at high speed in the opposite direction. The incident killed all nine people in the car, a local police spokesman said. They were immediately taken to the nearest hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead.
A preliminary investigation has revealed that the driver of the vehicle lost control, causing a collision with a truck. –0–
Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Friday, 20 June 2025
Internet
Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – “Stopping the war has become a national demand”. This is the goal of a group of Sudanese youth who have launched the “Voices of Peace” campaign in Kampala, Uganda. Inaugurated on Saturday, June 14 by Sa’ad Mohamed, Executive Director of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), seeks to engage young Sudanese in building a sustainable peace process.“Through this campaign, we plan to build a comprehensive peace process, with youth at its heart, benefiting from the power and influence of social media in shaping public opinion” said one of the young Sudanese present. The aim is to leverage social media and traditional arts to foster reconciliation and end the ongoing conflict in their homeland (see Fides, 17/4/2023).According to organizers, the initiative will use digital media and traditional arts – including the role of “Hakamats” (traditional female praise singers and storytellers) – to spread messages of peace and coexistence, while also monitoring and documenting human rights violations across Sudan.The note sent to Fides also states that Sudanese civil and political groups have extensive experience using digital media and social networking sites, which played a pivotal role in mobilizing the Sudanese Revolution from December 2018 to April 2019. Faced with media suppression, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp became crucial for organizing protests and coordinating actions. The revolution effectively broke the official media blockade, transforming social media into a popular tool for communication and unifying revolutionary slogans. Sudanese activists gained international support, particularly on Twitter, turning it into a space for global solidarity. Digital platforms also became a vital medium for youth to discuss state-building, transitional justice, and human rights, fostering a culture of digital resistance.Asjad Bahaa, a founder and participant in the campaign, said “Voices of Peace” is the second phase of an ACJPS project, which began in April focusing on documenting enforced disappearances. She explained that the campaign will train youth as monitors and documenters of human rights violations, addressing the exodus of many activists due to security threats.Youth are “the fuel of war and peace,” often easily recruited by armed groups. “We are trying to reverse this by training youth to be peace advocates,” she said. “We are also working to reorient the role of Hakamats to be symbols of peace instead of incitement,” she said.The campaign launches as the conflict between the Army and the Rapid Support Forces enters its third year, with violence escalating and little sign of a political settlement. Humanitarian conditions continue to worsen, and civilian violations are widespread.Examples from other countries highlight the potential of arts and media in peacebuilding. Following the 1994 genocide, Rwanda used traditional arts, community theater, and radio broadcasts to promote love, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Sierra Leone after the 2002 civil war, mobile youth music groups used traditional music to reintegrate child soldiers and foster tolerance. In Colombia media campaigns incorporating traditional arts and music played a role in ending the conflict with FARC rebels. These initiatives, using popular songs broadcast via planes, radio, and social media, encouraged dozens of fighters to disarm and rejoin society. In Niger the role of “Hakamats” was empowered in peacebuilding through folk songs. Trained in reconciliation concepts, these women became key messengers, using songs in markets and at weddings to informally convey messages urging an end to violence and promoting coexistence in pastoral communities. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 20/6/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Caritas Papua Nuova Guinea
Kundiawa (Agenzia Fides) – In the province of Simbu, in Papua New Guinea, so-called violence related to accusations of witchcraft represents one of the most serious and horrific forms of aggression between families and tribes. “It is a form of violence against individuals or families,” explains Judy Gelua, diocesan coordinator of Caritas in the Diocese of Kundiawa.“In the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, hundreds of cases are recorded each year that go unreported. Simbu is one of the most affected provinces, probably the place from which the torture and murder of women have spread to the entire region in the last twenty years,” writes Father Giorgio Licini, a missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), in a note sent to Fides. Caritas in Simbu handled twenty-five cases in 2024, fifteen of which were reported to the legal office of the Diocese of Kundiawa, which offers free legal assistance. According to Gelua, the knowledge that one can be prosecuted for attacking someone accused of witchcraft acts as a deterrent. Msgr. Paul Sundu, bishop of the Diocese of Kundiawa, points out that these accusations are often instrumentally motivated: “Due to jealousy or greed, people are accused of witchcraft to get rid of enemies or block their success in business, education, or politics.” Father Christian Sieland, a biblical scholar and priest in Kundiawa, points out that beliefs about witchcraft “are deeply rooted in the mindset of both ordinary people and educated people.” “It will take more than a generation to eradicate them,” he says. He explains that these beliefs are fueled by a lack of scientific knowledge about the true causes of illnesses. “People tend to blame members of the community. Doctors must intervene with proper education and always provide death certificates,” adds Father Licini. According to a group of Catholic mothers who meet regularly at the Kundiawa Cathedral points out that polygamy and marital infidelity play a significant role. When a man takes a younger wife, the first wife – often with adult children – becomes a victim of discrimination. The husband neglects her, and the new wife tries to displace her. Faced with a sudden death or an accident in the village, the young woman may accuse the helpless older woman of witchcraft and thus get rid of her. Violence stemming from accusations of witchcraft is often linked to gender-based violence, another serious concern for Caritas Simbu. “The roots of this violence must be sought in an ancestral tribal mentality that conflicts with current social and cultural conditions,” notes Father Licini. Poverty, lack of opportunities, marginalization, and the desperation of many young people fuel this phenomenon. “Traditional, well-structured village life has been replaced by the mobility, pluralism, and consumerism of modern culture.” Faced with this reality, some local organizations are trying to heal the conflict. One of them is the Kunabau Leaders Peace Team, which emerged from tribes in the Mingende area – of Catholic tradition – and has managed to restore peace to a remote community affected by a tribal war with victims.Judy Gelua emphasizes the importance of a broad network of contacts to promote change in the three main sources of violence: witchcraft, gender-based violence, and tribal conflicts. Thanks to collaboration with institutional agencies, Caritas Simbu provides guidance on human rights, peace building, and the protection of minors, women, and vulnerable people to students, teachers, parents, and school board members. As a result, the level of violence is slowly declining, although, according to Father Licini, “intensive education and awareness-raising work is still required.”Bishop Paul Sundu and Caritas coordinator Judy Gelua emphasize the need for a pastoral approach: “To defuse violence,” they affirm, “a personal change is necessary, starting from the heart. This change can come from sharing the Word of God, prayer, and cultural and spiritual formation. It is about beginning a process of purification from a deeply rooted inclination toward violence, centered on the dignity of the human person.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 21/6/2025)
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Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
An investigation has been launched after police were called to reports of a shooting on Imperial Way at 17:04hrs on Thursday, 19 June.
A man in his 40s was found with gunshot wounds. He was treated by paramedics but sadly died at the scene.
His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.
Detectives from the Met’s Major Incident team are leading the investigation and enquiries are ongoing.
Detective Chief Inspector Dan Whitten, leading the investigation from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said:
“This was a tragic incident and my thoughts are with the man’s family at this difficult time. Our team of specially trained officers are supporting them as are our investigation progresses.
“Our enquiries are ongoing and we would urge any witnesses to come forward and share information with us.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information that could help the investigation, please contact the police on 101 quoting CAD 6530/19JUN.
To remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University
As Midwinter Day approaches in Antarctica – the longest and darkest day of the year – those spending the winter on the frozen continent will follow a tradition dating back more than a century to the earliest days of Antarctic exploration: They will celebrate having made it through the growing darkness and into a time when they know the Sun is on its way back.
The experience of spending a winter in Antarctica can be harrowing, even when living with modern conveniences such as hot running water and heated buildings. At the beginning of the current winter season, in March 2025, global news outlets reported that workers at the South African research station, SANAE IV, were “rocked” when one worker allegedly threatened and assaulted other members of the station’s nine-person winter crew. Psychologists intervened – remotely – and order was apparently restored.
The desolate and isolated environment of Antarctica can be hard on its inhabitants. As a historian of Antarctica, the events at SANAE IV represent a continuation of perceptions – and realities – that Antarctic environments can trigger deeply disturbing behavior and even drive people to madness.
The very earliest examples of Antarctic literature depict the continent affecting both mind and body. In 1797, for instance, more than two decades before the continent was first sighted by Europeans, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It tells a tale of a ship blown by storms into an endless maze of Antarctic ice, which they escape by following an albatross. For unexplained reasons, one man killed the albatross and faced a lifetime’s torment for doing so.
In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published the story of “Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” who journeyed into the Southern Ocean. Even before arriving in Antarctica, the tale involves mutiny, cannibalism and a ship crewed by dead men. As the story ends, Pym and two others drift southward, encountering an enormous, apparently endless cataract of mist that parts before their boat, revealing a large ghostly figure.
H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 story “At the Mountains of Madness” was almost certainly based on real stories of polar exploration. In it, the men of a fictitious Antarctic expedition encounter circumstances that “made us wish only to escape from this austral world of desolation and brooding madness as swiftly as we could.” One man even experiences an unnamed “final horror” that causes a severe mental breakdown.
