World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to make the world more equitable and safer from future pandemics
Agreement’s adoption follows three years of intensive negotiation launched due to gaps and inequities identified in national and global COVID-19 response.
Agreement boosts global collaboration to ensure stronger, more equitable response to future pandemics.
Next steps include negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing system.
Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) today formally adopted by consensus the world’s first Pandemic Agreement. The landmark decision by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and driven by the goal of making the world safer from – and more equitable in response to – future pandemics.
Related documents
A78/10 Add.1, Outcome of informal consultations of Member States, Draft resolution on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
World Health Assembly commits to historic 20% increase in Assessed Contributions (membership fees), approves WHO’s Base Programme Budget for 2026–2027 of US $4.2 billion
Delegates at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78) approved the base programme budget of US$ 4.2 billion for 2026–2027, the first to be fully developed based on the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, 2025–2028 (GPW 14), the global health strategy for the next four years. GPW 14 prioritizes advancing health equity and strengthening health systems resilience.
The budget presented to WHA78 committee A was decreased from the initial US$ 5.3 billion presented to the executive board in February given the challenging financial context. While decreasing some regional budgets and headquarters budgets, Member States agreed to try to preserve country level budgets to the extent possible. The budget will allocate resources to enhance technical cooperation, foster partnerships and support the achievement of national and global health targets. The proposed programme budget 2026–2027 also reaffirms the indispensable role of multilateralism in addressing today’s complex and interconnected health challenges.
Member States also approved the gradual second 20% increase of the assessed contributions (AC), or membership fees which had been previously adopted by the Member State Working Group on sustainable financing. This ensures that WHO funding is not only predictable, but also resilient and flexible, which is critical given the rapidly changing financial landscape.
Member States also had the opportunity to review the implementation of governance reform. In a time of geopolitical tension and rising inequalities, WHO remains a vital platform for cooperation, solidarity and coordination in global health
World leaders pledged significant contributions to the WHO Investment Round at a high-level pledging event Tuesday evening, another key step in WHO’s journey to sustainable financing.
A78/39, Governance reform, Process of handling and investigating potential allegations against WHO Directors-General
High Level Segment and Director-General Awards
During the high-level segment, delegates heard from H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union; H.E. Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; and H.E. Liu Guozhong, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China. Video statements were made by a number of world leaders across the globe.
Egyptian opera singer Farrah El-Dibany and Soprano singers Elaine Vidal and Eunice Miller of the Philippines performed at the Health Assembly on Tuesday morning.
The Director-General also presented Global Health Leader’s awards to Professor Sir Brian Greenwood and Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck for their pivotal work in malaria control and beyond.
The Assembly started on Monday 19 May 2025 under the theme “One World for Health”.
The election of officials took place on Monday morning. Dr Teodoro Herbosa of the Philippines became the President of the Health Assembly. The elected Vice-Presidents are Dr Jalila bint Al Sayyed Jawad Hassan of Bahrain, Dr Sayedur Rahman of Bangladesh, Mr Jaime Hernán Urrego Rodríguez of Colombia, Dr Judit Bidlo of Hungary and Dr Louise Mapleh Kpoto Liberia.
H.E. Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, addressed the Health Assembly on behalf of the host country.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, WHO Director-General, delivered his report to the Assembly.
As part of city-wide funding to transform Manchester’s green spaces, Wythenshawe Park has undergone development for park-goers.
The Clean, Green Safer Manchester Investment, which is worth £157,000, has been put towards the work taking place in the popular park and surrounding areas to make it more accessible for families with pushchairs, wheelchair users and cyclists.
The south Manchester park has had potholes repaired on two pathways off the main entrances and the pathway to the tennis courts will also undergo resurfacing.
With Manchester holding the proud title of the European Capital of Cycling, the national cycling route which runs through Wythenshawe Park will now be able to welcome thousands of avid cyclists who pedal through the area each year on safer surfaces.
Manchester City Council understands the power of movement and its ability to encourage communities to come together and prioritise active lifestyles to truly thrive. And so, the Wythenshawe Park Cycle Hub will also benefit from the investment, ensuring cycle-lovers have somewhere to meet and connect to before setting off on their journeys or taking a stop to recharge.
For park-goers, after a long day of activity, there is an option to take a rest stop on one of the many benches installed through the park and around the surrounding areas.
By the spring, there will be a total of 7 Age Friendly Benches in total placed in Wythenshawe Park to Northenden giving older commuters in particular a chance to enjoy the scenery or enjoy some lunch while recharging.
Park visitors using public transport can also expect to see sixteen new benches in total near Wythenshawe Park tram and bus stops on the way to Wythenshawe Park as they embark on their journeys.
As well as near to Wythenshawe Tram stop to the park and Moor Rd tram stop to the Altringham Rd retail park.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods, said: “It’s terrific to see the long-term investment into Wythenshawe Park and surrounding areas as part of our commitment to make spaces in Manchester cleaner and greener.
“We want to ensure all visitors to the park, whether in a wheelchair or on a bike, are made to feel welcome and safe as they enjoy our green spaces.
“From the national cycling route to new benches near your local tram stop, there is something for everyone through this newest investment.”
Further information about the investment into Wythenshawe park, can be found out through Cllr Lee-Ann Igbon who has given her insight into the project.
NARCO and Park Cycling Group said: “Nacro Outdoor Learning/Wythenshawe Nacro Community Cycling Hub (WyNCCH) are pleased to see the resurfacing works around Wythenshawe Park. This includes the paths, roads and trails.
“The resurfacing work that has recently been completed has made a huge difference for all our participants that access our provision. This includes our school groups as some have mobility difficulties, our cyclist at (WyNCCH) who recently became Manchester Sport Club of the year. One of our recent cyclist club hub members commented on the recent improvements around the park.
“This is a brilliant improvement and investment” Nacro Outdoor Learning/WyNCCH would like to thank Manchester City Council for the recent work that has been completed. Nacro WyNCCH has several events for 2025 for walking/cycling. This investment at Wythenshawe Park improves operating activities safely for all, including accessibility for the wider community and the general park users.”
A Transport for Greater Manchester Active Travel spokesperson said: “It’s the perfect space to teach people to ride as it is built for that purpose, the surface improvements have made a great difference. The number of attendees at our sessions shows that it is meeting a local need and is supporting those who want to cycle more for leisure or function journeys to do so.”
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, May 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will attend the signing ceremony of the Convention Establishing the International Mediation Organization (IMO) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on May 30, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday.
As Mao Ning recalled at a regular briefing for journalists, in 2022, China and about 20 countries with similar positions jointly put forward the initiative to establish an IGO. Thanks to their joint efforts, negotiations on the Convention Establishing the IGO were completed, and all parties agreed to locate its headquarters in Hong Kong.
The official representative announced that nearly 60 countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, as well as about 20 international organizations, including the UN, will send high-ranking representatives to the signing ceremony on May 30. The Global Forum on International Mediation will be held in the afternoon of the same day to discuss “mediation of interstate disputes” and “mediation of international investment and commercial disputes.”
According to Mao Ning, the establishment of the IGO is a response to the common need of all countries for peace, stability and development, and is in line with the modern trend of cooperation for mutual benefit. The new organization will combine the advantages of all major legal systems and promote the development of global governance in the area of the rule of law in a more just and reasonable manner.
“We invite more countries to actively support the establishment of the IGO and participate in it, and coordinate the activities of the IGO with the existing international dispute settlement mechanisms to mutually enhance effectiveness, so as to jointly provide more opportunities and ways for resolving international disputes through effective and peaceful means, and better safeguard international fairness and justice,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
LONDON, May 20 (Xinhua) — Britain has suspended talks with Israel on a free trade agreement over Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Tuesday, adding that Israel’s ambassador to Britain has been summoned to the ministry.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the lower house of the British parliament, David Lammy stressed that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is “morally wrong, unjustifiable and must end.”
The diplomat noted that, in his opinion, all parliamentarians “must strongly condemn the Israeli government for depriving hungry children of food.” –0–
BOSTON – A Georgia woman was sentenced on May 14, 2025 in federal court in Boston for her role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that trafficked narcotics from Mexico into the United States.
Brooke Logan Paniagua, 28, of Dalton, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to 10 years in prison, to be followed by 48 months of supervised release. In January 2025, Paniagua pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
On Sept. 25, 2022, the DTO informed a confidential source that a female courier would be transporting 12 pounds of methamphetamine from Georgia to Massachusetts. On Sept. 27, 2022, Paniagua called the confidential source to coordinate the time and location to meet to complete the sale of the methamphetamine. Paniagua informed the confidential source that the methamphetamine was hidden inside a 50-pound bag of dog food.
