The fencing is up, the bus lane closed and temporary bus stops are in place around the city centre – work to change the layout of Royal Parade starts today.
The scheme aims to reduce congestion and improve the reliability of bus services to and from the city centre by increasing the number of bus stops on the shop side and constructing a saw tooth design to make it easier and more efficient for buses to pick up and drop passengers.
It will also see:
clearer information about where and what bus to get in the new shelters and upgraded Real Time Passenger Information displays
bigger shelters to make it easier for people with pushchairs or wheelchairs to use them. They will have living roofs to support biodiversity
an upgraded toucan crossing at Armada Way for pedestrians and cyclists
average speed camera system to replace existing static cameras, supporting a safe environment for pedestrians
upgraded granite paving down the length of the shop side of Royal Parade.
The scheme, which will be carried out by Morgan Sindall, is expected to take around nine months. But while the bus lane is closed and stops have been moved, businesses along Royal Parade are very much open.
Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport said: “Nearly 25 per cent of households in Plymouth do not have a car and with the city’s population expected to grow, improving sustainable travel choices is vital to keeping the city moving.
“With 100 services an hour using Royal Parade, this is a key part of the bus network. Making improvements at this key point will cut queuing and double stacking of buses and help to make services across the city more reliable as a result.
“I was really pleased to hear that the initial bus stop move had gone extremely smoothly and that passengers were getting the message about where to get on and off in the city centre.
“I would also like to remind shoppers that the shops on Royal Parade are very much still open for business – we will be keeping access to businesses open throughout the scheme. So, while the bus lane is shut, businesses are very much open!”
All bus stops on the shop side of Royal Parade between Courtenay Street and St Andrew’s Cross Roundabout have now been moved to temporary stops and information about where they are is here Royal Parade travel information | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK
Bus stops on Royal Parade have information on the fencing about the temporary bus stops.
There is also information in the Plymouth Citybus shop on Royal Parade, Central Library and in bus shelters at key destinations around the city.
The Plymotion Team and project team will also be on the ground every weekday until Friday 18 July to hand out information leaflets and make sure everyone knows where to get their bus from.
City Centre Company Chief Executive Steve Hughes said: “We’re pleased to see this important scheme start and we know that once its finished, it will create a more pleasant experience for passengers coming in and out of the city centre.
“Businesses along Royal Parade are very much open during the work and we know the contractors and the project team are liaising with them. We in the City Centre Company are also here to support our businesses – free pop-up space in the city centre is available for our businesses for instance. It is fantastic to see this scale of investment in the city centre.”
A new Council team dedicated to bringing empty homes across Manchester back into use has achieved almost 300 successes in its first few months.
Since autumn last year, the Empty Homes Team has brought 276 long-term empty properties back into use. The majority have been sold or rented on the private market, but a small number have been sold to registered providers for use as social housing or rented out by the council to accommodate people facing homelessness. Almost £500,000 per year in Council Tax has also been added to the city’s coffers to help fund public services.
More than 400 further live cases are currently being worked on with more being identified all the time and these will be followed up with sites visits all over the city.
The dedicated Empty Homes Team was set up as part of the city’s response to the housing challenge, action which also includes overseeing the building of 10,000 social, council and genuinely affordable homes by 2032.
As well as creating these much-needed new homes, the Council is working to maximise the city’s housing stock by addressing the wasted resource of existing homes sitting empty. These long-term empty properties – which have been unoccupied for six months or more – can also blight their neighbourhoods, becoming eyesores or attracting litter, pests or anti-social behaviour.
While the high demand for properties across Manchester means that long-term empty properties are at historically low levels, it is still estimated that there are around 1,465 long-term empty properties dotted around the city.
Previous initiatives to tackle long-term empty homes have focused on regenerating whole areas which had clusters of ‘void’ properties. But now the Empty Homes Team is taking a targeted approach to tackling unoccupied homes dotted around the city.
Many of these long-term empty properties are tough nuts to crack. A high proportion have been left empty because the owner of the property has died and it is not known who should inherit it. Others are properties which require major structural work or refurbishment, which the owner cannot afford, before they can go on the market.
These long-term empty properties dotted around the city are identified through council tax data, tip-offs from neighbourhood teams and councillors, and referrals from local residents. Owners can even self-refer if they are struggling to know what to do with their properties.
The Empty Homes Team then engages with property owners to establish why the property is empty and explore options with them to bring it back into use. They also conduct site visits to assess the condition of properties and the extent to which they are causing a detriment to the area.
Where ownership details are not clear, the team employs four established genealogist firms to identify property owners, in a process which will be familiar to viewers of BBC One’s Heir Hunters programme.
The team’s work is detailed in a report to the Council’s Economy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee which meets on 22 July, along with a draft Empty Homes Strategy.
Cllr Gavin White, Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration, said: “Getting empty properties back into use is a multiple win for the city. It helps provides much-needed housing for people who want it, removes blights on neighbourhoods and also generates Council Tax which supports vital council services.
“We’re doing a great deal of work to bring forward new council, social and other types of affordable homes which this is complementing.
“I’m pleased to see that the Empty Homes Team has got off to a cracking start, already bringing hundreds of homes back into use and setting their sights on many more. We would encourage anyone who is concerned about an empty home in their area, or even owners who find themselves stuck with a property they don’t know what to do with, to get in touch.”
Deputy Council Leader Cllr Joanna Midgley said: “Tackling homelessness is a complex challenge and making the most of our existing housing stock is one of the ways in which we are trying to prevent it.
“The Empty Homes Team has made excellent progress in the last few months and we look forward to this momentum being maintained.
“We would encourage anyone who is concerned about an empty home in their area, and even owners who find themselves stuck with a property they don’t know what to do with, to get in touch.”
A local Second World War veteran has proved you’re never too old to get on a bike.
Victor, aged 105, contacted Derby City Council with a desire to get more active. The Cycle Derby team carried out an assessment and initially set Victor up with a side-by-side bike for his first sessions.
Victor’s story highlights the possibilities offered by Cycle Derby’s Inclusive programme, which has a range of adapted bikes to cater for a broad range of abilities. The accessible fleet of over 40 bikes are available for self-hire, instructor-led sessions, and larger community clubs.
Thanks to the weekly sessions, Victor and many others, have found a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors, connect with new people, and move more freely. The programme has also helped him gradually rebuild his strength and confidence. In May, Victor proudly cycled over four miles, marking a significant milestone in his fitness journey. After this ride, Victor said:
My age aside it’s important to recognise that cycling has been revolutionary in my recovery from a stroke.
“I wish I’d done this years ago – it’s enabled me to walk again without my sticks. The opportunity for improved mobility is invaluable.
Councillor Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability, said:
This is such a heartwarming story. The Inclusive Hub was set up for people like Victor. People of any age or ability. Active Travel isn’t just about getting from A to B, it’s also about maintaining our physical health, moving more and generally broadening our horizons.
I’m delighted to see that people of all ages are taking advantage of this offering that we have here in Derby. If you’re looking to get active but are nervous about cycling or unable to use a regular bike, get in touch with the team at Cycle Derby.
Cycle Derby exist to support people of any age or ability become more active, healthier, help them have fun on a bike. You can find more details about their services at www.cyclederby.co.uk.
Over 7 million people in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). Some risk factors for ADRD, like genetics, can’t be controlled, but others can be treated. One of the most prevalent is depression (known clinically as major depressive disorder, or MDD). Between 11.1% and 14.7% of ADRD cases – affecting roughly one million individuals in the US – are attributable to MDD.
Now, researchers at theUConn Center on Aginghave uncovered a variety of mechanisms linking these conditions, giving at-risk individuals and health care providers a greater understanding of how the disease may be prevented and mitigated.
“We’ve known for a long time that depression is one of the most relevant, potentially preventable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease,” says Breno Diniz, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at UConn Health and the Center on Aging, who has devoted his research career to tackling this issue. “However, we didn’t know why.”
Diniz’s latest publication, in the journal Nature Mental Health, has uncovered two key factors linking these diseases: proteostasis,or how the body synthesizes and metabolizes proteins; and dysregulation of inflammatory responses.
“Depression is a disease that is bigger than a depressed mood,” Diniz says. “It has consequences that are silent, that may appear many years later.”
The Power in the Proteins
Diniz’s research team identified a series of protein markers in the body that seemed to increase the risk of ADRD for everyone – patients both with and without a history of MDD. These markers are related to general processes in the body that tend to change with age, such as inflammation, cell division, and apoptosis (the destruction and removal of damaged cells from the body).
But in patients with MDD, the researchers found a unique change in the process of proteostasis. This change increased inflammation in the brain, which in turn increased the risk of developing ADRD.
“What we have here is a causal effect,” says Diniz, explaining that these two factors – changes in proteostasis and an increase in neuroinflammation – “seem to work together, synergistically, to increase the risk of dementia.”
Using this insight, the team developed a Proteomic Risk Score that can be used to assess the risk for an individual patient with depression developing ADRD. This unique tool evaluates multiple proteins and offers “a more concrete way of looking at the risk of dementia in these individuals,” says Diniz.
To the research team’s surprise, the newly developed tool was a better predictor of ADRD risk than any previous model. It was more effective than models which evaluate the classic risk factors for ADRD, both in the general population and among those with depression – signaling hope for early detection and prevention.
“It’s a very robust model,” says Diniz, “and it has concrete clinical applications.”
The Proteomic Risk Score tool will help clinicians and patients holistically examine their ADRD risk factors, and it may also enable researchers to better select human subjects for ADRD intervention and prevention efforts.
Breaking it Down
In this study, Diniz and his co-authors used a combination of proteomic and genomic approaches to analyze data available from the United Kingdom Biobank, specifically tracking ADRD outcomes among middle-aged adults with depression.
Proteomics is the study of the proteins that are created by cells in the body. And genomics – the study of someone’s entire set of DNA – is a natural complement to proteomics, since DNA determines which proteins are produced by cells. Combining these two analytical approaches is called proteogenomics, and it can give researchers a deeper insight into complex biological processes and how they are related to different pathologies.
“Every molecular layer – from genes to epigenetics, RNA, and proteins – conveys different biological information, and they can have different roles in … creating prediction models,” explains Diniz. “Their combination makes the models more powerful, and brings them a step closer to precision geroscience.” This is a major goal of theUConn Pepper Center, led by the paper’s co-authors George Kuchel, MD, and Richard Fortinsky, Ph.D.
To enable this multifaceted analysis, Diniz partnered with other researchers across departments at UConn and UConn Health, including Kuchel; Fortinsky; Zhiduo Chen, Ph.D.; David C. Steffens, MD; and Chia-Ling Kuo, Ph.D. The research team also included scientists from the University of Exeter (UK) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada.
Depression’s ‘Silent Consequences’
This research emphasizes the profound interconnection between mind and body, especially the long-term health impacts of untreated mental illness. For those outside the scientific community, Diniz hopes this work will spur people to take their mental health just as seriously as their physical health.
“It’s extremely important to seek help,” Diniz urges. “Not only when you’re 50 or older – anytime in your life. Lots of studies in the past decade have shown that any depressive episode throughout the lifespan, even in your 20s, can increase the risk of dementia later on. So, it’s very important to seek help, and it’s very important to treat – and try to reach full remission of – the depressive episode.”
Fortunately, he notes, many of the lifestyle recommendations which have been shown to improve depressive symptoms – like exercise and not smoking – also improve other health outcomes, so treating depression does not need to occur in isolation.
Offering patients and health care providers tools like the Proteomic Risk Score and a more holistic understanding of health, this research joins a growing body of literature dedicated to preventing many cases of ADRD before it’s too late.
This work was supported by the NIA grant P30AG067988 (UConn Pepper Center, PIs: Kuchel and Fortinsky).
Over 7 million people in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). Some risk factors for ADRD, like genetics, can’t be controlled, but others can be treated. One of the most prevalent is depression (known clinically as major depressive disorder, or MDD). Between 11.1% and 14.7% of ADRD cases – affecting roughly one million individuals in the US – are attributable to MDD.