The 1982 John Carpenter film “The Thing” also involves these themes, when men trapped at an Antarctic research station are being hunted by an alien that perfectly impersonates the base members it has killed. Paranoia and anxiety abound, with team members frantically radioing for help, and men imprisoned, left outside or even killed for the sake of the others.
Whether to gird themselves for what may come or just as a fun tradition, the winter-over crew at the United States’ South Pole Station watches this film every year after the last flight leaves before winter sets in.
These stories of Antarctic “madness” have some basis in history. A long-told anecdote in modern Antarctic circles is of a man who stabbed, perhaps fatally, a colleague over a game of chess at Russia’s Vostok station in 1959.
More certain were reports in 2018, when Sergey Savitsky stabbed Oleg Beloguzov at the Russian Bellingshausen research station over multiple grievances, including the one most seized upon by the media: Beloguzov’s tendency to reveal the endings of books that Savitsky was reading. A criminal charge against him was dropped.
In 2017, staff at South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island station reported that a team member smashed up a colleague’s room with an ax over a romantic relationship.
Concerns over mental health in Antarctica go much further back. In the so-called “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration, from about 1897 to about 1922, expedition leaders prioritized the mental health of the men on their expeditions. They knew their crews would be trapped inside with the same small group for months on end, in darkness and extreme cold.
American physician Frederick Cook, who accompanied the 1898-1899 Belgica expedition, the first group known to spend the winter within the Antarctic Circle, wrote in helpless terms of being “doomed” to the “mercy” of natural forces, and of his worries about the “unknowable cold and its soul-depressing effects” in the winter darkness. In his 2021 book about that expedition, writer Julian Sancton called the ship the “Madhouse at the End of the Earth.”
Cook’s fears became real. Most men complained of “general enfeeblement of strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.”
“When at all seriously afflicted,” Cook wrote, “the men felt that they would surely die” and exhibited a “spirit of abject hopelessness.”
And in the words of Australian physicist Louis Bernacchi, a member of the 1898-1900 Southern Cross expedition, “There is something particularly mystical and uncanny in the effect of the grey atmosphere of an Antarctic night, through whose uncertain medium the cold white landscape looms as impalpable as the frontiers of a demon world.”
A few years later, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which ran from 1911 to 1914, experienced several major tragedies, including two deaths during an exploring trip that left expedition leader Douglas Mawson starving and alone amid deeply crevassed terrain. The 100-mile walk to relative safety took him a month.
A lesser-known set of events on that same expedition involved wireless-telegraph operator Sidney Jeffryes, who arrived in Antarctica in 1913 on a resupply ship. Cape Denison, the expedition’s base, had some of the most severe environmental conditions anyone had encountered on the continent, including winds estimated at over 160 miles an hour.
Jeffryes, the only man in the crew who could operate the radio telegraph, began exhibiting signs of paranoia. He transmitted messages back to Australia saying that he was the only sane man in the group and claiming the others were plotting to kill him.
In Mawson’s account of the expedition, he blamed the conditions, writing:
“(T)here is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a ‘nervous breakdown.’”
Mawson hoped that the coming of spring and the possibility of outdoor exercise would help, but it did not. Shortly after his return to Australia in February 1914, Jeffryes was found wandering in the Australian bush and institutionalized. For many years, his role in Antarctic exploration was ignored, seeming a blot or embarrassment on the masculine ideal of Antarctic explorers.
Unfortunately, the general widespread focus on Antarctica as a place that causes disturbing behavior makes it easy to gloss over larger and more systemic problems.
In 2022, the United States Antarctic Program as well as the Australian Antarctic Division released reports that sexual assault and harassment are common at Antarctic bases and in more remote field camps. Scholars have generally not linked those events to the specifics of the cold, darkness and isolation, but rather to a continental culture of heroic masculinity.
As humans look to live in other extreme environments, such as space, Antarctica represents not only a cooperative international scientific community but also a place where, cut off from society as a whole, human behavior changes. The celebrations of Midwinter Day honor survival in a place of wonder that is also a place of horror, where the greatest threat is not what is outside, but what is inside your mind.
Daniella McCahey 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.
– ref. At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior – https://theconversation.com/at-antarcticas-midwinter-a-look-back-at-the-frozen-continents-long-history-of-dark-behavior-253906
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University
As Midwinter Day approaches in Antarctica – the longest and darkest day of the year – those spending the winter on the frozen continent will follow a tradition dating back more than a century to the earliest days of Antarctic exploration: They will celebrate having made it through the growing darkness and into a time when they know the Sun is on its way back.
The experience of spending a winter in Antarctica can be harrowing, even when living with modern conveniences such as hot running water and heated buildings. At the beginning of the current winter season, in March 2025, global news outlets reported that workers at the South African research station, SANAE IV, were “rocked” when one worker allegedly threatened and assaulted other members of the station’s nine-person winter crew. Psychologists intervened – remotely – and order was apparently restored.
The desolate and isolated environment of Antarctica can be hard on its inhabitants. As a historian of Antarctica, the events at SANAE IV represent a continuation of perceptions – and realities – that Antarctic environments can trigger deeply disturbing behavior and even drive people to madness.
The very earliest examples of Antarctic literature depict the continent affecting both mind and body. In 1797, for instance, more than two decades before the continent was first sighted by Europeans, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It tells a tale of a ship blown by storms into an endless maze of Antarctic ice, which they escape by following an albatross. For unexplained reasons, one man killed the albatross and faced a lifetime’s torment for doing so.
In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published the story of “Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” who journeyed into the Southern Ocean. Even before arriving in Antarctica, the tale involves mutiny, cannibalism and a ship crewed by dead men. As the story ends, Pym and two others drift southward, encountering an enormous, apparently endless cataract of mist that parts before their boat, revealing a large ghostly figure.
H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 story “At the Mountains of Madness” was almost certainly based on real stories of polar exploration. In it, the men of a fictitious Antarctic expedition encounter circumstances that “made us wish only to escape from this austral world of desolation and brooding madness as swiftly as we could.” One man even experiences an unnamed “final horror” that causes a severe mental breakdown.
The 1982 John Carpenter film “The Thing” also involves these themes, when men trapped at an Antarctic research station are being hunted by an alien that perfectly impersonates the base members it has killed. Paranoia and anxiety abound, with team members frantically radioing for help, and men imprisoned, left outside or even killed for the sake of the others.
Whether to gird themselves for what may come or just as a fun tradition, the winter-over crew at the United States’ South Pole Station watches this film every year after the last flight leaves before winter sets in.
These stories of Antarctic “madness” have some basis in history. A long-told anecdote in modern Antarctic circles is of a man who stabbed, perhaps fatally, a colleague over a game of chess at Russia’s Vostok station in 1959.
More certain were reports in 2018, when Sergey Savitsky stabbed Oleg Beloguzov at the Russian Bellingshausen research station over multiple grievances, including the one most seized upon by the media: Beloguzov’s tendency to reveal the endings of books that Savitsky was reading. A criminal charge against him was dropped.
In 2017, staff at South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island station reported that a team member smashed up a colleague’s room with an ax over a romantic relationship.
Concerns over mental health in Antarctica go much further back. In the so-called “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration, from about 1897 to about 1922, expedition leaders prioritized the mental health of the men on their expeditions. They knew their crews would be trapped inside with the same small group for months on end, in darkness and extreme cold.
American physician Frederick Cook, who accompanied the 1898-1899 Belgica expedition, the first group known to spend the winter within the Antarctic Circle, wrote in helpless terms of being “doomed” to the “mercy” of natural forces, and of his worries about the “unknowable cold and its soul-depressing effects” in the winter darkness. In his 2021 book about that expedition, writer Julian Sancton called the ship the “Madhouse at the End of the Earth.”
Cook’s fears became real. Most men complained of “general enfeeblement of strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.”
“When at all seriously afflicted,” Cook wrote, “the men felt that they would surely die” and exhibited a “spirit of abject hopelessness.”
And in the words of Australian physicist Louis Bernacchi, a member of the 1898-1900 Southern Cross expedition, “There is something particularly mystical and uncanny in the effect of the grey atmosphere of an Antarctic night, through whose uncertain medium the cold white landscape looms as impalpable as the frontiers of a demon world.”
A few years later, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which ran from 1911 to 1914, experienced several major tragedies, including two deaths during an exploring trip that left expedition leader Douglas Mawson starving and alone amid deeply crevassed terrain. The 100-mile walk to relative safety took him a month.
A lesser-known set of events on that same expedition involved wireless-telegraph operator Sidney Jeffryes, who arrived in Antarctica in 1913 on a resupply ship. Cape Denison, the expedition’s base, had some of the most severe environmental conditions anyone had encountered on the continent, including winds estimated at over 160 miles an hour.
Jeffryes, the only man in the crew who could operate the radio telegraph, began exhibiting signs of paranoia. He transmitted messages back to Australia saying that he was the only sane man in the group and claiming the others were plotting to kill him.
In Mawson’s account of the expedition, he blamed the conditions, writing:
“(T)here is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a ‘nervous breakdown.’”
