Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Cornel Grey, Assistant Professor in Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, Western University
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, a global reckoning on anti-Black racism ignited protests, conversations and demand for action. Across North America, universities scrambled to make public commitments to racial justice. They pledged to make changes and address systemic inequalities.
One of the most significant commitments was what’s known as cluster hiring. Recruiting multiple Black scholars at the same time can foster a thriving intellectual community. Research shows cluster hires improve Black faculty representation and retention.
As austerity measures as well as political shifts impact students, faculty and administrators, a big question looms. What programs will institutions cut in these times of fiscal restraint and shifting cultural values?
But as public support for DEI initiatives wanes and universities face growing financial pressures, will these efforts to build a more equitable faculty be sustained?
Disciplines like Black Studies, Indigenous Studies and Gender Studies are not just academic pursuits. They provide students with essential analytical tools to understand our most pressing issues, including economic precarity, the erosion of civil freedoms and land sovereignty.
These university programs are at the forefront of equity education. They are crucial to foster the ability of students and scholars to critically engage with the key challenges we face today.
At the University of Alberta, the move away from DEI discourses to more neutral language like “access, community, and belonging” has marked a fundamental shift.
Within these changes are urgent questions about how research and funding agencies like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will respond.
When Black Studies is treated as an administrative deliverable rather than a radical intellectual tradition grounded in resistance to oppression, it is stripped of its political edge.
Institutional integrity
As Canadian universities face financial pressures and shifting political tides, the commitments will now be put to the test.
Anti-Black racism and equity cannot be a temporary trend that universities go through during times of public scrutiny. It must remain at the core of academic values, regardless of political or financial pressure.
The fight for Black and Indigenous hiring initiatives continues and the 2020-21 promises made by universities need to be held to the highest standard. This is about sustained commitment to structural change in our institutions. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Cornel Grey receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Muna-Udbi Abdulkadir Ali receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Stephanie Latty receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
Universities have always been considered as something more than just a place for training personnel. In each historical period, they were given different goals, and different requirements were imposed depending on the stage of development of the country and society. What the university of the future should be like and how to build a youth policy in it were discussed by representatives of more than 40 universities from all over the country at a strategic session that took place at the National Research University Higher School of Economics on April 11–12.
In recent years, the concept of youth policy has been undergoing a transformation: today, its tasks in universities are not just to provide leisure time for young people, but to fully and comprehensively develop their personality. Universities are beginning to work on building unified ecosystems of youth policy, in which each student can be unique and have their own development trajectory. At the same time, institutional support for the youth policy sphere is also in need of modernization. How to set up a system of grant competitions with a focus on supporting long-term systemic projects? How to understand students’ requests and build response support measures?
At the opening of the strategic session, the head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov spoke about the priorities of youth policy and the opportunities provided by the department, and also recalled the advantages of the grant competition. “Grants are not just funds for the implementation of a project. This is an opportunity to get acquainted with the work of state and public institutions, this is a protected opportunity to implement your project, bring public benefit, and gain competencies,” he emphasized.
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova thanked her colleagues from Rosmolodezh and the Higher School of Economics, emphasizing the importance of creating a unified system of work with young people. “Do not be afraid to interact with each other in your projects, within the subject, take into account inter-university collaborations. We are strengthening our common unified system of students, the implementation of youth policy among students, using all the tools and mechanisms that exist,” she said, welcoming the participants of the event.
HSE Vice-Rector Dmitry Zemtsov, one of the ideologists of the strategic session, delivered the opening lecture-challenge “Students’ Dreams and the University Mission”. He noted that universities have always implemented the mission of social development, but at each historical stage and in each state they understood it differently. According to him, today there is a certain crisis of this concept, the issue is relevant for the entire global scientific community, at the same time it opens up opportunities for the transition to evidence-based youth policy, in which decision-making and development of measures are based on data and research.
Director Institute of Education HSE University Evgeny Terentyev presented the results of a large-scale empirical study conducted by HSE together with 12 other Russian universities over the past three years. Scientists identified first-year students’ attitudes towards the role of higher education, their perception of its value, and their expectations of learning.
The strategy session also included lectures by the chief research fellow Project-training laboratory “Youth policy” HSE Alexey Tokarev “The Image of the Future in the Mass Consciousness of Young People: Applied Sociology”, Director of the Resource Center of Rosmolodezh Pavel Khlopin “Modern Challenges of Education in the Sphere of Education”, Director Center for Sociology of Higher Education HSE Ivan Gruzdev “What young people are silent about and how can we find out about it” and others.
The first day of the strategic session ended with the business game “Grad Kitezh”, the main objective of which was to demonstrate to the participants the importance of keeping the key goal and mission of their activities in focus. Having reflected on the results of the game, on the second day the teams spoke at a pitch session with a presentation of the best university solutions in the field of youth policy.
Summing up the results of the strategic session, HSE expert Alexandrina Klyus and HSE Deputy Vice-Rector Ilya Yaskov called on students to treat their studies at the university as a very important job that serves the benefit of not only the university and the region, but the entire country. “Universities are always on the frontier, they really are the drivers of development, it is at the university that knowledge is born, which is then transformed into production and economic growth,” Ilya Yaskov summed up.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
The number of people with young-onset dementia could be even higher than current estimates suggest.AtlasStudio/ Shutterstock
Around 57 million people worldwide have dementia. While most cases of dementia are diagnosed in older adults, about 7% of cases occur in people under 65. This number may be even higher as young-onset dementia continues to be under-recognised. This means many people may be missing out on the support they need.
Here are five reasons young-onset dementia remains under-recognised:
1. Dementia is typically associated with older age
When you hear the word “dementia” do you picture someone under 65? While dementia is usually associated with older adults, the condition doesn’t discriminate based on age. In fact, anyone (even children) can be diagnosed with different forms of dementia.
But this common assumption means many younger people may not seek a diagnosis from their doctor, as many don’t assume dementia could be causing any of the symptoms they’re experiencing.
Doctors, too, often fail to consider the possibility of a younger person having dementia. Many people diagnosed with young-onset dementia initially had their symptoms dismissed. Some doctors even showed little concern for their experiences. It also isn’t uncommon for younger adults to be told they’re “too young” to have dementia.
It’s not surprising then that these experiences lead to frustration, with patients and their families feeling unheard and neglected by the healthcare system.
The misunderstanding that dementia is a disease of older adults leaves people with young-onset dementia fighting to be heard.
2. Symptoms are different
Dementia is most often linked to short-term memory loss. However, cognition (which encompasses all of our mental processes, from thinking to perception) is very complex. For this reason, dementia can lead to a huge variety of symptoms – such as changes in personality and language, difficulties recognising objects, judging distances or coordinating movement and even hallucinations and delusions.
Compared to dementia in older adults, people with young-onset dementia are more likely to experience symptoms other than memory loss as the earliest signs of the condition. For instance, research shows that for around one-third of people with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the earliest symptoms they had were problems with coordination and vision changes.
3. Rarer causes of dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of brain disorders that all cause problems with cognition. In older adults, the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease – accounting for 50-75% of cases. But in people under 65, only around 40% of dementia cases can be attributed to Alzheimer’s disease.
Instead, young-onset dementia tends to be caused by rarer neurodegenerative conditions, such as frontotemporal dementias. Frontotemporal dementias only affect around one in 20 people diagnosed with dementia. These conditions affect parts of the brain responsible for personality, behaviour, language, speech and executive functioning.
For example, primary progressive aphasia is one type of frontotemporal dementia. This condition affects around three in every 100,000 people. Primary progressive aphasia mainly alters a person’s ability to communicate and understand speech.
Secondary dementias are also more common in people with young-onset dementia. These are dementias that are caused by another underlying medical condition, disease (such as Huntington’s disease or a brain tumour) or external factor (such as a viral infection, substance misuse or head injury).
Recognition of these rarer forms of dementia is increasing – thanks in part to celebrities such as Fiona Phillips, Pauline Quirke and Terry Jones opening up about their experiences. But there’s still much less understanding around treatment options and managing symptoms when it comes to these rarer forms of dementia. Rarer dementias are also linked to atypical symptoms, which often go missed. This prolongs the diagnostic journey.
4. Symptoms overlap with other conditions
Symptoms of young-onset dementia have considerable overlap with those common in certain mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, psychosis, depression and anxiety. Symptoms might also include apathy, feelings of panic, irritability, hallucinations and delusions.
Of course, not everyone experiencing these symptoms will have young-onset dementia. But it’s important we raise awareness about symptom overlap to make the diagnosis process easier for those who do.
A person’s cognitive reserve (the brain’s ability to maintain good cognitive function despite damage or brain changes) also affects their experience of dementia symptoms and how they cope with them. Some people may adapt more effectively, drawing on strong support networks, psychological resilience or their own personal coping strategies to overcome these challenges.
All of these factors together can make it difficult to recognise symptoms of young-onset dementia, especially in its early stages.
Need for awareness
The under-recognition of young-onset dementia is significant. It contributes to the lack of resources, specialised care and advice, appropriate support and early diagnosis for people with young-onset dementia. While this is improving, greater awareness still needs to be brought to the experience of dementia in younger adults – especially given research shows that the progression of cognitive decline is more pronounced in younger adults.
If you’re worried about yourself or a family member showing signs of dementia, it’s important to discuss symptoms and seek support early. You can also contact local dementia support organisations such as Alzheimer Scotland, Dementia UK, and Alzheimer Society, who can provide information, resources and guidance on support options.