Now, researchers at theUConn Center on Aginghave uncovered a variety of mechanisms linking these conditions, giving at-risk individuals and health care providers a greater understanding of how the disease may be prevented and mitigated.
“We’ve known for a long time that depression is one of the most relevant, potentially preventable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease,” says Breno Diniz, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at UConn Health and the Center on Aging, who has devoted his research career to tackling this issue. “However, we didn’t know why.”
Diniz’s latest publication, in the journal Nature Mental Health, has uncovered two key factors linking these diseases: proteostasis,or how the body synthesizes and metabolizes proteins; and dysregulation of inflammatory responses.
“Depression is a disease that is bigger than a depressed mood,” Diniz says. “It has consequences that are silent, that may appear many years later.”
The Power in the Proteins
Diniz’s research team identified a series of protein markers in the body that seemed to increase the risk of ADRD for everyone – patients both with and without a history of MDD. These markers are related to general processes in the body that tend to change with age, such as inflammation, cell division, and apoptosis (the destruction and removal of damaged cells from the body).
But in patients with MDD, the researchers found a unique change in the process of proteostasis. This change increased inflammation in the brain, which in turn increased the risk of developing ADRD.
“What we have here is a causal effect,” says Diniz, explaining that these two factors – changes in proteostasis and an increase in neuroinflammation – “seem to work together, synergistically, to increase the risk of dementia.”
Using this insight, the team developed a Proteomic Risk Score that can be used to assess the risk for an individual patient with depression developing ADRD. This unique tool evaluates multiple proteins and offers “a more concrete way of looking at the risk of dementia in these individuals,” says Diniz.
To the research team’s surprise, the newly developed tool was a better predictor of ADRD risk than any previous model. It was more effective than models which evaluate the classic risk factors for ADRD, both in the general population and among those with depression – signaling hope for early detection and prevention.
“It’s a very robust model,” says Diniz, “and it has concrete clinical applications.”
The Proteomic Risk Score tool will help clinicians and patients holistically examine their ADRD risk factors, and it may also enable researchers to better select human subjects for ADRD intervention and prevention efforts.
Breaking it Down
In this study, Diniz and his co-authors used a combination of proteomic and genomic approaches to analyze data available from the United Kingdom Biobank, specifically tracking ADRD outcomes among middle-aged adults with depression.
Proteomics is the study of the proteins that are created by cells in the body. And genomics – the study of someone’s entire set of DNA – is a natural complement to proteomics, since DNA determines which proteins are produced by cells. Combining these two analytical approaches is called proteogenomics, and it can give researchers a deeper insight into complex biological processes and how they are related to different pathologies.
“Every molecular layer – from genes to epigenetics, RNA, and proteins – conveys different biological information, and they can have different roles in … creating prediction models,” explains Diniz. “Their combination makes the models more powerful, and brings them a step closer to precision geroscience.” This is a major goal of theUConn Pepper Center, led by the paper’s co-authors George Kuchel, MD, and Richard Fortinsky, Ph.D.
To enable this multifaceted analysis, Diniz partnered with other researchers across departments at UConn and UConn Health, including Kuchel; Fortinsky; Zhiduo Chen, Ph.D.; David C. Steffens, MD; and Chia-Ling Kuo, Ph.D. The research team also included scientists from the University of Exeter (UK) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada.
Depression’s ‘Silent Consequences’
This research emphasizes the profound interconnection between mind and body, especially the long-term health impacts of untreated mental illness. For those outside the scientific community, Diniz hopes this work will spur people to take their mental health just as seriously as their physical health.
“It’s extremely important to seek help,” Diniz urges. “Not only when you’re 50 or older – anytime in your life. Lots of studies in the past decade have shown that any depressive episode throughout the lifespan, even in your 20s, can increase the risk of dementia later on. So, it’s very important to seek help, and it’s very important to treat – and try to reach full remission of – the depressive episode.”
Fortunately, he notes, many of the lifestyle recommendations which have been shown to improve depressive symptoms – like exercise and not smoking – also improve other health outcomes, so treating depression does not need to occur in isolation.
Offering patients and health care providers tools like the Proteomic Risk Score and a more holistic understanding of health, this research joins a growing body of literature dedicated to preventing many cases of ADRD before it’s too late.
This work was supported by the NIA grant P30AG067988 (UConn Pepper Center, PIs: Kuchel and Fortinsky).
When Tony N. King makes up his mind about something, he’s firm in his choice – you might call him a man of action.
“Decision-making sends out this frequency that propels you in the direction you want to go further and faster,” he says. “The more resolute that you are in your decision-making, I think the world conspires around the idea.”
That proved true early last year when King ’23 MFA decided to move from Atlanta, where he eventually settled after grad work at UConn, back to New York City, where he briefly landed after his undergrad and now was looking to return to make a go of it as an actor.
Like dominos, everything fell into place.
He called a friend to get permission to stay in his empty apartment for a month while he found his own. Then, three days before boarding the plane to head north, King booked three voiceover jobs.
“It was serendipitous,” he says of getting that work. “Now I had to get to New York because I needed to be in the studio and that gave me momentum to keep things rolling.”
About two weeks into the move, even before he’d found his own place, King came across an audition notice for a then-growing show he’d never heard of. It was work, so he sent in a self-tape and two days later he was sitting with casting to book the role.
“It was insanely fast,” he says. “Once I was fed up selling luggage in Atlanta, then everything moved into place. It felt like prayers being answered.”
Some might say quite literally.
That then-growing show was the acclaimed Biblical series “The Chosen,” twice rated the No. 1 show on Prime Video this year – and King had just secured a role in Season 5, which was released in theaters in late March before making a streaming debut June 15.
Resolving to Take Another Path
While it isn’t his first big-screen appearance – viewers can find him as an extra standing beside Eddie Murphy in “Coming 2 America” – the role, which carries through into Season 6, means King finally can say he’s earning a living as an actor.
“I had always been somewhat of an artsy, dramatic child,” he says of his upbringing in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I remember getting a karaoke machine and having a singing group in elementary school. But some level of realism smacked me in the face at some point, and I told myself I should probably consider being a doctor or a lawyer.”
He instead settled on studying business at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and headed to New York after graduation to take a job in corporate finance and investment banking, a quick-lived position as he says he developed “an overwhelming feeling of, ‘I don’t want to die doing this forever,’ and I also didn’t want to leave this world saying, ‘I didn’t try because I was afraid.’”
Once he resolved to quit, King says he headed home to North Carolina in search of a fully funded MFA acting program. The problem was he’d never taken an acting class, not a one, joking that the closest he got to creativity while working in corporate was designing a marketing flyer.
He sought coaching from Andre Minkins at WSSU to prepare for the program URTA – that’s short for University Resident Theatre Association – which lets prospective MFA acting students audition and apply to hundreds of schools with one application. UConn’s dramatic arts department is among those schools, and brought King to Storrs.
To prepare for his MFA, he booked a couple of children’s theater shows, rubbed elbows with Eddie Murphy, and started doing some voiceover work. After UConn came a bit more children’s theater and that job selling luggage in Atlanta, one might say another that caused him to wonder if this was it.
Then, into King’s life came the role of “bird vendor.”
Tony N. King ’23 (SFA) worked with “The Chosen” creator, director, co-writer, and executive producer Dallas Jenkins to bring to life the role of “bird vendor” in Season 5 of “The Chosen.” Jenkins asked King to return for Season 6, giving him a pivotal role in the series’ next installment about the crucifixion. (Contributed photo)
A Bird in the Hand
“That immediately told me that I may be handling birds, because in the script were these doves and pigeons,” he says. “I knew I was going to be passing and holding birds, so an actor prepares.”
King says he found the most idyllic bird shop imaginable in Brooklyn, Pigeons on Broadway, with an owner who not only could catch pigeons midair but agreed to teach King how to master the same.
“Being in ‘Coming 2 America’ and other various projects as an extra, I knew how quickly set moves. You need to be able to go when the director is ready for you, and I didn’t want to be flustered over holding birds,” he says. “And now I can quite literally grab a bird off the street and hold it like it’s a friend.”
As “bird vendor,” King appears several times in episodes 2 and 3 of “The Chosen: Last Supper,” filmed on set in Utah in an area that replicated Jerusalem’s Court of the Gentiles to the nth detail. That’s the courtyard area outside the Jewish temple, where animal dealers sold livestock and birds for sacrifice.
It’s also the location of the “cleansing of the temple” when Jesus tipped over tables and used a whip to drive, as he said, the merchants and moneymakers from his Father’s house. Each season of “The Chosen” covers a specific aspect of Jesus’ life, with Season 5 featuring the Last Supper and events leading up to it.
“When we got on set, everything went super smooth,” King says. “Dallas Jenkins, the director, has a very specific and keen eye for what he wants. He grew this show from a crowdfunded, indie project into this masterpiece. We had a blast on set, and now people all over the world get to see Jesus flip the table over on me.”
That’s a sentence King admits he never thought he’d say – and at the end of filming came words he’d only so far hoped would come.
“In my first contract, it says in so many words that my role ‘may continue.’ So, I had an idea that I could be invited back, but I knew I needed to do well for that to happen. Once I wrapped last season, Dallas came up to me and in his very soothsayer way said, ‘There’s more to come.’ Sure enough, my character has developed into a spoiler for Season 6. Let’s just say, he’s a very pivotal character in the crucifixion,” he says.
Filming for Season 6, at least the scenes that included King, wrapped this month in Italy, and now he’s in Paris celebrating his 30th birthday. Season 6 will depict Jesus’ crucifixion.
‘Grateful to be called to be a part of it’
“What’s beautiful about portraying biblical characters is that you have these stories, although truth to some, that really represent metaphorically the pillars that we lean on: taking on the burdens of someone you never thought you could or would and really lending yourself to a stranger. I feel like we all can reason with that,” King says.
Raised as a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, King says he’s always been a spiritual person and in tune with faith, but not overtly religious. For the last two years, though, as he’s prepared for the role, he’s versed himself in the Gospel, coming to study the role of the disciples, Jesus’ ministry and miracles, and eventual crucifixion.
“I think the story of the Bible can be diluted and changed and misconstrued, but as long as we have good people retelling these stories with their hearts and sharing these universal truths, I think we’ll all be better off for it,” King says.
In a way, he goes on to say, his character in Season 6 reflects his place today in the world of acting and as a cast member on “The Chosen.”
“We’re both just grateful to be part of something bigger,” he says, adding, “You start to see the beauty and the magnificence that is Jesus and that is the people who he touched, and you’re just grateful that you were called to be a part of it.”
When Tony N. King makes up his mind about something, he’s firm in his choice – you might call him a man of action.
“Decision-making sends out this frequency that propels you in the direction you want to go further and faster,” he says. “The more resolute that you are in your decision-making, I think the world conspires around the idea.”
That proved true early last year when King ’23 MFA decided to move from Atlanta, where he eventually settled after grad work at UConn, back to New York City, where he briefly landed after his undergrad and now was looking to return to make a go of it as an actor.
Like dominos, everything fell into place.
He called a friend to get permission to stay in his empty apartment for a month while he found his own. Then, three days before boarding the plane to head north, King booked three voiceover jobs.
“It was serendipitous,” he says of getting that work. “Now I had to get to New York because I needed to be in the studio and that gave me momentum to keep things rolling.”
About two weeks into the move, even before he’d found his own place, King came across an audition notice for a then-growing show he’d never heard of. It was work, so he sent in a self-tape and two days later he was sitting with casting to book the role.
“It was insanely fast,” he says. “Once I was fed up selling luggage in Atlanta, then everything moved into place. It felt like prayers being answered.”
Some might say quite literally.
That then-growing show was the acclaimed Biblical series “The Chosen,” twice rated the No. 1 show on Prime Video this year – and King had just secured a role in Season 5, which was released in theaters in late March before making a streaming debut June 15.