Mawson hoped that the coming of spring and the possibility of outdoor exercise would help, but it did not. Shortly after his return to Australia in February 1914, Jeffryes was found wandering in the Australian bush and institutionalized. For many years, his role in Antarctic exploration was ignored, seeming a blot or embarrassment on the masculine ideal of Antarctic explorers.
Unfortunately, the general widespread focus on Antarctica as a place that causes disturbing behavior makes it easy to gloss over larger and more systemic problems.
In 2022, the United States Antarctic Program as well as the Australian Antarctic Division released reports that sexual assault and harassment are common at Antarctic bases and in more remote field camps. Scholars have generally not linked those events to the specifics of the cold, darkness and isolation, but rather to a continental culture of heroic masculinity.
As humans look to live in other extreme environments, such as space, Antarctica represents not only a cooperative international scientific community but also a place where, cut off from society as a whole, human behavior changes. The celebrations of Midwinter Day honor survival in a place of wonder that is also a place of horror, where the greatest threat is not what is outside, but what is inside your mind.
Daniella McCahey 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.
– ref. At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior – https://theconversation.com/at-antarcticas-midwinter-a-look-back-at-the-frozen-continents-long-history-of-dark-behavior-253906
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Samuel Perry, Associate Professor, Baylor University
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – commonly called the CREC – drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. More recently, media reports highlighted a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald Trump, who they said was divinely appointed.
As a scholar of the Christian right, I have studied the CREC. Hegseth’s membership in a church that belongs to the CREC drew attention because prominent members of the church identify as Christian nationalists, and because of its positions on issues concerning gender, sexuality and the separation of church and state.
The CREC is most easily understood through three main parts: churches, schools and media.
The CREC church is a network of churches. It is associated with the congregation of Doug Wilson, the pastor who founded Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Wilson grew up in the town, where his father was an evangelical minister.
Wilson co-founded the CREC in 1993 and is the public figure most associated with the network of churches. Christ Church operates as the hub for Logos Schools, Canon Press and New Saint Andrews College, all located in Moscow. Logos is a set of private schools and homeschooling curriculum, Canon Press is a publishing house and media company, and New Saint Andrews College is a university, all of which were founded by Wilson and associated with Christ Church. All espouse the view that Christians are at odds with – or at war with – secular society.
While he is not Hegseth’s pastor, Wilson is the most influential voice in the CREC, and the two men have spoken approvingly of one another.
As Wilson steadily grew Christ Church in Moscow, he and its members sought to spread their message by making Moscow a conservative town and establishing churches beyond it. Of his hometown, Wilson plainly states, “Our desire is to make Moscow a Christian town.”
The CREC doctrine is opposed to religious pluralism or political points of view that diverge from CREC theology. On its website, the CREC says that it is “committed to maintaining its Reformed faith, avoiding the pitfalls of cultural relevance and political compromise that destroys our doctrinal integrity.”
CREC churches adhere to a highly patriarchal and conservative interpretation of Scripture. Wilson has said that in a sexual relationship, “A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.”
In a broader political sense, CREC theology includes the belief that the establishment clause of the Constitution does not require a separation of church and state. The most common reading of the establishment clause is that freedom of religion precludes the installation of a state religion or religious tests to hold state office.
The CREC broadly asserts that the government and anyone serving in it should be Christian. For Wilson and members of CREC churches, this means Christians and only Christians are qualified to hold political office in the United States.
Researcher Matthew Taylor explained in an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, “They believe the church is supposed to be militant in the world, is supposed to be reforming the world, and in some ways conquering the world.”
While the CREC may not have the name recognition of some large evangelical denominations or the visibility of some megachurches, it boasts churches across the United States and internationally. The CREC website claims to have over 130 churches and parishes spread across North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
Like some other evangelical denominations, the CREC uses “church planting” to grow its network. Plant churches do not require a centralized governing body to ordain their founding. Instead, those interested in starting a CREC congregation contact the CREC. The CREC then provides materials and literature for people to use in their church.
The CREC’s expansion also owes a debt to Wilson’s entrepreneurship. As the church expanded, Wilson founded an associated K-12 school called “Logos” in September 1981, which since then has grown into a network of many schools.
In conjunction with its growth, Logos develops and sells “classical Christian” curriculum to private schools and home-school families through Logos Press. Classical Christian Schools aim to develop what they consider a biblical worldview. In addition to religious studies, they focus on classic texts from Greece and Rome. They have grown in popularity in recent years, especially among conservatives.
Logos’ classical Christian curriculum is designed to help parents “raise faithful, dangerous Christian kids who impact the world for Christ and leave craters in the world of secularism.” Logos press regularly asserts, “education is warfare.”
According to the website, Logos schools enroll more than 2,000 students across 16 countries. Logos also has its own press that supplies the curriculum to all of these schools. On the heels of Logos’ success, Wilson founded the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 1993 as an accrediting body for like-minded schools. The ACCS now boast 500 schools and more than 50,000 students across the United States and around the world.
Additionally, Wilson founded New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. New Saint Andrews is a Christian university that takes the classical Christian approach to education championed by Wilson into higher education.
The New Saint Andrews College is consistent with other CREC institutions. It considers secularism a weakness of other universities and society more generally. Its website explains: “New Saint Andrews has long held a principled and clear voice, championing the truth of God’s word and ways, while so many other colleges veer into softness and secularism.” The school is governed by the elders of Christ Church and does not accept federal funding.
In addition to the Logos Press, which produces the CREC school curriculum, Wilson founded Canon Press. Canon Press produces books, podcasts, a YouTube channel and assorted merchandise including apparel and weapons, such as a flamethrower. The YouTube channel has over 100,000 followers.
Books published by Canon include children’s picture books to manuals on masculinity. A number of books continue the theme of warfare.
The politics page of the press contains many books on Christian nationalism. Christian political theorist Stephen Wolfe’s book “The Case for Christian Nationalism” is one of the most popular among books on Christian nationalism. The website has dozens of books on Christian nationalism and media dedicated to the construction of a Christian government.
Author Joe Rigney, a fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College and an associate pastor at Christ Church, warns of the “Sin of Empathy.” Rigney claims that empathizing with others is sinful because it requires compromise and makes one vulnerable in the fight against evil.
As the church network has grown, it has drawn attention and scrutiny. Wilson’s 1996 publication of a book positively depicting slavery and claiming slavery cultivated “affection among the races” drew national attention.
Accusations of sexual abuse and the church’s handling of it have also brought national news coverage. Vice’s Sarah Stankorb interviewed many women who talked about a culture, especially in marriage, where sexual abuse and assault is common. The Vice reporting led to a podcast that details the accounts of survivors. In interviews, Wilson has denied any wrongdoing and said that claims of sexual abuse will be directed to the proper authorities.
Hegseth’s actions as secretary of defense concerning gender identity and banning trans people from serving in the military, in addition to stripping gay activist and politician Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship, have brought more attention to the CREC. I believe that given Hegseth’s role as secretary of defense, his affiliation with the CREC will likely remain a topic of conversation throughout the Trump presidency.
Samuel Perry 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.
– ref. What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support – https://theconversation.com/what-is-crec-the-christian-nationalist-group-has-a-vision-for-america-and-defense-secretary-pete-hegseths-support-258273
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Samuel Perry, Associate Professor, Baylor University
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – commonly called the CREC – drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. More recently, media reports highlighted a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald Trump, who they said was divinely appointed.
As a scholar of the Christian right, I have studied the CREC. Hegseth’s membership in a church that belongs to the CREC drew attention because prominent members of the church identify as Christian nationalists, and because of its positions on issues concerning gender, sexuality and the separation of church and state.
The CREC is most easily understood through three main parts: churches, schools and media.
The CREC church is a network of churches. It is associated with the congregation of Doug Wilson, the pastor who founded Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Wilson grew up in the town, where his father was an evangelical minister.
Wilson co-founded the CREC in 1993 and is the public figure most associated with the network of churches. Christ Church operates as the hub for Logos Schools, Canon Press and New Saint Andrews College, all located in Moscow. Logos is a set of private schools and homeschooling curriculum, Canon Press is a publishing house and media company, and New Saint Andrews College is a university, all of which were founded by Wilson and associated with Christ Church. All espouse the view that Christians are at odds with – or at war with – secular society.
While he is not Hegseth’s pastor, Wilson is the most influential voice in the CREC, and the two men have spoken approvingly of one another.
As Wilson steadily grew Christ Church in Moscow, he and its members sought to spread their message by making Moscow a conservative town and establishing churches beyond it. Of his hometown, Wilson plainly states, “Our desire is to make Moscow a Christian town.”
The CREC doctrine is opposed to religious pluralism or political points of view that diverge from CREC theology. On its website, the CREC says that it is “committed to maintaining its Reformed faith, avoiding the pitfalls of cultural relevance and political compromise that destroys our doctrinal integrity.”
CREC churches adhere to a highly patriarchal and conservative interpretation of Scripture. Wilson has said that in a sexual relationship, “A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.”