Molly Murray is a PhD student at the University of the West of Scotland. She receives a Studentship and funding from the University of the West of Scotland for completing her PhD which explores experiences of navigation in people with young-onset dementia.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christiaan De Beukelaer, Senior Lecturer in Culture & Climate, The University of Melbourne
The UN’s International Maritime Organization has just agreed to start charging ships for the greenhouse gases they emit. After decades of ineffective incremental tweaks to shipping emissions, the breakthrough came on April 11 at a summit in London. It makes shipping the first industry subject to a worldwide – and legally binding – emissions price.
The positive spin is that getting any sort of deal is a major win for multilateral climate action, especially considering two strong headwinds.
From within the meeting, there was sustained opposition to ambitious action from Saudi Arabia and other petrostates, as well as from China and Brazil. Second, the US had already disengaged from negotiations. Even so, from outside the meeting, the US administration’s tariff war and explicit threat to retaliate against states supporting a shipping pricing regime could have affected talks far more than they did.
But we’re not sure that this agreement can be considered a success. While there is little traditional climate change denial at the IMO, “mitigation denial” is alive and kicking. Mitigation denial means making lofty promises, often in line with scientific evidence, but not adopting concrete measures able to deliver on these targets. This is exactly what petrostates pushed the IMO to do last week.
Ultimately, the IMO has well and truly failed the most climate vulnerable, by favouring a more gradual and less certain transition to low-carbon shipping. It’s even effectively making these countries pay the price.
What are the measures?
The IMO agreement introduces a global fuel standard for shipping, with financial penalties for ships that don’t meet emissions targets. This is effectively a carbon-trading scheme.
It sets two targets, both of which get tougher every year: a “base” level and a stricter “direct compliance” level. Ships that miss the direct target have to buy “remedial units”, and more expensive ones if they also fail the base level. Ships that go beyond their targets earn “surplus units”, which they can trade or save for up to two years.
In practice, this means that the companies and countries that can invest in new technologies will earn a double dividend: they won’t pay for emissions and they will receive rewards for using low-emission fuels.
At the same time, countries and shipping companies lacking the means to invest will effectively subsidise those early movers by paying penalties that reward them. Hardly any revenues will be available for the promised “just and equitable” transition that would ensure no country is left behind. No wonder nearly all delegates from vulnerable Pacific nations abstained from the vote at the IMO.
For a typical ship burning heavy fuel oil in 2028, it works out at around US$25 (£19) per tonne of greenhouse gas. That’s far lower than needed to drive a rapid transition to cleaner fuels. We also still don’t know exactly how the money raised will be used.
Delegates also agreed to update the IMO’s “carbon intensity” policy, which now requires ships to be 21.5% more fuel efficient by 2030 compared to 2019. This is a modest 2.5% improvement per year.
Pacific island states and the UK were among those arguing for bigger cuts (up to 47%). China pushed for 15% and the EU proposed the surprisingly low 23%. The final result of 21.5% is a bad compromise that does not reflect scientific recommendations on meeting the IMO’s goals or what is possible with available technology.
Climate action at the IMO
This geopolitical struggle goes back decades. Following the adoption of the Kyoto protocol (a precursor of the Paris agreement) in 1997, the UN tasked the IMO with reducing shipping emissions. After two decades of little progress, in 2018 the IMO eventually set a weak target to cut emissions by 50% from 2008 levels. In 2023, that goal was strengthened to net-zero emissions “by or around 2050”, with interim targets of 20-30% cuts by 2030 and 70-80% by 2040.
Most importantly, the 2023 strategy also committed to adopting legally binding measures in April 2025 to deliver on these targets. This has now happened.
In light of that history, the new measures do constitute progress. However, their success has to be judged on whether they can actually meet the IMO’s targets.
The 2030 goal is especially important as climate damage is proportional to cumulative emissions over time, so it’s important to cut emissions as soon as possible. If the shipping sector misses its 2030 target, it may have emitted too much carbon to still make a fair contribution to the Paris agreement.
Academics at UCL have analysed the new IMO agreement. Unfortunately, they calculated the new policies will only deliver a 10% reduction by 2030 – that’s not even close to the 20% goal the IMO set, let alone the “strive” target of 30%.
Mitigation denial?
At the IMO’s closing meeting, Harry Conway, chair of its Marine Environment Protection Committee, held up a glass of water and remarked that at the start of the week, the glass was empty, now the glass is half full.
As political spin, that image might work. But when it comes to setting a clear and ambitious path forward, the measures fall well short.
The 2023 strategy committed nations to “strive” to deliver 30% emissions cuts by 2030. Last week’s meeting might yield 10%. Another reason why Pacific delegates abstained from voting. There is a lot more striving – and delivering – to be done.
A credible pathway to reach net-zero by 2050 is now at risk. Strong pushback by the US, Saudi Arabia, China and Brazil, and weak leadership from the EU all played a role. Even adopting these modest measures – which requires a vote in October – and specifying operational “guidelines” afterwards will be an uphill battle.
Christiaan De Beukelaer receives funding from the ClimateWorks Foundation.
Simon Bullock is a member of the Institute for Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST)
Two men have been jailed for a combined total of more than 50 years for the murder of a man in Croydon as detectives continue appeal for the public’s help to locate an outstanding suspect.
David Walcott, 35 (18.08.89) of Turle Road, Norbury and Rammon Mali, 33 (08.12.91) of Valley Road, Croydon, were each sentenced on Thursday, 17 April at the Old Bailey to 27 years’ imprisonment for the murder of Rijkaard Siafa.
They were convicted of his murder on Wednesday, 26 February at the same court, following a five-week trial.
A murder investigation was launched after police were called to reports of a man stabbed in Fellmongers Yard, Croydon on Friday, 12 April 2024.
A number of members of the public attempted to provide first aid, before police, London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance arrived at the scene. Sadly, despite their efforts, Rijkaard died at the scene only 30 minutes later.
In court, Walcott and Mali claimed that they were present, but were not the ones who stabbed Rijkaard. However, they were unanimously found guilty of murder by the jury.
Hassanatu Bah, Rijkaard mother, said:
“Anyone who knew Rijkaard would tell you how truly special he was. He had a soul so gentle and a heart so kind that his love and care touched everyone around him. His dreams were big, his zest for life unmatched. He was driven by hope and ambition, and his future was filled with endless possibilities – dreams that were cruelly stolen from him.
“But let me assure you, Rijkaard’s story doesn’t end here. I will carry his torch for as long as I live. Everything he dreamed of, everything he wanted to accomplish, I would do my best to see it through. His name will not be forgotten.”
The court heard that on the day of the murder Rijkaard had been at a friend’s flat near Fellmongers Yard, before leaving to meet his partner. Only a few minutes after leaving the flat, he had been stabbed 13 times.
After the attack, Walcott and Mali immediately fled the scene. They then went to a pub on nearby Katharine Street, where they ordered three pints of beer.
As part of the investigation, officers viewed more than 100 hours of CCTV and were subsequently able to identify both Walcott and Mali.
A fast-paced manhunt was launched and a few days’ later officers were able to track Walcott to an address on Lewin Road, SW16. He was arrested on Friday, 19 April 2024 and charged the following day.
Mali fled the country on Tuesday, 16 April 2024. He was arrested at Gatwick Airport upon his return on Sunday, 5 May 2024 and charged the following day.
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said:
“Our thoughts very much remain with Rijkaard’s family and friends, who had to re-live the last traumatic moments of his young life during the trial after the defendants failed to take responsibility for their actions.
“The defendants acted together, as a team. They had been looking for Rijkaard during the afternoon of Friday, 12 April and when they found him, they viciously attacked him.
“It’s clear Walcott and Mali are dangerous and unpredictable individuals and I am relieved they will remain behind bars for a significant period of time.
“I am extremely grateful to those who have come forward so far, however Jordan Vincent remains wanted for the murder of Rijkaard Siafa and my team remains determined to bring all of those responsible to justice.
“I am appealing to people to dig deep into their consciences and assist us with the whereabouts of Jordan Vincent. There is a £10,000 reward available for information which leads to his arrest and conviction. If you have any information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is – please get in contact, it could be crucial.”
Alternatively, anyone who has information or footage can call 0208 721 4961 referencing Op Biscot. To remain 100 per cent anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The program of the visit of the representative delegation of the Republic of Tatarstan to the Polytechnic included the signing of several cooperation agreements. The rais of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Knyaginin participated in the solemn ceremony.
The cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University will contribute to the effective development of higher education in both subjects of the Federation, the training of highly qualified specialists, continuous professional development of workers, and the integration of professional education and science. The basis for achieving these goals should be joint relevant scientific, technical, educational, innovative, investment, production, and socio-economic projects and programs. The document was signed by the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan Ilsur Khadiullin and the Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy.
The agreement provides for the unification of the partners’ efforts for the comprehensive development of a system for training scientific and engineering personnel, the involvement of students and young scientists in real scientific research and experimental design developments, and the creation of a new material base for the implementation of educational programs and scientific research projects.
Other areas of cooperation include: modernization of the education system, improvement of the quality of educational services, advanced training of managers and teaching staff of educational institutions of the Republic of Tatarstan; popularization of science, development of scientific and technical creativity of young people, etc.
