Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 1, 2025. Trump said on Tuesday that Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize a 60-day ceasefire to end the conflict in Gaza. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize a 60-day ceasefire to end the conflict in Gaza.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola bemoaned some poor finishing and injury to a key player as his side crashed out of the FIFA Club World Cup against Al Hilal on Monday night in Florida.
Erling Haaland (Top C) of Manchester City heads the ball during the round of 16 match between Manchester City of England and Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 at the Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida, the United States, June 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)
City dominated the first half, but missed chances after the break, and the defensive lapses that had been so costly last season in the Premier and Champions League resurfaced as their Saudi rivals played sharp attacking football to punish them on the break, with Leonardo netting an injury time winner in a thrilling 4-3 win.
Guardiola also saw Spain international Rodri Hernandez limp out of the game with a muscle injury in his fifth appearance after returning from a knee operation.
“Rodri had complained about his situation,” said Guardiola about the midfielder, before showing his disappointment over the defeat.
“We would have loved to have continued, it is only here every four years. We had a feeling that the team is doing well but now we go home and it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season,” he said.
The Manchester City coach was clearly frustrated at the defeat when his side should have put the game to bed.
“We have to score and be clinical,” he commented. “They (Al Hilal) did not create much in the first half, we did but could not finish it. I had a feeling we could go through. We allow them to make transitions but we created a lot.”
“It is a pity, we have been on an incredible journey together in a good place. The vibe was really good: I cannot thank Manchester City enough and especially the players for training and how they have been playing,” he said, adding that he had seen “many good things” from his team during the tournament.
Asia Pacific Report
In the new weekly political podcast, The Bradbury Group, last night presenter Martyn Bradbury talked with visiting Palestinian journalist Dr Yousef Aljamal.
They assess the current situation in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and what New Zealand should be doing.
As Bradbury, publisher of The Daily Blog, notes, “Fourth Estate public broadcasting is dying — The Bradbury Group will fight back.”
Gaza crisis and Iran tensions. Video: The Bradbury Group/Radio Waatea
Also in last night’s programme was featured a View From A Far Podcast Special Middle East Report with former intelligence analyst Dr Paul Buchanan and international affairs commentator Selwyn Manning on what will happen next in Iran.
Political Panel:
Māori Party president John Tamihere,
NZ Herald columnist Simon Wilson
NZCTU economist Craig Renney
Topics:
– The Legacy of Tarsh Kemp
– New coward punch and first responder assault laws — virtue signalling or meaningful policy?
– Cost of living crisis and the failing economy
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan
07.01.25
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today voted to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. This transformative legislation includes numerous provisions to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential, deliver tax relief for hard-working families and small businesses, make the largest investment for the U.S. Coast Guard in history, secure the southern border and halt the flow of deadly fentanyl, continue the build-up of Alaska-based military, upgrade Alaska’s aviation safety, strengthen Alaska’s health care and nutrition programs, protect Alaska’s most vulnerable communities, and achieve historic savings for future generations.
“This comprehensive legislation is the product of months of relentless, focused work on behalf of Alaskans—and it delivers significant wins for our state. I think it is safe to say, no state fared better from this bill,” said Sen. Sullivan. “From Day One of these negotiations, which have been going on for months, I fought to ensure that Alaska wasn’t just included, but prioritized. An overriding focus of mine in shaping this legislation was ensuring it helps to unleash Alaska’s private sector economy for the benefit of our hard-working families and more job creation. The One Big Beautiful Bill works in concert with President Trump’s Day One, Alaska-specific executive order to unleash Alaska’s vast natural resource potential, restoring and establishing in law the first Trump administration’s mandate to unlock ANWR, NPR-A, and Cook Inlet for responsible resource development. These provisions are focused on creating good-paying jobs, generating billions of dollars in new revenues for the state, and putting Alaskans back in the driver’s seat of our economic future. Importantly, the historic resource development provisions cement regular lease sales into law for Alaska to guard against attempts by future Democratic administrations and Senate leaders to use regulatory powers to lock up our state and shut down our economy, as was done with President Biden’s 70 executive orders and actions targeting Alaska, what I called the ‘Last Frontier Lock-Up.’
“A second overriding focus of mine in shaping this legislation was ensuring it benefits Alaska’s working families. On that front, this bill is a home-run. We prevented the largest tax hike in history—more than $4 trillion—and locked in permanent, lower tax rates, an enhanced Child Tax Credit for millions of families, an increased standard deduction used by over 90 percent of taxpayers, a small business deduction that drives job creation and local economic growth, and an enhanced Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit—which incorporates language from a standalone bill I cosponsored, in addition to other deductions that will help Alaskans keep more of what they earn.
“As Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee overseeing the U.S. Coast Guard, I also fought to secure the largest investment in Coast Guard history—nearly $25 billion, which includes funding for 16 new icebreakers and $300 million to homeport the Coast Guard icebreaker Storis, in Juneau. And, with the Golden Dome initiative, we’re building the next generation of homeland missile defense—new interceptors, sensors, and radar systems to protect the entire country, with the cornerstone of this vital system continuing to reside in our great state. We’re also working to redevelop existing Arctic infrastructure, like the very strategically located Adak Naval Base in the Aleutians.
“With this bill, we are also securing our southern border with the most robust enforcement package in a generation—$46 billion for the wall, billions more for Border Patrol and law enforcement, and resources to crack down on the flow of deadly fentanyl into Alaska.
“Finally, contrary to the fear mongering from critics and naysayers for months on this legislation, I was able to secure significant funding—I am confident it will exceed about $200 million per year for five years—to modernize Alaska’s health system, stabilize our rural providers, improve patient outcomes, keep standalone hospitals open, and empower state leaders to maintain coverage for vulnerable Alaskans. The bill also includes commonsense work requirements for these benefits, ensuring able-bodied Americans utilizing these programs are contributing to our economy, and shoring up the social safety net program for those it was intended to support–struggling single parents, children and individuals with disabilities or mental health challenges. At the same time, Alaska faces challenges that no other state deals with, which is why we secured flexibility for our state government to implement the new Medicaid and SNAP work requirements, giving the state breathing room to fix program challenges without hurting Alaskans who rely on these benefits.
“From resource development to tax relief for small businesses and middle class families, to national defense, especially our Coast Guard, to securing our border, to strengthening our health care, this legislation reflects years of determined advocacy for Alaska. The final result is a transformative package full of historic wins for Alaska that will positively shape the future of our state for decades to come.”
Senator Sullivan fought to ensure this legislation unleashes Alaska’s natural resource potential, with provisions mandating at least four new area-wide lease sales in the ANWR Coastal Plain over the next decade, directing the Secretary of the Interior to expeditiously resume at least five lease sales in the NPR-A, and mandating a minimum of six lease sales over 10 years in Cook Inlet. The bill reopens areas designated as available for oil and gas leasing during the first Trump administration, and directs more revenues from the NPR-A, ANWR, and Cook Inlet to the State of Alaska, increasing the state’s percentage of the share to 70 percent for future leases. The legislation restores the leasing rules implemented during the first Trump administration—key to unlocking federal revenues from resource development in both ANWR and the NPR-A. The bill streamlines environmental reviews under NEPA by allowing project sponsors to opt into expedited timelines through a fee-based system—cutting review periods in half. The bill also creates a new Energy Dominance Financing program at the Department of Energy that has the potential to accelerate the momentum of the Alaska LNG project.
Finally, the bill requires increased timber harvests and long-term contracts in national forests and on public lands, including in the Tongass National Forest.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025:
“This energy package is a huge victory for Alaska’s jobs and economy, and for America’s energy future,” Sen. Sullivan said. “It’s time to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential: This bill mandates lease sales—1.6 million acres in ANWR, 20 million acres in NPR-A, and millions of acres in Cook Inlet—so we can tap into the state’s vast resources and create good-paying jobs for thousands of Alaskans. Importantly, we were able to secure a strong 70-30 split for ANWR, Cook Inlet, and future NPRA-leases, which will deliver untold new revenues to the State of Alaska.
“Combined with President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,’ this is a huge opportunity to jump start natural resource development and create new jobs in Alaska. These Alaska-driven provisions will lower energy costs for American families, create good-paying jobs for Alaskans, and generate billions in new federal revenues to realize our energy potential and put Alaskans back in the driver’s seat of our state’s economy.”
In 2017, Sen. Sullivan voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which included across-the-board tax cuts for small businesses and middle class families, and a doubling of the child tax credit to support working families and small businesses, and spur economic growth. Without Congress’ action, those tax cuts and tax credit increases were due to expire this year, which would amount to a $4.5 trillion tax hike on all Americans. It’s also important to note, contrary to what some critics of the legislation have said, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, millionaires and billionaires will be paying the exact same marginal tax rates as they do currently. There is no tax cut for them.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025:
“I have always fought to ensure hard-working Alaskans are able to keep more of their paycheck, and our small businesses are able to grow and hire more workers,” said Sen. Sullivan. “With this legislation, we are preserving the historic tax relief delivered for Alaskans in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and providing new relief for our workers and small businesses. Specifically, this bill prevents an average $2,380 tax hike on every Alaskan and a 25 percent tax increase on over 58,000 of Alaska’s small businesses. For Alaska’s working families, the bill permanently boosts the per-child tax credit to $2,200, preserves the doubling of the standard deduction we secured in 2017, and expands tax credits for paid family leave and child care—which I cosponsored in stand-alone legislation. The bill also eliminates taxes on tips, benefiting roughly one-in-ten Alaskans who work in our service and leisure industries. In sum, this bill will deliver a take-home pay increase of up to $10,900 for a family of four.
“The historic tax relief we are delivering in this bill, coupled with the legislation’s unprecedented provisions to unleash Alaska natural resources—working in concert with President Trump’s Day One, Alaska-specific executive order—bring together all of the elements needed to achieve strong growth in Alaska’s private sector economy. Importantly, that will mean more good-paying jobs for more of Alaska’s families.”
As Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on the Coast Guard, Sen. Sullivan has consistently championed robust investments in our Coast Guard. Sen. Sullivan’s strong advocacy in the negotiations of the One Big Beautiful Bill of Act 2025 resulted in nearly $25 billion for fiscal year 2026 to the U.S. Coast Guard, including:
“This historic investment of nearly $25 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard—the largest investment in Coast Guard history—is a game-changer for the men and women who protect our nation’s oceans and maritime communities, especially in Alaska,” Sen. Sullivan said. “With funding for 17 new icebreakers, 21 cutters, dozens of aircraft, and billions to modernize docks and shore facilities–particularly in Alaska, we’re strengthening America’s maritime presence in the Arctic and along our vast coastline. I’ve been working for years to get an icebreaker homeported in Alaska. This is the next critical step: $300 million to support icebreaker homeporting in Juneau—cementing Alaska’s role as the nation’s Arctic operations hub. This investment will create good-paying jobs throughout Southeast Alaska, bolster our national security, and ensure our Coast Guard has the tools it needs to protect our waters and our communities for decades to come.”
Senator Sullivan has long advocated for stronger policies to secure the nation’s southern border, highlighting the negative impacts of President Biden’s four years of open border policies on all states, including those that are thousands of miles away, like Alaska. For two years in a row, Alaska experienced the largest annual increase in the rate of drug overdose deaths in the country, driven in large part by the flow of fentanyl across the porous border. In recognition of the havoc this crisis has wrought on Alaska’s communities, the Senator last year spearheaded the launch of a statewide “One Pill Can Kill” initiative to educate Alaskans about the dangers of the drug and raise awareness about the resources available for treatment, prevention and reporting criminal activity.