In a broader political sense, CREC theology includes the belief that the establishment clause of the Constitution does not require a separation of church and state. The most common reading of the establishment clause is that freedom of religion precludes the installation of a state religion or religious tests to hold state office.
The CREC broadly asserts that the government and anyone serving in it should be Christian. For Wilson and members of CREC churches, this means Christians and only Christians are qualified to hold political office in the United States.
Researcher Matthew Taylor explained in an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, “They believe the church is supposed to be militant in the world, is supposed to be reforming the world, and in some ways conquering the world.”
While the CREC may not have the name recognition of some large evangelical denominations or the visibility of some megachurches, it boasts churches across the United States and internationally. The CREC website claims to have over 130 churches and parishes spread across North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
Like some other evangelical denominations, the CREC uses “church planting” to grow its network. Plant churches do not require a centralized governing body to ordain their founding. Instead, those interested in starting a CREC congregation contact the CREC. The CREC then provides materials and literature for people to use in their church.
The CREC’s expansion also owes a debt to Wilson’s entrepreneurship. As the church expanded, Wilson founded an associated K-12 school called “Logos” in September 1981, which since then has grown into a network of many schools.
In conjunction with its growth, Logos develops and sells “classical Christian” curriculum to private schools and home-school families through Logos Press. Classical Christian Schools aim to develop what they consider a biblical worldview. In addition to religious studies, they focus on classic texts from Greece and Rome. They have grown in popularity in recent years, especially among conservatives.
Logos’ classical Christian curriculum is designed to help parents “raise faithful, dangerous Christian kids who impact the world for Christ and leave craters in the world of secularism.” Logos press regularly asserts, “education is warfare.”
According to the website, Logos schools enroll more than 2,000 students across 16 countries. Logos also has its own press that supplies the curriculum to all of these schools. On the heels of Logos’ success, Wilson founded the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 1993 as an accrediting body for like-minded schools. The ACCS now boast 500 schools and more than 50,000 students across the United States and around the world.
Additionally, Wilson founded New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. New Saint Andrews is a Christian university that takes the classical Christian approach to education championed by Wilson into higher education.
The New Saint Andrews College is consistent with other CREC institutions. It considers secularism a weakness of other universities and society more generally. Its website explains: “New Saint Andrews has long held a principled and clear voice, championing the truth of God’s word and ways, while so many other colleges veer into softness and secularism.” The school is governed by the elders of Christ Church and does not accept federal funding.
In addition to the Logos Press, which produces the CREC school curriculum, Wilson founded Canon Press. Canon Press produces books, podcasts, a YouTube channel and assorted merchandise including apparel and weapons, such as a flamethrower. The YouTube channel has over 100,000 followers.
Books published by Canon include children’s picture books to manuals on masculinity. A number of books continue the theme of warfare.
The politics page of the press contains many books on Christian nationalism. Christian political theorist Stephen Wolfe’s book “The Case for Christian Nationalism” is one of the most popular among books on Christian nationalism. The website has dozens of books on Christian nationalism and media dedicated to the construction of a Christian government.
Author Joe Rigney, a fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College and an associate pastor at Christ Church, warns of the “Sin of Empathy.” Rigney claims that empathizing with others is sinful because it requires compromise and makes one vulnerable in the fight against evil.
As the church network has grown, it has drawn attention and scrutiny. Wilson’s 1996 publication of a book positively depicting slavery and claiming slavery cultivated “affection among the races” drew national attention.
Accusations of sexual abuse and the church’s handling of it have also brought national news coverage. Vice’s Sarah Stankorb interviewed many women who talked about a culture, especially in marriage, where sexual abuse and assault is common. The Vice reporting led to a podcast that details the accounts of survivors. In interviews, Wilson has denied any wrongdoing and said that claims of sexual abuse will be directed to the proper authorities.
Hegseth’s actions as secretary of defense concerning gender identity and banning trans people from serving in the military, in addition to stripping gay activist and politician Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship, have brought more attention to the CREC. I believe that given Hegseth’s role as secretary of defense, his affiliation with the CREC will likely remain a topic of conversation throughout the Trump presidency.
Samuel Perry 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.
– ref. What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support – https://theconversation.com/what-is-crec-the-christian-nationalist-group-has-a-vision-for-america-and-defense-secretary-pete-hegseths-support-258273
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University
Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use these algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services that are recommended by a given patient’s physicians.
One of the most common examples is prior authorization, which is when your doctor needs to
receive payment approval from your insurance company before providing you care. Many insurers use an algorithm to decide whether the requested care is “medically necessary” and should be covered.
These AI systems also help insurers decide how much care a patient is entitled to — for example, how many days of hospital care a patient can receive after surgery.
If an insurer declines to pay for a treatment your doctor recommends, you usually have three options. You can try to appeal the decision, but that process can take a lot of time, money and expert help. Only 1 in 500 claim denials are appealed. You can agree to a different treatment that your insurer will cover. Or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself, which is often not realistic because of high health care costs.
As a legal scholar who studies health law and policy, I’m concerned about how insurance algorithms affect people’s health. Like with AI algorithms used by doctors and hospitals, these tools can potentially improve care and reduce costs. Insurers say that AI helps them make quick, safe decisions about what care is necessary and avoids wasteful or harmful treatments.
But there’s strong evidence that the opposite can be true. These systems are sometimes used to delay or deny care that should be covered, all in the name of saving money.
Presumably, companies feed a patient’s health care records and other relevant information into health care coverage algorithms and compare that information with current medical standards of care to decide whether to cover the patient’s claim. However, insurers have refused to disclose how these algorithms work in making such decisions, so it is impossible to say exactly how they operate in practice.
Using AI to review coverage saves insurers time and resources, especially because it means fewer medical professionals are needed to review each case. But the financial benefit to insurers doesn’t stop there. If an AI system quickly denies a valid claim, and the patient appeals, that appeal process can take years. If the patient is seriously ill and expected to die soon, the insurance company might save money simply by dragging out the process in the hope that the patient dies before the case is resolved.
This creates the disturbing possibility that insurers might use algorithms to withhold care for expensive, long-term or terminal health problems , such as chronic or other debilitating disabilities. One reporter put it bluntly: “Many older adults who spent their lives paying into Medicare now face amputation or cancer and are forced to either pay for care themselves or go without.”
Research supports this concern – patients with chronic illnesses are more likely to be denied coverage and suffer as a result. In addition, Black and Hispanic people and those of other nonwhite ethnicities, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are more likely to experience claims denials. Some evidence also suggests that prior authorization may increase rather than decrease health care system costs.
Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care. But this argument ignores reality. These decisions have serious health consequences, especially when people can’t afford the care they need.
Unlike medical algorithms, insurance AI tools are largely unregulated. They don’t have to go through Food and Drug Administration review, and insurance companies often say their algorithms are trade secrets.
That means there’s no public information about how these tools make decisions, and there’s no outside testing to see whether they’re safe, fair or effective. No peer-reviewed studies exist to show how well they actually work in the real world.
There does seem to be some momentum for change. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, which is the federal agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, recently announced that insurers in Medicare Advantage plans must base decisions on the needs of individual patients – not just on generic criteria. But these rules still let insurers create their own decision-making standards, and they still don’t require any outside testing to prove their systems work before using them. Plus, federal rules can only regulate federal public health programs like Medicare. They do not apply to private insurers who do not provide federal health program coverage.
Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Maine and Texas, have proposed laws to rein in insurance AI. A few have passed new laws, including a 2024 California statute that requires a licensed physician to supervise the use of insurance coverage algorithms.
But most state laws suffer from the same weaknesses as the new CMS rule. They leave too much control in the hands of insurers to decide how to define “medical necessity” and in what contexts to use algorithms for coverage decisions. They also don’t require those algorithms to be reviewed by neutral experts before use. And even strong state laws wouldn’t be enough, because states generally can’t regulate Medicare or insurers that operate outside their borders.
In the view of many health law experts, the gap between insurers’ actions and patient needs has become so wide that regulating health care coverage algorithms is now imperative. As I argue in an essay to be published in the Indiana Law Journal, the FDA is well positioned to do so.
The FDA is staffed with medical experts who have the capability to evaluate insurance algorithms before they are used to make coverage decisions. The agency already reviews many medical AI tools for safety and effectiveness. FDA oversight would also provide a uniform, national regulatory scheme instead of a patchwork of rules across the country.
Some people argue that the FDA’s power here is limited. For the purposes of FDA regulation, a medical device is defined as an instrument “intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” Because health insurance algorithms are not used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, Congress may need to amend the definition of a medical device before the FDA can regulate those algorithms.
If the FDA’s current authority isn’t enough to cover insurance algorithms, Congress could change the law to give it that power. Meanwhile, CMS and state governments could require independent testing of these algorithms for safety, accuracy and fairness. That might also push insurers to support a single national standard – like FDA regulation – instead of facing a patchwork of rules across the country.
The move toward regulating how health insurers use AI in determining coverage has clearly begun, but it is still awaiting a robust push. Patients’ lives are literally on the line.