Innopolis University has also joined the cooperation with the Polytechnic University. Having signed the agreement, SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy and Innopolis University Director Iskander Bariyev expressed their desire for strategic interaction between the universities in the field of methodological, educational and scientific activities. The agreement provides for the modernization of current educational programs and the development of new ones, including online ones. An important part of the cooperation will be joint scientific research, including the creation of a specialized laboratory for the development of composite materials for robotic systems and unmanned aircraft. Other areas of cooperation include: organizing academic mobility for teachers and students; popularization of scientific research; joint design, technological and experimental work in the field of robotics and mechatronics, the search for and design of new materials with specified properties, additive technologies, artificial intelligence; participation in the audit of Russian companies and enterprises, including an assessment of the level of their digital maturity, robotics and digital transformation; organization and holding of conferences, meetings, exhibitions and other events on current issues of industrial robotics, etc.
Almetyevsk State Technological University “Higher School of Oil” has signed an agreement with the Polytechnic University to work together on innovative methods of engineering education, conduct scientific research and implement scientific, educational and creative projects, including within the framework of the federal project “Advanced Engineering Schools”. The document was signed by Andrey Rudskoy and Rector Alexander Dyakonov.
Kazan National Research Technical University named after A. N. Tupolev-KAI has become a strategic partner of Polytechnic University. The agreement signed by Acting Rector Kirill Okhotkin and Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy provides for joint activities in scientific, educational, research and innovation spheres and support for large-scale scientific and industrial projects, including within the framework of advanced engineering schools. The partners agreed to use their scientific infrastructure and combine competencies to implement joint projects in such priority areas as: composite material structures; additive, laser and plasma technologies; information and control systems; radio photonics; quantum technologies; electromagnetic compatibility; microelectronics; digital modeling of elements of manned and unmanned transport systems; artificial intelligence.
“We have very close ties with the Republic of Tatarstan through the Academy of Sciences,” commented Vladimir Knyagin, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg. “For our St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tatar colleagues are not only partners, but also, in many cases, cooperators in research. There is an exchange of personnel, research topics, and knowledge. And the fact that today we have the head of the republic testifies to the official recognition of the importance of such interaction.”
After the signing ceremony, another ceremonial procedure took place — the awarding of representatives of the Polytechnic University. For fruitful cooperation and significant contribution to strengthening the socio-economic potential of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov presented medals “100 years of the formation of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic” to Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation Alexey Borovkov, Director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport Anatoly Popovich and Academic Secretary of SPbPU Dmitry Karpov.
During the visit, the delegation of Tatarstan visited several specialized scientific and production sites of the Polytechnic University. Thus, in the Laboratory of Light Materials and Structures, the guests got acquainted with the technologies of additive electric arc growth and friction stir welding. Director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport Anatoly Popovich presented the competencies of SPbPU in the field of large-scale 3D metal printing, spoke about the equipment used, and demonstrated product samples. The partners also saw the advanced developments of the Polytechnic University in the field of additive laser technologies, visitedNetwork engineering center and other workshops.
In the experimental design bureau of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” (OKB PISH), guests from Tatarstan got acquainted with breakthrough developments and research in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft manufacturing, engine and rocket engineering, as well as robotics, implemented using approaches to systemic digital engineering based on the Digital Platform for the Development and Application of Digital Twins CML-Bench®.
Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation of SPbPU, Head of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov presented to the guests a line of multifunctional devices – a family of electric unmanned aerial vehicles “Snegir”: the “Snegir-1” model and its improved version VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing – vertical takeoff and landing) “Snegir-1.5”. Alexey Ivanovich emphasized that the development of the UAV “Snegir-1.5” was carried out using virtual test benches and testing grounds, as well as using the domestic Digital platform CML-Bench®, which made it possible to optimize the design methods of unmanned aircraft systems and their components. The project is being implemented within the framework of the federal initiative “Development, standardization and serial production of unmanned aircraft systems and components” of the national project “Unmanned aircraft systems”, which was launched in accordance with the Strategy for the development of unmanned aviation of the Russian Federation until 2030 and for the future until 2035.
Alexey Borovkov noted that leading specialists of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” are developing technologies and a demonstrator of a software package for the automated design of electric propeller-motor groups of unmanned aerial vehicles, and demonstrated the results of the development and manufacture of a prototype of the CML_03 electric motor for unmanned aerial vehicles with improved technical characteristics. The development is based on multi-criteria optimization methods and interdisciplinary calculation methods.
Speaking about the promising projects of the SPbPU Ecosystem of Technological Development, Aleksey Borovkov focused on the strategic tasks planned and already implemented jointly with the partner of the SPbPU – the scientific institution “Engineering and Design Center for Support of Operation of Space Technology” to create tooling kits and quality control for the manufacture of tank structures of the Angara family of launch vehicles using advanced technologies. In addition, the vice-rector announced the start of a project to create a prototype of the CML-Aeroplane, where the key task is multi-criteria optimization of the design taking into account aerodynamics, flight dynamics, strength, fuel efficiency and cost.
As part of the project activities of the structural divisions of the SPbPU Technological Development Ecosystem, a scientific and technological reserve has been formed that allows us to carry out cross-industry technology transfer and accelerate the design of complex and new products thanks to the CML-Bench® Digital Platform, which stores information on solving similar problems, concluded Alexey Ivanovich.
The guests were interested in the activities of the Student Design Bureau (SDB), which operates within the structure of the SPbPU Advanced Engineering School Design Bureau. SDB is a unique educational and practical platform where students, under the guidance of university teachers and specialists from industrial partners, acquire basic engineering competencies through participation in real R&D, and also have the opportunity to implement their own initiatives in the field of technological creativity. As an example, Alexey Borovkov cited the development of the SPbPU Advanced Engineering School student team CML®-Bots – the combat robot “Laska”. This project became the winner of the International Robot Fighting Championship in India in April 2025 and a number of Russian student competitions earlier.
“The Battle of Robots is a prestigious championship where engineers compete in creating the most effective combat vehicles,” noted Alexey Ivanovich. “Our students not only achieve victories, but also constantly improve the design, deepening their knowledge in robotics, mechanics and physics. The acquired skills allow them to find non-standard, interdisciplinary solutions to complex engineering problems, which is extremely important for future professional activities.”
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
GOLDEN, Colo. and SOLANA BEACH, Calif., April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SHF Holdings, Inc., d/b/a Safe Harbor Financial (Safe Harbor) (Nasdaq: SHFS), a fintech leader in facilitating financial services and credit facilities to the regulated cannabis industry, announced a strategic partnership with FundCanna, the leading provider of flexible capital solutions for cannabis operators. Through a mutual referral agreement, the two companies will collaborate to bring accessible, transparent funding options and compliant banking services to cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) across the United States.
This partnership enables FundCanna to introduce clients to Safe Harbor; and Safe Harbor to introduce qualified clients to FundCanna for working capital, equipment financing and other credit-based solutions. Under the agreement, all FundCanna-approved clients referred by Safe Harbor will be onboarded to deposit loan proceeds directly into Safe Harbor-managed bank accounts, ensuring full regulatory compliance and transparency.
“As the cannabis industry continues to face limitations from traditional financial institutions, this partnership delivers a practical, scalable solution that puts the financial needs of cannabis operators first,” said Terry Mendez, CEO of Safe Harbor Financial. “By onboarding FundCanna into our Safe Harbor Lends ecosystem, we’re able to enhance our ability to connect our clients to the capital they need—empowering them to grow their businesses, manage cash flow and pursue new opportunities in an industry still largely underserved.”
“Our partnership with Safe Harbor Financial brings together two trusted platforms dedicated to solving persistent financial barriers in cannabis,” said Adam Stettner, founder and CEO of FundCanna. “We’re focused on helping cannabis businesses succeed with smart, simple capital solutions. This collaboration expands our reach and strengthens our commitment to supporting operators through every step of their financial journey—from funding solutions to banking.”
The partnership comes at a critical time for cannabis operators, with many facing cash constraints due to ongoing regulatory hurdles and limited access to traditional capital. Together, FundCanna and Safe Harbor aim to close this gap by offering cannabis businesses an end-to-end solution for their financing and banking needs.
About FundCanna FundCanna is the leading source of debt capital to the cannabis industry. The funding products FundCanna offers are customizable, flexible, renewable and reliable. The financing offered is designed exclusively for cannabis operations and the ancillary companies that support the industry.
For more than 20 years, their team of financial experts has provided $20 billion in funding to underserved businesses and individuals across the country. Adam Stettner, founder and CEO, has successfully founded and run finance companies for the past 20 plus years, earning numerous national awards and recognition notably including EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year and seven showings on the Inc. 500/5000.
Stettner and his team have focused their efforts exclusively on financing licensed cannabis operators and ancillary providers since 2021. For more information about cannabis financing, visit FundCanna.com.
About Safe Harbor: Safe Harbor (Nasdaq: SHFS) is among the first service providers to offer compliance, monitoring and validation services to financial institutions that provide traditional banking services to cannabis, hemp, CBD and ancillary operators, making communities safer, driving growth in local economies and fostering long-term partnerships. Safe Harbor, through its financial institution clients, implements high standards of accountability, transparency, monitoring, reporting and risk mitigation measures while meeting Bank Secrecy Act obligations in line with FinCEN guidance on cannabis-related businesses. Over the past decade, Safe Harbor has facilitated more than $25 billion in deposit transactions for businesses with operations spanning more than 41 states and U.S. territories with regulated cannabis markets. For more information, visit www.shfinancial.org.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical facts included herein may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to trends in the cannabis industry, including proposed changes in U.S and state laws, rules, regulations and guidance relating to Safe Harbor’s services; Safe Harbor’s growth prospects and Safe Harbor’s market size; Safe Harbor’s projected financial and operational performance, including relative to its competitors and historical performance; success or viability of new product and service offerings Safe Harbor may introduce in the future; the impact volatility in the capital markets, which may adversely affect the price of Safe Harbor’s securities; the outcome of any legal proceedings that have been or may be brought by or against Safe Harbor; and other statements regarding Safe Harbor’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “outlook,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in Safe Harbor’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Safe Harbor undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.