Resolving to Take Another Path
While it isn’t his first big-screen appearance – viewers can find him as an extra standing beside Eddie Murphy in “Coming 2 America” – the role, which carries through into Season 6, means King finally can say he’s earning a living as an actor.
“I had always been somewhat of an artsy, dramatic child,” he says of his upbringing in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I remember getting a karaoke machine and having a singing group in elementary school. But some level of realism smacked me in the face at some point, and I told myself I should probably consider being a doctor or a lawyer.”
He instead settled on studying business at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and headed to New York after graduation to take a job in corporate finance and investment banking, a quick-lived position as he says he developed “an overwhelming feeling of, ‘I don’t want to die doing this forever,’ and I also didn’t want to leave this world saying, ‘I didn’t try because I was afraid.’”
Once he resolved to quit, King says he headed home to North Carolina in search of a fully funded MFA acting program. The problem was he’d never taken an acting class, not a one, joking that the closest he got to creativity while working in corporate was designing a marketing flyer.
He sought coaching from Andre Minkins at WSSU to prepare for the program URTA – that’s short for University Resident Theatre Association – which lets prospective MFA acting students audition and apply to hundreds of schools with one application. UConn’s dramatic arts department is among those schools, and brought King to Storrs.
To prepare for his MFA, he booked a couple of children’s theater shows, rubbed elbows with Eddie Murphy, and started doing some voiceover work. After UConn came a bit more children’s theater and that job selling luggage in Atlanta, one might say another that caused him to wonder if this was it.
Then, into King’s life came the role of “bird vendor.”
Tony N. King ’23 (SFA) worked with “The Chosen” creator, director, co-writer, and executive producer Dallas Jenkins to bring to life the role of “bird vendor” in Season 5 of “The Chosen.” Jenkins asked King to return for Season 6, giving him a pivotal role in the series’ next installment about the crucifixion. (Contributed photo)
A Bird in the Hand
“That immediately told me that I may be handling birds, because in the script were these doves and pigeons,” he says. “I knew I was going to be passing and holding birds, so an actor prepares.”
King says he found the most idyllic bird shop imaginable in Brooklyn, Pigeons on Broadway, with an owner who not only could catch pigeons midair but agreed to teach King how to master the same.
“Being in ‘Coming 2 America’ and other various projects as an extra, I knew how quickly set moves. You need to be able to go when the director is ready for you, and I didn’t want to be flustered over holding birds,” he says. “And now I can quite literally grab a bird off the street and hold it like it’s a friend.”
As “bird vendor,” King appears several times in episodes 2 and 3 of “The Chosen: Last Supper,” filmed on set in Utah in an area that replicated Jerusalem’s Court of the Gentiles to the nth detail. That’s the courtyard area outside the Jewish temple, where animal dealers sold livestock and birds for sacrifice.
It’s also the location of the “cleansing of the temple” when Jesus tipped over tables and used a whip to drive, as he said, the merchants and moneymakers from his Father’s house. Each season of “The Chosen” covers a specific aspect of Jesus’ life, with Season 5 featuring the Last Supper and events leading up to it.
“When we got on set, everything went super smooth,” King says. “Dallas Jenkins, the director, has a very specific and keen eye for what he wants. He grew this show from a crowdfunded, indie project into this masterpiece. We had a blast on set, and now people all over the world get to see Jesus flip the table over on me.”
That’s a sentence King admits he never thought he’d say – and at the end of filming came words he’d only so far hoped would come.
“In my first contract, it says in so many words that my role ‘may continue.’ So, I had an idea that I could be invited back, but I knew I needed to do well for that to happen. Once I wrapped last season, Dallas came up to me and in his very soothsayer way said, ‘There’s more to come.’ Sure enough, my character has developed into a spoiler for Season 6. Let’s just say, he’s a very pivotal character in the crucifixion,” he says.
Filming for Season 6, at least the scenes that included King, wrapped this month in Italy, and now he’s in Paris celebrating his 30th birthday. Season 6 will depict Jesus’ crucifixion.
‘Grateful to be called to be a part of it’
“What’s beautiful about portraying biblical characters is that you have these stories, although truth to some, that really represent metaphorically the pillars that we lean on: taking on the burdens of someone you never thought you could or would and really lending yourself to a stranger. I feel like we all can reason with that,” King says.
Raised as a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, King says he’s always been a spiritual person and in tune with faith, but not overtly religious. For the last two years, though, as he’s prepared for the role, he’s versed himself in the Gospel, coming to study the role of the disciples, Jesus’ ministry and miracles, and eventual crucifixion.
“I think the story of the Bible can be diluted and changed and misconstrued, but as long as we have good people retelling these stories with their hearts and sharing these universal truths, I think we’ll all be better off for it,” King says.
In a way, he goes on to say, his character in Season 6 reflects his place today in the world of acting and as a cast member on “The Chosen.”
“We’re both just grateful to be part of something bigger,” he says, adding, “You start to see the beauty and the magnificence that is Jesus and that is the people who he touched, and you’re just grateful that you were called to be a part of it.”
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Asia+ Festival, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is held annually from September to November with an aim to create a sustainable platform for arts and cultural exchange. Now in its third edition, the Asia+ Festival will feature over 100 performances and activities, with an encouraging growth in the number of participating countries and regions to more than 30 – an increase of nearly 50 per cent from its first edition. While focusing on Asia, the Festival also connects with Belt and Road countries and regions in Europe, Africa and the Americas, showcasing traditional and contemporary artistic gems and giving the public and tourists a taste of the diverse and vibrant cultures.
​This year’s Asia+ Festival offers an extraordinary line-up, from theatre production casting Korean stars and captivating dance and music performances by world-class artists, to a carnival highlighting distinctive cultural traditions. Some of the festival programmes include:
Opening Programme: Theatre production “The Cherry Orchard” starring a stellar Korean cast ——————————————————————————————————– Directed by the internationally renowned director Simon Stone and starring Cannes Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon and globally recognised actor Haesoo Park from “Squid Game”, “The Cherry Orchard” brings striking originality to Russian master dramatist Anton Chekhov’s classic. Transposed from old Russia to modern-day Korea, the production captures the laughter and tears of a chaebol family swept up in the tides of change. The show saw all 30 performances of its Seoul premiere sold out amid soaring demand. The original cast is now on a world tour with Hong Kong as the first stop – an unmissable theatrical event.
Diverse Stage: Taiko drumming, tango, cross-disciplinary contemporary dance —————————————————————————————- The legendary taiko ensemble YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan returns with its world-touring production “Hinotori – The Wings of Phoenix”, featuring 40 taiko and colourful stage design and costume that will rock the stage with thunderous rhythms and pulsating energy.
International tango superstar and world champion Germán Cornejo, together with his dance troupe and a live band, will present “Tango After Dark” that captures the soulful allure of Buenos Aires nights.
Another dance production “We wear our wheels with pride”, created by South African Olivier Award-winning choreographer Robyn Orlin and performed by Dancers of Moving Into Dance Mophatong and a South African electronic duo, will pay a high-energy and colourful tribute to the Zulu rickshaw drivers of the past.
The Festival also presents the world premiere of “Strangely Familiar”, a collaboration between Singapore’s leading The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company and artists from Hong Kong and Macao, to explore the connection and existence of technology and human beings.
Great Music: Concert by world-class musicians —————————————————– This year the festival offers a sumptuous line-up of concerts by world-class musicians for classical music lovers, including piano recitals by Nikolai Lugansky from Russia and Dang Thai Son from Vietnam, and a duo recital by Latvian cellist Mischa Maisky and his daughter pianist Lily Maisky.
In addition, Macedonian pianist Simon TrpÄ�eski with his fellow Macedonian musicians will present a folk concert “Makedonissimo”, in which local pop composer Johnny Yim, huqin player Chan Pik-sum and suona player Ma Wai-him will also join the ensemble for an East-meets-West musical crossover.
Cultural Celebration for All: Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ ———————————————————————— The popular Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ outdoor carnival returns with the support of Consulates General in Hong Kong. It showcases the cultural diversity of nearly 30 Belt and Road countries and regions, featuring ethnic music and dance, along with booths and workshops that offer handicrafts, ethnic costumes and snacks. The “Vibrant Dance – National Costume Exhibition”, themed around traditional dance costumes, displays the unique beauty and rich traditions of different cultures.
Other exciting programmes of the Festival include a puppetry musical “Jack and the Beanstalk” by Theater Company Hikosen from Japan; “Jongmyo Jeryeak, Ritual Music for Royal Ancestors” by National Gugak Center of Korea; musical “Let Me Fly” by PRO’S LAB; an el-Tanoura performance in “Borderless Stage” series by Egyptian master Raed Abdelghany; Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s “Silken Notes of the Pipa” and “2025 Hong Kong Drum Festival: Majestic Drums” concerts; Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Swire Proudly Sponsors: Belt and Road | Long Yu & Behzod Abduraimov” and “Kyohei Sorita Plays Tchaikovsky” concerts; Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s “Great Piano Concertos: Denis Kozhukhin Plays Rachmaninov No 3” and “Great Piano Concertos: Alexander Gadjiev Plays Rachmaninov No 2” concerts; and Hong Kong Dance Company’s grand dance drama “Kung Fu Artistry – Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way”.
The Asia+ Festival will also feature an exhibition “Rhythms of Childhood: Melodies of Time” and a series of workshops, a backstage tour, masterclasses, talks, and outreach performances, offering an all-round experience and appreciation of the diversity of art and cultures.
Tickets of most of the programmes will be available from July 23 (Wednesday) at URBTIX counters, self-service ticketing kiosks, the Internet (www.urbtix.hk), the mobile ticketing app URBTIX, and telephone booking (hotline: 3166 1288). Early bird discounts of up to 30 percent discount are available until August 5 (Tuesday). For programme enquiries and other discount schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.asiaplus.gov.hk.
City of York Council is upholding its commitment to support Blue Badge holders with a new targeted exercise and investigations to stop misuse of the badge or illegal parking in designated spaces.
A significant increase in Blue Badge usage on Toft Green was noted by the Council’s parking enforcement team which raised concerns about possible misuse. The street had recently changed from pay and display parking, to residents’ parking only (ResPark) where Blue Badge holders can park. On 10 July 2025, officers from Veritau (the council’s counter-fraud service provider) and the Council, conducted an operation to help protect legitimate badge holders’ access to accessible parking.
Blue Badges used in cars parked on Toft Green were checked to ensure their use was valid, and no potential instances of misuse were identified.
The council took part in a National Blue Badge Day of Action on 23 May 2025 with Veritau, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and Middlesbrough Council. 75 badges were checked across several locations in York, three potential instances of misuse were identified which are now under investigation.
Following a similar Day of Action on 4 December 2024, three fraud cases were opened and two formal warnings for misuse of a Blue Badge were issued.
Councillor Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities, said:
Blue Badge fraud undermines this scheme to offer disabled people easier access to the services and amenities they need. The badge is issued to a person, not a vehicle, and can only be used when the holder is travelling in the car, is being picked up or dropped off. So badge misuse reduces the availability of this parking and unfairly disadvantages those who need it.
“Blue Badge misuse can take many forms: using someone else’s badge without them being present; using a badge that has expired, has been reported lost or stolen, or one that belonged to someone who has died. Offenders face possible prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.”
The council will work with Veritau to carry out further planned and unannounced enforcement checks throughout the year.
If you suspect fraud please report it to the council’s counter-fraud team, Veritau, immediately on 0800 9179 247 or counter.fraud@veritau.co.uk.
Professor Catherine E. Mason, HM Senior Coroner for Leicester, has been honoured in the national Muslim Community Service Awards for Outstanding Achievement.
The awards are an initiative of the Muslim Community Association, to recognise and celebrate individuals who have made a positive impact on Muslim communities.
Professor Mason has championed the use of non-invasive virtual autopsies, using MRI and CT scanning to determine cause of death. This approach provides greater dignity for the deceased and significantly reduces distress for grieving families across Leicester.
Her expertise and integrity, which won national recognition at the 2024 National Burial Council (NBC) Conference in Leicester, were central to this latest accolade.