On Sept. 27, 2022, Paniagua arrived at the agreed-upon location and notified the confidential source that she had arrived at the location. During a search of her person, a .22 caliber Ruger handgun loaded with eight rounds of ammunition was located in Paniagua’s back pocket. A search of Paniagua’s vehicle resulted in the recovery of a large, partially opened bag of dog food that contained five plastic containers filled with 12.3 pounds of 97% pure methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police, and the Natick, Newton and Waltham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
WASHINGTON, DC — This week, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a letter to President Donald Trump expressing concern about the Administration’s tariff policy and its harmful impact on U.S. national security.
The leading national security Senators warned that tariffs announced this year will cost American households thousands of dollars, increase inflation and undermine longstanding U.S. alliances and partnerships—ultimately harming U.S. national security interests. They urged President Trump to reassess the long-term national security consequences of a trade policy that isolates the U.S. from its closest partners.
“We are writing to express our deep concern over your Administration’s tariff policy and its harmful impact on U.S. national security,” wrote the Senators. “The tariffs announced this year will raise trade barriers to their highest level in more than a century, costing the average American household $4,900 per year, increasing inflation to as high as 5.5 percent and risking bankruptcy for small businesses across the country.”
“Global stock markets have experienced wild fluctuations and companies have paused shipments to the United States, laid off workers and delayed new investments and expansion due to the uncertainty these tariffs have caused,” continued the Senators. “Yet this decision has an additional consequence: it undermines longstanding U.S. alliances and partnerships and harms our national security interests. We urge you to assess the long-term national security implications of your short-sighted, impulsive tariff agenda.”
“As the Senate considers the Administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request, we will hold a number of hearings,” concluded the Senators. “We expect Administration officials to speak to the impact of U.S. tariff actions on our alliances and partnerships as part of that process. If your tariff tirade continues to spiral, ‘America First’ may result in ‘America Alone,’ leaving our citizens less safe and our Nation less strong and less prosperous.”
Full text of the letter follows:
Dear President Trump,
We are writing to express our deep concern over your Administration’s tariff policy and its harmful impact on U.S. national security. The tariffs announced this year will raise trade barriers to their highest level in more than a century, costing the average American household $4,900 per year, increasing inflation to as high as 5.5 percent and risking bankruptcy for small businesses across the country. Global stock markets have experienced wild fluctuations and companies have paused shipments to the United States, laid off workers and delayed new investments and expansion due to the uncertainty these tariffs have caused. Yet this decision has an additional consequence: it undermines longstanding U.S. alliances and partnerships and harms our national security interests. We urge you to assess the long-term national security implications of your short-sighted, impulsive tariff agenda.
The April 2nd Executive Order has been deeply felt by partners and allies across the world. All NATO allies have been affected, in addition to Indo-Pacific partners whom the United States relies upon to deliver the “free and open Indo-Pacific” that Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio has continued to call for. However, the rationale for these tariffs remains unclear to both Americans and our allies. While the April 9th announcement to pause some tariffs and apparent willingness to negotiate was a positive step, it remains unclear what goals this negotiation is meant to achieve and thus what actions countries should be prepared to take. In addition, the ten percent universal tariff appears likely to remain in place, weakening relationships with our allies and partners.
Some of our allies, arguably our most critical allies who have stood by us in our most challenging times, have announced economic counter measures against the United States. European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen has said the European Union is readying its “first package of countermeasures,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has noted “we are going to fight these tariffs” after having warned that Canada’s “trade and security relations are too reliant on the United States. We must diversify.” We are also concerned that US-EU negotiations show no sign of progress, with reports that the Trump Administration refuses to engage in good faith with America’s largest trading partner.
At the same time as the Administration is imposing new tariffs, we are also urging our European and Indo-Pacific partners to increase defense spending. The Administration has called on NATO allies to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product and Taiwan to increase their defense spending to 10 percent; only to turn around and undermine such an effort by threatening a trade war that stifles economic growth and raises costs. We are already seeing reports that partners will have to diversify away from U.S. parts in weapons production and procurement and critical security partnerships, like AUKUS, could end up too expensive to pursue.
The tariffs are also likely in conflict with our U.S. treaty commitments. For instance, the tariffs imposed on NATO members could be a violation of Article II of the North Atlantic Treaty, which calls on all NATO partners to “eliminate conflict in their international economic policies,” and “encourage economic collaboration.” The same language exists in our mutual defense treaty with Japan. The Administration must explain to how the tariff announcements are in accordance with U.S. treaty commitments.
Our networks of allies and partners are our greatest competitive advantage. We must work to foster greater unity and resolve to address the most pressing national security challenges together. Your administration’s policy approach is undermining such efforts. Strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will be far harder to win alone. As we learned in 2022, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we can impose significant economic pain when the United States, the European Union, and our Indo-Pacific partners act in unison. We are stronger together. And launching a trade war against our allies and partners undermines that strength. We urge you to rethink this harmful policy.
As the Senate considers the Administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request, we will hold a number of hearings. We expect Administration officials to speak to the impact of U.S. tariff actions on our alliances and partnerships as part of that process. If your tariff tirade continues to spiral, “America First” may result in “America Alone,” leaving our citizens less safe and our Nation less strong and less prosperous.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Coons (D-Del.), senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mike Lee (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the International Nuclear Energy Act. This legislation aims to support the U.S. domestic nuclear energy industry’s leadership and offset China and Russia’s growing influence on international nuclear energy development.
“If the U.S. doesn’t lead on nuclear energy development, Russia and China will,” said Risch. “This bill will give us the tools we need to compete with these authoritarian aggressors and build long-lasting nuclear energy deals that benefit our economy and ensure America remains the leader on nuclear energy for generations to come.”
“With the International Nuclear Energy Act, we’re not asking for a seat at the table—we’re setting the agenda on global nuclear development,” said Lee.“Achieving American energy dominance will require us to streamline our nuclear exports, foster our relationships abroad, and bring the full weight of American industry to bear in out-competing our geopolitical adversaries. I’m grateful to partner with Senator Risch to ensure that America remains at the forefront of nuclear power for decades to come.”
The International Nuclear Energy Act would:
Support the establishment of an office to coordinate civil nuclear exports strategy; establish financing relationships; promote regulatory harmonization; enhance safeguards and security; promote standardization of licensing framework; and create a nuclear exports working group.
Create programs to facilitate international nuclear energy cooperation to develop financing relationships, training, education, market analysis, safety, security, safeguards and nuclear governance required for a civil nuclear program.
Require a cabinet-level biennial summit focused on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards, and to enhance cooperative relationships between private industry and government.
Establish a Strategic Infrastructure Fund Working Group to determine how to best structure a Fund to finance projects critical to national security.
The International Nuclear Energy Act is supported by the Idaho National Lab, Nuclear Energy Institute, and Clearpath Action.
“I commend Senator Risch for his continued leadership and attention to advancing U.S. nuclear energy policy on the global stage. Securing American leadership in global nuclear deployment is essential to national security, meeting international energy demand, and ensuring that safe, reliable technologies define the global standard,” said John Wagner, Director of Idaho National Laboratory.
“From Europe and the Asia-Pacific, from the Americas to the Middle East and Africa, countries are turning to nuclear energy to meet growing energy demands with reliable, secure, abundant, affordable, and clean sources. Now more than ever, U.S. nuclear energy leadership is needed. The International Nuclear Energy Act includes important provisions that will facilitate the deployment of U.S. nuclear energy technologies to partner nations, generating American jobs and extending U.S. influence in nuclear safety, nonproliferation, and security. We commend Senators Risch, Coons, Lee, and Heinrich for advancing legislation that will help maintain U.S. global leadership in commercial nuclear technology,” said Maria Korsnick, President and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute.
“Investing in our domestic nuclear energy supply chain and fostering export opportunities abroad will increase the energy security of our allies and create jobs here in America. While the United States remains the foremost nuclear power in the world, from our power plants to our nuclear navy, developing countries have more recently looked to Russia and China for their new nuclear needs. INEA wisely puts new tools in America’s energy tool belt to support domestic technologies racing to the global marketplace to compete,” said Jeremy Harrell, CEO of ClearPath Action.
Idaho is home to the Idaho National Lab (INL), which is the flagship laboratory for civil nuclear research energy and the first place in the world to generate electricity with a nuclear reactor. INL is driving significant progress in new nuclear research by collaborating with industry to demonstrate advanced technologies like small modular reactors, microreactors, and safer, more efficient nuclear fuels. These efforts, made possible through public-private partnerships at INL, will contribute to the nation’s energy independence and strengthen U.S. leadership in civil nuclear energy around the world.
Senator Risch has long advocated for domestic nuclear energy production and the commercialization of advanced nuclear technologies. In a recent Washington Times editorial, Senator Risch underscored the critical role of nuclear energy in powering America’s current and future energy needs.