Safe Harbor Investor Relations Contact: Mike Regan, Head of Safe Harbor Investor Relations and Data Science ir@SHFinancial.org
Safe Harbor Media Relations Contact: Ellen Mellody 570-209-2947 safeharbor@kcsa.com
BELLEVUE, Wash., April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Seeking to redefine workplace culture and training, Atana is proud to announce that it has been named a winner in Ragan’s Employee Communications Awards. The Innovation and Technology Award for HR Tool/Service recognizes pioneering organizations like Atana that advance HR initiatives and significantly improve employee experience.
The Employee Communications Awards, organized by Ragan Communications, is a highly competitive program that celebrates and recognizes the most outstanding internal communications campaigns and initiatives from the past year, shining a spotlight on companies and individuals who have excelled in fostering effective communication, engagement and collaboration within their organizations.
Atana and the other finalists in this year’s program were honored at a special industry event on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, where category winners were also revealed. Learn about the event and winning work here.
Atana’s “Uncomfortable Conversations” course stood out among a diverse range of entries, showcasing excellence, creativity and strategic thinking in the Innovation and Technology category for HR Tool/Service. The judges recognized Atana for developing the fully interactive, behavior-based course designed to teach team managers how to navigate workplace discussions, which has earned several other industry awards and garnered praise from clients for its proven effectiveness.
Atana CEO John Hansen commented, “Employee communications remain a challenge for many organizations, especially when it comes time to have those uncomfortable conversations. Like Atana’s other courses, this program uses relatable scenarios and behavioral analytics to help learners develop the skills needed to make positive changes. It’s an honor to have our work recognized by Ragan as we continue to make workplace training more actionable and effective at scale.”
Atana has been recognized for this accomplishment in a special write-up on Ragan’s internationally read news website. To learn more about Atana’s science-based approach to workplace training, visit https://www.atana.com.
About Ragan Communications
Ragan Communications has been delivering trusted news, training and intelligence for more than 50 years to internal and external communicators and business executives via its conferences, webinars, training, awards, subscriptions and its membership divisions. Its daily news sites—PRDaily.com and Ragan.com—are read by more than 600,000 internal and external communicators monthly.
About Atana
Bringing together decades of experience, award-winning courses, and a powerful analytics platform, Atana takes learners from best intentions to actionable and measurable behavioral change at scale. With Atana, employers can build more inclusive workplaces through engaging content and science-backed learning and development. For more information, please visit atana.com.
7 Million in DHS Grants; Orders Harvard to Prove Compliance with Foreign Student Requirements
ASHINGTON – Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the cancelation of two DHS grants totaling over $2
7 million to Harvard University, declaring it unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars
The Secretary also wrote a scathing letter demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30, 2025, or face immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification
“Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” said Secretary Noem
“With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory
America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars
” The $800,303 Implementation Science for Targeted Violence Prevention grant branded conservatives as far-right dissidents in a shockingly skewed study
The $1,934,902 Blue Campaign Program Evaluation and Violence Advisement grant funded Harvard’s public health propaganda
Both undermine America’s values and security
This action follows President Donald J
Trump’s decision to freeze $2
2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University, proposing the revocation of its tax-exempt status over its radical ideology
Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Harvard’s foreign visa-holding rioters and faculty have spewed antisemitic hate, targeting Jewish students
With a $53
2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos—DHS won’t
And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students
In February, NASA’s ER-2 science aircraft flew instruments designed to improve satellite data products and Earth science observations. From data collection to processing, satellite systems continue to advance, and NASA is exploring how instruments analyzing clouds can improve data measurement methods. Researchers participating in the Goddard Space Flight Center Lidar Observation and Validation Experiment (GLOVE) used the ER-2 – based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California – to validate satellite data about cloud and airborne particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Scientists are using GLOVE instruments installed onboard the aircraft to measure and validate data about clouds generated by satellite sensors already orbiting in space around Earth. “The GLOVE data will allow us to test new artificial intelligence algorithms in data processing,” said John Yorks, principal investigator for GLOVE and research physical scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “These algorithms aim to improve the cloud and aerosol detection in data produced by the satellites.”
The validation provided by GLOVE is crucial because it ensures the accuracy and reliability of satellite data. “The instruments on the plane provide a higher resolution measurement ‘truth’ to ensure the data is a true representation of the atmospheric scene being sampled,” Yorks said. The ER-2 flew over various parts of Oregon, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, as well as over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. These regions reflected various types of atmospheres, including cirrus clouds, marine stratocumulus, rain and snow, and areas with multiple types of clouds. “The goal is to improve satellite data products for Earth science applications,” Yorks said. “These measurements allow scientists and decision-makers to confidently use this satellite information for applications like weather forecasting and hazard monitoring.”
The four instruments installed on the ER-2 were the Cloud Physics Lidar, the Roscoe Lidar, the enhanced Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Airborne Simulator, and the Cloud Radar System. These instruments validate data produced by sensors on NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) and the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE), a joint venture between the ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). “Additionally, the EarthCARE satellite is flying the first ever Doppler radar for measurements of air motions within clouds,” Yorks said. While the ER-2 is operated by pilots and aircrew from NASA Armstrong, these instruments are supported by scientists from NASA Goddard, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and the Naval Research Laboratory office in Monterey, California, as well as by students from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and the University of Maryland College Park.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 4:15 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 21, for the next launch to deliver scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. Filled with about 6,700 pounds of supplies, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 4:15 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 21, for the next launch to deliver scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. Filled with about 6,700 pounds of supplies, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This launch is the 32nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency, and the 12th SpaceX launch under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS) contract. The first 20 launches were under the original resupply services contract. NASA’s live launch coverage will begin at 3:55 a.m. on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will arrive at the space station and dock autonomously to the zenith port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, April 22. Live coverage NASA’s coverage of the rendezvous and docking will begin at 6:45 a.m on NASA+. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, Expedition 73 commander and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will monitor the arrival of the spacecraft, which will stay docked to the orbiting laboratory for about one month before splashing down and returning critical science and hardware to teams on Earth.
Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor-2 (SVGS-2) uses the space station’s Astrobee robots to demonstrate using a NASA developed, vision-based sensor to control a formation flight of small satellites. Based on a previous in-space demonstration of the technology, this investigation is designed to refine the maneuvers of multiple robots and integrate the information with spacecraft systems. Potential benefits of this technology include improved accuracy and reliability of systems for guidance, navigation, and control that could be applied to docking crewed spacecraft in orbit and remotely operating multiple robots on the lunar or Martian surface.
During spaceflight, especially long-duration missions, concentrations of airborne particles must be kept within ranges safe for crew health and hardware performance. The Aerosol Monitors investigation tests three different air quality monitors to determine which is best suited to protect crew health and ensure mission success. The investigation also tests a device for distinguishing between smoke and dust. Aboard the orbital outpost, the presence of dust can cause false smoke alarms that require crew member response. Reducing false alarms could save valuable crew time while continuing to protect astronaut safety.
The newest Industrial Crystallization Cassette (ADSEP-ICC) investigation adds capabilities to an existing protein crystallization facility. The cassette can process more sample types, including tiny gold particles used in devices that detect cancer and other diseases or in targeted drug delivery systems. Microgravity makes it possible to produce larger and more uniform gold particles, which improves their use in research and real-life applications of technologies related to human health.
The DNA Nano Therapeutics-Mission 2 produces a special type of molecule formed by DNA-inspired, customizable building blocks known as Janus base nanomaterials. It also evaluates how well the materials reduce joint inflammation and whether they can help regenerate cartilage lost due to arthritis. These materials are less toxic, more stable, and more compatible with living tissues than current drug delivery technologies. Environmental influences such as gravity can affect the quality of these materials and delivery systems. In microgravity, they are larger and have greater uniformity and structural integrity. This investigation could help identify the best formulations and methods for cost-effective in-space production. These nanomaterials also could be used to create novel systems targeting therapy delivery that improves patient outcomes with fewer side effects.
The Rhodium USAFA NIGHT payload examines how tomato plants respond to microgravity and whether a carbon dioxide replacement can reduce how much space-grown plants depend on photosynthesis. Because photosynthesis needs light, which requires spacecraft power to generate, alternatives would reduce energy use. The investigation also examines whether using supplements increases plant growth on the space station, which has been observed in preflight testing on Earth. In future plant production facilities aboard spacecraft or on celestial bodies, supplements could come from available organic materials such as waste. Understanding how plants adapt to microgravity could help grow food during long-duration space missions or harsh environments on Earth.
An ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES), examines fundamental physics concepts such as Einstein’s theory of relativity using two next-generation atomic clocks operated in microgravity. Results have applications to scientific measurement studies, the search for dark matter, and fundamental physics research that relies on highly accurate atomic clocks in space. The experiment also tests a technology for synchronizing clocks worldwide using global navigation satellite networks.
Launch:
Catalytic Reactor – The catalytic reactor replacement unit oxidizes volatile organics from the wastewater so they can be removed by the gas separator and ion exchange bed replacement units as part of the station’s water recycling system. This unit failed in orbit and is being returned for analysis and refurbishment. This unit is being launched as an in-orbit spare. Food Reach Tool Assembly – An L-shaped, hand-held tool that allows crew members to reach packages in the back of the food warmer without having to insert their hands. This tool is launching to replace a unit in orbit.