Suleman Nagdi MBE, Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire said: “This award could not be more richly deserved. Having had the privilege of working closely with Cathie since her appointment—through both my involvement with the Muslim Burial Council of Leicestershire and the NBC—I have been continually inspired by her extraordinary compassion and unwavering dedication to our communities when they need us most.
“Her service has been nothing short of exceptional, and we in Leicester are truly fortunate to have benefited from her remarkable commitment.”
Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “The award recognises Professor Mason’s exceptional dedication, innovation, and leadership in coronial services. Her pioneering work has set a national benchmark, driving significant advancements – most notably her efforts to reduce the need for invasive post-mortem examinations.”
Professor Mason said: “I am deeply humbled and profoundly moved to receive this recognition. This award belongs not just to me, but to everyone who has walked alongside me on this remarkable journey. If my work has brought even a moment’s comfort to families during their darkest hours of grief, then every effort has been worthwhile”
The awards ceremony took place on 9 July, at the Royal Regency Hotel in London.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Largest fund of its kind to support vulnerable kids & families
The world’s largest fund of its kind will support vulnerable children and families across the country.
Chancellor launches new £500m Fund to break down barriers to opportunity for up to 200,000 vulnerable children and young people and deliver Plan for Change.
World’s largest fund of its kind will boost pupil achievement and could fund programmes to reduce reoffending or provide specialist workers for children struggling with exclusion, mental health or crime.
Better Futures Fund will run for ten years, with plans to raise another £500 million from local government, social investors, and philanthropists on top of government’s funding
The launch is backed today by groups including Save the Children UK, The King’s Trust and Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government.
Struggling and vulnerable families and children are to be given a better start in life after a new government fund was announced today (Monday 14 July), which will provide them with the support and funding needed to access a better education, a safe home, and the caring supportive environment they need to flourish.
The Better Futures Fund will support up to 200,000 children and their families over the next ten years by bringing together government, local communities, charities, social enterprises, investors, and philanthropists to work together to give children a brighter future.
It could fund providing support in schools to improve attendance, behaviour and overall achievement of pupils, intervening to free children from a life of crime, and offering employment support to secure their futures.
The fund, which is the largest of its kind in the world, will be launched by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at a visit to a school today in Wigan, hosted by the charity AllChild. It could fund providing support in schools to improve attendance and behaviour, intervening to free children from a life of crime, and offering employment support to secure their futures.
By investing in early support to tackle challenges like school absence, addiction and re-offending, the fund will help give children the stability and opportunity they need to thrive – delivering on a key part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change to give every child the best start in life.
It comes ahead of the government hosting the first Civil Society Summit this week, where the government will set out a comprehensive plan on how this government will partner with experts from outside the traditional corridors of power to create solutions that work for real people – all through the principles of fairness, collaboration and trust.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:
I got into politics to help children facing the toughest challenges. This fund will give hundreds of thousands of children, young people and their families a better chance. For too long, these children have been overlooked. Our Plan for Change will break down barriers to opportunity and give them the best start in life.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
This groundbreaking Better Futures Fund represents a major step in partnering with the impact economy, which has long played an important role in strengthening communities and driving inclusive growth.
As part of the Plan for Change, we’re bringing together government, local authorities, charities, social enterprises and philanthropists to create a powerful alliance that will transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people.
We owe them the best start in life. Together we will break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring those who need support most aren’t left behind and have the chance to reach their potential.
Social Outcomes Partnerships have already been used with success across the UK, with over 180 commissioners using the model across the country. The Greater Manchester Better Outcomes Partnership (GMBOP), for example, works with young adults in the Greater Manchester area who are at risk of homelessness.
AllChild’s projects have already halved persistent school absences, and 80% of children have improved emotional wellbeing. Other programmes like the Skill Mill offer paid work experience and qualifications, reducing reconviction rates from 63% typically to 8% and three quarters of those in the programme progress to further employment, education or training.
This fund is a big step in the government’s work with the impact economy – unlocking extra resources from philanthropy, social investors and businesses to tackle urgent social challenges. Today’s announcement comes as the government’s Child Poverty Strategy is to be published in autumn to ensure it delivers fully funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the UK.
The launch is backed today by groups including Save the Children UK, The King’s Trust and Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government.
Today’s announcement is informed by consultation with the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group and other representatives from civil society, purpose-driven business, and local government. Over the coming months Government will build on this and develop a strategic approach to working with the impact economy, who have long played an important role across the UK economy in unlocking innovation, driving inclusive growth and strengthening community resilience.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said:
Partnering with impact capital to tackle child poverty was a personal priority for me coming into government – which is why I set up the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group to advise on the development of this brilliant fund, which we’ve been delighted to support as a government. I’d like to thank Dame Elizabeth Corley for chairing the group and all the members for their hard work.
I warmly welcome the government’s Better Futures Fund as a pivotal step toward transforming how we support children and families across the country. It’s vital that children engage with the right support and opportunities, at the right time, in the right way. Holistic support that is rooted in each child’s local community, builds on their strengths, and places trust and relationships at the heart of delivery.
I hope this fund will be a catalyst for a new way of working – one which prioritises prevention, shared accountability for locally identified outcomes, and genuine cross-sector partnerships. This is how we can ensure every child no matter where they live has the support and opportunities they need to flourish.
Richard Rigby, Head of UK Government Affairs, The King’s Trust said:
At The King’s Trust, we know that timely support can change the course of a young person’s life. Potential is everywhere but opportunity is not. The Better Futures Fund is an investment in the potential of young people who are too often left behind. We welcome this commitment to early intervention and collaboration with organisations like ours to tackle inequalities and help young people build brighter, more secure futures. By getting behind young people, we can all help to make the UK a healthier, wealthier, more positive and cohesive place.”
Further details on the fund will be set out in due course. It will be delivered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel – July 14, 2025 – Tower Semiconductor (NASDAQ/ TASE: TSEM), the leading foundry of high value analog semiconductor solutions, will issue its second quarter 2025 earnings release on Monday, August 4, 2025. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2025 financial results and third quarter 2025 guidance on Monday, August 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (09:00 a.m. Central, 08:00 a.m. Mountain, 07:00 a.m. Pacific and 05:00 p.m. Israel time).
The call will be webcast live and accessible via the Investor Relations section of Tower Semiconductor’s website at https://ir.towersemi.com/. The pre-registration form required for dial-in participation is available both on the Investor Relations section and the Company’s homepage at https://www.towersemi.com. Upon completing registration, participants will receive dial-in details, a unique PIN, and a confirmation email with all necessary information. The teleconference will be available for replay for 90 days.
About Tower Semiconductor
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ/TASE: TSEM), the leading foundry of high-value analog semiconductor solutions, provides technology, development, and process platforms for its customers in growing markets such as consumer, industrial, automotive, mobile, infrastructure, medical and aerospace and defense. Tower Semiconductor focuses on creating a positive and sustainable impact on the world through long-term partnerships and its advanced and innovative analog technology offering, comprised of a broad range of customizable process platforms such as SiGe, BiCMOS, mixed-signal/CMOS, RF CMOS, CMOS image sensor, non-imaging sensors, displays, integrated power management (BCD and 700V), photonics, and MEMS. Tower Semiconductor also provides world-class design enablement for a quick and accurate design cycle as well as process transfer services including development, transfer, and optimization, to IDMs and fabless companies. To provide multi-fab sourcing and extended capacity for its customers, Tower Semiconductor owns one operating facility in Israel (200mm), two in the U.S. (200mm), two in Japan (200mm and 300mm) which it owns through its 51% holdings in TPSCo, shares a 300mm facility in Agrate, Italy with STMicroelectronics as well as has access to a 300mm capacity corridor in Intel’s New Mexico factory. For more information, please visit: www.towersemi.com.
MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel – July 14, 2025 – Tower Semiconductor (NASDAQ/ TASE: TSEM), the leading foundry of high value analog semiconductor solutions, will issue its second quarter 2025 earnings release on Monday, August 4, 2025. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2025 financial results and third quarter 2025 guidance on Monday, August 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (09:00 a.m. Central, 08:00 a.m. Mountain, 07:00 a.m. Pacific and 05:00 p.m. Israel time).
The call will be webcast live and accessible via the Investor Relations section of Tower Semiconductor’s website at https://ir.towersemi.com/. The pre-registration form required for dial-in participation is available both on the Investor Relations section and the Company’s homepage at https://www.towersemi.com. Upon completing registration, participants will receive dial-in details, a unique PIN, and a confirmation email with all necessary information. The teleconference will be available for replay for 90 days.
About Tower Semiconductor
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ/TASE: TSEM), the leading foundry of high-value analog semiconductor solutions, provides technology, development, and process platforms for its customers in growing markets such as consumer, industrial, automotive, mobile, infrastructure, medical and aerospace and defense. Tower Semiconductor focuses on creating a positive and sustainable impact on the world through long-term partnerships and its advanced and innovative analog technology offering, comprised of a broad range of customizable process platforms such as SiGe, BiCMOS, mixed-signal/CMOS, RF CMOS, CMOS image sensor, non-imaging sensors, displays, integrated power management (BCD and 700V), photonics, and MEMS. Tower Semiconductor also provides world-class design enablement for a quick and accurate design cycle as well as process transfer services including development, transfer, and optimization, to IDMs and fabless companies. To provide multi-fab sourcing and extended capacity for its customers, Tower Semiconductor owns one operating facility in Israel (200mm), two in the U.S. (200mm), two in Japan (200mm and 300mm) which it owns through its 51% holdings in TPSCo, shares a 300mm facility in Agrate, Italy with STMicroelectronics as well as has access to a 300mm capacity corridor in Intel’s New Mexico factory. For more information, please visit: www.towersemi.com.
MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel – July 14, 2025 – Tower Semiconductor (NASDAQ/ TASE: TSEM), the leading foundry of high value analog semiconductor solutions, will issue its second quarter 2025 earnings release on Monday, August 4, 2025. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2025 financial results and third quarter 2025 guidance on Monday, August 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (09:00 a.m. Central, 08:00 a.m. Mountain, 07:00 a.m. Pacific and 05:00 p.m. Israel time).
The call will be webcast live and accessible via the Investor Relations section of Tower Semiconductor’s website at https://ir.towersemi.com/. The pre-registration form required for dial-in participation is available both on the Investor Relations section and the Company’s homepage at https://www.towersemi.com. Upon completing registration, participants will receive dial-in details, a unique PIN, and a confirmation email with all necessary information. The teleconference will be available for replay for 90 days.
About Tower Semiconductor
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ/TASE: TSEM), the leading foundry of high-value analog semiconductor solutions, provides technology, development, and process platforms for its customers in growing markets such as consumer, industrial, automotive, mobile, infrastructure, medical and aerospace and defense. Tower Semiconductor focuses on creating a positive and sustainable impact on the world through long-term partnerships and its advanced and innovative analog technology offering, comprised of a broad range of customizable process platforms such as SiGe, BiCMOS, mixed-signal/CMOS, RF CMOS, CMOS image sensor, non-imaging sensors, displays, integrated power management (BCD and 700V), photonics, and MEMS. Tower Semiconductor also provides world-class design enablement for a quick and accurate design cycle as well as process transfer services including development, transfer, and optimization, to IDMs and fabless companies. To provide multi-fab sourcing and extended capacity for its customers, Tower Semiconductor owns one operating facility in Israel (200mm), two in the U.S. (200mm), two in Japan (200mm and 300mm) which it owns through its 51% holdings in TPSCo, shares a 300mm facility in Agrate, Italy with STMicroelectronics as well as has access to a 300mm capacity corridor in Intel’s New Mexico factory. For more information, please visit: www.towersemi.com.
A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”.
David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch that the consequences of almost 300 US and French nuclear tests – many of them “dirty bombs” — were still impacting on indigenous Pacific peoples 40 years after the bombing of the ship.
French saboteurs had killed “our shipmate Fernando Pereira” on 10 July 1985 in what the New Zealand prime minister at the time, David Lange, called a “sordid act of international state-backed terrorism”.