This legislation provides billions of dollars for our border security, funding and personnel to the immigration court system, materials and manpower to build the southern border wall, funding for Border Patrol and fleet vehicles, enhanced and upgraded Border Patrol technology, and additional law enforcement funding, including for DHS, DOJ, ICE, Secret Service, and federal courts.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 provides:
“This Homeland Security package is a critical step toward securing our borders and stopping the flow of deadly fentanyl into our country, a crisis that is even impacting Alaska,” Sen. Sullivan said. “Alaska’s communities, from our biggest cities to rural villages, have dealt with the deadly consequences of a porous southern border. For years, fentanyl poured into our state, surging overdose deaths by more than 40% between 2022 and 2023, and taking the lives of far too many young people. Thankfully, since President Trump came into office, illegal border crossings have dropped by 99%. These provisions will continue this enforcement of our border and stop this scourge of illegal aliens, drug cartels, and fentanyl from devastating communities across the country.”
Taking care of our troops and rebuilding our military guided by a policy of “Peace Through Strength” have been top priorities of Senator Sullivan since he joined the Senate Armed Services Committee. The strong military provisions in this bill include several major benefits for Alaska.
The bill allocates $9 billion to improve the quality of life for service members—enhancing housing, child care, and health care services at Alaska’s many military bases—building on the historic 14.5 percent military pay raise for junior enlisted warfighters that Senator Sullivan helped secure in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act. It also provides $115 million to support the exploration and development of existing Arctic infrastructure, like the critical Adak Naval Air Station in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and invests $9 billion in air superiority efforts that will help sustain aircraft and operations at Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER).
The bill also invests heavily in missile defense systems—with $1.975 billion that could enhance radar sites like the Long Range Discrimination Radar at Clear Space Force Station, the COBRA DANE radar on Shemya, and other installations across the state. Alaska may also benefit from $800 million for next-generation interceptors at Fort Greely, and $500 million for national security space launch infrastructure that could include the Kodiak Pacific Spaceport. These investments are part of President Trump’s $25 billion “Golden Dome for America” initiative, which accelerates the development of a layered missile defense system to protect the homeland—cementing Alaska’s position at the forefront of national security. Senator Sullivan’s GOLDEN DOME Act would further add to the money appropriated by the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act to protect Alaska and the nation.
Additionally, Alaska stands to gain from the $12 billion Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which includes expanded military exercises involving Alaska Command, and from the $29 billion shipbuilding provision, which will likely strengthen U.S. Navy maritime presence to help safeguard Alaska’s waters.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 includes:
“Taking care of our troops and achieving ‘Peace Through Strength’ are two of my top priorities. This legislation includes funding for Alaska’s air defense superiority, readiness missions, maritime fleet, as well as an investment in better housing, child care, and health care at bases across Alaska,” said Sen. Sullivan. “The escalating missile threats from the Iranian regime—and the rapidly advancing capabilities of Russia and China—make clear why we must build a robust, modernized missile defense system to protect the entire country. That’s exactly what the Golden Dome initiative will do. With President Trump’s leadership, a $25 billion down payment in this legislation, and the Golden Dome Act I introduced with my colleagues to cement this vision in law, we now have all three pillars of effective policy: presidential backing, appropriated funding, and authorizing legislation. This initiative will deploy space-based sensors and next-generation interceptors, and significantly enhance our all-domain awareness. Alaska will remain the cornerstone of America’s missile defense, and I look forward to advancing this historic effort to secure our homeland.”
Alaska faces an aviation accident rate 2.35 times higher than the national average, and this legislation delivers major, long-overdue investments to address that challenge head-on. The Alaska-specific aviation safety provisions in this legislation include the installation of Weather Observing Systems and weather camera sites, as well as a $40 million carve out for the FAA Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative. These provisions are in addition to a federal overhaul of aviation safety announced by President Trump earlier this year that includes the addition of 174 new weather stations specifically for Alaska.
Included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:
“With dozens of communities off the road system and wholly reliant on aviation, and an air traffic control system responsible for the heavily-trafficked aviation routes between North America and Asia, no state is more aware of our country’s aviation safety challenges than Alaska,” said Sen. Sullivan. “This bill includes historic critical upgrades to Alaska’s aviation safety equipment and funding for the FAA Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative. These weather observing systems and camera sites will provide real-time weather data and visual confirmation in remote areas with harsh, rapidly changing conditions, ensuring that Alaska’s pilots have the technology they need to fly as safely as possible.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 does not touch Medicare or Social Security despite false ads running in Alaska saying the contrary. The major Medicaid reform in this bill centers around limitations and reductions of states’ use of provider taxes and state-directed payments to enhance their federal Medicaid payments. Many observers view the use of provider taxes and state-directed payments as a scheme to enhance a state’s share of federal Medicaid dollars. Because Alaska is the only state in the country that doesn’t use provider taxes or state-directed payments, and never has, its Medicaid program and federal funds that the state receives are not impacted by the provider tax reforms in the bill.
Senator Sullivan has been working for years on legislation to increase Alaska’s Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) by 25 percent and Hawaii’s FMAP by 15 percent to better reflect the high cost of living and high cost of health care delivery in both states. This FMAP provision was included in the original budget reconciliation bill with White House and Senate Republican support. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that this provision would have generated approximately an additional $180 million in increased annual Medicaid dollars for Alaska.
However, during the final stages of the budget reconciliation debate, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats challenged Sen. Sullivan’s FMAP provision with the intent to strip it out of the budget reconciliation bill during a series of “Byrd baths.” Following this review, the Senate Parliamentarian advised that the provision violated the requirements of the Byrd Rule, resulting in its removal from the bill and costing Alaska potentially millions of dollars in additional annual Medicaid funding.
In response, Senator Sullivan pivoted and pursued an alternative solution. To address Alaska’s limited health care infrastructure, he successfully negotiated a $25 billion increase for the Rural Health Transformation Fund in the budget reconciliation bill, bringing it to $50 billion. Senator Sullivan helped shape the formula for this fund to allocate $100 million annually for Alaska for five years. He is confident that additional funding from this fund to Alaska will exceed another $100 million.
In total, this fund is anticipated to provide over $200 million annually for five years to help expand access and improve health care across Alaska, support providers in remote communities, and reduce the state’s Medicaid application backlog through the Alaska Division of Public Assistance.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025:
“For months, I have worked relentlessly on every aspect of this reconciliation bill to make sure Alaska isn’t just included, but prioritized—including our health care and nutrition programs,” said Sen. Sullivan. “My team and I also fought hard to secure a $50 billion fund to help states, like Alaska, modernize health systems, stabilize rural providers, improve patient outcomes, and keep standalone hospitals open. Thanks to this provision and commitments I received from the Trump administration, I am confident that Alaska will receive over $200 million a year—for five years—to empower our state leaders to maintain coverage for vulnerable Alaskans and shore up our state’s social safety net.
“Additionally, the Medicaid provisions in this bill will make this critical safety net program stronger, more accountable, and more sustainable—especially for Alaskans. Our goal is simple: maintain strong safety nets, reduce barriers to care, and grow good-paying jobs across Alaska so more people can thrive and get covered through the private sector.
“I do support Medicaid work requirements for those who are able, but we made sure to include commonsense, tailored work exemptions, including for Alaska Native people, those who live in places with low employment opportunities, pregnant women, and people with mental health and substance use disorders.
“Many of Alaska’s hospitals operate on the financial edge while continuing to serve as the backbone of care in remote regions. They are critical to Alaska’s health care system, and this legislation—the result of months of work from me and my team—ensures our hospitals will receive the Alaska-specific plus-ups and protections they need to continue serving our communities.”
Senator Sullivan worked to ensure the legislation included provisions directly aimed at protecting Alaska’s most vulnerable communities, especially seniors and those facing financial hardship. For seniors and elder Alaskans, the bill provides a $12,000 tax deduction to reduce Social Security taxes, with estimated average savings of between $9,000–$17,500 for seniors ages 60 and up. The legislation also allows telehealth copays to be covered by insurance outside of high-deductible thresholds—making virtual care more affordable for rural and senior populations, and exempts seniors over 65 from Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 also expands home-and community-based services for individuals with disabilities, repeals harmful Biden-era nursing home staffing mandates, and includes a 2.5 percent Medicare reimbursement increase for FY 2026—known as the “doc fix”—to ensure that seniors utilizing Medicare continue to have access to care.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025:
“My team and I worked hard to ensure the One Big Beautiful Bill protects Alaska’s most vulnerable communities, especially our seniors and those struggling to make ends meet,” said Sen. Sullivan. “We secured provisions that will provide real relief, like a $12,000 tax deduction that helps older Alaskans keep more of their hard-earned retirement income, and expanded telehealth access that makes care more affordable and accessible in our rural communities. We also were able to exempt seniors from burdensome work requirements and repeal a disastrous Biden-era federal nursing home mandate that threatened to close facilities across our state.
“Contrary to some of the fear-mongering by critics, this bill makes no changes to Medicare or Social Security. Programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP were created to protect our most vulnerable populations, and this legislation helps ensure that these social safety net programs are there for Americans and Alaskans who need them.
“My team and I also secured flexibility for implementing both the new Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements for Alaska, including exemptions for all Alaska Native people, parents or guardians of children 14 and under, caregivers for elders and adults with disabilities, individuals who are medically frail or are dealing with a substance use disorder, veterans, pregnant women, and areas of high unemployment. With regard to SNAP, I helped secure a delay for Alaska to implement these work requirements until 2029 based on a good faith effort. These flexibilities will be crucial to ensuring our state’s most vulnerable continue to receive benefits while allowing the State breathing room to adjust to the new requirements under the bill.
“This bill provides good governance cost-sharing measures to ensure that states properly administer their programs and get SNAP benefits to people who need it most. However, the State of Alaska is working on modernizing their system to administer their program and will need extra time to complete the overhaul. I pushed intensely to secure up to a two-year delay before the cost-sharing measures come into play. This crucial delay will provide the State the time it needs to overhaul their system and improve their program—ultimately ensuring that people who need SNAP the most, are the ones who receive it.”
IX. Achieving Historic Savings for Our Children’s Future
Sen. Sullivan shares the serious concern many Alaskans have about the size and scope of federal spending, especially the risks posed by the country’s $36 trillion debt. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 represents one of the largest federal spending reductions in American history, roughly $1.6 trillion, and will reduce the federal budget deficit by $508 billion over ten years. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the legislation will result in the debt-to-GDP ratio falling to between 88 and 99 percent, instead of rising to 117 percent without the bill.
“Our national debt of over $36 trillion has reached dangerous, unsustainable levels. Last year, we paid out more in interest on this debt—upwards of $950 billion—than we did to fund our military at about $870 billion,” said Sen. Sullivan. “When you look at history, great powers begin to fail when they hit this precarious inflection point—spending more in interest on the debt than they do to protect their own nation. These debt and spending levels also drive high inflation rates, as we’ve seen over the past few years, which remain the top concern of Alaskan families—the high cost of living. This bill includes one of largest spending reductions in history—$1.6 trillion, and will reduce the deficit by $508 billion over ten years. The bill accomplishes these reductions by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse—not by cutting essential services.”