Company announcement no. 29 / 2025 Schindellegi, Switzerland – 20 May 2025
Reporting of transactions made by persons discharging managerial responsibilities
Pursuant to the Market Abuse Regulation Article 19, Trifork Group AG (Swiss company registration number CHE-474.101.854) (“Trifork”) hereby notifies receipt of information of the following transactions made by persons discharging managerial responsibilities in Trifork or by persons associated with them.
1.
Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities/person closely associated
a)
Name
Ferd AS
2.
Reason for the notification
a)
Position/status
Ferd AS is represented on the Board of Directors of Trifork Group AG by Erik Theodor Jakobsen
b)
Initial notification/ Amendment
Initial notification
3.
Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
a)
Name
Trifork Group AG
b)
LEI
8945004BYZKXPESTBL36
4.1
Details of the transaction(s)
a)
Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
Shares
ISIN CH1111227810
b)
Nature of the transaction
Acquisition
c)
Price(s) and volume(s)
Price(s)
Volume(s)
DKK 90.00
160,000
d)
Aggregated information — Aggregated volume — Price
Total volume: 160,000
Total price: DKK 90.00
Total value: DKK 14,400,000
e)
Date of the transaction
20 May 2025
f)
Place of the transaction
Nasdaq Copenhagen (XCSE)
1.
Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities/person closely associated
a)
Name
Jørn Larsen
2.
Reason for the notification
a)
Position/status
CEO
b)
Initial notification/ Amendment
Initial notification
3.
Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
a)
Name
Trifork Group AG
b)
LEI
8945004BYZKXPESTBL36
4.1
Details of the transaction(s)
a)
Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
Shares
ISIN CH1111227810
b)
Nature of the transaction
Sale
c)
Price(s) and volume(s)
Price(s)
Volume(s)
DKK 90.00
160,000
d)
Aggregated information — Aggregated volume — Price
Total volume: 160,000
Total price: DKK 90.00
Total value: DKK 14,400,000
e)
Date of the transaction
20 May 2025
f)
Place of the transaction
Nasdaq Copenhagen (XCSE)
Investor and media contact Frederik Svanholm, Group Investment Director, frsv@trifork.com, +41 79 357 73 17
About Trifork Trifork is a pioneering and global technology partner, empowering enterprise and public sector customers with innovative digital solutions. With 1,215 professionals across 71 business units in 16 countries, Trifork specializes in designing, building, and operating advanced software across sectors such as public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, energy, financial services, retail, and real estate. The Group’s R&D arm, Trifork Labs, drives innovation by investing in and developing synergistic, high-potential technology companies. Trifork Group AG is publicly listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Learn more at trifork.com.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Robert Dover, Professor of Intelligence and National Security & Dean of Faculty, University of Hull
Denmark’s foreign affairs minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen sounded surprised and emotional as he addressed a press conference on May 7. He announced he would call in the acting head of the US embassy in Copenhagen, Jennifer Hall Godfrey, over highly charged allegations that Washington has instructed its intelligence agencies to step up espionage on Greenland and Copenhagen.
According to the Wall Street Journal, US intelligence operatives have been asked to collect information on Greenland’s politicians, independence activists and mining interests that could be leveraged in a potential purchase or coerced transfer of Greenland to the US.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous Danish territory that Donald Trump has stated he would like to become part of the US. The US State Department has refused to comment on the allegations and the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, said she was opening an investigation into leaks of classified information.
This looks like a large powerful nation doing all it can to undermine an ally and fellow member of Nato, which is why the Danes are so affronted.
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The real surprise of the story is that it became so public. But this drama comes at a time of increasingly frosty relations between Denmark and the US, made worse by a visit by US vice-president, J.D. Vance, that didn’t go through diplomatic channels. Even before this, Danish supermarkets were marking US products so consumers could boycott them.
In another case with some parallels to the Greenland spy saga with one ally spying on another, there has been reports of a newly uncovered Hungarian spy ring in Ukraine, collecting military data for Russia. Hungary said the reports were propaganda.
Hungary is, in theory, aligned with Ukraine as a member of the EU and Nato. However, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has expressed sympathy for Russian agendas and has the closest relationship with Moscow of any current EU leader. Orbán has even repeatedly attempted to block EU aid to Ukraine.
The alleged discovery of a Hungarian spy network may ramp up the creeping distrust of Hungary by other EU members and the sense of it becoming even more closely aligned with Russia.
There has even been a recently reported example of spying going on among countries that are loosely considered allies. North Korean spies were recently caught spying on China, for example.
The Greenland and Hungary episodes, particularly, shed light on how the world order is being remade. We are in the middle of this shift, with technology-enabled intelligence playing a significant part. These episodes demonstrate that governments who thought they were allies are quickly discovering they could be adversaries.
The US’s reported efforts at spying on Greenland and Denmark is a window into intelligence business.
Intelligence efforts against allies are generally only curtailed when they become subject to a public scandal. Intelligence historian Richard Aldrich described this as “regulation by revelation”. The inquiries into these operations normally result in a light censure from politicians or judges, pledges not to repeat the offences and subsequent changes to processes.
Denmark claims the US has been spying on Greenland.
What will happen in the Greenland case is as yet unclear, particularly when the Trump administration has shown itself to be particularly immune from public, media and political challenge. The most effective challenge to hostile activity against Greenland could be any ramifications for international stock market sentiment, but even that is not guaranteed.
The reliance of the US constitution and international law on participants behaving appropriately now looks strained under the Trump administration. The lack of restraint on US power may cause nations to rely more heavily on their own intelligence capabilities.
Intelligence could, as a policy area, begin to mirror that of tariffs and trade as a way that the US can create further uncertainty among other nations about its foreign policy objectives.
But another factor in contemporary intelligence is that nations can now spy on each other much more easily. Technical capabilities are getting cheaper and easier to use.
For instance, communications intercepts, satellite imagery and open source data-analysis spying methods are cheaper than ever before. These approaches offer more insight, because of the development of machine analytics and the ready availability of computing power and data storage.
So, allies will continue to spy on allies because they are able to. That ability drives a demand, even in peace time, to know what other national leaders, and their public, are thinking and doing.
Nations will also aggressively spy at the moment because the world is particularly unstable, and on the edge of conflict in many regions. Understanding where conflicts might erupt, why and with what force and consequence is essential to any nation’s defence posture.
Nations only know what equipment to buy, what resources to stockpile and how many people to employ in their militaries with this insight. Intelligence is as much about avoiding surprise as it is creating the circumstances to surprise others. In this sense, intelligence is just another tool of statecraft.
Most nations have spied on their allies for as long as they have been able. During the cold war the US purchased the Swiss encrypted communications company Crypto AG and sold hundreds of secure communications devices with weakened security, which allowed it to listen in on the countries that were using it and gain intelligence
This type of operation was the forerunner of the widespread intelligence practices of the US National Security Agency, which is in charge of collecting information for counter intelligence purposes, in recent years.
For Denmark, the challenges of working with its allies through Nato, while defending Greenland, are increasingly complex. Meanwhile, the EU will also be concerned about what Hungary is sharing with its other “friends”. International allies and alliances are increasingly untrustworthy as part of 2025 tectonic shifts in global geopolitics. The recent revelations are just part of that moving picture.
Robert Dover has previously received funding from the AHRC around the subject of lessons learned from intelligence operations.
Unfortunately, our new report highlights a workforce crisis that raises serious questions about the future of the UK screen industry. And Donald Trump’s recent threat to impose tariffs on non-US films adds to the grim situation, throwing the industry’s vulnerability into stark relief.
We carried out extensive interviews with 29 participants from across the sector who painted a bleak picture of overwork, financial instability, discrimination and barriers to career progression.
Charities supporting the sector have already noted that the industry has a longstanding retention problem – the so-called “leaky pipeline”. But our report highlights that economic volatility in the UK and elsewhere is worsening financial and working conditions so much that the film and television industry risks a debilitating loss of its most valuable resource: freelancers.
This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.
Long gaps between jobs are widening, and even experienced freelancers with long careers are struggling to make ends meet. Currently there is no publicly available data on numbers entering and leaving the industry, but companies have reported worsening skills shortages, not due to poor recruitment, but because people are leaving in response to worsening conditions.
As many as two thirds of screen freelancers are considering leaving the industry within the next five years. Since just under 50% of the film production workforce is freelance, such a large-scale exodus would seriously damage our domestic screen industry.
That industry contributes £13.48 billion to the UK economy, and its talent on-screen and behind the cameras is world-renowned, so why is this crisis happening at all?
Boom and bust
The key change has been a reduction in domestic investment by UK-based public service broadcasters in tandem with increased investment from US-based studios and streamers.