Although relations with France had perhaps mellowed over time, four decades ago there was a lot of hostility towards the country, Dr Robie said.
“And that act of mindless sabotage still rankles very deeply in our psyche,” he said at the launch in Auckland Central’s Ellen Melville Centre on the anniversary of July 10.
About 100 people gathered in the centre’s Pioneer Women’s Hall for the book launch as Dr Robie reflected on the case of state terrorism after Greenpeace earlier in the day held a memorial ceremony on board Rainbow Warrior III.
“One of the celebrated French newspapers, Le Monde, played a critical role in the investigation into the Rainbow Warrior affair — what I brand as ‘Blundergate’, in view of all the follies of the bumbling DGSE spy team,” he said.
Plantu cartoon “And one of the cartoons in that newspaper, by Plantu, who is a sort of French equivalent to Michael Leunig, caught my eye.
“You will notice it in the background slide show behind me. It shows François Mitterrand, the president of the French republic at the time, dressed in a frogman’s wetsuit lecturing to school children during a history lesson.
“President Mitterrand says, in French, ‘At that time, only presidents had the right to carry out terrorism!’
Tahitian advocate Ena Manurevia . . . the background Plantu cartoon is the one mentioned by the author. Image: Asia Pacific Report
He noticed that in the Mitterrand cartoon there was a “classmate” sitting in the back of the room with a moustache. This was none other than Edwy Plenel, the police reporter for Le Monde at the time, who scooped the world with hard evidence of Mitterrand and the French government’s role at the highest level in the Rainbow Warrior sabotage.
Dr Robie said that Plenel now published the investigative website Mediapart, which had played a key role in 2015 revealing the identity of the bomber that night, “the man who had planted the limpet mines on the Rainbow Warrior — sinking a peace and environmental ship, and killing Fernando Pereira.”
Jean-Luc Kister, a retired French colonel and DGSE secret agent, had confessed to his role and “apologised”, claiming the sabotage operation was “disproportionate and a mistake”.
“Was he sincere? Was it a genuine attempt to come to terms with his conscience. Who knows?” Dr Robie said, adding that he was unconvinced.
Hilari Anderson (right on stage), one of the speakers, with Del Abcede and MC Antony Phillips (obscured) . . . the background image shows Helen Clark meeting Fernando Pereira’s daughter Marelle in 2005. Image: Greenpeace
French perspective Dr Robie said he had asked Plenel for his reflections from a French perspective 40 years on. Plenel cited three main take ways.
“First, the vital necessity of independent journalism. Independent of all powers, whether state, economic or ideological. Journalism that serves the public interest, the right to know, and factual truths.
“Impactful journalism whose revelations restore confidence in democracy, in the possibility of improving it, and in the usefulness of counterbalancing powers, particularly journalism.”
Secondly, this attack had been carried out by France in an “allied country”, New Zealand, against a civil society organisation. This demonstrated that “the thirst for power is a downfall that leads nations astray when they succumb to it.
“Nuclear weapons epitomise this madness, this catastrophe of power.”
Eyes of Fire 10 years ago . . . same author, same publisher. Video: Pacific Media Centre
Finally, Plenel expressed the “infinite sadness” for a French citizen that after his revelations in Le Monde — which led to the resignations of the defence minister and the head of the secret services — nothing else happened.
“Nothing at all. No parliamentary inquiry, no questioning of François Mitterrand about his responsibility, no institutional reform of the absolute power of the president in a French republic that is, in reality, an elective monarchy.”
‘Elective monarchy’ trend Dr Robie compared the French outcome with the rapid trend in US today, “a president who thinks he is a monarch, a king – another elective monarchy.”
He also bemoaned that “catastrophe of power” that “reigns everywhere today – from the horrendous Israeli genocide in Gaza to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, from Trump to Putin to Netanyahu, and so many others.”
The continuous Gaza massacres were a shameful indictment of the West that had allowed it to happen for more than 21 months.
Dr Robie thanked many collaborators for their help and support, including drama teacher Hilari Anderson, an original crew member of the Rainbow Warrior, and photographer John Miller, “who have been with me all the way on this waka journey”.
He thanked his wife, Del, and family members for their unstinting “patience and support”, and also publisher Tony Murrow of Little Island Press.
Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior . . . published 10 July 2025. Image: David Robie/Little Island Press
Launching the book, Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director Niamh O’Flynn said one thing that had stood out for her was how the legacy of the Rainbow Warrior had continued despite the attempt by the French government to shut it down 40 years ago.
“We said then that ‘you can’t sink a rainbow’, and we went on to prove it.
“When the Rainbow Warrior was bombed in Auckland harbour, it was getting ready to set sail to Moruroa Atoll, to enter the test exclusion zone and confront French nuclear testing head-on.”
So threatened The French government had felt so threatened by that action that it had engaged in a state-sanctioned terror attack to prevent the mission from going ahead.
“But we rebuilt, and the Rainbow Warrior II carried on with that mission, travelling to Moruroa three times before the French finally stopped nuclear testing in the Pacific.
“That spirit and tenacity is what makes Greenpeace and what makes the Rainbow Warrior so special to everyone who has sailed on her,” she said.
“It was the final voyage of the Rainbow Warrior to Rongelap before the bombing that is the focus of David Robie’s book, and in many ways, it was an incredibly unique experience for Greenpeace — not just here in Aotearoa, but internationally.
“And of course David was a key part in that.”
O’Flynn said that as someone who had not even been born yet when the Rainbow Warrior was bombed, “I am so grateful that the generation of nuclear-free activists took the time to pass on their knowledge and to build our organisation into what it is today.
“Just as David has by writing down his story and leaving us with such a rich legacy.”
Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director Niamh O’Flynn . . . “That spirit and tenacity is what makes Greenpeace and what makes the Rainbow Warrior so special to everyone who has sailed on her.” Image: APR
Other speakers Among other speakers at the book launch were teacher Hilari Anderson, publisher Tony Murrow of Little Island Press, Ena Manuireva, a Mangarevian scholar and cultural adviser, and MC Antony Phillips of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Anderson spoke of the Warrior’s early campaigns and acknowledged the crews of 1978 and 1985.
“I have been reflecting what these first and last crews of the original Rainbow Warrior had in common, realising that both gave their collective, mostly youthful energy — to transformation.
“This has involved the bonding of crews by working hands-on together. Touching surfaces, by hammer and paint, created a physical connection to this beloved boat.”
She paid special tribute to two powerful women, Denise Bell, who tracked down the marine research vessel in Aberdeen that became the Rainbow Warrior, and the indomitable Susi Newborn, who “contributed to naming the ship and mustering a crew”.
Manuireva spoke about his nuclear colonial experience and that of his family as natives of Mangareva atoll, about 400 km from Muroroa atoll, where France conducted most of its 30 years of tests ending in 1995.
He also spoke of Tahitian leader Oscar Temaru’s pioneering role in the Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) movement, and played haunting Tahitian songs on his guitar.
Over the past six months, the headlines have been dominated by stories of fear, division and hatred.However, activists around the world are working away to ensure hope prevails. Here are some of the human rights wins we can be proud of from January to June 2025.
January
Afghanistan
In 2023, Amnesty International released a report on the Taliban’s war on women. Following its findings, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor filed a request for arrest warrants against the Taliban’s Supreme Leader and their Chief Justice, citing crimes against humanity.
The request charges the Taliban’s Supreme Leader and their Chief Justice for gender persecution against women, girls, and LGBTI people since their return to power in August 2021. Although the warrants are still subject to the approval of ICC judges these are the first public arrest warrants sought by the ICC in Afghanistan since the country became a member of the court in 2003.
Cameroon
Dorgelesse Nguessan was released on 16 January after spending more than four years in prison for participating in a protest. The hairdresser and single mother had never been politically active yet joined a protest after growing concerned about the high cost of living. She was charged with insurrection, tried by a military court and sentenced to five years in prison on 7 December 2021.
I thank those who directly or indirectly work for your organization and contributed to my release.
Dorgelesse Nguessan
Dorgelesse was part of Amnesty International’s 2022 Write for Rights campaign, where thousands of supporters called for her release. Amnesty also provided short-term relief support to assist Dorgelesse and her family through the difficult moments of her detention. On 16 January, the Court of Appeal reduced her sentence.
“I thank you for all the efforts you have devoted as I was arbitrarily detained,” said Dorgelesse. “I thank those who directly or indirectly work for your organization and contributed to my release.”
Chile
On 2 January, two police [Carabineros] officers were sentenced to prison for shooting activist Renzo Inostroza and blinding him in one eye. The court concluded that their actions violated both Chile’s national regulations and international obligations. This conviction set a judicial precedent in the struggle to ensure the Chilean justice system pursues criminal responsibility for the unlawful actions of the Carabineros. This conviction follows Amnesty’s landmark Eyes on Chile report, which analyzed patterns and individual cases of police violence during the social unrest that broke out in Chile in October 2019. Renzo’s case was part of the report.
Saudi Arabia
From January to February, Amnesty successfully campaigned for the release of several human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia. On 7 January, human rights defender and former prisoner of conscience, Mohammed al-Qahtani, was conditionally released after spending 12 years in prison for his human rights work. On 13 February, 47-year-old teacher Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi was released from prison following an unfair trial before the notorious Specialized Criminal Court (SCC). Asaad was arrested in 2022 and initially sentenced to 20 years in prison for social media posts criticizing the government’s Vision 2030 programme. On 10 February 2025, Leeds University PhD student and mother of two, Salma al-Shehab, was released from prison after completing a four-year prison term following an unfair trial before the SCC. Following a grossly unfair trial, the SCC had convicted Salma al-Shehab of terrorism-related offences for publishing tweets in support of women’s rights.
USA
The United States sanctioned a number of companies involved in the transfer of weapons into Sudan and Darfur. These sanctions follow Amnesty’s innovative briefing, published in July 2024, that combined business trade data and video analysis to show how the constant import of foreign-manufactured arms into Sudan was fuelling relentless civilian suffering.
Amnesty International members long campaigned for the release of Native American activist Leonard Peltier and most recently called on President Biden to grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.
USA
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, was imprisoned for nearly 50 years in the USA for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There were serious concerns about the fairness of his trial and conviction. Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace Laureates, former FBI agents, numerous others, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution, have called for Leonard Peltier’s release. Amnesty International members had long campaigned for his release, and most recently called on President Biden to grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice. In the final hour of his presidency, former President Biden commuted Peltier’s life sentence to home confinement. Amnesty recently offered him short-term relief support as he works to rebuild his life after his release.
February
Algeria
Thanks to sustained advocacy work from Amnesty International Algeria and several national women’s rights organizations, Algeria’s president Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced a series of concrete measures to combat violence against women – moving from commitment to action.
The Ministry of Solidarity has since launched a national toll-free helpline, available 24/7 across the country, enabling victims to report abuse, be referred to appropriate support services, and receive emergency assistance when in danger. It is already proving effective. A Guide for Women Victims of Violence has been published in Arabic and English and is currently being distributed nationwide. New legal measures, including the possibility of issuing an immediate restraining order against perpetrators of violence, have also been announced.
Benin
Thousands of Beninese families living in coastal areas have been living an endless nightmare, victims of forced evictions orchestrated in the name of tourism development. However, in February the authorities issued a public call for people awaiting proper compensation to come forward so their case can be followed up. The National Agency for Land and Property’s direct also asked Amnesty International for a list of people who have not received appropriate reparations.
The move follows the release of an Amnesty International report on forced evictions in Benin in December 2023 and a subsequent campaign calling for proper compensation for those who have been unfairly evicted, which proved vital in securing this positive outcome.
Thank you all very much. Without your help, we could not have saved my husband.
Zaynura Hasan
Amnesty International had been campaigning for his freedom since he was initially detained in July 2021. Zaynura Hasan, Idris’ wife, thanked the organization for the relentless support.
“Thank you all very much. Without your help, we could not have saved my husband.”