X. Fighting Back Against Senate Democrats and Minority Leader Schumer’s Relentless Attempts to Shut Down Alaska’s Economy and Harm Our Citizens
In the budget reconciliation process, the parliamentarian of the Senate only rules on provisions of the bill when they are challenged by Democrat or Republican party leaders, to see if those provisions violate the so-called “Byrd Rule,” which dictates that a provision in reconciliation legislation must be principally focused on the budget, spending and taxes. The Byrd rule and the parliamentarian’s role are not self-executing, meaning, the parliamentarian does not scrub budget reconciliation bills looking for violations of the Byrd rule. She only looks into these issues if those issues are challenged by the Republican or Democratic Senate leaders.
In this bill, Democrats in the Senate, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, challenged nearly every single provision in the bill that would benefit Alaska. The most egregious was Sen. Sullivan’s provision, which he’s worked on for years, to increase the federal match for Medicaid in Alaska. Sen. Sullivan secured the provision in the bill, which was supported by all Senate Republicans and the White House, and would have provided Alaska with hundreds of millions of dollars more a year in federal Medicaid dollars.
The irony of this outcome is particularly strong given that far-left-wing Democrat-affiliated groups have been falsely attacking Senator Sullivan for weeks on cutting Medicaid. The only people objectively and factually trying to cut Medicaid for Alaskans are Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats, who successfully did so when they stripped out Sen. Sullivan’s FMAP provision for Alaska that was already in the budget reconciliation bill.
Other provisions that would dramatically help Alaska, but were challenged by Sen. Schumer and the Senate Democratic leadership to strip out of the budget reconciliation bill, include:
“Here is an undeniable fact: The only people who are advocating cutting Medicaid for Alaskans are Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats,” said Sen. Sullivan. “Worse, this is just one of a number of positive provisions for Alaska that Senate Democrats’ fought to strip out of the budget reconciliation bill. This is consistent with the long pattern of National Democrats’ attempts, for decades, to lock up our state, shut down our economy, and hurt our working families.”
Source: Government of Qatar
Seville, July 02, 2025
The State of Qatar reaffirmed its commitment to fostering partnerships and mobilizing financing for inclusive development, expressing pride in hosting the Second Global Summit on Social Development this coming November.
The summit aims to enhance global dialogue and action toward inclusive social development and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This message was delivered by HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad on financing inclusive and sustainable development. The session was co-organized by the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Spain in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), as part of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville.
HE the minister emphasized that achieving the SDGs requires effective international cooperation, especially to support vulnerable populations affected by poverty, conflict, and climate change. Her Excellency stressed the urgent need for strong partnerships and sustained investment in education, healthcare, and social protection. She added that a real commitment is needed to leaving no one behind, with special attention to women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Her Excellency underscored that the State of Qatar continues to pursue its Vision 2030 by building a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation, social justice, and inclusion. She highlighted that sustainable development indicators are being integrated into all national policies, with a strong emphasis on the family and expanding access to quality education and healthcare.
At the international level, HE the minister reiterated the State of Qatar’s commitment to working closely with UN agencies, particularly the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and to investing in development acceleration labs that support local innovation in over 115 countries. She also noted the State of Qatar’s role in supporting education in emergencies, including a new partnership with the World Bank that converts debt relief into social investment.
Commenting on the broader global agenda, Her Excellency said that the State of Qatar views the Seville Commitment as a vital stepping stone to the upcoming Doha Summit. She called for joint efforts to reform global financing mechanisms and to strengthen collaboration with international financial institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and development banks. Her Excellency also called for ensuring that human rights remain at the heart of all development efforts, adding that the State of Qatar looks forward to having everyone work together, in a spirit of partnership and innovation, to develop real solutions that reach those most in need.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
HOUSTON, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA) today released its sustainability publications highlighting progress in environmental stewardship, social responsibility and corporate governance throughout 2024. This year, APA simplified its reporting into two complementary documents. Our Approach to Sustainability details the ongoing sustainability programs and initiatives. The 2025 Sustainability Progress Report contains progress on 2024 goals, yearly highlights, key performance data and new goals for 2025. To explore the publications, visit https://apacorp.com/sustainability.
“Our sustainability progress is tangible,” said APA CEO John J. Christmann IV. “APA has taken meaningful steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize freshwater usage, and protect sensitive ecosystems. We remain committed to a strong safety culture and responsible operations. We are proud to share our 2024 highlights in the pages of our progress report.”
Highlights from the 2025 Sustainability Progress Report include:
About APA
APA Corporation owns consolidated subsidiaries that explore for and produce oil and natural gas in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom and that explore for oil and natural gas offshore Suriname and elsewhere. APA posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com.
Contacts
Investor: (281) 302-2286
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Website: www.apacorp.com
APA-G
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Anna Erickson, Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
When U.S. forces attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 21, 2025, the main target was metal tubes in laboratories deep underground. The tubes are centrifuges that produce highly enriched uranium needed to build nuclear weapons.
Inside of a centrifuge, a rotor spins in the range of 50,000 to 100,000 revolutions per minute, 10 times faster than a Corvette engine’s crankshaft. High speeds are needed to separate lighter uranium-235 from heavier uranium-238 for further collection and processing. Producing this level of force means the rotor itself must be well balanced and strong and rely on high-speed magnetic bearings to reduce friction.
Over the years, Iran has produced thousands of centrifuges. They work together to enrich uranium to dangerous levels – close to weapons-grade uranium. Most of them are deployed in three enrichment sites: Natanz, the country’s main enrichment facility, Fordow and Isfahan. Inside of these facilities, the centrifuges are arranged into cascades – series of machines connected to each other. This way, each machine yields slightly more enriched uranium, feeding the gas produced into its neighbor to maximize production efficiency.
As a nuclear engineer who works on nuclear nonproliferation, I track centrifuge technology, including the Iranian enrichment facilities targeted by the U.S. and Israel. A typical cascade deployed in Iran is composed of 164 centrifuges, working in series to produce enriched uranium. The Natanz facility was designed to hold over 50,000 centrifuges.
Iran’s early intentions to field centrifuges on a very large scale were clear. At the peak of the program in the early 2010s it deployed over 19,000 units. Iran later scaled down the number of its centrifuges in part due to international agreements such as the since scrapped Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed in 2015.
Iran has a long history of enriching uranium.
In the late 1990s, it acquired a Pakistani centrifuge design known as P-1. The blueprints and some components were supplied via the A.Q. Khan black market network – the mastermind of the Pakistani program and a serious source of nuclear proliferation globally. Today, the P-1 design is known as IR-1. IR-1 centrifuges use aluminum and a high-strength alloy, known as maraging steel.
About one-third of the centrifuges that were deployed at the sites of the recent strike on June 21 are IR-1. Each one produces on the order of 0.8 separative work units, which is the unit for measuring the amount of energy and effort needed to separate uranium-235 molecules from the rest of the uranium gas. To put this in perspective, one centrifuge would yield about 0.2 ounces (6 grams) of 60%-enriched uranium-235 per year.
A typical uranium-based weapon requires 55 pounds (25 kilograms) of 90%-enriched uranium. To get to weapons-grade level, a single centrifuge would produce only 0.14 ounces (4 grams) per year. It requires more work to go higher in enrichment. While capable of doing the job, the IR-1 is quite inefficient.
Small yields mean that over 6,000 centrifuges would need to work together for a year to get enough material for one weapon such as a nuclear warhead. Or the efficiency of the centrifuges would have to be improved. Iran did both.
Before the strike by U.S. forces, Iran was operating close to 7,000 IR-1 centrifuges. In addition, Iran designed, built and operated more efficient centrifuges such as the IR-2m, IR-4 and IR-6 designs. Comparing the IR-1 with the latest designs is like comparing a golf cart with the latest electric vehicles in terms of range and payload.
Iran’s latest centrifuge designs contain carbon fiber composites with exceptional strength and durability and low weight. This is a recipe for producing light and compact centrifuges that are easier to conceal from inspections. According to the international nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency, before the strike Iran was operating 6,500 IR-2m centrifuges, close to 4,000 IR-4 centrifuges and over 3,000 IR-6 centrifuges.
With each new generation, the separative work unit efficiency increased significantly. IR-6 centrifuges, with their carbon fiber rotors, can achieve up to 10 separative work units per year. That’s about 2.8 ounces (80 grams) of 60%-enriched uranium-235 per year. The International Atomic Energy Agency verified that the IR-6 cascades have been actively used to ramp up production of 60%-enriched uranium.
The most recent and advanced centrifuges developed by Iran, known as IR-9, can achieve 50 separative work units per year. This cuts down the time needed to produce highly enriched uranium for weapon purposes from months to weeks. The other aspect of IR-9 advanced centrifuges is their compactness. They are easier to conceal from inspections or move underground, and they require less energy to operate.
Advanced centrifuges such as the IR-9 drive up the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation significantly. Fortunately, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports that only one exists in testing laboratories, and there is no evidence Iran has deployed them widely. However, it’s possible more are concealed.
Uranium enrichment of 60% is far beyond the needs of any civilian use. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran stockpiled about 880 pounds (400 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium before the attack, and it might have escaped intact. That’s enough to make 10 weapons. The newer centrifuges – IR-2m, IR-4 and IR-6 – would need a bit over eight months to produce that much.
It’s not clear what the U.S. attack has accomplished, but destroying the facilities targeted in the attack and hindering Iran’s ability to continue enriching uranium might be a way to slow Iran’s move toward producing nuclear weapons. However, based on my work and research on preventing nuclear proliferation, I believe a more reliable means of preventing Iran from achieving its nuclear aims would be for diplomacy and cooperation to prevail.
Anna Erickson receives funding from Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) related to nuclear nonproliferation technologies. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Nuclear Society.
– ref. Why the US bombed a bunch of metal tubes − a nuclear engineer explains the importance of centrifuges to Iranian efforts to build nuclear weapons – https://theconversation.com/why-the-us-bombed-a-bunch-of-metal-tubes-a-nuclear-engineer-explains-the-importance-of-centrifuges-to-iranian-efforts-to-build-nuclear-weapons-259883
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Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rosa Busquets, Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University
A new exhibition in London (open until February 2026) called Thirst: In search of freshwater highlights how civilisations have treasured – and been intrinsically linked to – safe, clean water.
As a chemist, I research how freshwater is polluted by modern civilisation. Common contaminants in rivers include pharmaceuticals,
microplastics
(which degrade further when exposed to sunlight and wave power), and forever chemicals or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (some of which are carcinogenic).
Synthetic toxic chemicals are introduced into the environment from the products we make, use and dispose of. This wasn’t a problem centuries ago, where we had a totally different manufacturing industry and technologies.
Some, such as PFAS from stain-resistant textiles or nonstick materials such as cookware, can be particularly difficult to remove from wastewater. PFAS don’t degrade easily, they resist conventional heat treatments and can easily pass through wastewater treatments, so they contaminate rivers or lakes that are sources of our drinking water.
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Testing for pollutants is even more critical in developing nations that lack sanitation and face drought or flooding.
Having to protect and conserve drinking water and its sources is as relevant today as it always has been.
For this exhibition, curator at the Wellcome Collection in London, Janice Li, has selected 125 historical objects, photographs and feats of engineering that link to drought, rain, glaciers, rivers and lakes. These three artefacts from Thirst illustrate how our relationship with water contamination has evolved:
Made from natural materials such as clay, water jug filters have been used for hundreds of years in every continent by ancient civilisations. They show that purifying water for drinking was commonplace. The sand and soil particles that naturally get suspended in water and removed by these filters would have carried microbes.