Reducer Cylinder Assembly – A cylinder tank that provides 15 minutes of oxygen to a crew member in case of an emergency. Launching two units as in-orbit spares.
Thermal Expansion Device – A device used to allow for thermal expansion of water within the Hydrogen Dome while it is being removed and replaced. Launching to maintain minimum in-orbit spares.
Return:
Urine Processor Assembly Pressure Control and Pump Assembly – This multi-tube purge pump enables the removal of non-condensable gas and water vapor from the distillation assembly within the greater urine processing assembly subsystem. This unit is returning to the ground for repair and refurbishment in support of the legacy environmental control and life support system fleet.
Assembly Contingency Transmitter Receiver Assembly – A part of the S-Band Radio Frequency Group, this assembly is a pressurized enclosure that contains electronics for this upper-level assembly. The Radio Frequency Group is used for command, control, and transmission communication for the space station. It was retrieved by NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during US EVA 92 and will return for repair.
High Gain Antenna Feed Assembly – Part of the S-Band Radio Frequency Group, this system features a two-axis, gimballed assembly with a pedestal and a large horn antenna. It was retrieved by NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during U.S. spacewalk 92 and will return for repair.
Low Gain Antenna Sub-Assembly – Part of the S-Band Radio Frequency Group, this sub-assembly consists of a helix antenna that provides a wide field of signal transmission capability. It was retrieved by NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during U.S. spacewalk 92 and will return for repair.
Planar Reflector Assembly – With an aluminum base and reflective element, visiting spacecraft reflect a laser to compute relative range, velocity, and attitude to the space station. This broken unit was retrieved and replaced by NASA astronaut Suni Williams during U.S. spacewalk 91 and will return for repair.
Multifiltration Bed – Supporting the water processor assembly, this spare unit will continue the International Space Station program’s effort to replace a degraded fleet of units in-orbit that improve water quality through a single bed. This unit will return for refurbishment and re-flight.
Live coverage of the launch from NASA Kennedy will air at 3:55 a.m. on NASA+.. For additional information on the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crs-32/
Technology Development Board-Department of Science and Technology (TDB-DST) supports M/s dvipa Defence India Pvt. Ltd. in Strengthening India’s Small Arms Manufacturing Ecosystem” TDB-DST backs Homegrown Innovation: dvipa’s UGRAM Rifle Marks a New Era in Indian Small Arms Manufacturing”
Posted On: 17 APR 2025 2:45PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Science and Technology, through the Technology Development Board (TDB), has taken a pivotal step toward indigenizing India’s small arms manufacturing capability by extending financial assistance to M/s dvipa Defence India Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad (erstwhile M/s dvipa Armour Pvt. Ltd.). The project, titled “Development and Commercialization of 7.62 mm x 51 mm Assault Rifles,” aims to produce high-performance, indigenous assault rifles in alignment with the Indian Army’s General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQR).
TDB’s assistance will play a crucial role in enabling the development, testing, and commercialization of the UGRAM rifle, including the creation of a state-of-the-art in-house manufacturing unit with integrated quality assurance and testing infrastructure.
For decades, India has depended heavily on imported small arms, resulting in substantial foreign exchange outflows and interoperability challenges across armed forces, thereby complicating training and logistics. The ageing INSAS rifles, once developed through earlier collaborations, are increasingly viewed as inadequate for modern combat needs. In 2017, the Government initiated a policy shift to replace these with advanced, reliable rifles chambered in 7.62 mm x 51 mm NATO-grade ammunition.
In response to this national need, dvipa Defence, incorporated in October 2018, emerged as a strong domestic player in the defence manufacturing sector. As one of the early license holders for small arms and ammunition production, the company partnered with DRDO’s Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, to develop a fully indigenous assault rifle, UGRAM – Sanskrit for “ferocious.” Demonstrating exceptional execution, five prototypes were developed within 100 days and successfully passed initial testing at ARDE.
UGRAM: A Modern, Indigenous Combat-Ready Assault Rifle
UGRAM is a modular, ergonomically designed 7.62 mm x 51 mm assault rifle, tailored for counter-insurgency (CI) and counter-terror (CT) operations by armed forces, paramilitary units, and special forces. It incorporates several advanced features:
Indigenous Development:
100% design, material selection, manufacturing, and testing conducted domestically and approved by ARDE, DRDO.
Key Features:
Long-stroke piston mechanism for enhanced reliability.
High-strength steel used in all pressure-bearing parts.
High-grade nylon-based handguard, pistol grip, and buttstock.
Ambidextrous magazine release and ergonomic, side-mounted cocking handle.
Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, said, “TDB’s support to dvipa Defence underscores our commitment to indigenizing critical defence technologies under ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. This project not only strengthens self-reliance but also paves the way for import substitution and future exports through trusted strategic partnerships.”
Commenting on TDB’s support, Founders of M/s dvipa Defence India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are proud to contribute to India’s strategic autonomy by building world-class defence products from Indian soil. The support from TDB strengthens our resolve to manufacture for the forces, by the forces, in India.”
Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C. R. Patil reviews key Projects of Wildlife Institute of India under the aegis of National Mission for Clean Ganga Shri C. R. Patil launches a Digital Platform to Boost Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation
Union Minister lauds the commendable work being carried out by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Wildlife Institute of India
MoJS releases a series of knowledge products developed under the initiatives
Posted On: 17 APR 2025 2:37PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri C. R. Patil, chaired a review meeting of various projects implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and supported by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry and WII.
The union Minister expressed his appreciation for the commendable work being carried out by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and WII in restoring aquatic biodiversity, improving river health, building local capacities, and engaging communities in conservation. He acknowledged the impact of extensive outreach and capacity-building programs conducted across the basin and highlighted the role of WII in mass awareness initiatives, particularly those involving Ganga Praharis. Additionally, he suggested organizing a Ganga Prahari Conclave to strengthen continued engagement with volunteers and advised exploring new conservation initiatives focused on the Mugger crocodile in the rivers.
During the event, Shri C. R. Patil also released a series of knowledge products developed under these initiatives. These included Hydrophytes: Green Lungs of Ganga Volumes I & II and Protocols for Collection, Storage and Transportation of Biological Samples of Freshwater Macrofauna. These publications represent the strong scientific foundation and practical relevance of the Ministry’s biodiversity conservation efforts.
It emerged in the review that a structured and multidisciplinary conservation plan was initiated by WII under the aegis of NMCG. The core aim of the project was to establish a science-based aquatic species conservation strategy for the Ganga River through a six-pronged approach: creating a dedicated conservation monitoring center, planning aquatic species restoration, building institutional capacity, establishing rescue and rehabilitation centers, initiating community-based conservation programs, and spreading education on biodiversity conservation.
A key highlight of the meeting was the launch of an important digital platform –information dashboard www.rivres.in, developed under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and WII. The dashboard – part of the Ganga Aqualife Conservation Monitoring Centre/National Centre for River Research – serves as a comprehensive digital hub offering ecological insights, conservation case studies, and information on physiography, biodiversity, and community engagement activities across major Indian rivers, including the Ganga, Barak, Mahanadi, Narmada, Godavari, Cauvery, and Pamba.
Community engagement has been a cornerstone of this conservation model. Thousands of stakeholders—including forest officers, veterinarians, schoolteachers, NSS volunteers, and local communities—have been trained through over 130 capacity-building programs. More than 5,000 Ganga Praharis, many of them women, have been mobilized to act as frontline conservation volunteers. Their involvement has enhanced biodiversity monitoring, supported rescue operations, and strengthened local stewardship.
A massive river survey, covering over 12,000 kilometers across 22 rivers, was conducted using advanced technologies like GPS-enabled data collection, SONAR-based depth profiling, and ecological monitoring apps. Project Dolphin was launched, aiming to conserve dolphins and their habitat while supporting local livelihoods through eco-tourism and other initiatives.
The review concluded with a vote of thanks and a renewed commitment to advance data-driven, inclusive, and sustainable freshwater ecosystem conservation efforts through the continued partnership between the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Wildlife Institute of India.
Union MoS for Health & Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav inaugurates FSSAI’s National Stakeholder Consultation on Sustainable Packaging Significance of eco-friendly packaging solutions highlighted
India has the Potential to lead the world towards sustainability: Shri Jadhav
“What we need today is a shift towards alternatives that are sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable”
Over 1500 stakeholders representing food businesses, packaging industries, recycling associations, regulatory bodies, environmental organizations, consumer groups, farmer groups, government departments participated in the consultation to deliberate on the future of sustainable food packaging in India
Posted On: 17 APR 2025 10:38AM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, inaugurated a National Stakeholder Consultation on “Sustainable Packaging for Food Business: Emerging Global Trends and Regulatory Framework” organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) at Mumbai on 16th April 2025.
In his address, Shri Jadhav highlighted the growing importance of sustainable packaging of food items. He announced that the guidelines for the use of rPET in packaging have been prepared by FSSAI after extensive consultations with all stakeholders and in line with the best global practices. He also mentioned that a logo has been developed for easy identification and to benefit consumers of food products.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Jadhav stated that “shifting towards sustainable methods of packaging is the need of the hour.” He stressed that the usage of plastic is a growing concern globally, as it stays undecomposed in the environment for years having detrimental consequences. “What we need today is a shift towards alternatives that are sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable”, he further stated.
Hailing India’s age-old traditional methods, Shri Jadhav also emphasized the need to connect the ancient ecological practices to modern techniques to ensure sustainability stating that “India has the potential to lead the world in this direction.”
He also appreciated the efforts of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and FSSAI for providing an important platform in the form of National Stakeholders Consultation to deliberate upon crucial issues that affect the health and wellbeing of the country.