Serbia
Recent research by Amnesty International’s Security Lab and European Regional Office documented how Serbian police and intelligence authorities are using advanced phone spyware alongside mobile phone forensic products to unlawfully target journalists, environmental activists and other individuals in a covert surveillance campaign.
In a significant human rights win, Cellebrite (a company specialising in digital intelligence and forensics) announced it will stop the use of its digital forensic equipment for some of its customers in Serbia as a direct result of Amnesty’s research. Simultaneously, Serbia’s Prosecutor for High Technological Crime, the Ombudsman and Data Protection Commissioner started separate investigations based on the research findings.
Senegal
In a positive step forward, the Senegalese government invited Amnesty International to provide support and assistance for people who have been arrested for participating in protests, as well as former detainees.
Since 2021, Amnesty International has denounced the unlawful use of force by security forces during protests, compiled a list of those who have been killed, and condemned the arbitrary detention of hundreds of people for having called for or participated in protests. According to figures gathered by Amnesty International and other civil society organizations, at least 65 people were killed, the majority by firearms, with at least 1,000 wounded. A further 2,000 people were arrested.
Amnesty International continues to call for the repeal of the amnesty law adopted by the former government, for justice and reparation for the victims and their family members.
Taner Kılıç, a refugee rights lawyer and former Chair of Amnesty International’s Türkiye section, was finally acquitted after nearly eight years of judicial proceedings.
Türkiye
Taner Kılıç, a refugee rights lawyer and former Chair of Amnesty International’s Türkiye section, was finally acquitted after nearly eight years of judicial proceedings.
Arrested in June 2017 and imprisoned for over 14 months, he was unjustly convicted in 2020 despite no credible evidence. He faced more than six years in prison for “membership of a terrorist organization”. Amnesty provided relief support to him and his family as they navigated the difficulty of his imprisonment.
Reflecting on the case, Taner said: “This nightmare that has gone on for almost eight years is finally over… The only thing I was sure of throughout this process was that I was right and innocent, and the support from all over the world gave me strength. I thank each and every one who stood up for me.”
In a landmark ruling, Brazilian actor Juan Darthés was found guilty for the rape of Argentinian actress Thelma Fardin. Amnesty provided legal and psychosocial support to Thelma.
Latin America
In a landmark ruling for women’s rights in Latin America, a Brazilian court convicted actor Juan Darthés of sexual violence against Argentine actress Thelma Fardin, who accused him in 2018 of abusing her when she was 16. Amnesty provided support for transport related costs, and psychosocial support for Thelma throughout her case. The sentence sets an important precedent for sexual violence cases in the region.
After a five-year legal battle across three countries, Thelma stated: “Today I can look my 16-year-old self in the eye and say we did it.”
Philippines
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by police on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
Thousands of people, mostly from poor and marginalized communities, were unlawfully killed by the police – or by armed individuals suspected to have links to the police – during Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs”. Amnesty has been calling for his arrest for a number of years and described it as “a long-awaited and monumental step for justice”. He is now due to stand trial at the ICC.
Sierra Leone
Hawa Hunt, a reality TV star, was freed from detention on 4 March and cleared of all the cybercrime related charges against her. She was arrested on live television in December 2024 and charged with insulting the President and First Lady in a social media video.
Amnesty International called on authorities to release her and to ensure her rights were upheld.
Her daughter Alicia said: “In one of the very few phone calls I was able to have with my mother as she was in jail, I told her how Amnesty International spoke up for her. She and our whole family were very touched by the support. We believe it played a very key role in her being released.”
Since May 1995, the Saturday Mothers have held peaceful weekly protests demanding justice for relatives forcibly disappeared in the eighties and nineties.
Türkiye
Since May 1995, the Saturday Mothers have held regular peaceful protests at Galatasaray Square every Saturday, demanding justice for relatives forcibly disappeared in the eighties and nineties. Their 700th vigil on 25 August 2018 was banned and violently dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons.
Forty-six people were detained and later released, but in 2020, they were prosecuted for “attending illegal meetings and marches without weapons and not dispersing despite warnings”.
Thanks to the determination of the Saturday Mothers and their supporters – including Amnesty International who provided legal aid – all were acquitted in March 2025.
USA
On March 17, US immigration authorities detained Alberto, the father of a Venezuelan family of four, separating him from his wife and two children. Despite the family having pending asylum applications, he was charged with “illegal” entry to the United States. His case was an example of the Trump administration’s use of a provision of immigration law to target individuals and families that have been in the United States for years, rather than recent arrivals at the US-Mexico border. On April 21, 2025, Alberto was granted bond and released from ICE detention, following calls from Amnesty International and reunited with his wife and two children.
May
Chile
Romario Veloz was shot and killed by an army captain during social unrest in La Serena, Chile, in 2019. The police officer who shot Romario Veloz was imprisoned in May 2025 – setting a precedent in cases of human rights violations committed by state agents. Despite the victory, widespread impunity for police violence continues. Romario was also part of Amnesty’s Eyes on Chile investigation (2020). Amnesty provided support to Romario’s young child, helping her access education as well as covering the legal expenses for the family’s quest to seek justice.
Alongside the report, Amnesty was part of the Advisory Unit for Police Reform, wrote letters to the Chilean president and gave numerous media interviews on police violence. Amnesty Chile’s relentless campaigning paid off and helped to stop the implementation of the use of tasers by Chilean police forces.
Côte d’Ivoire
On 7 May, Ghislain Duggary Assy, Communications Secretary of the Movement of Teachers for the Dignity Dynamic union, was provisionally released pending his trial, due to international pressure from Amnesty International. A month earlier, he had been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment solely for having called for strike action in primary and secondary schools.
Amnesty International condemned the flagrant violation of workers’ rights, in particular the right to strike and freedom of association and will continue to call for his unconditional release.
Greece
Two years ago, the Pylos shipwreck led to the death of more than 600 people. Now, 17 Greek coastguard officers face charges in connection with it, including causing a shipwreck, exposure to danger and failure to provide assistance. These developments may pave the way towards accountability for the worst shipwreck in the Mediterranean in recent years.
Amnesty has been calling for justice through sustained advocacy and campaigning.
Türkiye
Afghan asylum seeker Tabriz Saifi is blind due to chronic diabetes and relies on dialysis three times a week. However, his international protection application was rejected by the Turkish authorities on 28 February, which meant he no longer had access to life-saving healthcare. Amnesty International immediately launched an urgent action, calling for the decision to be reversed.
On 2 May, his family was informed that the decision had been reversed and that his asylum seeker status had been reinstated, along with full access to free healthcare.
Girls and women support the right to abortion in Argentina.
Argentina
An Argentine private health insurer was fined over $4,000 USD for denying a legal abortion to a woman whose pregnancy posed serious health risks — a clear violation of the country’s reproductive rights law.
Amnesty International Argentina provided legal advice and stressed that rulings like this reinforce the need to guarantee access to legal abortion as a right, not an exception subject to individual or institutional discretion.
Council of Europe
Following sustained advocacy by Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation, the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) adopted a report on measures against the trade in goods used for death penalty, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Georgia
After months of public pressure, protests and legal action, the Georgian Ministry of Justice announced it would end the humiliating practice of fully stripping detainees during body searches.
The decision followed a lawsuit from the Public Defender in February, a report from Amnesty International condemning the practice as degrading and unlawful, as well as a video featuring Georgian artist and activist Kristina Botkoveli, who was subjected to a forced strip search, harassment, and threats after participating in protests.
Following calls from Amnesty International and other organizations, the revised Sámi Parliament Act has now been approved by the Finnish parliament.
Finland
The Sámi are a group of Indigenous people that come from the region of Sápmi, which stretches across the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola peninsula in Russia.
For a number of years, they have been subjected to human rights violations. However, following calls from Amnesty International and other organizations, the revised Sámi Parliament Act has now been approved by the Finnish parliament.
The amended Act strengthens Indigenous Sámi people’s right to self-determination and improves the way in which the Sámi Parliament operates. It also corrects human rights violations highlighted by international human rights treaty bodies.
Hungary
On 28 June, Budapest Pride proceeded despite restrictive anti-Pride laws and police targeting the march. Around 200,000 people, including over 280 Amnesty International activists and staff from Hungary and 22 other countries, peacefully demanded equality and assembly rights. This was Budapest’s largest Pride in 30 years, symbolizing strong public resistance to discrimination and highlighting the resilience of Hungary’s LGBTI community. Amnesty’s Let Pride March campaign helped raise awareness, mobilize activists, and urged police to respect peaceful protest. With over 120,000 global actions supporting the event – it demonstrated that solidarity can overcome oppression, though challenges for LGBTI rights in Hungary persist.
Activists and speakers – including King Okabi of the Ogale community – call for an end to Shell’s pollution of the Niger Delta and compensation outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, on day one of the Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial, 13 February 2025.
Nigeria/UK
After a decade-long fight for justice, a UK court ruled that Shell can be held liable for the oil spills and leaks it has failed to clean up in the Niger Delta – regardless of how long ago they happened.
The judgement is an important step towards justice for communities in the Niger Delta and a vital opportunity to make Shell pay for the devastating pollution it has caused to the Ogale and Bille communities’ lands.
In parallel with this decision, the Nigerian government also pardoned the Ogoni Nine. The group of activists, led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian author and campaigner, were executed 30 years ago by a government that wanted to hide the crimes of Shell and other oil companies that were destroying the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people across the Niger Delta.
Amnesty has been supporting and campaigning for justice for the Ogoni Nine for years and documenting the destruction Shell has left behind through a series of powerful reports. While these are positive outcomes, much more needs to be done to ensure justice is achieved for communities in the Niger Delta, including holding Shell and other oil companies to account for the damage they have done and continue to do – and Amnesty will be there every step of the way!
Ukraine
On 24 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine in Strasbourg, following calls from Amnesty International and others. It is hoped this will help hold perpetrators of the crime of aggression accountable.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and student organizer who recently graduated from Columbia University, was targeted for his role in student protests at Columbia University.
USA
On March 9, US immigration authorities unlawfully arrested and arbitrarily detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, lawful permanent resident of the USA, and student organizer who recently graduated from Columbia University. Mahmoud was targeted for his role in student protests at Columbia University, where he was exercising his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. He was not charged with a crime yet was held in a detention centre, told that his permanent residency status was “revoked”, and placed in deportation proceedings. Amnesty International demanded that authorities release Mahmoud immediately and respect his rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and due process. After 104 days in a Louisiana immigration detention centre, Mahmoud Khalil was released on bail in June 21, however he’s still facing threats of deportation by US authorities. He has since filed a $20 million USD lawsuit against the Trump administration.
Last year we know that we fell short of expectations in some areas of The Darley Park Weekender. We want you to know that we’ve listened, that your feedback is valued, and that we’ve committed to making changes to improve the customer experience.
Your safety and enjoyment are our top priorities at The Darley Park Weekender. To ensure a secure and fun experience for everyone, including other park users, we have important safety measures and restrictions in place.
You said: Queues were slow at the event entrance on Sunday, and the increased security checks seemed excessive. We did: We’ll have more security lanes open during peak times to keep delays to a minimum. There’s entertainment on stage as soon as the gates open, so please consider getting here earlier on, when queues should be shorter to minimise your wait.
You said: Security at the event entrance asked for the contents of flasks and kids juice bottles to be poured away. We did: Whilst we can’t allow filled flasks and unsealed soft drinks on site, we are providing access to hot water for you to fill your flasks on site, as well as our usual provision of cold water, all available for free. Empty plastic bottles or sealed soft drinks are still allowed. If you need to bring unsealed baby milk/formula please contact us ahead of the event.
You said: Bar queues were long and slow, some of you missed getting back to see acts on stage. We did: We’ve got bigger bars, more serving points, and cocktails (which can take longer to make) will be available from separate serving points.
You said: The Sunday fireworks display was poor, not as good as previous years. We did: We are investing in improved pyrotechnics for this year’s display.