But in ancient times, pharmaceuticals and other drugs, pesticides, forever chemicals and microplastics would not have been a problem. Those filters could work relatively well despite being made of simple materials with wide pores.
Today, those ancient filters would no longer be effective. Modern water filters are made using more advanced materials which typically have small pores (called micropores and mesopores). For example, filters often include activated carbon (a highly porous type of carbon that can be manufactured to capture contaminants) or membranes that filter water. Only then is it safe for people to drink.
Read more:
Forever chemicals are in our drinking water – here’s how to reduce them
Lead water pipes (known as fistulae) were useful parts of a relatively advanced plumbing system that distributed drinking water throughout Roman cities. They are still common in water systems in our cities today. In the US, there are about 9.2 million lead service lines in use. Exposure to lead causes severe human health problems. Lead exposure, not necessarily from drinking water only, was attributed to more than 1.5 million deaths in 2021.
It’s now understood that lead is neurotoxic and it can diffuse or spread from the pipes to drinking water. Lead from paints and batteries, including car batteries, can also contaminate drinking water.
To protect us from lead leaching or flaking off from pipes, some government agencies are calling for the replacement of lead pipes with copper or plastic pipes. Water companies routinely add phosphates (mined powder that contains phosphorus) to drinking water to help capture potential lead contamination and make it safe to drink.
One caricature titled The Monster Soup by artist William Heath (1828) is part of the Wellcome Trust’s permanent collection. The graphics read “microcosms dedicated to the London Water companies” and “Monster soup, commonly called Thames Water being a correct representation of the precious stuff doled out to us”. The cartoon shows a lady so terrified at the sight of microbes in river water from the Thames that she drops her cup of tea.
Even today, many people remain shocked at the toxic contamination in rivers and sewage pollution prevents people from swimming.
By 2030, 2 billion people will still not have safely managed drinking water and 1.2 billion will lack basic hygiene services. Drinking water will still be contaminated by bacteria such as E. coli and other dangerous pathogens that cause waterborne diseases. So advancing technologies to filter out contamination will be just as crucial in the future as it has been in the past.
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Rosa Busquets receives funding from UKRI/ EU Horizons MSCA Staff exchanges Clean Water project 101131182, DASA, project ACC6093561. She is affiliated with Kingston University, UCL, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, UNEP EEAP.
– ref. From Roman drains to ancient filters, these artefacts show how solutions to water contamination have evolved – https://theconversation.com/from-roman-drains-to-ancient-filters-these-artefacts-show-how-solutions-to-water-contamination-have-evolved-253876
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Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sara Polak, University Lecturer in American Studies, Leiden University
There is a strange and worrying parallel between the breakneck speed at which Donald Trump has operated in the first few months of his presidency and the ever-accelerating pace at which information moves on social media platforms. Where in his first term he used Twitter, now, the 47th US president is using his own platform, TruthSocial, to announce changes of direction that are sometimes so fundamental that they change decades of US policy.
Social media has become a key tool of governing for Trump’s administration. He uses it both to make announcements and to drum up support for those announcements. His social media posts can move the markets and make or break careers. They can even, it seems, stop wars.
So when he used TruthSocial to announce a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on June 23, giving the two countries a deadline to stop firing missiles, it appears that neither of the antagonists were fully aware of the situation, given they carried on attacking each other. So an all-caps message followed: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS,” he posted. “BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!” – adding, just in case anyone had any doubt he was serious: “DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.”
Trump’s use of his TruthSocial platform began as he sought to re-establish himself from the political wilderness after the insurrection of January 6 2021. It has now become a tool of his extreme power and his willingness to use (and abuse) it – globally as well as domestically.
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He’s the latest in a string of US presidents known for their adroit use of whichever is the medium most guaranteed to connect with the greatest number of people. From Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s adept cultivation of print journalists in the early 20th century through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s comforting use of radio as it gained popularity and John F. Kennedy’s mastery of the rising medium of television, presidents have expanded their reach and influence through adept use of media.
FDR’s “fireside chats”, broadcast on the radio throughout the US in the 1930s, reached an estimated 80% of the population, showing he understood the key media principle of reach. Roosevelt would address his listeners as “my friends” and Americans came to understand them as seemingly intimate conversations with their president.
FDR dominated the airwaves at a time when many Americans hardly understood the important role that the federal government played in their own lives – and millions of households were only just getting mains electricity (thanks to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936). But radios were becoming a common mass medium and FDR perfectly understood how to use it. If you listen to the fireside chats, FDR may sound patrician – and at times formal – but his tone is also friendly, thoughtful and reassuring.
In Germany at around the same time, Adolf Hitler’s massive stadium speeches were very effective for people who were in the stadium and being lifted by the intensity of the crowd and all the carefully thought out visual cues. But when broadcast on radio, Hitler had nothing like Roosevelt’s ability to connect with people on a personal level.
Roosevelt was hardly the first leader – or even the first US president – to speak on the radio. But he was the first to master the medium. He figured out how to use its potential to deliver a key implicit message: that his government should and did take on a central role in people’s lives.
Equally, John F. Kennedy can be said to have “discovered” political television. Not just as a medium for political campaigns, debates and speeches – but also for putting across to a mass audience his role as the embodiment of American decency, beauty and masculinity: JFK’s White House as Camelot.
Both Roosevelt and Kennedy were in several ways physically disabled and lived with chronic illness, yet through the “new medium” of their time were able to project an image of quintessentially American strength and trustworthiness. In part this was their own doing – but it’s also a testament to the power of the media they used for their time.
These possibilities of a medium used to its best advantage – for example, to be heard around the US, but still to project a sense of intimacy – have become known as the “affordances” of a medium. The medium afforded Roosevelt space to be authentic without showing his disability. Kennedy appeared young, fit and handsome – even when dependent on painkillers.
When a new medium is introduced, people start to play around with its affordances – and this applies to politicians too. Political leaders who develop a special aptitude for using the new medium to emphasise their unique style can become particularly successful, as has Donald Trump with his use of social media.
The US president rose to power helped by his adept use of many of Twitter’s attributes – the imposed brevity of his messages, the ease of retweeting, the tendency for other users to “pile on” (and the user anonymity, which tends to encourage pile-ons) to polarise American public debate.
Trump was forced off Twitter after the Capitol Hill insurrection of January 6 2021. So he came back with his own platform, TruthSocial, where he can also make the rules. And now he uses the platform to make foreign policy, trumpeting his positions (which can change with bewildering speed) on TruthSocial well before they can be announced by the White House press team, which often has to scramble to catch up.
When Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan penned his famous phrase: “The medium is the message” in his groundbreaking 1964 study, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, he meant to say that media form and content are not as distinct from one another as one might think and that the form of a medium of communication can shape society as much as its content. In Donald Trump’s use of social media, we are seeing this idea at work.
Sara Polak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. How Trump plays with new media says a lot about him – as it did with FDR, Kennedy and Obama – https://theconversation.com/how-trump-plays-with-new-media-says-a-lot-about-him-as-it-did-with-fdr-kennedy-and-obama-248923
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Source: The Conversation – UK – By Julian Hargreaves, Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Criminology, City St George’s, University of London
The UK government wants a new definition of Islamophobia and has created a working group of politicians, academics and independent experts to provide one. It aims to settle long-running political debates over the term.
The concept of Islamophobia describes anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic prejudices and their impact on Muslim communities. The term became familiar in the UK following publication of the Runnymede Trust report, Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All, in 1997.
The concept is now used to discuss negative public opinion towards Muslims and Islam, biased media reporting, verbal and physical assaults and online attacks. It is also used when discussing social and economic inequalities, discrimination within various institutional settings and unfair treatment from the police and security services.
Previous definitions have been controversial, failing to unite politicians, academics and British Muslims, and leading to charged debates over free speech.
Some academics have argued that the word “Islamophobia” – which suggests a phobia or fear of Islam – is an inaccurate label for a prejudice which often targets skin colour, ethnicity and culture.
Many Muslim-led organisations accept that the term is imperfect and interchangeable with others such as “anti-Muslim hatred”. However, they maintain the term “Islamophobia” is needed to focus attention on a growing problem.
The 1997 Runnymede Trust report defined Islamophobia as an “unfounded hostility towards Islam”, “the practical consequences of such hostility in unfair discrimination against Muslim individuals and communities” and “the exclusion of Muslims from mainstream political and social affairs”.
The Runnymede Trust revised its definition in a follow-up report published in 2017. The report defines Islamophobia in two ways.
The first is “anti-Muslim racism”. A longer, second version amends the United Nation’s 1965 definition of “racial discrimination”. These revised definitions are important because they re-framed Islamophobia as a product of racist thinking rather than religious prejudices.
Other attempts to define Islamophobia include British academic Chris Allen’s 200-word definition. Allen defined it as an ideology like racism that spreads negative views of Muslims and Islam, influencing social attitudes and leading to discrimination and violence. US political scientist Erik Bleich defined it more succinctly as “indiscriminate negative attitudes or emotions directed at Islam or Muslims”.
In 2018, the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims published another definition linking Islamophobia to racism. According to the APPG, “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” The APPG called for its definition to be legally binding.
The APPG definition was adopted by various organisations including local authorities, UK universities and the Labour party while in opposition. But it was rejected by the then Conservative government and later by the current Labour government, which argued it was seeking “a more integrated and cohesive approach”.
This lack of consensus over previous definitions led Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, to announce the working group in March 2025. The group’s aim is to provide a new definition of “anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia” which is “reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims”.
Former Conservative MP and attorney general Dominic Grieve was appointed to chair the group, evidence of Labour’s ambition to build consensus.
Some are concerned that use of the term “Islamophobia”, and particularly the APPG definition, stifles legitimate criticism of Islam. Free speech campaigners have argued that it is “blasphemy via the back door”.
The centre-right thinktank Policy Exchange published a report claiming that the term is used in bad faith to divert attention away from serious social problems within some Muslim communities – specifically, discussion of the grooming gangs scandal.
These debates bear resemblance to those surrounding the term “antisemitism” and the adoption of a definition proposed by the International Holocaust Memorial Alliance. The term is widely accepted, although critics have argued this specific definition stifles legitimate criticism of the Israeli state.
A new definition of “Islamophobia” must balance the protection of Muslim communities and freedoms of religion, expression and assembly for all Muslims and non-Muslims in the UK. It must be clear enough for everyday use, specific enough for academic and policy research, and capable of generating support across the UK’s diverse Muslim population.
A proposed definition by an emerging thought leader on British Islam addresses these challenges. Mamnun Khan is a writer whose work explores the social integration of Muslims in contemporary British society. Khan is associated with Equi, a thinktank which describes its work as “drawing on Muslim insight”. Other members of Equi are members of the government’s working group.
Khan sets out three tests that a definition must pass, based on Islamic law, moral teachings within Islam and other more universal values. First, a definition must serve the public interest. Second, it must be just and balanced and preserve freedom of expression. Third, it must uphold the dignity of Muslim communities.
For Khan, “Islamophobia, also known as anti-Muslim hatred, is an irrational fear, hostility, or prejudice toward Muslims that leads to discrimination, unequal treatment, exclusion, social and political marginalisation, or violence.”