While a recent boom in international investment led to a rapid expansion in UK film and TV infrastructure and a corresponding acute shortage of workers, it also inflated the costs of production, which has proved unaffordable to traditional domestic commissioners. Without consistent local productions, the UK market is exposed to international disruptions like never before.
Since the deregulation of the TV sector in the 1990s, the UK’s screen industry has relied on a high proportion of freelance workers. This model provided flexibility in a thriving domestic industry boasting some of the world’s most skilled talent and specialist infrastructure to match.
A shift in the 2000s towards international workflows in production and post-production fuelled by competitive tax incentives transformed the UK film and TV industry into a global operation. Coupled with healthy domestic competition, the UK’s film and TV industry soared.
But more recently, this globalised business model has been tested by an extended period of economic volatility that has left experienced talent out of work.
First came the COVID lockdowns. Then a post-pandemic boom as companies moved to refill their schedules, took UK film and TV production to a record high in 2021.
High inflation – partly caused by the influx of international money – led many domestic companies to slash their commissioning budgets. By the middle of 2024, plans to build new studios in the UK were being put on hold and more than half the workforce were still unemployed.
As one worker told us: “I’ve got friends who’ve been out of work for a year … they’re having to sell their houses and these are experienced, serious producers.” Another contributor told us how: “So many people I know at the moment are looking elsewhere for work completely outside of the industry.”
And another interviewee said: “There have been some unfortunate casualties along the way, some people simply haven’t had the income or the interest to sustain a living and and they’ve got to do what comes first, which is earn a wage that lets them survive.”
Until recently, a healthy domestic broadcasting industry helped provide consistent work opportunities for freelancers. But at the same time as production costs have risen, broadcasters’ revenue from advertising – and for the BBC, from the licence fee – has fallen.
The effect has been a precipitous 22% drop in domestic high-end television commissions in 2024, alongside a 50% decrease in international co-productions. UK broadcasters no longer have the financial capacity to plug the gap in the periods when international investors cut back.
In effect, the domestic industry has become dominated by, and heavily reliant on, a handful of international players led by unpredictable economic interests and global market fluctuations. It’s no coincidence that the two most notable recent British success stories, Adolescence and Baby Reindeer, are produced by Netflix, which has the financial resources British broadcasters lack.
And despite the presence of the streamers, inflated costs are making it harder for producers to make programmes with British subject matter. Patrick Spence, the executive producer of the hugely successful Mr Bates vs. the Post Office, has said he wouldn’t even try to make the show today.
To make matters worse, productions funded by international finance (that might have been funded by UK broadcasters in the past) bring little subscription or licensing profits back to the domestic industry.
As our research shows, this constellation of issues means freelancers face extreme financial insecurity like never before, alongside increasingly poor working practices as production companies try to cut costs and, in some cases, promote too early where experienced staff are missing. It is little wonder that so many are considering leaving the sector.
If significant numbers do leave the sector, there will no longer be a supply of skilled workers to meet the demands of an uptick in productions – and the US firms will go elsewhere, leaving only a depleted domestic industry in financial crisis.
Netflix has already made a thinly veiled threat to seek out more competitive territories in the event of a levy on streamers. We could expect a similar decision if they find that the skilled talent they count on in the UK is no longer available.
The next bust may already be in sight thanks to President Trump’s proposed tariffs on “foreign-made” films. Though such a levy would be difficult to implement and would cause as much harm to the US industry as it would its global partners, it’s not hard to imagine it having a chilling effect on commissioning in the UK.
So what can be done? The introduction of a new programme of tax breaks for productions made in the UK, initiated by the Conservatives and ratified by the Labour government, has been rightly celebrated. However, industry experts predict these will not solve the financial sustainability of a homegrown industry.
MPs have called on the government to go further in its support for the UK independent film and high-end television sectors, to provide a counterbalance to the fluctuations in investment in big budget fare, and to appoint a freelance commissioner to protect workers rights.
We wait to hear whether the government will take up its recommendations, and bring us closer to other countries, such as France, that have protected their domestic workforce by negotiating specific investment agreements with the major US streamers.
In our report, we argue that a minister for self-employed and precarious workers working across government departments is the only way to ensure that the appropriate measures can be achieved to address the challenges freelancers now face.
Better data on freelancer movements will help policy makers and industry to understand the effects of changes to the domestic industry, to help better secure that workforce for future growth as part of the government’s Invest 2035 growth plans.
We also recommend better data for freelancers themselves: a central source of information on taxation, employment rights, training, funding and the other resources they need to thrive in this challenging landscape.
These are only the first steps to lessen the immediate risk of losing a substantial section of the skilled workforce that is the engine of the UK industry, preparing the ground for the much larger structural shifts that are needed. Participants in our research at different stages of their career repeatedly insisted that the industry needs root and branch care to overcome the extreme cycles of feast and famine.
Protecting the cultural value of the UK’s screen industry goes far beyond making economic sense. The sector forms a major part of the country’s diverse national identity and projects a global image that is literally priceless.
Andrew Philip receives funding for his screen industries research from the Arts & Humanities Research Council through the University of Reading’s Impact Acceleration Account programme.
Lisa Purse receives funding for her screen industries research from the Arts & Humanities Research Council through the University of Reading’s Impact Acceleration Account programme.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Megan Bradley, Full Professor, Political Science and International Development Studies, McGill University
The international humanitarian system is in freefall. Following the dramatic funding cuts initiated by Donald Trump’s administration in the United States, deliveries of essential food, medicines and clean water to those in need have halted and stockpiles are dwindling. Aid agencies are scrambling to figure out how to do less with less, even as global needs are mounting.
Those displaced inside their own countries, as a result of conflict or natural disaster, have been particularly hard hit by this upheaval.
Internally displaced persons already fall through the cracks of the humanitarian system, despite dramatically outnumbering those who cross borders as refugees.
Worldwide, there are an estimated 43.7 million refugees, compared to 83.4 million internally displaced people. Yet media coverage still focuses on those fleeing their country as refugees, while internally displaced people remain less visible and beholden to national governments that have the primary responsibility to assist them.
Some governments, such as Ukraine’s, work hard to meet this challenge but need outside support. In countries like Myanmar and Afghanistan, governments are complicit in displacing their own citizens, necessitating stronger international leadership.
The UN’s central role
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established to protect and assist refugees. But from as early as the 1970s — as a result of calls from the UN General Assembly to address displacement crises — it has also become a leading entity in the international response to internally displaced persons.
The danger today is not that the UNHCR and other humanitarian leaders will treat internally displaced people as unimportant or undeserving of help. Instead, ground could be lost through a return to the UNHCR’s traditional, narrow refugee mandate. Responsibility for internally displaced persons could be shirked as many UN agencies are also under stress.
This will further increase the marginalization of internally displaced people and expose them to heightened levels of insecurity, poverty and disease.
The UNHCR is far from the only international organization involved with internally displaced persons. The International Organization for Migration is another important player, particularly in natural disasters, and other agencies, including the UN Development Programme, support longer-term development solutions.
Yet the UNHCR is the core protection agency for those who are forcibly displaced and its leadership is critical to ensuring a comprehensive response to both refugees and those displaced within their own country’s borders.
Difficult choices
In the face of a 30 per cent reduction in operating expenses in its headquarters and regional bureaus, the UNHCR faces some agonizing choices. But these cuts must not produce a competition between internally displaced persons and refugees in humanitarian assistance.
Experience has shown that effective responses must consider displacement dynamics not only across but also within borders — especially since many refugees are internally displaced before they seek safety abroad and many face internal displacement if they return to their countries of origin.
However, the head of the UNHCR has not yet publicly and clearly reaffirmed his agency’s commitment to standing up for internally displaced people alongside refugees in this moment of flux in the humanitarian sector.
The need for strong leadership
As the UNHCR reduces its commitments and shrinks its operations, there could be a void of senior leadership on internal displacement at headquarters and in the field. This means the agency’s response may be determined by regional and country directors with different levels of comfort with and commitment to internally displaced persons.
The irony is that the UNHCR routinely calls for governments dealing with internal displacement crises to clearly allocate responsibility for effective responses. Today’s budget crisis is no excuse for the UNHCR not to walk its own talk.
In the face of declining resources but mounting humanitarian needs, the UNHCR and its donors should prioritize preserving their investment in strengthened, reliable and rights-based responses to internally displaced persons — not only for the sake of these citizens, but also as an integral element of a comprehensive response to refugee situations.
The UNHCR should recognize and insist that refugee response requires an effective response to those displaced internally and vice versa. As a core part of this approach, the agency should also enhance its support for local efforts led by internally displaced people themselves, recognizing they can be, and have been, at the forefront of more effective solutions to their displacement.