Jennifer D. Oliva currently receives funding from NIDA to research the impact of pharmaceutical industry messaging on the opioid crisis among U.S. Military Veterans. She is affiliated with the UCSF/University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy and Georgetown University Law Center O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law.
– ref. How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage – https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University
Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use these algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services that are recommended by a given patient’s physicians.
One of the most common examples is prior authorization, which is when your doctor needs to
receive payment approval from your insurance company before providing you care. Many insurers use an algorithm to decide whether the requested care is “medically necessary” and should be covered.
These AI systems also help insurers decide how much care a patient is entitled to — for example, how many days of hospital care a patient can receive after surgery.
If an insurer declines to pay for a treatment your doctor recommends, you usually have three options. You can try to appeal the decision, but that process can take a lot of time, money and expert help. Only 1 in 500 claim denials are appealed. You can agree to a different treatment that your insurer will cover. Or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself, which is often not realistic because of high health care costs.
As a legal scholar who studies health law and policy, I’m concerned about how insurance algorithms affect people’s health. Like with AI algorithms used by doctors and hospitals, these tools can potentially improve care and reduce costs. Insurers say that AI helps them make quick, safe decisions about what care is necessary and avoids wasteful or harmful treatments.
But there’s strong evidence that the opposite can be true. These systems are sometimes used to delay or deny care that should be covered, all in the name of saving money.
Presumably, companies feed a patient’s health care records and other relevant information into health care coverage algorithms and compare that information with current medical standards of care to decide whether to cover the patient’s claim. However, insurers have refused to disclose how these algorithms work in making such decisions, so it is impossible to say exactly how they operate in practice.
Using AI to review coverage saves insurers time and resources, especially because it means fewer medical professionals are needed to review each case. But the financial benefit to insurers doesn’t stop there. If an AI system quickly denies a valid claim, and the patient appeals, that appeal process can take years. If the patient is seriously ill and expected to die soon, the insurance company might save money simply by dragging out the process in the hope that the patient dies before the case is resolved.
This creates the disturbing possibility that insurers might use algorithms to withhold care for expensive, long-term or terminal health problems , such as chronic or other debilitating disabilities. One reporter put it bluntly: “Many older adults who spent their lives paying into Medicare now face amputation or cancer and are forced to either pay for care themselves or go without.”
Research supports this concern – patients with chronic illnesses are more likely to be denied coverage and suffer as a result. In addition, Black and Hispanic people and those of other nonwhite ethnicities, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are more likely to experience claims denials. Some evidence also suggests that prior authorization may increase rather than decrease health care system costs.
Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care. But this argument ignores reality. These decisions have serious health consequences, especially when people can’t afford the care they need.
Unlike medical algorithms, insurance AI tools are largely unregulated. They don’t have to go through Food and Drug Administration review, and insurance companies often say their algorithms are trade secrets.
That means there’s no public information about how these tools make decisions, and there’s no outside testing to see whether they’re safe, fair or effective. No peer-reviewed studies exist to show how well they actually work in the real world.
There does seem to be some momentum for change. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, which is the federal agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, recently announced that insurers in Medicare Advantage plans must base decisions on the needs of individual patients – not just on generic criteria. But these rules still let insurers create their own decision-making standards, and they still don’t require any outside testing to prove their systems work before using them. Plus, federal rules can only regulate federal public health programs like Medicare. They do not apply to private insurers who do not provide federal health program coverage.
Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Maine and Texas, have proposed laws to rein in insurance AI. A few have passed new laws, including a 2024 California statute that requires a licensed physician to supervise the use of insurance coverage algorithms.
But most state laws suffer from the same weaknesses as the new CMS rule. They leave too much control in the hands of insurers to decide how to define “medical necessity” and in what contexts to use algorithms for coverage decisions. They also don’t require those algorithms to be reviewed by neutral experts before use. And even strong state laws wouldn’t be enough, because states generally can’t regulate Medicare or insurers that operate outside their borders.
In the view of many health law experts, the gap between insurers’ actions and patient needs has become so wide that regulating health care coverage algorithms is now imperative. As I argue in an essay to be published in the Indiana Law Journal, the FDA is well positioned to do so.
The FDA is staffed with medical experts who have the capability to evaluate insurance algorithms before they are used to make coverage decisions. The agency already reviews many medical AI tools for safety and effectiveness. FDA oversight would also provide a uniform, national regulatory scheme instead of a patchwork of rules across the country.
Some people argue that the FDA’s power here is limited. For the purposes of FDA regulation, a medical device is defined as an instrument “intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” Because health insurance algorithms are not used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, Congress may need to amend the definition of a medical device before the FDA can regulate those algorithms.
If the FDA’s current authority isn’t enough to cover insurance algorithms, Congress could change the law to give it that power. Meanwhile, CMS and state governments could require independent testing of these algorithms for safety, accuracy and fairness. That might also push insurers to support a single national standard – like FDA regulation – instead of facing a patchwork of rules across the country.
The move toward regulating how health insurers use AI in determining coverage has clearly begun, but it is still awaiting a robust push. Patients’ lives are literally on the line.
Jennifer D. Oliva currently receives funding from NIDA to research the impact of pharmaceutical industry messaging on the opioid crisis among U.S. Military Veterans. She is affiliated with the UCSF/University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy and Georgetown University Law Center O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law.
– ref. How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage – https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
The geopolitical fragmentation of the global economy opens up new opportunities for Russia to cooperate with the countries of the Global South and strengthen its own role in global processes. This is stated in the HSE report presented at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as part of the VTB session.
Analysts emphasize that the global economy is currently divided into three large blocs – the United States, China and non-aligned countries, which is accompanied by a reduction in trade and investment between them by 12% and 20% since 2022. Despite this, developing countries are increasing their share in world trade: the volume of trade between the countries of the Global South has grown from $2.3 trillion in 2007 to $5.6 trillion in 2023. This indicates the formation of new economic ties and growth centers.
The report notes that the reversal of trade imbalances in 2024 – with the US deficit widening and China’s surplus rising, and the EU moving into positive balance – creates risks of new trade wars and investment reallocation, requiring companies to diversify supplies and expand their partner networks. Logistics challenges caused by conflicts in the Middle East and problems in the Suez and Panama Canals are stimulating the development of alternative routes, including the Northern Sea Route and “green corridors” for the accelerated delivery of critical cargo.
Particular attention is paid to the role of the so-called connector countries – Malaysia, Vietnam and India, which are strengthening trade ties with individual partners, while Russia, Australia and the EU are reducing their dependence on traditional markets, which contributes to the formation of sustainable regional trade turnover.
In the Russian context, experts note that human capital is becoming the main resource for economic growth: the average length of education for Russians aged 25–44 is 14 years, which is higher than in the US and Europe, but further investment in science and R&D is needed to realize this potential. In the context of the crisis, Russia has seen an increase in the production of high-tech products, the development of domestic tourism and paid services, as well as an increase in exports, which are less sensitive to sanctions.
Investment activity is most noticeable in the small and medium enterprise sector and in the production of investment goods, which contributes to the diversification of the economy and the creation of new jobs. Key challenges include tightening monetary policy, rising credit costs, labor shortages and tax pressure, especially in the manufacturing industry.
The authors of the report emphasize that a balanced budget policy and support for those employed in the public sector are necessary for macroeconomic stability, and sustainable growth is possible only with the simultaneous strengthening of the internal and external sustainability of the economy. In conditions of turbulence, Russia can play a key role in the formation of a new architecture of the global economy, focused on cooperation with the countries of the Global South and the creation of alternative development models.
The report was prepared as part of the VTB session “In Search of New Sources of Growth: Is a Different Model of Global Financial and Trade Architecture Possible” at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The session was attended by: Andrey Kostin, President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank; Yaroslav Kuzminov, Academic Director of the Higher School of Economics; Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayyed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of Qatar; Oleg Deripaska, Founder, En Group; Serhat Keksal, President of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank; Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Benedict Okey Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank; Anton Siluanov, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Scotland – City of Perth
Running from 1pm to 7pm, the drop-in session will allow residents or employees of local businesses directly or indirectly impacted by the blaze and subsequent road and building closures to meet Council staff and those from partner agencies who will be able to answer questions and provide advice.
Fifty-five families have been displaced because of the blaze, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Residents should arrive at the main entrance to the Council offices at 2 High Street, Perth.
Information will be available on a range of issues including:
Councillor Eric Drysdale, Deputy Leader of Perth and Kinross Council and ward member for Perth City Centre, said: “The devastating consequences of last weekend’s tragic fire will be felt for months to come.
“Our thoughts remain with those affected, not least the friends and relatives of the man who sadly lost his life in the blaze.
“People who lived at 41 Scott Street lost everything and now face the challenge of rebuilding their lives. Residents and nearby businesses also face being unable to access their homes and premises for weeks or months. Whatever we can do to help them, we will.
“The response from the people of Perth and Kinross to this emergency has been humbling. The generosity people and businesses have shown has been exemplary.