You said: No trolleys were allowed on site and there was no trolley park outside the entrance. We did: Whilst we can’t admit trolleys to the site, we will have a trolley park outside the event entrance, to allow transportation of items for those who need it. Please note trolleys are left at your own risk. We understand some people may need assistance. If you have specific access needs, including the use of a trolley or other aid, please email us before the event at derbylive@derby.gov.uk. We’ll assess each request individually and do our best to help. We also have an access entrance and wheelchair platform that allows for customers to have an improved view of the stage and hard-standing access to the site.
You said: Water ran out on wash bays near the toilets. We did: We will ensure they are more regularly checked, cleaned and have water available.
You said: Some of you felt sound was poor on Sunday and you couldn’t hear from the zones furthest away from the stage. We did: Sound technicians are aware of the cause of this issue and will adjust levels accordingly. We will also monitor sound levels at regular intervals throughout the concert.
Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, said:
The Darley Park Weekender is one of Derby’s most exciting events, and we’re committed to making it the best and most enjoyable experience for everyone.
We’ve listened to your feedback from last year’s event, and our teams have worked hard to implement changes that will make a real difference. Come along and join us for an even better event this year!
The Darley Park Weekender is back for summer 2025, with three days of musical entertainment, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Darley Park.
80s Mix Tape returns on Fri 29 Aug with Bananarama, Haircut 100, The Fizz, Gary Davies and Cassette Roulette. Ultimate 90s follows on Sat 30 Aug, featuring poptastic icons Heather Small, East 17, 911, Damage, Mark Angels and Cassette Roulette. Rounding off the weekend on Sun 31 Aug is The Darley Park Concert, Derby’s annual spectacular evening of classical music, with Sinfonia Viva.
Save on tickets by buying in advance. Tickets bought in advance for 80s Mix Tape or Ultimate 90s are £27 for adults, £15 for children aged 5 -15 and under 5s are free. Tickets bought on the day are £38 for adults. £15 for ages 5-15 with under 5s free. Tickets bought in advance for The Darley Park Concert are £6 for adults and £3 for children aged 1 -15. Tickets bought on the day are £11 for adults and £6 for ages 1-15.
New for 2025, are VIP Darley Garden experience tickets. Enjoy access to our exclusive VIP area which has it’s own bar, toilets and a great view of the main stage. You can also beat the queues with your own fast track entry! VIP tickets for 80s Mix Tape or Ultimate 90s are £65, VIP tickets for The Darley Park Concert are £30.
Historic peatlands at the heart of the Industrial Revolution to become New National Nature Reserve
Network of 11 nature abundant lowland peat sites in between Liverpool and Manchester to become a King’s Series National Nature Reserve.
Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss NNR
Site is home to vast peatland habitats, lizards, adder, and curlew
New reserve falls on the doorstep of urban communities in Warrington and Greater Manchester, giving 2.7 million people the opportunity to access nature within 10 miles of their homes
Ten thousand years in the making and launched today (Monday 14 July), the new Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss National Nature Reserve will provide a destination for the people of Warrington and Greater Manchester to access nature-rich landscapes.
The newest addition under the King’s Series, this network of 11 sites from lowland raised bogs and fen, through to lowland heath, wet woodland and drier woodland habitats will be restored to provide homes for rare species, such as lapwings, curlew, sundew and adders.
After being at the centre of the industrial revolution, this area is becoming a leading example of nature recovery, through the restoration of some of our most important and precious habitats.
The peatlands in this area were created over a period of 10,000 years, since the last Ice Age, and now heavily degraded. Peatlands are a hugely important part of England’s natural environment. They act as the country’s lungs, storing more carbon than any other type of landscape, as well as holding huge amounts of water and preventing flooding around them. However, more than 80% of England’s peatlands are damaged, dried out or degraded with the majority of England’s lowland peat being intensively farmed.
These internationally important lowland peat habitats, which are over an area the size of 750 professional rugby pitches or 25 Trafford Centres, are being restored. This will help mitigate the impacts of climate change and protect the security and prosperity of communities in Warrington and Greater Manchester.
Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:
“This part of England led the world in industrial innovation and today it shows leadership in Nature recovery. Nature is vital for our health, wealth and security and this new reserve reveals the huge potential for meeting modern challenges through natural solutions. Spending time outdoors in natural settings is great for mental and physical wellbeing, the services provided by nature help prevent flooding, catch carbon and benefits the local economy.
“Supporting nature around urban areas creates better places to live and work, and this new reserve will allow the millions of people who live near it to experience nature at its best.”
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said:
“This beautiful landscape will now have the chance to recover and thrive, after centuries of damage, providing wonderful wild spaces for local people to enjoy.
“This Government is committed to turning the tide on nature’s decline after years of neglect as part of our plan for change. New National Nature Reserves deliver on our promise to improve access to nature and protect nature-rich habitats, such as peatlands.”
The deep lowland peat within this National Nature Reserve was degraded through drainage and peat cutting, damage which accelerated during the industrial revolution. The renowned engineer and ‘Father of Railways’ George Stephenson built a ‘floating’ railway line in 1830 through Chat Moss, between Liverpool and Manchester, the first intercity railway line in the world.
This made the region a trailblazer in nineteenth century industrial innovation, with the world-famous Stephenson’s Rocket travelling on the line, but also saw much of the peatland being opened to drainage. Now, the North West is following up its role as a leader in industry by taking the lead on nature recovery in this iconic landscape.
This is the 10th reserve to be launched as part of the King’s Series of National Nature Reserves, which will leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature with 25 new National Nature Reserves by 2027.
The new reserve, within the Great Manchester Wetlands, sits between the National Nature Reserves of Rostherne Mere to the south, the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh to the north, and links to the Bollin to Mersey Nature Recovery Project, creating a recovering network of wetland and woodland across the region.
The new reserve will be managed by Natural England, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Forestry England, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, Warrington Borough Council, Wigan Council and Woodland Trust.
This collaboration will enable the seven partners to join under one common purpose to enhance nature’s recovery, enhance climate resilience and Net Zero efforts providing vital wild greenspace, creating a network of bigger, better, joined-up wildlife-rich places.
The launch of this latest reserve in the King’s Series comes as part of a wider effort to drive forward nature recovery in the region. Based across 11 sites, the reserve is in the heart of the Great Manchester Wetlands, a 480 km2 nature recovery partnership restoring the wetlands of Salford, Warrington and Wigan.
Restoration work has been taking place at some of the sites since the 1980s, but this has accelerated since 2010 with the creation of the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership. The programme has shown benefits for nature and people in the peatland landscape are possible over a short space in time.
The sites demonstrate a full range of lowland peat restoration from recently acquired arable/horticultural fields (Natural England’s Moss Side Farm) to former industrial and hand-cut peat extraction sites. There are bog and fen habitats in the early stages of recovery through to internationally protected lowland raised bog.
The new reserve will drive ongoing recovery of this landscape through a joined up approach to restoration, access and research. This will further support the net zero ambition of by Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the three Local Authorities of Salford, Warrington and Wigan.
QUOTES PACK
Warrington Borough Council Leader, Cllr Hans Mundry, said:
“It’s a great honour for Risley, Holcroft, and Chat Moss to receive this designation as a National Nature Reserve. It will strengthen our work, as partners, to protect the rich diversity of habitats and wildlife found here, including many rare species. At the same time, it will allow us to create more opportunities for people to discover and rediscover these beautiful, hidden landscapes and connect with nature and heritage.”
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Paul Mosley, Regional Comms and Engagement Manager for the Woodland Trust said
“It’s a pleasure to be part of this new national nature reserve with our woodland sites at Gorse Covert Mounds, Pestfurlong Moss and New Moss Wood. Recent landscaping and habitat management works at these sites has really helped to improve their biodiversity for wildlife and for the benefit of people who come to enjoy these fantastic spaces. Being part of the NNR will help to protect them now and in the future which is a great collaborative achievement.”
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Lancashire Wildlife Trust CEO, Tom Burditt, said:
“The peatlands are a hugely important for wildlife and for the environment – they were described as ‘the lungs of the UK’ by Tom Heap on Countryfile. So it’s only right that these mosses and the work that is being done to restore them receives this national recognition.”
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Charlotte Harris, CEO, Cheshire Wildlife Trust
“The designation of the Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss National Nature Reserve marks a powerful moment for nature recovery in the North West. As a site owner at Holcroft Moss, we at Cheshire Wildlife Trust are proud to be part of this pioneering partnership — one that brings together landowners, communities, and conservation organisations under a shared vision for our landscape’s future.”
“This designation is more than a milestone — it’s a launchpad. It gives us a platform to secure long-term funding, engage more people, and embed nature recovery into local policy and planning. We thank Natural England and our partners for their leadership and look forward to delivering bold, landscape-scale impact in the years ahead.”
Reappointment of a non-lay member of the Legal Services Board
The Lord Chancellor has approved the reappointment of Habib Motani as a non-lay member of the Legal Services Board.
The Lord Chancellor has approved the reappointment of Habib Motani as a non-lay member of the Legal Services Board for four years from 18 April 2026.
Mr Motani qualified as a solicitor in 1980. He is a Consultant to Clifford Chance LLP having spent over 30 years as a partner in the firm’s banking and finance practice. He is a Visiting Professor at the School of Law at the University of Edinburgh. and a Trustee at: The British Institute of International and Comparative Law, the Institute of Ismaili Studies and The Aga Khan University (International) in the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Steering Group of the Canary Wharf Multi-faith Chaplaincy.
The Legal Services Board (LSB) is the independent body overseeing the regulation of lawyers in England and Wales. Its goal is to reform and modernise the legal services marketplace by putting the interests of consumers at the heart of the system. It is independent of government and the legal profession and oversees the approved regulators, which themselves regulate lawyers.
The LSB also oversees the Office for Legal Complaints and its administration of the Legal Ombudsman scheme that resolves complaints about lawyers.
Appointments and reappointments are made, by the Lord Chancellor, under the Legal Services Act 2007 and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This reappointment has been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
More than 270 delegates from over 20 countries, regions and international organizations praised China’s Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway, the world’s first smart high-speed railway operating at 350 kmh, after riding the line on July 11.
Representatives from various countries, regions and international organizations ride the CR400BF-GS Fuxing train in Beijing, July 11, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
“Extremely smooth!” said Iñigo Aguas Ardaiz from France. “I didn’t feel at all that the speed had reached 350 kmh! The riding experience is comfortable and easy, and this technology is a masterpiece.”
Ali Abdollahi, a representative from Iran, praised the service quality: “Everything is so comfortable, and the carriages are clean and tidy. I think China has the most advanced high-speed railway system in the world, which is really amazing!”
The China Academy of Railway Sciences and China Railway Beijing Group organized the technical visit for officials from the International Union of Railways (UIC), foreign diplomats, business executives and journalists.
A guest films inside the CR400BF-GS Fuxing train in Beijing, July 11, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
The Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway is the world’s first high-speed railway to fully integrate smart technology into its construction, equipment and daily operations. The railway uses advanced technologies, including big data analysis, artificial intelligence and China’s Beidou Satellite Navigation System, throughout the entire line.
The railway’s Fuxing trains feature automatic driving capabilities that reduce energy consumption by 7.77% per train, according to the operators.
The 174-kilometer line passes through major engineering projects such as the Juyongguan Great Wall Tunnel and crosses the Guanting Reservoir Grand Bridge. The engineering works illustrate China’s capabilities in smart railway construction across challenging landscapes.
Since opening in 2019, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway has carried more than 67 million passengers, according to operator data. The improved transport capacity and services have strongly promoted the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
The line connects to Taizicheng Station in Zhangjiakou, which served as a transportation hub during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Visiting representatives said they were impressed by the station’s facilities and operation systems.
After touring the “Winter Olympics Eye” landmark — a distinctive feature at the Taizicheng Station — and a cultural exhibition hall, international delegates said they appreciated features including tunnel engineering and dispatching systems.