The UNHCR’s funding cuts are putting the agency in a pared-down holding pattern until the next high commissioner of the organization is chosen later this year. A key criterion for selecting the next leader should be their vision for sustaining engagement with internally displaced persons alongside refugees in this moment of global turmoil.
Megan Bradley receives funding from SSHRC.
Jennifer Welsh receives funding from the Social Science and Research Council of Canada and the European Research Council.
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, May 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Indonesian National Economic Council Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in Beijing on Tuesday.
As Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, recalled, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Chinese-Indonesian diplomatic relations.
The Chinese Foreign Minister pointed out that China is willing to work with Indonesia to deepen political mutual trust, efficiently promote such landmark projects as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor, strengthen cooperation in various fields including maritime activities and mining, and unleash the potential for cooperation in emerging sectors.
Wang Yi stressed that the world is currently facing the regressive attacks of unilateralism, and trade bullying is detrimental to the interests of all countries. He said China and Indonesia should adhere to independence and self-reliance, expand cooperation for mutual benefit, and uphold fairness and justice.
China congratulates Indonesia on its official entry into BRICS and stands ready to work with it to uphold the “Bandung spirit,” promote regional economic integration, resist the attacks of unilateralism and deglobalization, jointly build a common home in the Asia-Pacific region, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Chinese Foreign Minister added.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, for his part, noted that the Indonesia-China friendship is extremely strong. Noting that Indonesia’s economic development is inseparable from mutually beneficial cooperation with China, he noted that bilateral cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, finance, technology transfer and human resource training is fruitful, and such landmark projects as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway benefit the people of both countries. Bilateral cooperation also has a positive impact on neighboring countries, the Chairman of the National Economic Council of Indonesia emphasized.
Indonesia hopes to strengthen exchanges with China at all levels, expand areas of cooperation, strengthen cultural and humanitarian exchanges, promote the development of an Indonesia-China community with a shared future, and jointly advance solidarity and cooperation among countries in the Global South, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan added. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
HANGZHOU, May 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin has called for speeding up the implementation of employment incentives to ensure stable employment.
Shen Yiqin made the remarks during an inspection tour of Hangzhou and Ningbo, both in east China’s Zhejiang Province, from May 17 to 20, focusing on employment and vocational training.
During the trip, Shen Yiqin learned about the employment situation by visiting various enterprises and schools, and called for stronger support for sectors and enterprises with strong job creation potential. She also stressed the need to help enterprises ease the burden and stabilize employment to effectively cope with external shocks.
She said it was critical to ensure employment for key groups, including college graduates and migrant workers, especially those who had escaped poverty. Shen Yiqin also called for large-scale vocational training programs to improve workers’ skills and produce more highly skilled professionals. –0–
When Keir Starmer said: “If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English”, it laid bare an assumption – that English is the only language that counts in the UK.
This view not only overlooks the UK’s rich linguistic diversity, but also runs counter to the language policies being developed across the devolved nations.
While the UK government’s latest proposals on immigration treat English proficiency as the main pathway to integration, governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking different approaches.
Immigration is a matter controlled by Westminster. But integration, including language education, is devolved. That means each UK nation sets its own direction.
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England
Despite frequent political emphasis on English language learning and testing as key to integration, England does not have a national strategy for migrant or refugee integration. It also does not have an England-wide policy for teaching English for speakers of other languages (Esol).
Instead, decisions about language classes are made locally but provision is uneven. In some areas, support is well-organised and accessible. In others, it’s barely there.
Despite the lack of national leadership, the Esol sector in England has long benefited from grassroots activism. Organisations like the National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults and English for Action have been vocal in campaigning for better funding. Researchers and teachers also continue to call for a joined-up strategy for migrant and refugee integration.
Wales
By contrast, the Welsh government has made language education a core part of its progressive integration policies. Its ambition to become the world’s first “nation of sanctuary” is backed up by practical measures. This includes a dedicated language education policy for migrants, focused primarily on Esol – the only one of its kind in the UK.
The first national Esol strategy was published in 2014, revised in 2018, and will be updated this year following a review.
The introduction of Welsh as an element of migrant language education is helping to build a more inclusive, multicultural society too. It shows learners that all languages, including their mother tongue, have a role to play in a modern, multilingual nation.
Scotland
Since 2014, Scotland has implemented three refugee integration strategies. The new Scots refugee integration strategy has been internationally recognised as a model of good practice. It adopts a multilingual, intercultural approach, emphasising that language learning should include home languages and the language or languages of the new community, which may include Gaelic, Scots and English.
Scotland had two successive adult Esol strategies from 2007 to 2020. These were developed in consultation with Esol learners and detailed clear progression routes into further training, education and employment. But they were discontinued in favour of a broader adult learning strategy in 2022 which covers all adult learners rather than just the needs of migrants.
It was a decision criticised by some due to concerns about losing focus on the specific needs of Esol learners, and reducing the voice of Esol learners and teachers in Scotland.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, there is no dedicated migrant language policy yet. But its draft refugee integration strategy does at least acknowledge the importance of language in helping migrants feel “valued and respected”.
In 2022, the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act granted official status to the Irish language, and to Ulster-Scots as a minority language. Nevertheless, the Northern Ireland refugee integration strategy focuses solely on English language classes as the primary language education provision.
Welsh for speakers of other languages.
What all UK nations share, however, is chronic underfunding. Adult education, where Esol funding sits across all four nations, now faces yet more cuts meaning many language learners will continue to face long waiting lists for classes.
But how language education for migrants, especially migrants seeking sanctuary in the UK is perceived, organised and provided is critical to fostering inclusion, promoting integration and bestowing a sense of belonging. Developing competency in the dominant language or languages of the host nation can enable migrants to navigate health, housing or social security systems. It can help them cope with the needs of daily life and to use their skills and knowledge to enter work or education.
Many people seeking sanctuary have experienced trauma from undergoing forced migration. This makes it vital that language provision is trauma-informed and recognises a learner’s existing multilingual skills. It’s also important that it is shaped around their needs, not just on externally imposed assessments of English proficiency.
The value of multilingualism
Multilingual education is more than just a nice thing to have.
There is growing evidence that valuing the languages refugees already speak, and recognising their linguistic skills as assets, improves wellbeing, builds confidence and enhances social inclusion.
Too often in the UK, language learning is treated as a condition for acceptance, rather than a right that can enable belonging. That risks undermining the very integration that policymakers claim to support.
If the UK is serious about being a modern, inclusive and multicultural state, it must embrace the reality that it is also multilingual, and that different nations may choose different routes to welcome those seeking sanctuary.
The authors wish to thank their respective universities for the support they have received in researching this issue. They would also like to thank their co-researchers Sylvia Warnecke and Mel Engman and their co-authors on their recently published policy briefing.
Gwennan Higham and Sarah Cox do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson has welcomed the closer co-operation between the UK and the EU following a series of new agreements but said not involving the Scottish Government in any negotiations was “an affront to devolution”.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Robertson said the removal of obstacles to food and agricultural exports, greater support for energy trading and the UK rejoining the Erasmus exchange scheme for students, were all positive aspects of the UK-EU agreement.
But Mr Robertson criticised the lack of consultation with the Scottish Government on key aspects of the deal, particularly on fishing.
He said:
“The Scottish Government welcomes the agreement as it represents long-overdue momentum in rebuilding our relationship with the European Union. But no agreement can deliver the economic, social and security benefits we lost with Brexit in 2020.
“We argued for an ambitious package in the interests of people and businesses across Scotland, and there are some positive indicators here, including the agriculture, food and drink agreement which will reduce market barriers; and enhanced cooperation on energy and climate, and a clear intention to rejoin the Erasmus exchange programme.
“The fact that this agreement – not least on fisheries – was reached without the explicit engagement of the devolved governments on the negotiation detail is not just an affront to devolution, it has put at risk, and will continue to put at risk, the benefits of any commitments for the people of Scotland.”
He added:
“We still believe Scotland’s best future lies as an independent country within the European Union but we will engage constructively and positively in the next phase of negotiations. We also hope to see the UK Government work collaboratively with devolved governments in developing its priorities – as the EU does with its Member States.”
New laws passed to improve transparency and accountability of the sector.
New laws to modernise and improve the way legal services are regulated in Scotland has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill will improve how legal services are regulated and introduce a more flexible and consumer-focused system that provides clearer and swifter redress for complaints through greater transparency and accountability.
The Bill benefits the legal profession by simplifying regulatory structures and promoting innovation and competition, intended to increase access to justice. Also, by removing restrictions on third sector bodies, it aims to help charities better support the most vulnerable in society.