“But we know that those affected will still have many questions as they begin to move forward. We want to do everything we can to help them and Tuesday’s event will, I believe, help provide some of those answers.
“We know it is a long road ahead but will continue doing all we can to support those in their hour of need.”
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The first day of the Polytechnic University at the Expoforum site during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was eventful. Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy took part in several events organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and also signed a number of cooperation agreements.
In the morning, experts discussed the topic of personnel training to ensure technological leadership. Opening the session, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Olga Petrova noted that one of the key steps taken to synchronize the personnel training process with the demands of industrial customers and taking into account the challenges associated with the reset of the geopolitical situation was the creation of advanced engineering schools. The Deputy Minister also mentioned the Priority 2030 program, which was reconfigured this year in the direction of technological leadership. And in all projects launched on January 1, 2025, special attention is paid to personnel training. Therefore, the key principles in the new model of higher education are fundamentality, practice-orientedness and flexibility, which allows for the formation of an optimal personnel training scheme in communication with industrial partners.
Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy developed the topic, sharing the Polytechnic University’s experience in implementing practice-oriented learning, students completing real projects and R&D for industry, for which new educational technologies are used.
“Each university has its own forms and formats of training that are closely related to the implementation of real industrial or technological tasks. The general public should know about this,” says Andrey Rudskoy. “The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has created a media activity rating, and it shows how a particular university works with different audiences, including future engineers or industrialists. I cannot help but note that Polytechnic University has been in the top three for the second year, including holding first place. We also won a grant from the ministry for the popularization of science, and I think that at the end of the year, a large work by our teachers, scientists, and colleagues from the industrial sector will be published, which will be called “Popularization of Digital Engineering Tools in the Activities of a Modern Engineering University within the Framework of the Concept of Achieving Technological Leadership in Russia.” A serious work, serious reviewers from the Academy of Sciences. Of course, we will send this book to all engineering universities so that they can learn something useful for themselves.”
The discussion was also attended by Rector of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI Vladimir Shevchenko, Vice-Rector for Science and Digital Development of Bauman Moscow State Technical University Pavel Drogovoz, Acting Rector of Tomsk Polytechnic University Leonid Sukhikh, Director of the Young Professionals Department of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives Alexander Vaino. The session was moderated by Vice-Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Dmitry Zemtsov.
The topic of interaction between universities and businesses was developed at the afternoon session “Cooperation between universities and industries to achieve technological leadership goals,” which was held by Andrey Sharonov, CEO of the National Alliance for Social and Environmental Responsibility, Corporate Governance and Sustainable Development and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Association of Digital Platforms.
In order for Russia to achieve technological leadership and move to a modern system of higher education, it is necessary not only to reform the work of universities from within, but also to significantly strengthen their ties with the business community. The session participants discussed which forms of interaction between universities and businesses show the best results in strengthening the country’s technological potential; how partnerships with companies affect the level of professional training of students, the relevance of curricula, and graduates’ chances of finding a job; how to organize the productive participation of business representatives in the development of educational programs, the educational process, and students’ project activities; what role the state should play in the development and dissemination of effective models of interaction between universities and industry, etc.
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Dmitry Afanasyev named the principles of strategic reorientation. The first is focusing on state and industry priorities of technological development, the second is building a unique architecture of interaction with partners by universities. It is important to take into account that the work should be carried out for the future, including the creation of those industries and specialties that do not yet exist, but there is an understanding that they will be needed. It is necessary to reboot all key development programs, such as Priority 2030, PIS, Campus, etc. And, finally, this is a new model of higher education, which is being built in an active dialogue with employers, industrial partners and represents a single fundamental, professional and socio-ideological core with a real practice-oriented educational programs and early professionalization, immersion in real projects and tasks, while being flexible, with the ability to adjust educational programs and sets of competencies to the tasks of technological development of industries.
SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy, using the example of the Polytechnic University, showed that effective interaction with partner companies makes it possible to promptly update educational programs, making them as compliant as possible with the requirements of the modern labor market, and also contributes to the faster implementation of innovative developments.
Ensuring technological leadership is a common task, and the university today is an active participant in this large-scale work, Andrey Ivanovich emphasized.
The session was also attended by Olga Dergunova, Senior Vice President — Head of VTB-Education at VTB Bank, Director of the Graduate School of Management at St. Petersburg State University; Dmitry Zauers, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board at Gazprombank; Rostislav Kovalevsky, Director of Innovations at EFKO Management Company; Oleg Krestinin, CEO of METALLOINVEST Management Company; and Kirill Menshov, Senior Vice President, Head of the Technology Block at Sberbank.
In addition to participating in panel discussions, the rector of SPbPU met with business partners at the St. Petersburg stand to conclude cooperation agreements. As the head of the university coordinating the activities of the consortium “Russian-African Network University” (RAFU), Andrey Rudskoy signed an agreement on the accession of the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences to RAFU. The agreement was also signed by the director of the Institute of Africa Irina Abramova.
Currently, the consortium includes more than 90 Russian educational, scientific organizations and companies, and on the African side – 45 universities and organizations from 15 countries. The Institute of Africa’s accession to the consortium is very important, because it is focused specifically on working with African countries, studying their history, culture, and everyday life. I am confident that our new partner will make a significant contribution to a deeper understanding of this continent and the peoples inhabiting it, – commented Andrey Rudskoy.
“It is a great honor for me to become a member of this network university, because Africa is, first and foremost, people. In 2100, 40 percent of the world’s population will live in Africa, which means that a lot will change, and we need to prepare for this now,” added Irina Abramova. “The most important thing is, what will the people who make up 40 percent of the population be like? First of all, they must be educated, they must be self-sufficient, but at the same time, they must preserve their culture and traditions. And it is precisely the preparation of such friendly elites who protect national interests and look to the future that the network university is engaged in.”
At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Andrey Rudskoy represents not only the Polytechnic University, but also the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which he has headed since 2023. As Chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, he signed several cooperation agreements.
The subject of the agreement with the Archival Committee of St. Petersburg was the establishment of partnership relations and the development of long-term and effective cooperation, which includes educational activities and the holding of popular science events.
Andrey Rudskoy and the Chairman of the Archive Committee of St. Petersburg Pyotr Tishchenko agreed that the goal of cooperation would be to unite the efforts of the scientific and educational community to improve the scientific, educational and cultural level of the population of the Russian Federation; dissemination of knowledge about the history of Russia and its achievements, milestones in the development of the Russian Academy of Sciences; objective coverage of historical facts and events; development of scientific, educational and educational projects; holding joint cultural and educational events; popularization of domestic science; assistance in increasing the prestige of scientific activity, etc.
After the signing ceremony, Andrey Rudskoy shared a secret: We are currently deciding on the creation of a museum of the history of the Russian Academy of Sciences on 5 University Embankment. And without the Central Archive, it will be difficult for us, because it contains a huge mass of documents that reflect the history of the Russian Academy of Sciences: personal files, letters of outstanding people, academics, travelers. I hope that we will creatively bring this project to life together.
Pyotr Tishchenko said that on June 9, thanks to the help of scientists from the Institute of History, a decree from the founder of St. Petersburg, Peter the Great, on how to build in the Northern capital was discovered in the Central Archive.
“Without a scientific basis, we will not be able to extract more benefit from the treasure that archives store,” the head of the Archives Committee believes. “But the most difficult thing is to capture our history in a world where digital has become a part of life as reliably as our predecessors preserved the memory of the past. Science should help build archives of the future and teach how to work in them using modern tools, so we are joining forces.”
A cooperation agreement was also concluded between the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The signing was attended by the Chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy and the President of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Katenev.
The agreement provides for the development of a strategic partnership for the joint implementation of scientific, applied and innovative projects; assistance in bringing high-tech solutions developed on the basis of the Russian Academy of Sciences to the market; the formation of a sustainable ecosystem of interaction between science, industry, business support institutions and education; support for the export potential of science-intensive products and competencies; the development of mechanisms for certification, independent assessment and promotion of scientific results; joint training and retraining of specialists taking into account modern industrial requirements and technological trends.
The partners hope that the cooperation will contribute to strengthening the interaction between science and business, developing innovative and technological cooperation, popularizing the results of scientific activity and supporting entrepreneurship.
“The Chamber of Commerce and Industry unites all the leading enterprises of St. Petersburg, it is at the forefront of all projects that are being implemented in the industry and economy of our city,” Andrey Rudskoy noted after the signing. “And, of course, this is of utmost importance to us, because I am sure that our science in symbiosis with enterprises, in addition to the fundamental, has great practical significance. Most importantly, we are faced with a colossal task – to achieve technological leadership, and here we must jointly make every effort.”
“Maybe I’ll say it pragmatically, but our task is to monetize the achievements that exist in our big science, so that it doesn’t turn out like in the story of Lefty, who shoed a flea, and that’s where the business ended,” Vladimir Katenyov supported. “We must bring the achievements of science to the people, to our industry, we really value this cooperation and will work with great pleasure.”