The Minister of State also held an informal open consultation session with stakeholders, providing them an opportunity to share their challenges and discuss future avenues for improvement and growth. The consultation brought together over 1500 stakeholders representing food businesses, packaging industries, recycling associations, regulatory bodies, environmental organizations, consumer groups, farmer groups, government departments to deliberate on the future of sustainable food packaging in India.
The consultation was part of an ongoing series of national-level stakeholder discussions aimed at holding critical deliberations on critical issues that requires multi-stakeholder engagement. Under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI has launched this pivotal initiative to convene such National Stakeholder Consultations to foster greater inclusivity, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking in the formulation of food safety regulations. By actively engaging with industry, academia, consumer groups, farmer groups and regulatory bodies, FSSAI seeks to incorporate sector-specific perspectives and ground-level insights into its regulatory framework, ensuring that policies are both practical and aligned with public health priorities.
The consultation featured a Technical Session wherein Chairperson of FSSAI’s Scientific Panel on Packaging presented on the detailed scientific basis, risk assessment principles, transparent consultative approach employed by FSSAI while framing robust scientific standards.
Representatives from BIS talked about the Global and Indian standards on food packaging and the overview of the existing IS standards for packaging materials. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shared about the role that CPCB plays in driving sustainable practices through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under Plastic Waste Management Rules. Representatives from Industry presented innovative approaches being adopted to develop eco-friendly, lightweight, and recyclable packaging solutions tailored for food and beverage products, importance of plastic waste recovery and recycling to support circular economy and Consumer concerns and expectations towards sustainable food packaging.
The session concluded with a technical debrief by Dr. Alka Rao, Advisor (Science & Standards and Regulations), wherein she emphasized the importance of stakeholder collaboration in advancing sustainable packaging solutions that align with food safety standards and support India’s broader environmental goals.
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HFW/MoS inaugurates FSSAI’s National Stakeholder Consultation on Sustainable Packaging /17April 2025/1
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
How would humanity respond if we discovered an asteroid headed for Earth? NASA’s “Planetary Defenders” is a gripping documentary that delves into the high-stakes world of asteroid detection and planetary defense.
Journey alongside a dedicated team of astronomers and scientists working tirelessly to track and monitor near-Earth asteroids, aiming to protect our planet from potential impacts. This documentary captures the intricate and collaborative efforts of these unsung heroes, blending cutting-edge science with personal stories to reveal the human spirit behind this critical global endeavor. Witness the drama, the challenges and the triumphs of those on the front lines of planetary defense.
Learn more about NASA’s efforts to find, track and monitor near-Earth asteroids: https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-defense/
Directors: Scott Bednar, Jessie Wilde
Executive Producers: Emily Furfaro, Josh Handal
Producers: Scott Bednar, Caleb Stern, Jessie Wilde
Editor: Jessie Wilde
Motion Graphics Editor: Matt Schara
Details 2025-04-15 President Lai meets delegation led by Tuvalu Deputy Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone On the afternoon of April 15, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Tuvalu Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development Panapasi Nelesone and his wife. In remarks, President Lai thanked Tuvalu for its staunch and long-term backing of Taiwan’s international participation. The president said he looks forward to our nations deepening bilateral ties in such areas as agriculture, medicine, education, and information and communications technology and working together toward greater peace, prosperity, and development in the Pacific region. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I extend a very warm welcome to Deputy Prime Minister Nelesone and Madame Corinna Ituaso Laafai as they lead this delegation to Taiwan. Our distinguished guests are the first delegation from Tuvalu that I have received at the Presidential Office this year. During my visit to Tuvalu last year, I met and exchanged views with Deputy Prime Minister Nelesone and the ministers present. I am delighted to meet you again today and thank you once again for the hospitality you accorded my delegation. The culture of Tuvalu and the warmth of its people are not easily forgotten. Tuvalu’s support for Taiwan has also touched us deeply. I want to take this opportunity to thank Tuvalu for staunchly backing Taiwan’s international participation over the past several decades. Our two countries have supported each other like family and have together made contributions in the international arena. Last Tuesday, I received the credentials of Ambassador Lily Tangisia Faavae and expressed my hope for Taiwan and Tuvalu continuing to deepen bilateral relations. This visit by Deputy Prime Minister Nelesone is an important step in that regard. Our two countries will be signing a labor cooperation agreement and an agreement concerning the recognition of training and certification of seafarers. This will expand bilateral cooperation at multiple levels and bring our relations even closer. Taiwan and Tuvalu are maritime nations and share the values of democracy and freedom. Our two countries have stood shoulder to shoulder to protect marine resources and address the challenges posed by climate change and authoritarianism, and we aspire to work toward greater peace, prosperity, and development in the Pacific region. Our nations have produced fruitful results in such areas as agriculture, medicine, education, and information and communications technology. I anticipate that, with the support of Deputy Prime Minister Nelesone and our distinguished guests, we can continue to employ a more diverse range of strategies to begin a new chapter in our diplomatic partnership. Together, we can make even greater and more concrete contributions to regional development. Deputy Prime Minister Nelesone then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for his kind words of welcome and the warm hospitality extended to his delegation. On behalf of the government and people of Tuvalu, he conveyed their gratitude to the president and the people of Taiwan for the generous support, as well as for the enduring friendship we share. He said that Taiwan’s steadfast commitment to our bilateral relationship has been instrumental in advancing our shared values of democracy, resilience, and sustainable development. From vital development assistance to cooperation in health, education, and climate change resilience, he added, Taiwan’s contributions have made a significant impact on the lives of the people of Tuvalu. For Taiwan’s recent generous donation of shoes for Tuvaluan primary school students, Deputy Prime Minister Nelesone expressed thanks to President Lai. He commented that these gifts, which underscore a deep commitment to the welfare of their youth, transcend mere material support; they are symbols of care, friendship, and hope for the future generations. Noting that our bilateral relationship is built on mutual respect, shared values, and a common vision for sustainable development in the Pacific, he expressed confidence that this partnership will continue to flourish and will serve as a beacon of cooperation and solidarity within our region. The delegation also included Tuvalu Minister of Foreign Affairs, Labour, and Trade Paulson Panapa; Minister of Public Works, Infrastructure Development and Water Ampelosa Tehulu, and was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Tuvalu Ambassador Faavae.
Details 2025-04-10 President Lai pens Bloomberg News article on Taiwan’s response to US reciprocal tariffs On April 10, an article penned by President Lai Ching-te entitled “Taiwan Has a Roadmap for Deeper US Trade Ties” was published by Bloomberg News, explaining to a global audience Taiwan’s strategy on trade with the United States, as well as how Taiwan will engage in dialogue with the aim of removing bilateral trade barriers, increasing investment between Taiwan and the US, and reducing tariffs to zero. The following is the full text of President Lai’s article: Last month, the first of Taiwan’s 66 new F-16Vs rolled off the assembly line in Greenville, South Carolina. Signed during President Donald Trump’s first term, the $8 billion deal stands as a testament to American ingenuity and leadership in advanced manufacturing. Beyond its economic impact – creating thousands of well-paying jobs across the US – it strengthens the foundations of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. This deal is emblematic of the close interests shared between Taiwan and the US. Our bond is forged by an unwavering belief in freedom and liberty. For decades, our two countries have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in deterring communist expansionism. Even as Beijing intensifies its air force and naval exercises in our vicinity, we remain resolute. Taiwan will always be a bastion of democracy and peace in the region. This partnership extends well beyond the security realm. Though home to just 23 million people, Taiwan has in recent years become a significant investor in America. TSMC recently announced it will raise its total investment in the US to $165 billion – an initiative that will create 40,000 construction jobs and tens of thousands more in advanced chip manufacturing and R&D. This investment will bolster the emergence of a new high-tech cluster in Arizona. Taiwan is committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation in manufacturing and innovation. As a trade-dependent economy, our long-term success is built on trade relationships that are fair, reciprocal and mutually beneficial. Encouraging Taiwanese businesses to expand their global footprint, particularly in the US, is a vital part of this strategy. Deepening commercial ties between Taiwanese and American firms is another. These core principles will guide our response to President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. First, we will seek to restart trade negotiations with a common objective of reducing all tariffs between Taiwan and the US. While Taiwan already maintains low tariffs, with an average nominal rate of 6%, we are willing to further cut this rate to zero on the basis of reciprocity with the US. By removing the last vestiges to free and fair trade, we seek to encourage greater trade and investment flows between our two countries. Second, Taiwan will rapidly expand procurement of American goods. Over the past five years, rising demand for semiconductors and AI-related components has increased our trade surplus. In response to these market trends, Taiwan will seek to narrow the trade imbalance through the procurement of energy, agriculture and other industrial goods from the US. These efforts will create thousands of new jobs across multiple sectors. We’ll also pursue additional arms procurements that are vital to our self-defense and contribute to peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait. During President Trump’s first term, we secured $18 billion in arms deals, including advanced fighter jets, tanks and anti-ship missiles. Future purchases, which are not reflected in trade balances, build on our economic and security partnership while being essential to Taiwan’s “Peace Through Strength” approach. Third, new investments will be made across the US. Already, Taiwanese firms support 400,000 jobs throughout all 50 states. Beyond TSMC, we also see emerging opportunities in electronics, ICT, energy and petrochemicals. We will establish a cross-agency “US Investment Team” to support bilateral trade and investment – and we hope that efforts will be reciprocated by the Trump administration. Fourth, we are committed to removing non-tariff trade barriers. Taiwan will take concrete steps to resolve persistent issues that have long impeded trade negotiations. And finally, we will strongly address US concerns over export controls and improper transshipment of low-cost goods through Taiwan. These steps form the basis of a comprehensive roadmap for how Taiwan will navigate the shifting trade landscape, transforming challenges in the Taiwan-US economic relationship into new opportunities for growth, resilience and strategic alignment. At a time of growing global uncertainty, underpinned by growing Chinese assertiveness, closer trade ties are more than sound economics; they are a critical pillar of regional security. Our approach is long-term and principled, grounded in a lasting commitment to our friendship with the US, a firm belief in the benefits of fair and reciprocal trade, and an unwavering dedication to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We are confident that our shared economic and security interests will not only overcome turbulence in the international trade environment – they will define the future of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Details 2025-04-08 President Lai receives credentials from new Tuvalu Ambassador Lily Tangisia Faavae On the morning of April 8, President Lai Ching-te received the credentials of new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Tuvalu to the Republic of China (Taiwan) Lily Tangisia Faavae. In remarks, President Lai welcomed the ambassador to her new post and thanked Tuvalu for its long-term support for Taiwan’s international participation. The president also noted that joint efforts between our two countries have produced fruitful results in such areas as medicine and public health, agricultural and fisheries technology, and information and communications technology. He expressed his hope that we will continue to deepen our bilateral relations so as to generate even greater well-being for our peoples and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Pacific region. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: It is a great pleasure today to receive the credentials of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Tuvalu Lily Tangisia Faavae. On behalf of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I extend my warmest welcome to you. Last year, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Tuvalu celebrated 45 years of diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Feleti Teo visited Taiwan in May last year for the inauguration of myself and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and again in October for our National Day celebrations. When I visited Tuvalu last December, I was warmly received by the government and people of Tuvalu, and I deeply felt that our two countries were like family. Ambassador Faavae’s posting to Taiwan demonstrates the importance Prime Minister Teo places on our ties. Widely recognized for her exceptional talent, Ambassador Faavae is an outstanding official with extensive experience in public service. Moreover, during her term as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, she voiced support for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly. I believe that with her assistance, our two nations will further advance cooperation and exchanges. I want to thank the government of Tuvalu for long supporting Taiwan’s international participation. Furthermore, joint efforts between our two countries have produced fruitful results in such areas as medicine and public health, agricultural and fisheries technology, and information and communications technology. Last year, Prime Minister Teo and I signed a joint communiqué on advancing the comprehensive partnership between Taiwan and Tuvalu. Going forward, we will stand together in tackling the challenges we face, including climate change and expanding authoritarianism. And we will continue to deepen our bilateral relations so as to generate even greater well-being for our peoples and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Pacific region. Once again, I warmly welcome Ambassador Faavae to her new post in Taiwan. Please convey warmest regards from Taiwan to Prime Minister Teo and all of our friends in Tuvalu. I wish you all the best in work and life during your term in Taiwan. Ambassador Faavae then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great honor and privilege to meet with President Lai today as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Tuvalu to Taiwan, and to present to him her letter of credence. She then extended, on behalf of the government and people of Tuvalu, her warmest greetings and deep respect to the president and people of Taiwan. The letter of credence, she noted, signifies the trust and confidence that her government and governor-general have placed in her to represent their nation and to foster and strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our countries. Ambassador Faavae said that our two countries have enjoyed a longstanding relationship of 45 years based on mutual respect, cooperation, and shared values. She added that we have collaborated, and continue to do so, in such fields as education, health, climate change adaptation and sea level rise mitigation, agriculture, clean energy, and internet connectivity. Ambassador Faavae pointed out that Tuvalu remains committed to deepening ties with Taiwan and that it values people-to-people connections and our shared Austronesian heritage. She noted that the people of Tuvalu, a small developing nation, have greatly benefited from Taiwan’s advanced technical expertise and diverse financial assistance. She said she believes Tuvalu and Taiwan share a common interest and are united in our efforts and commitment to upholding democracy, peace, stability, and prosperity for our people and making the world better and safer. Ambassador Faavae stated that as ambassador of Tuvalu to Taiwan, she pledges to work diligently and respectfully to enhance our bilateral relations, promote mutual understanding, and facilitate collaboration in areas of shared concern. The ambassador said she looks forward to collaborating closely with the Taiwan government and other stakeholders to achieve our common objectives and to continue building a more prosperous and harmonious future for our nations. In closing, she thanked President Lai for the opportunity to serve and to further the enduring friendship between our two countries.
Details 2025-03-28 President Lai meets British Office Taipei Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones On the afternoon of March 28, President Lai Ching-te met with British Office Taipei Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones. In remarks, President Lai welcomed Representative Bradley-Jones as she takes up her post in Taiwan, and thanked the United Kingdom government and parliament for demonstrating staunch support for Taiwan. The president indicated that Taiwan and the UK enjoy close economic and trade ties, and our industries complement each other well, with great potential for collaboration in such fields as semiconductors, AI, unmanned vehicles, and medium- and low-orbit satellites. He stated that he looks forward to expanding exchanges with the UK across all domains so as to enhance democratic and economic resilience, jointly advancing the prosperous development of the Indo-Pacific region and economic security around the world. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: It is a pleasure to meet Representative Bradley-Jones here at the Presidential Office for this exchange. I understand that she has proactively called at many government agencies since taking up her post last month. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a warm welcome. Taiwan and the UK are partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. In recent years, our bilateral relations have continued to deepen. With the efforts of Representative Bradley-Jones and our respective governments, I look forward to the expansion of dialogue and cooperation between Taiwan and the UK. This will further elevate our bilateral ties. Especially in the face of expanding authoritarianism, the UK is not only playing an important role in crafting a unified European response; it is also demonstrating staunch support for Taiwan through various channels. For example, joint statements released after the Australia-UK ministerial consultations, as well as the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, underlined a high level of concern for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The UK government has publicly expressed support for Taiwan’s international participation on multiple occasions. And last November, the UK House of Commons passed a motion clearly asserting that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan. These actions attest to the UK’s belief in supporting democracy and peace, and have further solidified our countries’ friendship. I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to the UK government and parliament. Currently, the UK is Taiwan’s fourth largest trading partner in Europe and second largest source of investment from Europe. We enjoy close economic and trade ties, and our industries complement each other well. There is also great potential for collaboration in such fields as semiconductors, AI, unmanned vehicles, and medium- and low-orbit satellites. We look forward to expanding exchanges with the UK across all domains so as to enhance democratic and economic resilience. We also hope the UK will continue to support Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership so that together, we can work with more like-minded partners, jointly advancing the prosperous development of the Indo-Pacific region and economic security around the world. Once again, I welcome Representative Bradley-Jones to Taiwan and wish her all the best with her work. I anticipate that Taiwan-UK relations will continue to steadily advance through our joint efforts. Representative Bradley-Jones then delivered remarks, first saying in Mandarin that she is honored to meet with President Lai to discuss topics of mutual concern and jointly deepen Taiwan-UK relations, promoting mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation. She went on to say that she came to Taiwan last August to study Mandarin, and began her post as British Office Taipei representative in February this year, noting that every day she learns more about and gains a deeper understanding of Taiwan. Last year, she said, she visited Tainan and Wanli, and found Tainan’s wetlands and the scenery in Wanli very impressive. She added that she has also tried many different Taiwanese foods, and is looking forward to experiencing even more of Taiwan’s local culture and customs over the next four years. Continuing her remarks in English, Representative Bradley-Jones stated that since taking up her post, she has borne witness to the strength of the relationship between Taiwan and the UK and the potential for it to continue to grow. She said that on trade and investment, there is significant complementarity between Taiwan’s Five Trusted Industry Sectors and the UK’s Industrial Strategy, particularly in areas such as digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy. Both governments are also together supporting Taiwan and UK businesses through our Enhanced Trade Partnership and annual trade talks, she said. Representative Bradley-Jones went on to say that on science and technology, Taiwan and the UK can and should do more together. She noted that the UK has the third largest tech sector in the world and is valued at over US$1.1 trillion, while Taiwan is the center of the semiconductor and AI hardware world. Given our complementary strengths, especially in areas such as semiconductors, space, and communications technology, she said, the UK has stepped up its level of activity in Taiwan, including by regularly hosting a UK Pavilion at SEMICON and funding 18 joint R&D programs through our new collaborative R&D fund, and looks forward to doing more together in the future. In support of Taiwan’s whole-of-society resilience, the representative said, the UK is supporting valuable exchanges, co-hosting GCTF (Global Cooperation and Training Framework) workshops, sharing lessons on financial sector resilience, and reaching out to mayors and community leaders across Taiwan. From financial resilience to cyber resilience, she said, the UK’s public sector and private industries have plenty to share and learn. Representative Bradley-Jones stated that on people-to-people links, parliamentarians, civil society, and academics are continuing to deepen contact, and that she is particularly excited by a new smart parliament partnership agreed upon by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the UK’s Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which aims to facilitate cross-party, cross-society, and cross-border exchanges on issues such as democratic governance, AI, inclusive policy-making, and public safety. The representative indicated that the examples she mentioned just scratch the surface of the full potential of the Taiwan-UK relationship. She said that the UK’s longstanding policy remains unchanged, and fundamentally, that is because we share a common set of values and interests. We are together focused on how to make our societies safer and more prosperous tomorrow than they are today, she said, and as like-minded democracies, innovative economies, and practical partners, the sincere and pragmatic cooperation between Taiwan and the UK is bringing material benefits to the prosperity and well-being of our people every day.