The legislation ensures regulation remains independent and fair by empowering The Lord President to better oversee and improve the functions of legal services within Scotland, upholding the high standards of Scotland’s legal community
Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhian Brown said:
“Scotland’s legal sector plays an integral role in maintaining the rule of law and upholding justice. From individuals seeking advice in family law matters to businesses navigating complex commercial disputes, there will always be a need and demand for accessible, efficient and accountable legal services.
“The Bill is about improving the everyday experience of people who need legal help and ensuring that legal services are delivered in a way that is fair, equitable and accessible for all and making it better equipped to serve the people of Scotland in an ever-evolving legal landscape.
“The journey of this Bill has been a rigorous and collaborative process, involving extensive consultation, including with the legal sector and consumers, to ensure it reflects the interests of all those who interact with the legal system.”
A New York man was sentenced yesterday in the Northern District of Georgia to 87 months in prison and ordered to pay over $45 million in restitution for his role in a scheme to defraud investors in connection with commercial real estate investments in Atlanta, Georgia and Miami, Florida.
According to court documents, beginning in May 2022, Elchonon “Elie” Schwartz, 46, of New York City, engaged in a scheme to defraud commercial real estate investors that invested through the crowdfunding investment website, CrowdStreet Marketplace. Schwartz raised over $62.8 million from hundreds of investors through CrowdStreet, including approximately $54 million for a large commercial real estate complex in Atlanta, Georgia, and approximately $8.8 million for a mixed-use building in Miami Beach, Florida. When soliciting investments, Schwartz represented to CrowdStreet investors that he would safeguard their funds in segregated bank accounts, not commingle the investors’ money, and only use it to fund the investment in each property.
Over the course of the scheme, however, Schwartz directed substantially all the CrowdStreet investor money into his personal bank account, personal brokerage account, and accounts for unrelated commercial real estate investments he controlled. He used the CrowdStreet investor funds to purchase luxury watches, invest in stocks and options in his brokerage account, and cover payroll expenses for his unrelated commercial real estate businesses. Ultimately, in mid-July 2023, the two corporate entities that Schwartz had formed to receive funds from CrowdStreet investors both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“Yesterday a federal judge sentenced Elchonon Schwartz to 87 months for defrauding investors out of more than 60 million dollars through lies and deceit as part of a real estate scheme,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Criminal Division. “The defendant made fraudulent representations to investors and misappropriated their money to buy luxury watches and to deposit into his brokerage and bank accounts instead of investing it as promised. The Criminal Division remains dedicated to prosecuting fraudsters who steal investors’ hard-earned savings to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Schwartz’s greed was boundless,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “He callously abused the trust of hundreds of investors to line his own bank accounts, purchase expensive watches, and buy additional luxury items. Schwartz’s sentence reflects our office’s commitment to hold fraudsters accountable for exploiting investors who innocently rely on their false representations.”
“This sentencing underscores that those who exploit the trust of investors for personal gain will be held accountable,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “Mr. Schwartz’s actions caused significant financial harm to hundreds of individuals, and hopefully today’s outcome delivers a measure of justice for the victims.”
In February 2025, Schwartz pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department appreciates the valuable assistance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement.
Trial Attorney Matthew F. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Connors for the Northern District of Georgia prosecuted the case.
The EU’s position on the war in Ukraine hasn’t changed and neither has its commitment to peace. As President Trump re-engages and global conversations continue, European leaders are standing firm. President Zelensky has once again made clear he’s ready to do what it takes to achieve a ceasefire. But with no signs of willingness from the Kremlin, the EU is moving forward with a fresh set of sanctions aimed at cutting off the funds fueling Russia’s aggression.
It’s a difficult path but Europe is staying the course: defending peace, supporting Ukraine, and pushing for a fair and lasting end to the war.
A statement of the Monetary Policy Committee will be published on the Central Bank of Iceland website tomorrow, Wednesday 21 May 2025 at 08:30 hrs. The Bank’s Monetary Bulletin will be published at 08:35 hrs. At 9:30 hrs., a webcast with a press conference on the statement and the contents of the Monetary Bulletin will be held.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pat Fallon (TX-04)
Washington, DC —Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04) led a letter yesterday to Energy Secretary Chris Wright requesting a briefing by the Department of Energy on the state of US grid resiliency both from an energy use and national security perspective.
In an exclusive with the Washington Reporter, Rep. Fallon commented:
“The U.S. needs prioritize dependable sources of energy like natural gas, oil, and coal to power our nation and protect our national security.”
“At the same time, the longer we leave our electrical grid vulnerable, the longer we invite cyberattacks from adversaries like China or Russia, risking widespread outages that endanger American lives,” Rep. Fallon continued. “We must ensure we have planned for future threats to our grid to safeguard America’s future.”
On Tuesday (20 May 2025), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the Foreign Affairs Council with EU Defence Ministers. He highlighted the importance of closer NATO-EU relations, in light of the threats from Russia, China’s military build-up, and terrorism.
Mr Rutte underlined the need to ramp up defence spending and production, and “to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to bring this war to a lasting and durable end.”
WISeKey International Holding Ltd Announces Agenda Items to be Approved by Shareholders at its 2025 Annual General Meeting Scheduled for June 19, 2025
Zug, Switzerland, May 20, 2025 – Ad-Hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 of SIX Listing Rules – WISeKey International Holding Ltd. (“WISeKey” or the “Company”) (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading global cybersecurity and IoT company, announced today that the Board of Directors has submitted its proposals for shareholder approval at the 2025 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (“AGM“). The 2025 AGM will be held at 2:00 p.m. CEST on Thursday, June 19, 2025 at the offices of Homburger AG, Prime Tower, Hardstrasse 201, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland.
Key items that the Board of Directors recommends shareholders to approve include, among other things:
Approval of the Annual Report 2024, including the audited consolidated and statutory financial statements;
Discharge of the Board and Executive Management for their activities during the financial year ended December 31, 2024;
Increase of the capital band
Amendment of Article 4a of the Articles of Association to increase the upper limit of the capital band from CHF 585,875.16 to CHF 636,095.10, thereby authorizing the Board of Directors to increase the share capital within a revised band of CHF 391,700.96 to CHF 636,095.10;
Increase of the conditional share capital:
Amendment of Article 4b letter a of the Articles of Association to increase the Company’s conditional share capital for convertible and similar financial instruments from CHF 31,917.40 (319,174 Class B Shares) to CHF 168,031.70 (1,680,317 Class B Shares);
Amendment of Article 4b letter b of the Articles of Association to increase the conditional share capital for share-based compensation plans from 176,430 Class B Shares to 400,000 Class B Shares;
Re-election of all eight current members of the Board of Directors for a term extending until the conclusion of the next AGM;
Re-election of the Nomination & Compensation Committee; and,
Re-election of the statutory auditor and the Independent Proxy.
Shareholders may attend the AGM in person at the venue. Shareholders may also exercise their voting rights by giving electronic or written voting instructions to the independent voting rights representative, as further described in the Company’s invitation to the 2025 AGM published on the date of this press release, or by giving proxy to a representative.
About WISeKey
WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”, SIX: WIHN; Nasdaq: WKEY) is a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity, and IoT solutions platform. It operates as a Swiss-based holding company through several operational subsidiaries, each dedicated to specific aspects of its technology portfolio. The subsidiaries include (i) SEALSQ Corp (Nasdaq: LAES), which focuses on semiconductors, PKI, and post-quantum technology products, (ii) WISeKey SA which specializes in RoT and PKI solutions for secure authentication and identification in IoT, Blockchain, and AI, (iii) WISeSat AG which focuses on space technology for secure satellite communication, specifically for IoT applications, (iv) WISe.ART Corp which focuses on trusted blockchain NFTs and operates the WISe.ART marketplace for secure NFT transactions, and (v) SEALCOIN AG which focuses on decentralized physical internet with DePIN technology and house the development of the SEALCOIN platform.
Each subsidiary contributes to WISeKey’s mission of securing the internet while focusing on their respective areas of research and expertise. Their technologies seamlessly integrate into the comprehensive WISeKey platform. WISeKey secures digital identity ecosystems for individuals and objects using Blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies. With over 1.6 billion microchips deployed across various IoT sectors, WISeKey plays a vital role in securing the Internet of Everything. The company’s semiconductors generate valuable Big Data that, when analyzed with AI, enable predictive equipment failure prevention. Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey cryptographic Root of Trust, WISeKey provides secure authentication and identification for IoT, Blockchain, and AI applications. The WISeKey Root of Trust ensures the integrity of online transactions between objects and people. For more information on WISeKey’s strategic direction and its subsidiary companies, please visit www.wisekey.com.
Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”), the FinSa’s predecessor legislation or advertising within the meaning of the FinSA. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.