Khan’s definition has many good qualities. It brings together stronger elements of previous definitions – for, example, the separation of negative attitudes and outcomes – without being weakened by jargon or strong political ideology. On the other hand, some social scientists may question whether defining something as “irrational” is a matter of preference rather than academic research.
The working group also needs to decide whether Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred are closely related or exactly the same. Failure to do so will cause confusion and inconsistency among those wishing to apply the term precisely. Regardless, Khan’s example is a strong step in the right direction. A better definition of Islamophobia is needed, and now within reach.
Julian Hargreaves is an Affiliated Researcher at the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge.
– ref. Why is Islamophobia so hard to define? – https://theconversation.com/why-is-islamophobia-so-hard-to-define-258522
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Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
HOUSTON, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amplify Energy Corp. (NYSE: AMPY) (“Amplify,” the “Company,” “us,” or “our”) announced today it entered into a definitive agreement to sell all of its non-operated working interest in its Eagle Ford assets to Murphy Exploration & Production Company — USA for a contract price of $23 million, subject to certain post-closing adjustments. The sale closed July 1, 2025 and has an effective date of June 15, 2025.
The net proceeds from the sale will be used to pay down debt which will enhance the Company’s liquidity. With an improved balance sheet, Amplify is considering adding back high-return Beta development wells in 2025 that it had previously deferred in May. The Company expects to provide updated full-year 2025 guidance at the time it provides second quarter operating and financial results.
Martyn Willsher, Amplify’s President and Chief Executive Officer stated, “The sale of our non-operated Eagle Ford assets is an important step forward in the transformation of Amplify Energy to a more streamlined and focused enterprise. We believe monetizing proved reserves and reinvesting those proceeds in high-return development wells at Beta will be value enhancing to our shareholders.”
Mr. Willsher continued, “Reducing debt and accelerating Beta development are core tenets of our go-forward strategy. This deal is consistent with both of these objectives, and we believe we are receiving fair value for the divested assets. We will continue to look for other opportunities that align with our strategic intent.”
About Amplify Energy
Amplify Energy Corp. is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the acquisition, development, exploitation and production of oil and natural gas properties. Amplify’s operations are focused in Oklahoma, the Rockies (Bairoil), federal waters offshore Southern California (Beta), and East Texas / North Louisiana. For more information, visit www.amplifyenergy.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Terminology such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursue,” “target,” “outlook,” “continue,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the anticipated impact of this proposed sale of assets on the Company’s business and future financial and operating results, the expected use of proceeds of this sale of assets, and the Company’s expectations of plans, goals, strategies (including measures to implement strategies), objectives and anticipated results with respect thereto. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company’s actual results or financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. These include risks and uncertainties relating to, among other things: the ability to complete this proposed sale of assets on the anticipated terms and timetable; the possibility that various closing conditions for this proposed sale of assets may not be satisfied or waived; the Company’s evaluation and implementation of strategic alternatives; risks related to the redetermination of the borrowing base under the Company’s revolving credit facility; the Company’s ability to satisfy debt obligations; the Company’s need to make accretive acquisitions or substantial capital expenditures to maintain its declining asset base, including the existence of unanticipated liabilities or problems relating to acquired or divested business or properties; volatility in the prices for oil, natural gas and NGLs; the Company’s ability to access funds on acceptable terms, if at all, because of the terms and conditions governing the Company’s indebtedness, including financial covenants; general political and economic conditions, globally and in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, trade wars and the potential destabilizing effect such conflicts may pose for the global oil and natural gas markets; expectations regarding general economic conditions, including inflation; and the impact of local, state and federal governmental regulations, including those related to climate change and hydraulic fracturing, and potential changes in these regulations. Please read the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, and if applicable, the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are available on the Company’s Investor Relations website at https://www.amplifyenergy.com/investor-relations/sec-filings/default.aspx or on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, for a discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those in such forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future results or otherwise.
Contacts
Jim Frew — Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(832) 219-9044
jim.frew@amplifyenergy.com
Michael Jordan — Director, Finance and Treasurer
(832) 219-9051
michael.jordan@amplifyenergy.com
Source: Government of Qatar
Seville, July 1, 2025
HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met Tuesday with HE Minister of International Development of the Kingdom of Norway Asmund Aukrustآ , on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development being held in Seville, Spain.
Discussions during the meeting dealt with cooperation relations between the two countries and means to support and enhance them, particularly in the fields of international development and humanitarian aid.
They also discussed the latest regional and international developments, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
New York, July 1, 2025
The State of Qatar has expressed confidence that the Political Declaration of the Second World Summit for Social Development, which Doha will host next November, will provide impetus to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and will serve as an ambitious document with a social development-centered approach.
This came in a statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, via videoconference, before the high-level Arab regional meeting to prepare for the Second World Summit for Social Development.
Her Excellency explained that Qatar’s hosting of the Second World Summit for Social Development underscores the importance it attaches to promoting comprehensive and sustainable social development, supporting international efforts to eradicate poverty, promote productive employment, and achieve social inclusion, thus moving forward with a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.
Her Excellency said that Doha has the ability to capitalize on the unique opportunity offered by the Second World Summit for Social Development to affirm political will, consolidate efforts, and announce global commitments and partnerships, contributing to the abundant opportunities available to achieve tangible progress in the field of social development in a sustainable and comprehensive manner.
The exceptional circumstances and challenges facing the world today, and their impact on many countries, including our Arab countries, require the intensification and acceleration of our collective efforts, which are urgently needed, Her Excellency added .
She emphasized that Qatar looks forward to this summit being an opportunity to accelerate and stimulate transformational actions, achieve progress in the 2030 Agenda, and recommit to the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development.
Her Excellency noted that world leaders will gather in Doha for the Second World Summit for Social Development fully aware of the major challenges facing them, including the protracted conflicts raging in various regions of the world.
In this context, she highlighted the Gaza Strip as a clear example, noting that the ongoing blatant Israeli aggression on the Strip continues to cause immense human suffering and result in serious violations of humanitarian values ​​and international standards.
Her Excellency the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations affirmed that the valuable contributions of Arab countries to the negotiations and preparatory process leading up to the Summit will undoubtedly have a positive and significant impact on the success of the Summit and on advancing social policies that leave no one behind and promote resilient and just societies.
Her Excellency expressed Qatar’s aspiration to welcome its guests to Doha next November, affirming that it will spare no effort to ensure a fruitful and successful conference and achieve tangible results that contribute to realizing our shared vision for a better world.
Source: Government of Qatar
Sevilla, July 01, 2025
The State of Qatar reaffirmed its strong commitment to supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to enhancing international cooperation for inclusive and sustainable development.
This came in the statement delivered by HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Seville, Spain.
Her Excellency noted that since hosting the Doha Conference in 2008, the State of Qatar has maintained an active presence across all UN platforms dedicated to development financing, stemming from its deep belief in the importance of collective action to address global challenges, from the digital divide to climate change and the debt burdens faced by the least developed countries.
In this context, Her Excellency cited the words of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, at the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, where he said that joint commitments must be transformed into national plans and effective policies within these countries. Her Excellency that this vision serves as the cornerstone of Qatar’s development policies and international partnerships.
Her Excellency also highlighted the State of Qatar’s pride in its close partnership with the United Nations system and its continued dedication to supporting education, health, and resilience-building, especially in the most vulnerable countries, through an approach grounded in solidarity and human dignity.
Source: United Nations 4
The Security Council will convene its signature event on 22 July — a high-level open debate on promoting international peace and security through multilateralism and the peaceful settlement of disputes — the Council’s President for the month said at a United Nations Headquarters press conference today.
Asim Iftikhar Ahmad (Pakistan), who holds the 15-member organ’s rotating presidency for this month, said the open debate — held under the overarching theme of maintaining international peace and security — will be chaired by his country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Ishaq Dar. The Secretary-General is expected to brief the Council. “The debate stems from the fact that today’s crises often emerge from unresolved disputes, erosion of international obligations and underutilization of peaceful means enshrined in the Charter,” he said. The discussion will examine the effectiveness of existing dispute settlement mechanisms, identify barriers to implementing Council resolutions and explore ways to strengthen preventive diplomacy, mediation and technical support. It will also reaffirm the commitments made in the Pact for the Future towards preventive diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
The Council will further hold a signature event on “Cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organizations”, chaired also by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. It will spotlight UN’s engagement with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which represents 57 member States across four continents and has played an increasingly important role in conflict prevention and mediation, humanitarian response and post-conflict recovery. This meeting will explore ways to institutionalize and deepen this cooperation, particularly in relation to peace processes in various contexts.
On 23 July, the Council will hold its quarterly open debate on the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, which will be elevated to the ministerial level. The meeting will reaffirm the Council’s responsibility to protect civilians, uphold international humanitarian law and push for an immediate ceasefire, along with just and lasting solutions based on UN resolutions concerning the Palestinian question.
Throughout July, the Council will consider several country-specific and thematic issues, primarily through mandated briefings and situational updates. These will include discussions on Colombia, Haiti, Cyprus, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and the International Criminal Court, as well as consultations on Lebanon within the framework of resolution 1701 (2006). The President of the Security Council reaffirmed his readiness to convene additional meetings should developments on the ground — particularly in Africa, the Middle East or Asia — warrant timely engagement. On 29 July, the Council will also hold a briefing on UN Peace Operations, in the context of the Secretary-General’s ongoing review.
“We are committed to an open and consultative Presidency,” he stated, outlining the Council’s working methods, which are grounded in transparency, inclusivity and close coordination among all 15 members. He noted that the Council remains alert and responsive to global developments, with a particular focus on conflict zones such as in the Middle East, Africa, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He also responded to several questions posed by media correspondents, many of which concerned the situation in Gaza. In his national capacity, he said the objective of the draft resolution — jointly proposed by China, the Russian Federation and his own country — is to achieve a ceasefire to the conflict.
In response to a question about the future role of Hamas in Gaza, he emphasized that this is an intra-Palestinian matter that “should be left to the Palestinians [themselves]”.
Addressing a query about the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Children and Armed Conflict’s recent report on children in Gaza, which the reporter described as “unfair”, he stressed that mandates such as children and armed conflict must be upheld universally and without selectivity. “[By] failing to do that, […] we are undermining these important mandates,” he warned.
On the conflict between Israel and Iran, he spoke in his national capacity to reaffirm Pakistan’s principled position, grounded in international law and the Charter of the United Nations. He noted that some discussions have deviated from Iran’s legitimate rights, highlighting that Tehran remains a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. “The best way to address the Iranian nuclear issue in all its complexity is through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said. However, he added, this path was seriously disrupted by the recent attacks, while expressing hope that “a window of opportunity” still exists to resume dialogue and reach a conclusive resolution in accordance with international law.
Regarding the UN’s cooperation with regional and subregional organizations, he pointed to OIC’s growing role in areas such as counter-terrorism, counter-extremism and humanitarian affairs. He emphasized the importance of deepening engagement between OIC and the Security Council.
When asked about how the issue of Kashmir could be addressed in the Council, he responded in his national capacity that the dispute remains unresolved and continues to be a source of tension between India and Pakistan, hindering broader regional relations. He emphasized that it is the Council’s responsibility — especially that of its permanent members — to take meaningful steps towards implementing their own resolutions.
For the full programme of work, please see: https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/programme-work.