Guests film scenery from a CR400BF-GS Fuxing train traveling from Qinghe Railway Station in Beijing to Taizicheng Station in Zhangjiakou, July 11, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
International representatives traveled on a CR400BF-GS Fuxing train from Qinghe Railway Station in Beijing to Taizicheng Station. During the journey, they viewed presentations about China’s high-speed rail network and the Beijing-Zhangjiakou line. Train specialists and conductors also briefed the delegates on the railway’s equipment, construction and operations.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Hong Kong Customs detected two drug trafficking cases involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (July 12) and seized a total of about 47 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $21 million and about 4 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $2.2 million.
The first case involved a female passenger, aged 58, who arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, yesterday. During Customs clearance, the suspected ketamine, weighing about 47 kg in total, were found inside her check-in suitcases. The woman was subsequently arrested.
In the second case, an 18-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. During Customs clearance, a total of about 4 kg of suspected methamphetamine were seized in his carry-on suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.
The investigation of the first case is ongoing. For the second case, the arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (July 14).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Hong Kong Customs detected two drug trafficking cases involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (July 12) and seized a total of about 47 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $21 million and about 4 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $2.2 million.
The first case involved a female passenger, aged 58, who arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, yesterday. During Customs clearance, the suspected ketamine, weighing about 47 kg in total, were found inside her check-in suitcases. The woman was subsequently arrested.
In the second case, an 18-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. During Customs clearance, a total of about 4 kg of suspected methamphetamine were seized in his carry-on suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.
The investigation of the first case is ongoing. For the second case, the arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (July 14).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).
Question for written answer E-002692/2025/rev.1 to the Commission Rule 144 Katri Kulmuni (Renew)
According to feedback from farmers, at least from my country, Finland, many local banks are refusing to lend to farmers for investments, citing EU regulations.
EU legislation does not, of course, prevent banks from lending to farmers, but it does influence lending decisions. For example, in the case of generational renewal, the support conditions imposed under EU regulations can make it difficult to obtain loans.
Generally speaking, the specific characteristics of farming – such as income variability and dependence on weather conditions – make it difficult to predict yields. In many sectors, the low levels of profitability at present mean that farmers don’t have easy access to their own money for the necessary investments, and have to resort to borrowing. For reasons of security of supply, however, every EU Member State should be as self-sufficient as possible when it comes to primary production.
In the light of the foregoing, I would like to ask:
Is the Commission aware of the challenges farmers face in accessing loans and is the Commission planning to take action to make it easier for farmers to obtain loans?
A €100 million loan has been granted by the EIB to Mediobanca to improve access to finance for Italian small businesses
The agreement aims to mobilise up to €200 million in new finance for the real economy
60% of the funding will be earmarked for microenterprises and 20% for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, with also a focus on regions in central and southern Italy
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Mediobanca have signed a new €100 million agreement designed to improve access to credit for Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a particular focus on microenterprises, female-led entrepreneurs and businesses operating in cohesion regions.
This €100 million contract was signed by EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti and Group Chief Financial Officer of Mediobanca Emanuele Flappini. This is the first agreement between the EIB and Mediobanca in which the funds will be primarily intermediated by Mediobanca’s subsidiary, Compass Banca. It is estimated that the EIB’s funding will help unlock up to €200 million of new finance for the real economy.
The funds made available by the EIB will be deployed by Mediobanca in the form of new loans on favourable terms, aimed at boosting the competitiveness of beneficiary companies and fostering new investments. Of the total financing for Italian small businesses, 60% of the funds will be reserved for microenterprises (companies with fewer than 10 employees), while 20% will be allocated to companies led by women or to projects that contributes to promote gender equality. Special attention will be paid also to companies operating in cohesion regions in central and southern Italy.
EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti said: “Supporting access to credit for microenterprises, female-led entrepreneurs and businesses operating in less developed regions of Italy means investing in the future of the country. Inclusion and territorial development are two key pillars of the EIB’s investment strategy: no real growth can prosper unless it is equally distributed, and no innovation exists if whole regions or segments of the working population are excluded. With this agreement, we aim to make the Italian economy more cohesive, dynamic and sustainable.”
Group Chief Financial Officer of Mediobanca Emanuele Flappini said: “Promoting the growth of Italian companies has always been our goal, a commitment that has gradually adapted to the changing needs of today’s economy, which now mostly comprises small and medium-sized businesses. We are therefore delighted to begin this collaboration with the European Investment Bank. We aim to commit more funds to microenterprises, paying particular attention to female entrepreneurs and areas of the country facing major difficulties, and in this way develop a plan enabling us to express ‘responsible banking’ values, a distinctive factor of our DNA, which will help create a more cohesive, dynamic and sustainable Italian economy.”
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality. In the last five years, the EIB Group has provided more than €58 billion in financing for projects in Italy. All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The EIB Group does not fund investments in fossil fuels. We are on track to deliver on our commitment to support €1 trillion in climate and environmental sustainability investment in the decade to 2030 as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Over half of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a healthier environment. Around half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower.
Question for written answer E-002736/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Irena Joveva (Renew), Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE), Hilde Vautmans (Renew), Nathalie Loiseau (Renew), Fabienne Keller (Renew), Bernard Guetta (Renew), Benoit Cassart (Renew), Olivier Chastel (Renew), Anna-Maja Henriksson (Renew), Stine Bosse (Renew), Marjan Šarec (Renew), Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu (Renew), Daniel Freund (Verts/ALE), Klára Dobrev (S&D), Csaba Molnár (S&D), Sophie Wilmès (Renew), Matjaž Nemec (S&D), Martin Hojsík (Renew), Hristo Petrov (Renew), Malik Azmani (Renew), Laurence Farreng (Renew), Marie-Pierre Vedrenne (Renew), Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová (Renew), Kim Van Sparrentak (Verts/ALE)
Recent reports allege that over EUR 1 billion in state advertising was abused to fund pro-government media in Hungary, distorting its domestic market in a way that is highly detrimental to free and independent media. Furthermore, parliamentary inquiries in other Member States have revealed that this model extends across borders, with Hungarian entities using these funds to financially support political allies’ media outlets abroad.
This conduct – using public funds in an opaque and biased manner to capture media service providers and gain political advantage – is precisely what the EMFA seeks to prevent. Article 25 requires state advertising to be awarded via transparent, objective and non-discriminatory criteria.
While these past actions appear to breach State aid rules, the application of Article 25 as from 8 August 2025 provides a crucial new tool.
In the light of this:
1.What action is the Commission taking regarding these apparent breaches of State aid rules, and is it undertaking a preliminary assessment of the reported situation in Hungary to prepare for the swift enforcement of Article 25 EMFA?
2.What preparatory measures is the Commission taking to effectively counter systemic, cross-border media financing schemes designed for political influence, immediately upon the full application of the EMFA?
In absolute figures, Italy’s national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) is the largest national plan under the Next Generation EU (NGEU) instrument. It is endowed with EU resources worth €71.8 billion in grants and €122.6 billion in loans, jointly representing 26.1 % of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), or 10.8 % of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 (the RRF being 5.2 % of EU 27 GDP in 2019). Launched in 2021, the plan underwent five revisions, of which the most extensive was in December 2023 (to add an energy-focused REPowerEU chapter) and the latest in June 2025. The €194.4 billion allocation finances a vast programme of reforms and investment that aim to promote economic recovery, while addressing several structural weaknesses and pursuing major objectives such as the green and digital transitions. Italy has so far received 62.8 % of the resources (€122.2 billion in pre-financing and six payments for both grants and loans); this is well above the EU average (48.8 %). The seventh payment is expected to be disbursed soon. Another three payments will depend on further progress in implementation. By February 2025, Italy had spent €65.7 billion or 33.8 % of the EU resources available for its NRRP, which suggests that the period through to the August 2026 deadline will be crucial to ensure full implementation, not least of its investment measures. A major advocate of creating a common EU recovery instrument, the European Parliament participates in interinstitutional forums for cooperation and discussion on its implementation and scrutinises the European Commission’s work. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States. Seventh edition. The ‘NGEU delivery’ briefings are updated at key stages throughout the lifecycle of the plans.
Question for written answer E-002741/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Giuseppe Antoci (The Left)
Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 sets the de minimis aid ceiling for ‘single undertakings’ at EUR 300 000 over any 3-year period.
Though the new cap is an improvement over the old one, many companies based in southern Italy’s SEZs[1] claim that they are not allowed to cumulate this state aid with additional regional incentives.
Given the economic repercussions of the geopolitical landscape and the cost of raw materials, this de minimis ceiling could jeopardise efforts to achieve territorial cohesion and reindustrialise port areas, which are two of the aforementioned SEZ’s objectives.
In the light of the above:
1.Will the Commission carry out a mid-term review of Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 to assess its impact on less developed regions?
2.What does it think of the possibility of introducing a higher de minimis ceiling[2] for all businesses and of setting a one-year reference period for micro-enterprises?
Submitted: 4.7.2025
[1] Areas that are eligible for state aid pursuant to Article 107(3)(a) TFEU.
Question for written answer E-002747/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Stefano Cavedagna (ECR)
As part of the revision of measure M2C2-I4.2 of Italy’s national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) – financed through NextGenerationEU – significant funding was earmarked for the construction of Bologna’s red and green tram lines, a project for which the City Council is the contracting authority. However, repeated delays could result in the TRM infrastructure being completed after the 30 June 2026 deadline set by target M2C2-25 bis.
In addition, alarming reports have emerged that construction personnel are being forced to work during the hottest summer hours in temperatures exceeding 35 C – a serious health risk as well as a potential violation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and of Articles 31 and 35 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
These practices also violate the regional order banning all on-site work between the hours of 12.30 and 16.00, a compliance issue for which the contracting authority (Bologna City Council) is responsible.
In the light of the above:
1.Is the Commission aware of the aforementioned working practices?
2.Is Bologna City Council responsible for compliance with safety regulations?
– having regard to Opinion No 19/2022 of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD),
– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Ryan Cornelius, a 71-year-old British national married to an EU citizen, has been arbitrarily detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2008, following a conviction on false fraud charges related to a loan from Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) for a property development project;
B. whereas he was initially sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and, just before his scheduled release in 2018, his sentence was extended by an additional 20 years under Dubai Law 37 of 2009, applied retroactively and in violation of international legal standards;
C. whereas according to human rights organisations, the UAE Government has a concerning track record of arbitrary detention, unfair trials and allegations of torture;
D. whereas according to independent auditors, the real estate development seized from Ryan Cornelius by DIB is demonstrably worth many times the amount of his outstanding debt to the bank;
E. whereas the UNWGAD has declared his continued imprisonment a violation of international law, citing a lack of due process, coerced confessions, solitary confinement, denial of legal counsel and coerced signing of documents in Arabic;
F. whereas Ryan Cornelius continues to be held in inhumane prison conditions, with his health deteriorating and without proper access to healthcare;
G. whereas Dubai Law 37 of 2009 states in Article 7(1) that the convicted person (the debtor) shall not be sentenced to jail if that person is aged over 70; whereas Ryan Cornelius turned 70 in 2024 and as such should be granted an exemption under this law;
1. Condemns Ryan Cornelius’s arbitrary and prolonged detention and calls for him and all other arbitrarily detained persons to be released immediately and unconditionally;
2. Demands that he be granted an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law;
3. Urges the Dubai authorities to provide him with access to adequate medical treatment and care in accordance with international standards on the treatment of prisoners, and to ensure an independent investigation into his arbitrary detention;
4. Denounces the retroactive application of Law 37 of 2009 and urges the UAE to ensure fair trials and abolish the practice of debt-related imprisonment; notes that Ryan Cornelius remains in prison despite the authorities having seized assets valued at more than twice his original debt;
5. Expresses solidarity with his family;
6. Calls on the United Kingdom to take all necessary action to ensure Ryan Cornelius’s release; urges the VP/HR, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the Member States and the EU Delegation to the UAE to raise his case in all bilateral engagements with the UAE and closely monitor the conditions of his detention;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the VP/HR, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the Member States, and the governments of the United Kingdom and the UAE.