Press and investor contacts:
WISeKey International Holding Ltd Company Contact: Carlos Moreira Chairman & CEO Tel: +41 22 594 3000 info@wisekey.com
WISeKey Investor Relations (US) Contact: Lena Cati The Equity Group Inc. Tel: +1 212 836-9611 lcati@theequitygroup.com
Birmingham City Council is proud to announce that Councillor Zafar Iqbal has officially taken office as the new Lord Mayor of Birmingham.
Councillor Iqbal brings with him over five decades of dedication to the city – a journey that began when he arrived in Birmingham as a young child from the small village of Boha, Chakswari in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir. Since then, Birmingham has been the place where he built a life, raised a family, and served his community with compassion and determination.
His inspiring personal story, from learning English as a newcomer to the UK while overcoming the challenges of acute dyslexia, to eventually earning qualifications in management and health and social care, is a testament to his resilience and commitment to lifelong learning.
In his professional life, Councillor Iqbal has worked across a range of sectors – from labouring and factory work to delivering meals on wheels and supporting people with visual impairments. His enduring commitment to public service was further recognised in 2009 when he was awarded an MBE by the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to education.
Councillor Iqbal was elected to Birmingham City Council in 2012 and has since played an active role in the Authority, chairing key scrutiny committees and contributing to the West Midlands Fire & Rescue Authority.
Beyond his civic duties, Councillor Iqbal has been a passionate fundraiser and community champion, undertaking formidable challenges such as walking the Great Wall of China and completing the Inca Trail to raise funds for vital causes.
Speaking on his appointment, the new Lord Mayor Councillor Zafar Iqbal said:
“It is the greatest honour of my life to serve as Lord Mayor of Birmingham – a city that welcomed me, shaped me, and gave me every opportunity to grow. I hope my journey can inspire others to believe in themselves and in the power of perseverance, education, and community. Birmingham is a city of opportunity, compassion, and strength, and I look forward to promoting everything that makes it truly exceptional.”
Councillor Iqbal, a proud supporter of Birmingham City Football Club, celebrates 45 years of marriage this year with his wife and Lady Mayoress, Farooq Akhtar. They are proud parents and grandparents, and family remains at the heart of his values.
As Lord Mayor, Councillor Iqbal will serve as the First Citizen of Birmingham, representing the city in his ambassadorial role at civic and ceremonial events both at home and abroad, and championing charitable and community causes across all of Birmingham’s diverse neighbourhoods.
Vitry-le-François, France (May20, 2025,6:00pmCEST)–
The 5thWorld Hydrogen AwardsthrewHaffner Energy’suniquebiomass-based solutionHYNOCA®in the limelight todayas one ofthetwohydrogen-production technologies selectedforthefirst RenewableEnergy Valley projectdevelopedunder the umbrella of theHorizonEurope-funded international initiativeREFORMERS.
Granted to REFORMERS’ Flagship Energy Valley in Alkmaar, Netherlands,in the Clean Project category,after a comprehensive review of the project by a jury of experts and a vote by the global hydrogen community, the award also recognized the innovative Zinc Intermediate Step Electrolysis technology by German startup STOFF2.TheAwardsCeremony tookplace,today,on the eve of the 6thedition of theannualWorld Hydrogen Summit&Exhibitionwhich is being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, this week.
“Iam grateful for the ongoing support and dedication of Philippe and Marc Haffner and their team, whoseexpertiseand commitment have played a crucial role in our journey towardstoday’sprizewinning success. Together, we are shaping the future of sustainable energy solutions and paving the way for a cleaner, greener world”, said Bob Busser, Managing DirectorofHyDevCoBV, Haffner Energy’s Dutch partner andleadingproject developerforHYNOCA-Alkmaar.BV, the Dutchproject-dedicatedentity (orSPV)that ispart ofthe local consortium developing the Renewable Energy Valleyin Alkmaar.
HYNOCA®isthehydrogen production solution developed byHaffner Energyusingits patentedbiomass thermolysis technology.HYNOCA®isdesignedto rely on localresidual biomass andorganicwaste with no conflicts of use.Because it is feedstock agnostic, it canoperateregardless of the typical seasonal and geographical variationsinbiomass availability.It is made commercially available inthe Netherlands, Luxemburg,BelgiumandNorth Rhine-WestphaliathroughBusser Project & Technology Development.
Hynoca-Alkmaar’s project,labelled“bio-hydrogen plant” in theRenewable Energy Valleymapping, will use 6500 tonnes of locally sourced residual biomass with no conflict of usetoproduce 240 metric tonnesperyear of mobility-grade green hydrogen, serving local mobility and industrial needs. In the process, itwill avoid the emission of 2880tonnesof CO2per year.
“In our quest to realize Europe’s first Renewable Energy Valley in Alkmaar, clean hydrogen is an indispensable piece of the puzzle. At the core of this ecosystem, HYNOCA-Alkmaar is one of two innovative hydrogen production technologies that were selected to enable a flexible and continuous production of clean hydrogen. We are thrilled that our international collaboration to realize a decentralized hydrogen ecosystem was recognized today”,saidJoepSanderlink,Project Manager at New Energy Coalition,coordinator of the Alkmaar Renewable Energy Valley project.
Europe’s first Renewable Energy Valleyis being developed with a view totestingnew technologiesin renewable energy generation, storage, and distribution. Itis a model for energy resilience and sustainable development, bridging traditional energy sectors with innovative systems.Theenergy hub will host over 300 business facilities and 3,000 households on a 4km2territory.
“We are delightedto be part of this amazinginitiative to shape the future of sustainable energy.Energy independenceis vitaltothefutureofEuropeandwe’reexcitedaboutthis collaborative effortacross borders,“saidMarcellaFranchi,in charge of business development atHaffner Energy.
REFORMERS’ Flagship Energy Valleyinitiative is to be emulated by six Replication Valleys inAustria, Belgium, Greece,the Netherlands,Poland, andSpain.
About Haffner Energy
HHaffner Energy is a French company providing solutionsfor the production ofcompetitive clean fuels. With 32 years of experience converting biomass into renewable energies, it has developedinnovative proprietary biomass thermolysis and gasification technologies to producerenewable gas,hydrogenand methanol, as well as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The companyalso contributes to regenerating the planet, through the co-production of biogenic CO2 andbiocarbon (or char/biochar). Haffner Energy is listed on Euronext Growth. (ISIN code:FR0014007ND6 – Ticker: ALHAF) Further information is availableatwww.haffner-energy.com.
Trump has economically and politically threatened American allies, shattering the unity of the western world. But Trump’s chaos may have inadvertently produced an opportunity to create a better world.
In a recent Foreign Affairs article, American political scientist Stacie Goddard argues the emerging multipolar, post-American world will be one in which great powers — primarily the U.S., Russia and China — will divide the globe into “spheres of influence.”
This has bolstered China’s goal to have a sphere of influence. However, Chinese foreign policy is largely non-interventionist and, compared to the U.S., remarkably restrained.
As China spreads its renewable energy technologies globally, some of the poorest countries may leapfrog carbon-based fuels and go directly to renewable energy to make development affordable and attainable, and to mitigate climate change.
The United Nations remains the favoured instrument of global diplomacy, even if western states have been accused of undermining its authority and efficacy.
The European Union will continue as a major global power in the emerging international order, but on a more even footing with the rest of the world.
Western states will undoubtedly continue to try to exercise disproportionate global influence. Canada has suggested that “like-minded states” form an alliance to promote international trade and institutions that remain dominated by western interests. This idea seems designed to continue marginalizing the Global South in the international decision-making process.
Most Global South states are not high-functioning liberal democracies. Many struggle with the legacies of colonialism while managing an international system dominated by the West that keeps them subservient. Others have created governments that fit their particular circumstances, cultures and levels of development.
But many weaker countries generally share a commitment to international law that is seemingly stronger than the West. They need a stable, predictable, fairly applied set of global rules more than stronger nations. Ironically, the decline of the U.S. may facilitate a much more genuine and legitimate rules-based international order.
America’s loosening grip
Readjusting the world economy away from the U.S. to a more diverse, evenly distributed economic model will be difficult and disruptive.
Nonetheless, loosening the American grip on global power is an essential first step towards achieving a more just and balanced international order.
For putting this process in motion, the world may owe Trump a measure of thanks.
Shaun Narine is affiliated with Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Ross Greer demands SNP call in Flamingo Land decision
The Scottish Greens have described Planning Minister Ivan McKee’s refusal this afternoon to stop Flamingo Land mega-resort application as a ‘hammer blow’ to Loch Lomond’s world-famous natural environment and to the local community in Balloch.
In response to the Planning Minister’s claim that it would be ‘inappropriate’ to comment on a live planning application, Mr Greer raised the example from 2008 when Scottish Ministers, not civil servants, intervened to overrule Aberdeenshire Council and grant permission to Donald Trump’s golf course at Menie.