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
JERUSALEM, July 1 (Xinhua) — Yemen’s Houthi rebel forces fired a rocket toward Israel on Tuesday evening, triggering air raid sirens in central and southern parts of the country before the projectile was intercepted, the Israeli army said in a statement.
“The missile, launched from Yemeni territory, was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force,” the military said, adding that alarm sirens were activated.
There are no reports of casualties.
The Houthis regularly attack Israel with missiles and drones, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The rebel group says it will stop its attacks if Israel ends its offensive in the Palestinian enclave and lifts its blockade. In response, the Jewish state has launched massive airstrikes in Yemen, hitting key ports, an airport and other infrastructure. –0–
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, July 1 (Xinhua) — The Kremlin press service said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron had a telephone conversation. They discussed the situation around Ukraine, the Iranian-Israeli confrontation and the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
This is the first conversation between the presidents in nearly three years. The last time they spoke by phone was on September 11, 2022.
The heads of the two states discussed in detail the situation in the Middle East in the context of the Iranian-Israeli confrontation and the American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. It is noted that V. Putin and E. Macron pointed out the special responsibility of Russia and France as permanent members of the UN Security Council in maintaining peace and security, including in the Middle East region, as well as in preserving the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. “In this regard, the importance of respecting Tehran’s legitimate right to develop peaceful nuclear energy and continuing to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, including cooperation with the IAEA, was emphasized,” the statement said.
“The leaders expressed their support for the resolution of the crisis around the Iranian nuclear program, as well as the resolution of other contradictions in the Middle East, to be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means. It was agreed to continue contacts for the purpose of possible coordination of positions,” the Kremlin press service added.
Speaking about the prospects for a peaceful settlement, the Russian president confirmed the fundamental approaches to possible agreements, which should be comprehensive and long-term, provide for the elimination of the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis and be based on “new territorial realities.” –0–
Source: European Parliament
A delegation from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by the Chair David McAllister (EPP, DE), visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 14-15 April and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 15-16 April. The visit was a very timely opportunity to assess EU’s cooperation with both countries and with the GCC and to discuss about the risk of regional tensions by promoting trust building among the different actors.
Among other issues, Members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs debated on the situation in Yemen and regional cooperation, including relations with Iran.
Source: European Investment Bank
Ten multilateral development banks (MDBs) active in the water sector have approved global investments totalling $19.6 billion (€17 billion) in 2024. According to the inaugural Joint Annual MDB Water Security Financing Report, launched on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, nearly three-quarters of these funds were earmarked for low-, lower-middle-, and upper-middle-income countries.
The report follows a joint commitment made in December 2024 at the One Water Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by the African Development Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank Group, Islamic Development Bank, New Development Bank, and World Bank Group. The MDBs pledged to significantly increase support for the water sector between 2025 and 2030 and to report jointly on their progress.
This first edition of the annual Water Security Financing Report provides an overview of MDB investments in the global water sector, establishing a baseline for tracking future financing. It highlights the collective efforts of the ten members of the MDB Water Sector Coordination Group (the aforementioned banks plus the Council of Europe Development Bank) to foster collaboration, share expertise, and drive innovative solutions. It also shows that the EIB accounted for more than a quarter of total MDB financing to the sector in 2024. This strong engagement is in line with the EIB’s forthcoming Water Resilience Programme, which aims to increase the Group’s lending in the sector by 50% to €15 billion between 2025 and 2027, potentially catalysing up to €40 billion in global water investments over three years.
“Creating sustainable water systems worldwide requires financing, but it also demands partnerships that bring together investment, technical assistance, and knowledge,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “That is why the MDBs have made water a shared priority. The first Water Security Financing Report reflects our collective responsibility – and our ambition to achieve more, together.”
Examples of EIB cooperation with other MDBs include a partnership with the African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, World Bank Group, and West African Development Bank to help protect Cotonou, Benin, from flooding by improving drainage infrastructure across 34 basins. In Mongolia, the EIB and the Asian Development Bank are working together to build wastewater treatment plants and improve rainwater drainage systems in several cities. The EIB has also enjoyed a 20-year collaboration with the Council of Europe Development Bank, co-financing the construction, expansion, and refurbishment of water and sewerage networks in all major municipalities across Cyprus.
Background
Half of the world’s population is estimated to live in areas facing water scarcity. Climate change is altering rainfall patterns and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, threatening both the quantity and quality of water resources and damaging vital infrastructure. At the same time, cooperation to optimise water resource management and development is lacking, and fragmentation hampers water security. According to a World Bank study, the annual funding gap to achieve universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation is estimated at $138 billion (a mid-range estimate) between 2017 and 2030. On average, countries would need to nearly triple their annual spending to close this gap. The challenge is even greater in Sub-Saharan Africa, where spending would need to increase by up to 17 times, and in low-income or conflict-affected countries, where investment may need to rise by as much as 42 times.
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002326/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Loucas Fourlas (PPE)
The illegal airport in occupied Tymbou continues to operate outside the regulatory framework of the International Civil Aviation Organization and without recognition by international authorities. The failure to comply with international safety standards poses serious risks to the safety of flights in the Nicosia FIR, which is the only internationally recognised FIR of the Republic of Cyprus.
At the same time, the occupying regime has intensified its efforts at getting the illegal airport recognised, as well as attempts to carry out direct flights from non-EU countries, in violation of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
In view of the above:
Submitted: 10.6.2025
Source: United Nations 4
The General Assembly today endorsed the political declaration of the United Nations Ocean Conference, which establishes multilateral ocean governance. It also adopted the $5.38 billion peacekeeping budget for the year starting 1 July.
Titled “Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action” (A/79/L.97), the declaration was adopted by acclamation at the close of the Conference held earlier this month in Nice, France. However, today’s formal endorsement by the 193-member Assembly required a recorded vote, with 162 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions.
Several delegations objected to the vote, with the representative of France, co-host of the Conference along with Costa Rica, highlighting its strong political declaration and robust initiatives for the future as “a victory for the ocean”. “The ocean doesn’t know borders” and neither should “our efforts to protect it”, said Costa Rica’s delegate, noting his country’s “steadfast” commitment to protecting the oceans. He welcomed the momentum generated at the Conference for an early entry into force of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). He also hailed promises to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement to end subsidies for overfishing and decisive support for a plastic pollution convention as soon as possible.
Brazil’s representative noted that the seas are “the planet’s main climate regulator” but “are running a fever”, while Australia’s delegate saw the adoption of this text as a testament to a collective commitment to address the urgency of climate change, biodiversity loss, and ocean pollution. The United States’ delegate said the focus on implementing Sustainable Development Goal 14 is inconsistent with its position on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Iraq’s delegate, speaking for the Group of 77 and China, noted that implementing Goal 14 requires more ambitious financial action, fulfillment of commitments made through intergovernmental agreements, and increased resources for small island developing States (SIDS) and least developed countries.
For her part, Venezuela’s delegate noted she had joined the consensus, while reiterating that it was not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is “not the only single legal and regulatory framework for oceans and seas” — a position echoed by representatives of Iran, Türkiye, and El Salvador.
Meanwhile, Argentina’s representative disassociated his delegation from all paragraphs referring to the 2030 Agenda and the Pact for the Future, as well as all paragraphs contradicting the guiding principles of the protection of life, liberty, and private property.
The Russian Federation’s delegate disassociated from the consensus on paragraph 26 of the declaration, which emphasizes the importance of the early entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement. The instrument would undermine the provisions of the Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks, with its norms allowing for impingement on the mandates and competencies of fisheries organizations.
Japan’s representative hailed the adoption as “not the end but just the beginning of our renewed commitment to achieving SDG 14”, while Singapore’s delegate stated that the Convention on the Law of the Sea remains the “constitution for the oceans”, calling on Member States to fully respect it.
Acting on the recommendations of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the Assembly also allocated a budget of $5.38 billion to 11 UN peacekeeping operations, the support account for these operations, the Regional Service Centre in Entebbe, and the Logistics Base in Brindisi. These resolutions were adopted without a vote, with the exception of the resolution on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) (A/C.5/79/L.36/Rev.1), which was adopted by 147 votes in favour to 3 against (Argentina, Israel, United States), with 1 abstention (Paraguay), after an oral amendment proposed by Israel was rejected by 5 votes in favour (Argentina, Canada, Israel, Paraguay, United States) to 83 against, with 57 abstentions.
The Assembly further adopted a draft resolution on the “Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects” (A/79/424/Add.1), which was approved and forwarded by its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).
The Assembly then adopted, by 157 votes in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions, a draft resolution (A/79/L.96) submitted by the representative of Germany, by which the Assembly urges Member States to reinforce their efforts and adopt effective measures, as necessary, including by using special investigative techniques, consistent with article 20 of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish crimes that affect the environment, such as illicit trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products, which encompasses poaching and illegal harvesting of timber, including fauna and flora as protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Speaking in explanation of position, the United States delegate noted that the text contained matters that “should be discussed in Vienna-based anti-crime fora rather than in the General Assembly”. Further, he opposed the use of the term “gender mainstreaming,” insisting on the “biological reality of sex”. For his part, Argentina’s representative dissociated his delegation from all paragraphs concerning the 2030 Agenda and those that go against the protection of life and private property, including preambular paragraphs 1, 2, 18, 34 and operative paragraph 27.
The Assembly also adopted a draft resolution (A/79/L.98) on combating hate speech, introduced by Morocco, by a recorded vote of 111 in favour to 1 against (United States), with 44 abstentions. By the text, the Assembly called upon Member States to increase understanding about the spread and impact of hate speech, while continuing to adhere to relevant international human rights law obligations, as well as relevant United Nations instruments, in particular the Rabat Plan of Action. Further, the Assembly called upon digital technology companies and developers to continue to develop solutions and publicly communicate actions to counter potential harms, including hate speech, bias and discrimination, from artificial intelligence-enabled content, including such measures as ensuring data integrity, incorporation of safeguards into artificial intelligence model training processes, identification of artificial-intelligence-generated material, authenticity certification for content and origins, labelling, watermarking and other techniques.
Poland’s delegate, speaking for the European Union, whose members abstained from voting, emphasized that freedom of belief and religion applies to individuals, not objects or symbols, expressing reservations about preambular paragraph 14.
The wording of that paragraph presents “serious concerns” in terms of freedom of expression and religious pluralism, noted the representative of Costa Rica, which further emphasized that combating hate speech cannot be achieved at the expense of freedom of expression.
Hungary’s delegate indicated she could not support operative paragraph 23, which highlights one specific group, migrants, while the representative of the United Kingdom, who also abstained, refused to consider a text criticizing religion as incitement to hatred.
Any restriction on freedom of expression must be circumscribed by law, necessary, and proportionate, argued Switzerland’s delegate, emphasizing that human rights protect individual beings, not religions or objects. Furthermore, defamation of religions or religious defamation are not legal concepts recognized under international law. For all these reasons, she voiced regret over the wording of preambular paragraph 14.
For his part, Brazil’s delegate dissociated itself from paragraphs 11, 12, and 13, given that there is no agreed definition of hate speech and that this concept could be politicized. Canada’s representative remained committed to the principle that everyone can exercise their freedom of belief and religion without fear of violence, also welcoming the attention paid to new technologies, while voicing concern over the wording of preambular paragraph 14 on acts directed against religious symbols and holy books.