The work at the stand ended with the signing of a trilateral cooperation agreement between the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, OOO Expert Analytics Center and Vedomosti Newspaper in the Northwestern Federal District.
The documents were signed by the Chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy, the General Director of the Expert Analytics Center Kristina Muravyova and the Director of the Vedomosti Newspaper in the Northwestern Federal District Alexander Shchelkanov.
The ceremony participants confirmed their desire to improve the quality and depth of scientific and analytical research, expand areas and directions of cooperation, create intra-Russian scientific collaborations, and support joint projects, competitions, and awards.
“For us, the analysis of the activities of academic institutes is very important, this will allow them to find partners from among enterprises, on the basis of which they could realize their interests,” commented Andrey Rudskoy. “The second point is that we are interested in international activities. Here we must be careful, but, on the other hand, expand contacts between organizations. And the third, of course, is the popularization of science.”
“The TechUspekh award is already successfully operating at the federal level, and we would like to hold it in the regions as well,” Aleksandr Shchelkanov supported. “Our format is to popularize technologies, investments, what is interesting to the business audience, but we need to strengthen expertise. That is why we have had the Opinion Leader award for two years now, and I think that an entire nomination will be dedicated to science, and it will be possible to compete in a fair and competitive struggle, because both readers and the expert community vote.”
“In addition to information support, we will be directly involved in scientific and analytical work,” Kristina Muravyova revealed the details of the cooperation. “Working with RAS academicians gives us the opportunity to apply real research in big science in practice and show businesses that innovations can be quickly applied and it is not necessary to wedge in only at the stage when you can make a profit from it, but sometimes it is profitable to stand at the origins of fundamental research in order to be ahead of the rest of the world. And given that technological progress is now moving at a rapid pace, we hope that the combination of academicians’ expertise in fundamental science and experts with deep industry knowledge will allow the academy to participate, among other things, in monitoring the formation of routing maps for project implementation at all stages, including investment and commissioning. In order to understand whether it is worth launching a project or not, such an expert association, in our opinion, will be as comfortable as possible for both business and the state. And here the academy takes on the main role in order to be a guarantor of security.”
Read about other events of SPIEF-2025 in our next publications.
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.
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
Ingenium is an engineer and a genius in one word, and it is also the new name of the Polytechnic pop-symphony orchestra, for which the 2024–2025 creative season was on the rise. On October 15 last year, it was the orchestra under the direction of Dmitry Misiura launched a new original project “Musical break”. In early April, the orchestra became a first-degree laureate of the IV International Arts Prize-Contest “Embodiment of Mastery”. And at the end of the month, the musicians took first place at the festival “Student Spring”— the most significant annual creative competition of student groups from universities in the North-West.
And since February 2024, the orchestra has had a second conductor, Pavel Zhukov, a master’s student. Today, Pavel is already a graduate of the Polytechnic University, but continues to work in the orchestra. What is an orchestra for students, how are concerts and rehearsals held, and what is it like to find yourself at the conductor’s stand, Read in our traditional section “Person”.
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.
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –
On June 19, SPbGASU student Mikhail Pupkov took part in the event as part of a delegation of St. Petersburg students
On this day, there was a trip to the Z. G. Kolobanov Museum “Battle for Leningrad”, where we were able to delve deeper into the history of the defense of the hero city, learn about the exploits of the defenders of Leningrad and the legendary tank battle under the command of Zinovy Kolobanov himself.
The day ended with a ceremonial laying of flowers at the “Polutorka” monument, which depicts a truck – a symbol of the Road of Life, which saved thousands of Leningraders during the blockade years.
Mikhail emphasized: “The trip left a deep mark on my heart. I was especially moved by the story of the feat of Zinoviy Kolobanov and his crew, who destroyed 22 enemy tanks in one battle – a true example of courage and military skill. And laying flowers at the “Polutorka” reminded us of the price paid for the Victory and the salvation of the besieged city. Such moments make us appreciate the peaceful sky above our heads and the memory of those who gave it to us even more. Thank you to the organizers for the opportunity to touch history!”
We thank the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution “Record Youth House” for organizing the trip.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
XI’AN, June 20 — The rhythmic clatter of wheels on rail tracks echoed the fading tinkle of camel bells, heralding a renaissance of the ancient and timeless Silk Road, invigorated by blossoming cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.
With the second China-Central Asia Summit having concluded in Astana, Kazakhstan earlier this week, both sides are seizing fresh opportunities for trade and economic cooperation, vowing to uphold multilateralism, consolidate the multilateral trading system, and deepen cooperation in key areas such as agriculture and energy.
Since the inaugural summit held two years ago in Xi’an, a historic city in northwest China, cooperation between China and Central Asia has drawn these land-linked economies closer to each other, yielding mutually beneficial outcomes across various sectors.
ENHANCED CONNECTIVITY
Xi’an, once a bustling gateway to the Silk Road, is witnessing the revival of this ancient trade route, with a recently launched international tourist train service making exchanges between China and Kazakhstan easier.
As a hallmark achievement of the 2023 summit, this 3,000-kilometer journey connects Xi’an in Shaanxi Province with Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. Traversing snow-capped mountains and vast grasslands, what makes this train route truly special is the opportunities it provides for cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries. Such cultural interactions can, notably, also translate into valuable business opportunities.
During the train’s maiden journey in 2025, Yuan Li, head of a Xi’an-based home furnishings company, immersed herself in Central Asian culture. She drew design inspiration from Kazakh embroidery to enrich her business options, saying that her company would invite artisans from both China and Kazakhstan to co-design a Silk Road-themed home collection.
This train route is one of many vivid examples of enhanced regional connectivity between China and Central Asian countries. In December 2024, the commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan. The railway is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, serving as a strategic link between China and Central Asia.
Once completed, the railway will become a strategic corridor benefiting all the three countries and their peoples, contributing to regional economic and social development and playing a significant role in promoting infrastructure connectivity, economic and trade exchanges, and high-quality development of the Belt and Road.
On a broader scale, cooperation between China and Central Asia is bringing Asia and Europe closer together and at a faster pace, thanks to the China-Europe freight train service. This train service passes through cities like Almaty and Tashkent, transforming them into bustling transit hubs. It now reaches 229 cities in 26 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.
Central Asia serves as a hub connecting China with the Eurasian continent, and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries has promoted connectivity in infrastructure, energy and trade, said Xu Xiaotian, a researcher with Heilongjiang University in northeast China. “Through economic integration, security collaboration and cultural exchanges, China and Central Asian nations are establishing a tighter network of cooperation,” Xu said.
“China’s cooperation with Central Asian countries contributes to mutual development and strengthens ties in science, education, culture and socio-economic fields, which are crucial for the stability, development, well-being and prosperity of the entire region,” said Rashid Yusupov, director of the Center for Belt and Road Studies of Kyrgyz State University.
SHARED PROSPERITY
In March, a shipment of 16,000 apple seedlings from the city of Weinan, Shaanxi Province, entered Tajikistan through the Karasu Port in northwest China’s Xinjiang. This marked the province’s first-ever export of apple saplings to Tajikistan. Historically, Central Asia is one of the regions from which apples migrated to China.
According to Liu Zhanyuan, an official with Xi’an customs, these saplings will be planted in an apple orchard commemorating the friendship between China and Tajikistan. The orchard is a project to implement the outcomes of the 2023 China-Central Asia Summit.
“By sharing advanced apple cultivation techniques and management expertise with Tajikistan, the project will help local farmers improve apple yields and quality,” Liu added.
The apple orchard project exemplifies the deepening ties between China and Central Asia, where cooperation across various sectors is translating into tangible economic benefits.
According to China’s General Administration of Customs, China-Central Asia trade reached 94.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, marking an increase of 5.4 billion year on year. In the first four months of this year, bilateral trade hit 173.05 billion yuan (about 24.13 billion U.S. dollars), a 37.3-percent surge compared to the same period last year.
China and Central Asian countries have not only seen a significant increase in trade value but also expanded their economic cooperation into various sectors — creating a comprehensive and multifaceted mutually beneficial economic relationship, Xu said.
Looking ahead to future cooperation between China and Central Asia, Li Ziguo, an expert with the China Institute of International Studies, said that driven by a new wave of technological revolution, digital economy and e-commerce are emerging as new growth areas for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
Moving forward, a series of big data cooperation projects will provide a more efficient and stable network environment for information exchange and resource sharing between China and Central Asian countries, thereby further unlocking digital dividends in areas such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and e-commerce, Li added.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SHARC International Systems Inc. (CSE: SHRC) (FSE: IWIA) (OTCQB: INTWF) (“SHARC Energy” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its intention to complete a non-brokered private placement of unsecured convertible debentures (each, a “Debenture”) with a principal amount of up to $1,500,000 (the “Offering”).
The Offering will include an up to 15% Over-Allotment which equates to an additional 225 units and $225,000 (“Greenshoe”). If fully exercised, the total proceeds of the Offering will be an aggregate of 1,725 Units and gross proceeds of $1,725,000.