Speaking in response to a topical question in Parliament from Scottish Green MSP and Save Loch Lomond campaigner Ross Greer, Mr McKee stated, “I do not intend to recall this appeal.”
This comes following the announcement on Friday that Scottish Government officials have overturned the unanimous decision of Loch Lomond and the Trossach National Park’s board to reject the mega-resort application and will instead grant it permission, subject to a new agreement being signed.
Flamingo Land’s plans would see two hotels, a waterpark, over a hundred woodland lodges, 372 parking spaces, a monorail and more crammed onto land beside Loch Lomond at Balloch.
The application was unanimously rejected by the National Park’s board following a public hearing in September 2024. Shortly before Christmas, the developer lodged an appeal with the Scottish Government, seeking to overturn that rejection.
Ross Greer said:
“This cowardly decision by Scottish Ministers is a hammer blow to Loch Lomond and the community in Balloch. They have the power to intervene and stop Flamingo Land’s destructive mega-resort from going ahead, but will not do so.
“Ministers were happy to step in when it helped an American billionaire trash the Menie dunes for the sake of a golf course, but when it comes to protecting our world-famous natural environment, they refuse to act.
“The Flamingo Land application was opposed by experts, including the Scottish Government’s own environment watchdog and the National Park’s planning team. It flies in the face of our efforts to tackle the climate and nature crisis and would heap more misery on local residents with the huge amount of additional traffic it would cause.
“It is absolutely staggering that officials overturned the Park board’s decision, but it is so much worse that Ministers are backing them up. This is a Scottish Government willing to step in to help American billionaires, but not when Scotland’s world-famous natural environment needs protection.
“Our campaign to save Loch Lomond from Flamingo Land continues. The Scottish Government still has time to change course. Add your voice to the campaign at www.greens.scot/LochLomond”
The Scottish Government must urgently restore ambition on climate, say Scottish Greens.
These comments come following the publication of the Scottish Government’s 5th Annual Statutory Monitoring Report for the Updated Climate Change Plan.
The report revealed that out of 43 climate policy indicators, only 16 are on track, while 17 are off track and 10 are deemed ‘too early to say’. This is worse than last year’s report, when 18 were on track, 15 were off track, and 10 were too early to say.
Stalled progress was reported on emissions from transport, energy efficiency in homes, transport, energy efficiency in homes, and peatland restoration – amongst others.
This monitoring report comes the day before UKCCC publishes advice to the Scottish Government ahead of setting new carbon budgets later this year.
Commenting further, Patrick Harvie, net zero and energy spokesperson, said:
“This is a damning report card for the Scottish Government.
“But the problem isn’t just that they have fallen further behind on climate over the last year; it’s that they have spent that year diluting, delaying and ditching climate positive policies they previously agreed to.
“Unless we see a change in direction, next year’s report card will be even worse – with people and planet left to deal with the consequences.
“The next few months will be an important test of this Government’s commitments to climate action. We cannot afford another year of delay on decisions that should have been made years ago.
“We need decisive action to make our homes warmer and cheaper to heat cleanly. We need proper investment in cheap public transport to reduce car traffic. And we need a Government that’s brave and bold enough to champion climate action – not just offer warm words.”
Global action is needed to tackle the growing threats that face our seas, people and shared prosperity: UK statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on maritime security.
The United Kingdom, like Greece, has a long maritime history and is deeply committed to global maritime security.
And global action is needed to tackle the growing threats we now face to our seas, our peoples and our shared prosperity.
That is why the United Kingdom is strongly committed to our partnership within NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, and with wider friends and partners, as a means to contribute to our collective security.
That includes working together with States across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to address threats wherever they occur.
Our Carrier Strike Group’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific is a sign of our commitment to work with our partners in a region of fundamental importance to global peace and prosperity.
In the Black Sea, we are supporting the protection of Ukraine’s maritime Black Sea corridor along with our partners.
We are also leading the Maritime Capability Coalition alongside Norway, supporting Ukraine’s defence of its sovereign waters.
That’s alongside efforts to confront the so-called shadow fleet operation.
In the Middle East, we have acted to prevent Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, including through Operation Prosperity Guardian with the United States and others.
Our European colleagues have joined these efforts through Operation ASPIDES.
We thank Greece for its leading role, including the hosting of the command from Larissa.
We also call for collective efforts to ensure that the arms embargo as set out in resolution 2216 is upheld, and to support Yemen’s Coast Guard.
We equally need to ensure the implementation of the arms embargo off the coast of Libya, and we call for the renewal of the mandate this month for Operation Irini.
More broadly, our partnership with Greece is an example of how cooperation can protect our countries from maritime threats, including illegal migration and drug smuggling.
Alongside this, we are delivering legal changes at home to tackle people-smuggling rings and starve them of income.
And the UK also remains strongly committed to upholding freedom of navigation and the primacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
President, in the face of such diverse threats, we must redouble our shared efforts, including by broadening collaboration on strategic challenges within the International Maritime Organisation, which the UK is proud to host.
And as we look to the future, we must strengthen our work together, both in this Council and through our bilateral partnerships, to secure our seas for future generations.
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, May 20 (Xinhua) — China welcomes and supports Pakistan and India’s efforts to properly resolve their differences through dialogue, achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire and find fundamental solutions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Tuesday.
Wang Yi, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, made the statement during talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar. The Chinese diplomat noted that this meets the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides, promotes regional peace and stability, and is the common aspiration of the international community. –0–
In recognition of their lifetime achievements in global health, specifically in malaria elimination and beyond, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has given his Award for Global Health this year to Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck and Professor Sir Brian Greenwood.
The Director-General’s Award for Global Health, established in 2019, was conferred during the High-Level segment on Tuesday, 20 May, at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly and this year included an honorary lifetime achievement award to each recipient.
“Their invaluable contributions have helped to alleviate the burden of malaria and other vaccine-preventable diseases and to build sustainable health system capacity in Africa,” said Dr Tedros.
Noting Professor Coll Seck’s achievements, Dr Tedros said, “While serving as Senegal’s Minister of Health, Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck led landmark reforms, expanded universal access to care and integrated disease control programmes.”
In addition to making significant contributions to scientific literature, Professor Coll Seck was, from 2004–2011, the Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria (RMB) partnership, where she mobilized political will to accelerate malaria interventions in low-income countries.
She has also been active on several high-profile boards and advisory groups, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, PATH, and other international NGOs and initiatives working on health financing, vaccines, and health system strengthening. She is currently the President of Forum Galien Afrique.
Professor Coll Seck was born in Senegal and trained as a physician with a specialization in infectious diseases. She earned her medical degree from the University of Dakar and pursued further specialization in bacteriology and virology in France.
“I’ve had the privilege of contributing to notable progress but I’ve also borne witness to ongoing challenges and emerging emergencies whether they be in terms of climate, demography or technology. This prize is all the more important in that it symbolizes trust in the values that I defend: solidarity between peoples, science in the service of humanity and the leadership of women in the health system,” said Professor Coll Seck.
Professor Greenwood is best known for his pivotal work in malaria control. He has also played a central role in shaping global health policy and research strategies, serving on numerous advisory boards, including those of WHO.
“Over the last five decades, Professor Sir Greenwood performed pioneering research and made major contributions to infectious disease control. His work on malaria has been instrumental in shaping modern approaches to control this devastating disease. His contributions range from the introduction of insecticide-treated bed nets to groundbreaking trials for the RTS,S malaria vaccine, the first vaccine to be recommended for widespread use,” said Dr Tedros.
Professor Greenwood’s early career focused on infectious disease research in Nigeria and The Gambia, where he lived for decades and led a multidisciplinary programme targeting diseases like malaria, pneumonia, measles, and HIV2. In The Gambia, he demonstrated the effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets in reducing child mortality and morbidity and contributed to malaria control through seasonal antimalarial drug administration.
In 1996, Professor Greenwood returned to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, continuing his research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He contributed to the successful use of the MenAfriVac vaccine in the African meningitis belt, which helped stop epidemics in Chad. He also advocated for combining seasonal vaccination with seasonal malaria chemoprevention.
Reflecting on his career, which began in Nigeria as a young doctor about 60 years ago, Professor Greenwood said, “The pediatric wards were full of measles, meningitis, malaria, polio, there were still even occasions with smallpox coming to hospital. The under-5 child mortality was about 400 per thousand in parts of west Africa. So, how that’s changed in one person’s lifetime. Many of those diseases are not gone but are much reduced and there has been a dramatic improvement in under-5 child mortality. In The Gambia where I also worked, that’s now 40, a 10-fold drop.”