The Assembly further adopted, by a recorded vote of 139 votes in favour to 2 against (United States, Israel), with 5 abstentions (Canada, Georgia, Paraguay, Peru, Türkiye), a draft resolution (A/79/L.95) introduced by Bolivia, who noted the Wiphala is “an age-old symbol born out of the deepest roots of Indigenous Peoples,” an expression of “the seven colors of the rainbow” and living in harmony with Mother Earth. By the text, the Assembly called upon the international community to advance in the understanding, tolerance and solidarity among all peoples and cultures, and to strengthen efforts to eradicate manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including against Indigenous Peoples, and promote respect for the diversity of their cultural manifestations, traditions, practices and knowledge systems.
The United States representative, speaking before the vote, noted his delegation opposed the resolution’s focus on a single Indigenous community, further stating that the symbol remains controversial.
Mexico’s representative voiced regret that the Wiphala is limited to Bolivia and nearby regions, while Peru’s delegate pointed out that the text does not sufficiently detail the exact cultural origin of the symbol, and that the concept does not have a defined definition in a UN context.
While recognizing the cultural importance of the Wiphala for certain peoples of the Andean region, Canada’s delegate considered it inappropriate for the Assembly to designate a symbol specific to a geographical area as representing all Indigenous Peoples internationally. This choice must be made by the Indigenous Peoples themselves, not by the UN, he said.
Source: United Nations secretary general
Mr. Sergio Colina, Director General for Development Policies, Spain;
H.E. Ms. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation of Egypt;
H.E. Mr. Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion of Zimbabwe;
Dear friends,
I am delighted to join you today to showcase how the UN Joint SDG Fund is turning the FfD4 vision into a reality on the ground.
Ten years into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, we face a stark reality: while progress on the SDGs has delivered for millions, it has not kept pace with the scale of global challenges. The financing gap for the SDGs now exceeds $4 trillion annually, while multiple crises and shifting priorities threaten our collective ambition.
Delivering on the vision of the 2030 Agenda requires finding and scaling-up innovative solutions.
This is the purpose of the Joint SDG Fund. The Fund is an innovative and powerful instrument to drive change, break siloed approaches, and unlock financing at scale.
Since its inception, the Fund has committed over US$380 million, enabling a whole-of-UN-system response to pressing challenges. This commitment has leveraged a further US$6.6 billion in contributions from the wider ecosystem of development partners at country level.
This is a clear demonstration of how finite resources, applied strategically, can crowd-in far greater volumes of capital, and result in far greater impact, for the SDGs.
The secret to the Fund’s success is its innovative approach to financing. Through blended and innovative finance mechanisms — from SDG bonds to energy financing facilities to credit enhancement guarantees — the Fund demonstrates how strategic risk-sharing can attract private capital for sustainable development, while bringing partners together to deliver solutions.
Consider the following 5 examples:
In Indonesia, the Joint SDG Fund supported green and social investments, mobilizing US$4.6 billion through specialized bonds that benefited over 7.5 million students and restored 50,000 hectares of mangrove forests.
In Uruguay, the Renewable Energy Innovation Fund achieved a 1:6 leverage ratio by partnering with seven banks that together account for 80 percent of the country’s financial sector.
Kenya’s innovative health financing reached over 1.5 million young people through results-based payment mechanisms working with impact investors.
North Macedonia’s Green Finance Facility channels resources through six local banks, directing US$46.5 million toward environmental projects while supporting women-headed households, Roma communities, and persons with disabilities. This was achieved in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and others.
And Zimbabwe’s Renewable Energy Fund showcases how partnerships with private equity funds, such as Old Mutual, can mobilize capital for women and youth-led enterprises in challenging markets.
These are just a few powerful examples.
The Fund’s success also stems from its unique positioning within the UN development system, leveraging UN Resident Coordinators’ convening role and UN Country Teams’ technical expertise.
Fundamentally, the Fund represents multilateralism at its most effective – creating a collaborative platform extending beyond the UN system to enable and grow partnerships across the development and finance community.
But delivering on the Fund’s full potential requires expanded partnership.
I call on all Member States, development finance institutions, and private sector partners to deepen engagement with the Fund – not only through financial commitments but through strategic partnerships to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Today, we will hear about success stories from Zimbabwe to North Macedonia, from Cabo Verde to Suriname. These prove that, with the right instruments and partnerships, we can turn global commitments into tangible local transformation.
The FFD4 outcome document, the “Sevilla Commitment,” calls for a global SDG investment push.
This is possible by elevating the role of governments in guiding strategic investments;
By all development partners, including development banks, working as a system;
By removing barriers to private capital;
And by ensuring that investments from all partners are designed to deliver the greatest possible impact.
The Fund stands ready to support and enable this important vision.
With innovation, partnerships, and the catalytic financing that the Joint SDG Fund provides, sustainable development for all remains within our reach.
Let’s get there together.
Thank you.
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2
Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers Open in Davidson, Dyer and Wilson Counties
Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers are now open in Davidson, Dyer and Wilson counties to assist Tennesseans who experienced damage or loss from the April 2-24 severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding. The following recovery centers will temporarily close on Friday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.Davidson County: Nashville Looby Public Library, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37228Hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. CT Tuesday-Saturday; open until Saturday, July 5Dyer County: Bogota Community Center, 78 Sandy Lane, Bogota, TN 38007Hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. CT Tuesday-Sunday; open until Sunday, July 6Wilson County: Wilson County Fair Grounds, 945 E. Baddour Pkwy., Lebanon, TN 37087Hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. CT Tuesday-Sunday; open until Sunday, July 6When any of the above recovery centers move to a new location or a new recovery center opens, details will be provided to the public. To find a center near you, visit fema.gov/drc.Homeowners and renters in Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Dyer, Hardeman, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion and Wilson counties can apply for FEMA assistance at a recovery center. FEMA representatives will help with applications for federal assistance and provide information about other disaster recovery resources. FEMA financial assistance may include money for basic home repairs or other uninsured, disaster-related needs, such as childcare, vehicle, medical needs, funeral expenses or the replacement of personal property.In addition to FEMA personnel, representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration and state agencies will be available to assist survivors.It is not necessary to go to a center to apply for FEMA assistance. Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open seven days a week and specialists speak many languages. To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube.
kwei.nwaogu
Tue, 07/01/2025 – 14:31
Source: Amnesty International –
The recent peace agreement signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda fails to address justice for the victims of serious crimes by not including any provisions aimed at holding their perpetrators to account, Amnesty International said today.
“Without addressing impunity for the horrific crimes committed in eastern DRC, the agreement missed an opportunity to decisively tackle a long-standing driver of the conflict,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“When human rights abusers are not investigated and held to account, it leads to a vicious cycle of abuses in which civilians pay the price. This must stop for security to be sustainable.”
Since the agreement was signed in Washington DC on 27 June, Amnesty International has received credible reports that the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) and Wazalendo armed groups – many of which are supported by the Congolese army – have continued to clash in North and South Kivu provinces, resulting in the deaths of civilians. In addition, M23 continues to abduct young men and take them to unknown locations. M23, which is negotiating with the DRC government in a separate mediation process led by Qatar, “took note” of the US-facilitated peace deal on 30 June but stated recently that it did not concern them.
Without addressing impunity for the horrific crimes committed in eastern DRC, the agreement missed an opportunity to decisively tackle a long-standing driver of the conflict.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General
Rwanda and the DRC must urgently press M23 and Wazalendo groups to prioritize civilian protection.
“The people of eastern Congo have had their hopes for justice and security raised and then dashed by the signing and failure of numerous peace agreements over the last 25 years. DRC and Rwanda owe it to the people of eastern Congo – who continue to face untold suffering at the hands of the Wazalendo and M23 – to push the armed groups they support and collaborate with to protect civilians and to respect international humanitarian law,” said Agnès Callamard.
Background
The human rights situation in eastern DRC has deteriorated since Rwandan-backed M23 fighters entered the country in November 2021 and went on to capture large areas of North and South Kivu provinces.
DRC and Rwanda owe it to the people of eastern Congo – who continue to face untold suffering at the hands of the Wazalendo and M23 – to push the armed groups they support and collaborate with to protect civilians and to respect international humanitarian law
Agnès Callamard
The United Nations (UN) Group of Experts and Human Rights Watch have documented Rwanda’s support of the M23, the latest in a series of armed groups operating in DRC that Rwanda has backed since the late 1990s.
On 27 January 2025, M23 declared that it had captured Goma after residents and displaced people fled to safety in other parts of DRC or neighbouring countries. On 16 February, M23 seized Bukavu, a key trading hub and capital of South Kivu province. The UN confirmed cases of summary killings and had received reports of “arbitrary arrests and detentions, degrading treatment and alleged forced returns of Congolese young men fleeing violence in neighbouring countries.”
Amnesty International has documented how the M23 killed, tortured and forcibly disappeared detainees, held some as hostages, and subjected them to inhumane conditions at detention sites in Goma and Bukavu, which may amount to war crimes. The Wazalendo are a loose coalition of armed groups fighting the M23 and backed by the Congolese army. The UN and other human rights organizations have documented human rights abuses committed by the Wazalendo.
On 27 June 2025, Rwanda and DRC signed a peace deal in Washington, DC, aimed at ending the conflict between the two neighbours.
Source: Amnesty International –
Amnesty International’s UK CEO has written a letter urging parliamentarians to oppose the motion to proscribe Palestine Action ahead of tomorrow’s vote
‘Proscribing Palestine Action will mean that by the weekend, millions of people living in the UK will have limitations on their freedom of speech’ – Sacha Deshmukh
Amnesty UK’s CEO Sacha Deshmukh has written to MPs and Peers today urging them to oppose the Government’s motion to proscribe the direct action network Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
The letter – which comes ahead of a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday (2 July) and House of Lords on Thursday (3 July) – reminds Parliamentarians that the vote is not a test of whether or not they like Palestine Action’s approach to campaigning, but that what is at stake is whether or not they are banned as a terrorist organisation, with all the ramifications for human rights that come with that.
The letter reminds parliamentarians that the UK has for decades been able to respond to protest movements, some of which have used direct action and even isolated acts of violence, without deploying counter-terrorism powers.
The Amnesty International UK chief executive writes that UK terrorism laws “have long been criticised by international experts for containing problematic, overly broad and draconian restrictions on free speech in relation to proscribed groups”, which would mean that “simple expressions of personal moral opinions” will potentially become “serious crimes”.
Sacha Deshmukh said:
“The question before Parliament is not whether MPs think that Palestine Actions’ approach is tasteful or distasteful, or even effective or ineffective. If Palestine Action is proscribed this week, by the weekend any MP’s constituents wearing a Palestine Action sticker, badge or T-shirt could face a terrorism charge. Do MPs and peers really believe that Palestine Action’s activities justify such a grave misuse of anti-terrorism powers?”
“The proscription of Palestine Action would be wholly unnecessary, disproportionate, and in violation of the right to freedom of association and expression amongst other human rights at risk should this harmful and dangerous motion proceed.”
Source: Amnesty International –
NGOs call for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme (including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) in Gaza, revert to the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms, and lift the Israeli government’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies. The 400 aid distribution points operating during the temporary ceasefire across Gaza have now been replaced by just four military-controlled distribution sites, forcing two million people into overcrowded, militarized zones where they face daily gunfire and mass casualties while trying to access food and are denied other life-saving supplies.
Today, Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families. The weeks following the launch of the Israeli distribution scheme have been some of the deadliest and most violent since October 2023.