The Debentures will bear interest at a rate of 10.0% per annum and mature on the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance (the “Maturity Date”). The holder will have the option to extend the Maturity Date for a period of 12 months and receive all accrued and unpaid interest in cash or in common shares in the capital of the Company (“Common Shares”) at a price of $0.15 per Common Share (the “Conversion Price”). Additionally, the outstanding principal amount owed under a Debenture may be converted into Common Shares at the Conversion Price at the option of the holder at any time on or prior to the last business day prior to the Maturity Date. The Company may from time to time, in its sole discretion, prepay all or a part of the principal amount and accrued interest without penalty.
The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering for working capital purposes as the Company continues to fulfil the shipment and delivery of SHARC and PIRANHA Wastewater Energy Transfer (“WET”) systems.
The Company may pay a finder’s fee in connection with the Offering to eligible arm’s length finders in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day following the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.
The securities of the Company referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities of the Company may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
About SHARC Energy
SHARC International Systems Inc. is a world leader in energy recovery from the wastewater we send down the drain every day. SHARC Energy’s systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating one of the most energy-efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water production for commercial, residential, and industrial buildings along with thermal energy networks, commonly referred to as “District Energy”.
SHARC Energy is publicly traded in Canada (CSE: SHRC), the United States (OTCQB: INTWF) and Germany (Frankfurt: IWIA) and you can find out more on our SEDAR profile.
Learn more about SHARC Energy: Website | Investor Page | LinkedIn | YouTube | PIRANHA | SHARC
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Fred Andriano
Chairman
The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified using words such as “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “intend”, “should”, and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. SHARC Energy’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information because of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. SHARC Energy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SHARC International Systems Inc. (CSE: SHRC) (FSE: IWIA) (OTCQB: INTWF) (“SHARC Energy” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its intention to complete a non-brokered private placement of unsecured convertible debentures (each, a “Debenture”) with a principal amount of up to $1,500,000 (the “Offering”).
The Offering will include an up to 15% Over-Allotment which equates to an additional 225 units and $225,000 (“Greenshoe”). If fully exercised, the total proceeds of the Offering will be an aggregate of 1,725 Units and gross proceeds of $1,725,000.
The Debentures will bear interest at a rate of 10.0% per annum and mature on the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance (the “Maturity Date”). The holder will have the option to extend the Maturity Date for a period of 12 months and receive all accrued and unpaid interest in cash or in common shares in the capital of the Company (“Common Shares”) at a price of $0.15 per Common Share (the “Conversion Price”). Additionally, the outstanding principal amount owed under a Debenture may be converted into Common Shares at the Conversion Price at the option of the holder at any time on or prior to the last business day prior to the Maturity Date. The Company may from time to time, in its sole discretion, prepay all or a part of the principal amount and accrued interest without penalty.
The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering for working capital purposes as the Company continues to fulfil the shipment and delivery of SHARC and PIRANHA Wastewater Energy Transfer (“WET”) systems.
The Company may pay a finder’s fee in connection with the Offering to eligible arm’s length finders in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day following the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.
The securities of the Company referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities of the Company may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
About SHARC Energy
SHARC International Systems Inc. is a world leader in energy recovery from the wastewater we send down the drain every day. SHARC Energy’s systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating one of the most energy-efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water production for commercial, residential, and industrial buildings along with thermal energy networks, commonly referred to as “District Energy”.
SHARC Energy is publicly traded in Canada (CSE: SHRC), the United States (OTCQB: INTWF) and Germany (Frankfurt: IWIA) and you can find out more on our SEDAR profile.
Learn more about SHARC Energy: Website | Investor Page | LinkedIn | YouTube | PIRANHA | SHARC
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Fred Andriano
Chairman
The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified using words such as “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “intend”, “should”, and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. SHARC Energy’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information because of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. SHARC Energy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
London, United Kingdom, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the global demand for passive income from cryptocurrencies surges, Topnotch Crypto cloud mining platform stands out, building a new channel to crypto assets for users with its core advantages of “zero threshold, low risk, and high transparency”.
Faced with the high threshold of the crypto mining market, for ordinary investors without professional background, how can they quickly and with minimal effort participate in the booming cryptocurrency market? Topnotch Crypto, the world’s leading cloud mining platform, is the ideal choice to solve this problem.
Why is Topnotch Crypto the top choice?
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in the UK, Topnotch Crypto has a large user base around the world. It uses an artificial intelligence automation system to find the most profitable currencies and unique mining algorithms, effectively reducing technical and financial barriers. It uses green energy to maximize profits while protecting the environment. Users do not need to have expensive mining hardware and special skills, and can participate in cryptocurrency mining and easily obtain passive income through mobile phones or computers.
What makes Topnotch Crypto unique
▶ Zero technical threshold, suitable for everyone
Users do not need to buy mining machines or understand blockchain technology. They can access the cloud mining system in just a few simple steps to achieve passive income in the true sense.
▶ Global computing power scheduling, higher mining efficiency
Topnotch Crypto is deployed in top mining farms in many countries around the world, integrating multi-currency computing power such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, etc., and dynamically allocates mining machine resources through intelligent algorithms, so that every investment can obtain the maximum mining efficiency.
▶ Stable income, real traceability
The platform settles income daily, automatically distributes it, and provides a transparent income data query system. A large amount of user evidence shows that the average monthly income of participants is much higher than the market average, and long-term users even achieve a seven-digit income breakthrough.
▶ Authoritative security certification, asset guarantee
Topnotch Crypto has passed ISO 27001 security certification, and cooperates with many global security institutions such as CertiK and Quantstamp to conduct system audits. User assets use a cold and hot wallet separation mechanism to prevent asset leakage and illegal operations.
▶ Global service support, worry-free experience
Provide 24-hour multilingual customer service support, no matter which country or region you are from, you can get professional and timely help.
Simple steps to start cloud mining with Topnotch Crypto
1. Register a platform account and you will receive $15, and you will receive a $0.6 reward for daily sign-in
2. Rich contract options, choose the contract that suits you according to your needs
Classic contract: suitable for novices to try, short cycle, experience the complete process.
Steady contract: balance income and cycle, suitable for users who want stable accumulation.
Advanced contract: suitable for long-term coin holders, get higher computing power configuration and better income.
Click here to view complete contract details
3. Multiple support
BTC, DOGE, ETH, USDC, USDT, BCH, XRP, SOL, BNB and other popular currencies can be freely converted, extracted or invested.
The mining method of Topnotch Crypto is simple and direct. Users can easily start mining with a computer or mobile phone.
Conclusion:
In 2025, the crypto market is constantly reconstructing its underlying logic. It is no longer just an “investment paradise” for a few people, but has become a digital asset ecosystem that ordinary people can easily participate in. Join Topnotch Crypto to participate in this global digital asset revolution with minimal effort, grasp the trend, avoid bubbles, and easily enjoy the dividends of cryptocurrency mining.
Take action now and start your “crypto asset sideline” in the right way!
More information:
Official website: https://topnotchcrypto.com
APP download: https://topnotchcrypto.com/xml/index.html#/app
Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release does not constitute an investment invitation, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice or trading advice. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and there is a possibility of financial loss. It is strongly recommended that you conduct due diligence before investing or trading in cryptocurrencies and securities, including consulting a professional financial advisor.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Steering Committee Meeting of Regional Trial Monitoring Project Shows Unified Commitment to Justice Reform in Kosovo
Steering Committee Meeting of Regional Trial Monitoring Project Shows Unified Commitment to Justice Reform in Kosovo | OSCE
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Source: City of Portsmouth
Portsmouth residents are being asked if they want their city to be part of the Government’s plans to reorganise local councils.
Portsmouth City Council has today launched a short survey to give local people a voice in central plans for a major shake-up of how local services are delivered. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete, and is only open until Sunday 29 June at midnight, because of the need to gather views at pace.
Under its plans for Local Government Reorganisation, central Government is looking to replace existing councils with new bigger councils, covering areas of around 500,000 people.
This would see Portsmouth City Council replaced by a new authority looking after a larger area.
Portsmouth City Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt said:
“Our priority is to get the best possible outcome for people and communities in Portsmouth.
“We’ve said from the beginning that Portsmouth should be left out of the Local Government Reorganisation plans, because we already have one council which is financially stable. However, we are being forced to present to government plans to reorganise, so it’s really important we hear from Portsmouth people, before any options are submitted.
“We’re working with other councils in the region and there will be some countywide engagement in the coming weeks. Ahead of that we need to gather local views at pace, which is why we need to complete this survey in a short time. It takes less than five minutes to complete and I strongly urge as many people as possible to take part so we can ensure local opinion is represented.”
Government has said, because Portsmouth’s population is around 208,000, Portsmouth City Council will have to take part and merge with other councils. Portsmouth is working with other councils in Hampshire and the Solent to prepare region-wide options.
The survey asks residents if they think Portsmouth should be included in local government reorganisation, and if it were forced to by the Government which councils it should consider merging with.