In less than four weeks, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,000 injured just trying to access or distribute food. Israeli forces and armed groups – some reportedly operating with backing from Israeli authorities – now routinely open fire on desperate civilians risking everything just to survive.
The humanitarian system is being deliberately and systematically dismantled by the Government of Israel’s blockade and restrictions, a blockade now being used to justify shutting down nearly all other aid operations in favour of a deadly, military-controlled alternative that neither protects civilians nor meets basic needs. These measures are designed to sustain a cycle of desperation, danger, and death. Experienced humanitarian actors remain ready to deliver life-saving assistance at scale. Yet more than 100 days since Israeli authorities reimposed a near-total blockade on aid and commercial goods, Gaza’s humanitarian conditions are collapsing faster than at any point in the past 20 months.
Under the Israeli government’s new scheme, starved and weakened civilians are being forced to trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones, only to face a violent, chaotic race to reach fenced, militarized distribution sites with a single entry point. There, thousands are released into chaotic enclosures to fight for limited food supplies. These areas have become sites of repeated massacres in blatant disregard for international humanitarian law. Orphaned children and caregivers are among the dead, with children harmed in over half of the attacks on civilians at these sites. With Gaza’s healthcare system in ruins, many of those shot are left to bleed out alone, beyond the reach of ambulances and denied lifesaving medical care.
Amidst severe hunger and famine-like conditions, many families tell us they are now too weak to compete for food rations. Those who do manage to obtain food often return with only a few basic items – nearly impossible to prepare without clean water or fuel to cook with. Fuel is nearly depleted, bringing critical lifesaving services – including bakeries, water systems, ambulances, and hospitals – to a standstill. Families are sheltering under plastic sheets, operating makeshift kitchens amid the rubble, without fuel, clean water, sanitation, or electricity.
This is not a humanitarian response.
Concentrating more than two million people into further confined areas for a chance to feed their families is not a plan to save lives. For 20 months, more than two million people have been subjected to relentless bombardment, the weaponization of food, water and other aid, repeated forced displacement, and systematic dehumanization – all under the watch of the international community. The Sphere Association, which sets minimum standards for quality humanitarian aid, has warned that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s approach does not adhere to core humanitarian standards and principles.
This normalization of suffering must not be allowed to stand. States must reject the false choice between deadly, military-controlled food distributions and total denial of aid. States must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, including prohibitions on forced displacement, indiscriminate attacks, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. States must ensure accountability for grave violations of international law.
We, the undersigned organizations, once again call on all third states to:
We reiterate our urgent calls for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained prisoners, full humanitarian access at scale, and an end to the pervasive impunity that enables these atrocities and denies Palestinians their basic dignity.
List of signatory organizations:
ABCD Bethlehem, ACT Alliance, Act Church of Sweden, Action Against Hunger (ACF), Action Corps, ActionAid, Age International, Agricultural Development Association – PARC, Al Ard for Agricultural Development, Al-Najd Developmental Forum, American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International, Amos Trust, Anera, Anti-Slavery International, Arab Educational Institute – Pax Christi Bethlehem, Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz, Asociación de Solidaridad Internacional UNADIKUM, Association for Civil Rights Israel (ACRI), Association Switzerland Palestine, B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Beesan Charitable Association, Bimkom – Planning and Human Rights, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Botswana Watch Organisation, Breaking the Silence, Broederlijk Delen, CADUS e.V., Caritas Germany, Caritas International Belgium, Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Jerusalem, Caritas Middle East and North Africa, Center of Jewish Nonviolence, CESIDA – Spanish Coordinator of HIV and AIDS., Children Not Numbers, Choose Love, Christian Aid, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), CIDSE – International Family of Catholic Social Justice Organisations, CNCD-11.11.11, codepink, Combatants for Peace, Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe, Congregations of St Joseph, COOPERATIVE AGRICULUTAL ASSOCIATION, Cordaid, Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), Coventry Friends of Palestine, Cultures of Resistance, DanChurchAid, Danish Refugee Council, DAWN, Diakonia, Ekō, Embrace the Middle East, Emmaüs International, Entraide et Fraternité, Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Justice Network, EuroMed Rights, FÓRUM DE POLÍTICA FEMINISTA, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), Fund for Global Human Rights, Fundación Mundubat, Gaza Culture and Development Group (GCDG), Gaza Society for Sustainable Agriculture and Friendly Environment (SAFE), German Platform of Development and Humanitarian Aid NGOs (VENRO), Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, Glia, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P), Greenpeace, HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Hands for Charity, HEKS/EPER(Swiss Church Aid), HelpAge International, Human Security Collective, Humanité Solidarité Médecine (HuSoMe ONG), Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International, Humanity Above All, INARA, Independent Catholic News, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), INTERSOS, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Jewish Network for Palestine, Jüdische Stimme für Demokratie und Gerechtigkeit in Israel/Palästina, JVJP, Just Foreign Policy, Just Treatment, Kairos Ireland, Kenya Human Rights Commission, Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Martin Etxea Elkartea, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Médecins du Monde International Network, Médecins Sans Frontières, MedGlobal, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Medico International, medico international schweiz, Medicos sin fronteras (MSF – Spain), Mennonite Central Committee, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Mothers Manifesto, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Aid, Mwatana for Human Rights, Nonviolent Peaceforce, Norwegian Church Aid, Norwegian People’s Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam International, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA), Parents Against Child Detentions, Partners for Palestine, Partners for Progressive Israel, PAX, Pax Christi Australia, Pax Christi England and Wales, Pax Christi International, Pax Christi Italy, pax christi Munich, Pax Christi Scotland, Pax Christi USA, Peace Direct, Peace Watch Switzerland, Penny Appeal Canada, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Plan International, Plataforma de Solidaridad con Palestina de Sevilla, Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine, Polish-Palestinian Justice Initiative KAKTUS, Première Urgence Internationale, Presbyterian Church (USA), Quixote Center, Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary – NGO, ReThinking Foreign Policy, Right to Movement, Rumbo a Gaza-Freedom Flotilla, Saferworld, Saskatoon Chapter of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Save the Children, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Solsoc, Stichting Heimat International Foundation, STOPAIDS, Støtteforeningen Det Danske Hus i Palæstina, Terre des Hommes International Federation, Terre des hommes Lausanne, Terres des Hommes Italia, The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET), The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD UK), The Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church USA Bay Area, The Rights Forum, Union of Agricultural Work Committees-UAWC, United Against Inhumanity (UAI), Universities Allied for Essential Medicines UK, US-Lutheran Palestine Israel Justice Network, Vento di Terra, War Child Alliance, War on Want, Welthungerhilfe, and Yesh Din.
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a “substantial” phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Middle East crisis including Iran and the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, their first such exchange since September 2022.
In Paris, Macron’s office said the call lasted two hours and that the French leader had called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations on ending the conflict.
According to the Kremlin press service, Putin said it was necessary to respect Iran’s right to the peaceful development of nuclear energy as well as its continued compliance with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Putin also reiterated to Macron his view that the war in Ukraine was “a direct consequence of the West’s policy”, which he said had “ignored Russia’s security interests” over the past few years.
Any possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should have a “comprehensive and long-term character” and be based on “new territorial realities”, the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying.
Putin has previously said Ukraine must accept Russia’s annexation of swathes of its territory as part of any peace deal.
Macron’s office said the French president had also stressed the need for Iran to comply with its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Macron and Putin agreed to coordinate their efforts and to speak again soon, the Elysee statement said.
(Reuters)
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a “substantial” phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Middle East crisis including Iran and the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, their first such exchange since September 2022.
In Paris, Macron’s office said the call lasted two hours and that the French leader had called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations on ending the conflict.
According to the Kremlin press service, Putin said it was necessary to respect Iran’s right to the peaceful development of nuclear energy as well as its continued compliance with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Putin also reiterated to Macron his view that the war in Ukraine was “a direct consequence of the West’s policy”, which he said had “ignored Russia’s security interests” over the past few years.
Any possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should have a “comprehensive and long-term character” and be based on “new territorial realities”, the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying.
Putin has previously said Ukraine must accept Russia’s annexation of swathes of its territory as part of any peace deal.
Macron’s office said the French president had also stressed the need for Iran to comply with its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Macron and Putin agreed to coordinate their efforts and to speak again soon, the Elysee statement said.
(Reuters)
Source: US FBI
FBI Atlanta Warns Public to Increase Hiring Scrutiny
FBI Atlanta is warning the public about the threat of hiring Remote IT workers who use false identifications to conceal their true North Korean identities.
Today, the Northern District of Georgia unsealed a five-count wire fraud and money laundering indictment charging four North Koreans, Kim Kwang Jin (김관진), Kang Tae Bok (강태복), Jong Pong Ju (정봉주) and Chang Nam Il (창남일), with a scheme to steal from two companies virtual currency, valued at over $900,000 at the time of the thefts, and to launder proceeds of those thefts. The defendants concealed their North Korean identities from their employers by providing the employers with false identification documents that contained stolen and fake identity information.
In approximately December 2020 and May 2021, respectively, Kim Kwang Jin (using victim P.S.’s stolen identity) and Jong Pong Ju (using the alias “Bryan Cho”) were hired by a blockchain research and development company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and a virtual token company based in Serbia. Both defendants concealed their North Korean identities from their employers by providing false identification documents containing a mix of stolen and fraudulent identity information. Later, on a recommendation from Jong Pong Ju, the Serbian company hired “Peter Xiao,” who in fact was Chang Nam Il.
After gaining their employers’ trust, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju were assigned projects that provided them access to their employers’ virtual currency assets. In February 2022, Jong Pong Ju used that access to steal virtual currency worth approximately $175,000 at the time of the theft, sending it to a virtual currency address he controlled. In March 2022, Kim Kwang Jin stole virtual currency worth approximately $740,000 at the time of theft by modifying the source code of two of his employer’s smart contracts, then sending it to a virtual currency address he controlled.
To launder the funds after the thefts, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju “mixed” the stolen funds, using the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash, and then transferred the funds to virtual currency exchange accounts controlled by Kang Tae Bok and Chang Nam Il but held in the names of aliases. These accounts were opened using fraudulent Malaysian identification documents.
According to the indictment, the defendants traveled to the United Arab Emirates on North Korean travel documents, along with other individuals, and worked together as a co-located team.
Neither of the victim companies in this investigation would have hired the individuals had they known they were North Korean citizens. FBI Atlanta is warning the public about the threat of North Korean citizens who often apply for Remote IT roles as blockchain developers. These individuals often use multiple fake names, identity cards, and social media accounts to gain employment at numerous companies. Companies looking to hire Remote IT workers, especially for blockchain development, are encouraged to apply additional layers of scrutiny to their interview and hiring processes.
Recommendations for Strengthening Remote-Hiring Processes
Reporting: If you suspect you have been approached or victimized by a North Korean IT worker, the FBI recommends taking the following actions:
Reference
In 2022 and 2023, the United States, along with foreign partners, issued public advisories regarding how North Korean IT workers operate and provided red-flag indicators and due diligence measures for businesses to avoid hiring North Korean freelance developers. In May 2024, the FBI provided further guidance regarding North Korean IT workers and their use of witting and unwitting US-based individuals.
Source: European Parliament
Denmark assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July and will hold the office until 31 December 2025. It took over from Poland and will hand the baton to Cyprus, the three countries forming a presidency trio.
Source : © European Union, 2025 – EP