Details 2025-03-21 President Lai meets Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy On the morning of March 21, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. In remarks, President Lai said that Alaska has long been an important trading partner of Taiwan, and that we have built a solid foundation for cooperation in such fields as energy, fisheries, and tourism. The president expressed hope that Taiwan and Alaska will have more frequent engagement and exchanges so that our relations can continue to grow to create prosperous development for both sides. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my sincerest welcome to our guests. This is Governor Dunleavy’s first visit to Taiwan, and last night, we both attended the Hsieh Nien Fan (謝年飯) banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan. I am delighted to have this opportunity to meet with Governor Dunleavy today at the Presidential Office for further dialogue. Alaska has long been an important trading partner of Taiwan. Our sister-state relationship was established in 1988, and we have built a solid foundation for cooperation in such fields as energy, fisheries, and tourism. Currently, Taiwan is Alaska’s eighth largest export market and ninth largest source of imports. This goes to show just how close our trade and economic ties are and how much potential there is for further growth. As I said in my remarks at last night’s Hsieh Nien Fan banquet, Taiwan is interested in buying Alaskan natural gas. I am sure that Governor Dunleavy’s visit will help us explore even more opportunities for cooperation and continue to deepen Taiwan-United States relations. In the face of such challenges as expanding authoritarianism, climate change, and pandemics, we look forward to strengthening collaboration between Taiwan and the US. By drawing on our strengths, we can jointly build non-red supply chains to bolster our economic resilience and drive the advancement of global technology. I want to thank the US government for reiterating the importance it attaches to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and its opposition to any attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion. These statements backing Taiwan help in maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region. Once again, I thank Governor Dunleavy for traveling such a long way to Taiwan. We hope to see more frequent engagement and exchanges between Taiwan and Alaska so that our relations can continue to grow, and we can create prosperous development for both sides. Governor Dunleavy then delivered remarks, saying that their trip to visit friends in Taiwan has been fantastic, thanking President Lai for the invitation to meet, and thanking all the staff. Governor Dunleavy said that as the pandemic was raging, the world went from “before COVID” to “after COVID.” Before COVID, he said, the world relied on a number of systems that were in place for decades after World War II involving supply chains, alliances, sources of energy, trading partners, and friends. He went on to say that as we go beyond COVID, we are reestablishing and reevaluating who our friends are, where we are going to get our energy, and who our trading partners are going to be. The governor said that we are creating a new world for the next 50 years with the new administration in Washington, and this is an opportunity for us to reevaluate and reinvest with our friends for the next 50 years in each other, our futures, and our security. Governor Dunleavy stated that one thing is for certain: that Taiwan is a friend of the US and a friend of Alaska, and has been for many, many decades. He said that it is their hope in this trip and subsequent trips to establish an even tighter bond among their friends in Taiwan, the US, and Alaska. The governor also said that we have much in common in that we are members of the Pacific family, are democracies, and believe in freedom, free speech, and capitalism. He indicated that he has much optimism for the future, and that as we reestablish relationships throughout the world, energy is going to be the key and the basis for our economic development, our national security, and our friendship. Governor Dunleavy said that he believes this trip is going to lay the groundwork for a fantastic future between Taiwan, Alaska, and the US, and that with President Lai’s support as well as the support of the US administration, we can work together to build even better relationships.
Details 2025-04-06 President Lai delivers remarks on US tariff policy response On April 6, President Lai Ching-te delivered recorded remarks regarding the impact of the 32 percent tariff that the United States government recently imposed on imports from Taiwan in the name of reciprocity. In his remarks, President Lai explained that the government will adopt five response strategies, including making every effort to improve reciprocal tariff rates through negotiations, adopting a support plan for affected domestic industries, adopting medium- and long-term economic development plans, forming new “Taiwan plus the US” arrangements, and launching industry listening tours. The president emphasized that as we face this latest challenge, the government and civil society will work hand in hand, and expressed hope that all parties, both ruling and opposition, will support the measures that the Executive Yuan will take to open up a broader path for Taiwan’s economy. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: My fellow citizens, good evening. The US government recently announced higher tariffs on countries around the world in the name of reciprocity, including imposing a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan. This is bound to have a major impact on our nation. Various countries have already responded, and some have even adopted retaliatory measures. Tremendous changes in the global economy are expected. Taiwan is an export-led economy, and in facing future challenges there will inevitably be difficulties, so we must proceed carefully to turn danger into safety. During this time, I want to express gratitude to all sectors of society for providing valuable opinions, which the government regards highly, and will use as a reference to make policy decisions. However, if we calmly and carefully analyze Taiwan’s trade with the US, we find that last year Taiwan’s exports to the US were valued at US$111.4 billion, accounting for 23.4 percent of total export value, with the other 75-plus percent of products sold worldwide to countries other than the US. Of products sold to the US, competitive ICT products and electronic components accounted for 65.4 percent. This shows that Taiwan’s economy does still have considerable resilience. As long as our response strategies are appropriate, and the public and private sectors join forces, we can reduce impacts. Please do not panic. To address the reciprocal tariffs by the US, Taiwan has no plans to adopt retaliatory tariffs. There will be no change in corporate investment commitments to the US, as long as they are consistent with national interests. But we must ensure the US clearly understands Taiwan’s contributions to US economic development. More importantly, we must actively seek to understand changes in the global economic situation, strengthen Taiwan-US industry cooperation, elevate the status of Taiwan industries in global supply chains, and with safeguarding the continued development of Taiwan’s economy as our goal, adopt the following five strategies to respond. Strategy one: Make every effort to improve reciprocal tariff rates through negotiations using the following five methods: 1. Taiwan has already formed a negotiation team led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君). The team includes members from the National Security Council, the Office of Trade Negotiations, and relevant Executive Yuan ministries and agencies, as well as academia and industry. Like the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, negotiations on tariffs can start from Taiwan-US bilateral zero-tariff treatment. 2. To expand purchases from the US and thereby reduce the trade deficit, the Executive Yuan has already completed an inventory regarding large-scale procurement plans for agricultural, industrial, petroleum, and natural gas products, and the Ministry of National Defense has also proposed a military procurement list. All procurement plans will be actively pursued. 3. Expand investments in the US. Taiwan’s cumulative investment in the US already exceeds US$100 billion, creating approximately 400,000 jobs. In the future, in addition to increased investment in the US by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, other industries such as electronics, ICT, petrochemicals, and natural gas can all increase their US investments, deepening Taiwan-US industry cooperation. Taiwan’s government has helped form a “Taiwan investment in the US” team, and hopes that the US will reciprocate by forming a “US investment in Taiwan” team to bring about closer Taiwan-US trade cooperation, jointly creating a future economic golden age. 4. We must eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade. Non-tariff barriers are an indicator by which the US assesses whether a trading partner is trading fairly with the US. Therefore, we will proactively resolve longstanding non-tariff barriers so that negotiations can proceed more smoothly. 5. We must resolve two issues that have been matters of longstanding concern to the US. One regards high-tech export controls, and the other regards illegal transshipment of dumped goods, otherwise referred to as “origin washing.” Strategy two: We must adopt a plan for supporting our industries. For industries that will be affected by the tariffs, and especially traditional industries as well as micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, we will provide timely and needed support and assistance. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and his administrative team recently announced a package of 20 specific measures designed to address nine areas. Moving forward, the support we provide to different industries will depend on how they are affected by the tariffs, will take into account the particular features of each industry, and will help each industry innovate, upgrade, and transform. Strategy three: We must adopt medium- and long-term economic development plans. At this point in time, our government must simultaneously adopt new strategies for economic and industrial development. This is also the fundamental path to solutions for future economic challenges. The government will proactively cooperate with friends and allies, develop a diverse range of markets, and achieve closer integration of entities in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of industrial supply chains. This course of action will make Taiwan’s industrial ecosystem more complete, and will help Taiwanese industries upgrade and transform. We must also make good use of the competitive advantages we possess in such areas as semiconductor manufacturing, integrated chip design, ICT, and smart manufacturing to build Taiwan into an AI island, and promote relevant applications for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, as well as military, security and surveillance, next-generation communications, and the medical and health and wellness industries as we advance toward a smarter, more sustainable, and more prosperous new Taiwan. Strategy four: “Taiwan plus one,” i.e., new “Taiwan plus the US” arrangements: While staying firmly rooted in Taiwan, our enterprises are expanding their global presence and marketing worldwide. This has been our national economic development strategy, and the most important aspect is maintaining a solid base here in Taiwan. We absolutely must maintain a solid footing, and cannot allow the present strife to cause us to waver. Therefore, our government will incentivize investments, carry out deregulation, and continue to improve Taiwan’s investment climate by actively resolving problems involving access to water, electricity, land, human resources, and professional talent. This will enable corporations to stay in Taiwan and continue investing here. In addition, we must also help the overseas manufacturing facilities of offshore Taiwanese businesses to make necessary adjustments to support our “Taiwan plus one” policy, in that our national economic development strategy will be adjusted as follows: to stay firmly rooted in Taiwan while expanding our global presence, strengthening US ties, and marketing worldwide. We intend to make use of the new state of supply chains to strengthen cooperation between Taiwanese and US industries, and gain further access to US markets. Strategy five: Launch industry listening tours: All industrial firms, regardless of sector or size, will be affected to some degree once the US reciprocal tariffs go into effect. The administrative teams led by myself and Premier Cho will hear out industry concerns so that we can quickly resolve problems and make sure policies meet actual needs. My fellow citizens, over the past half-century and more, Taiwan has been through two energy crises, the Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis, and pandemics. We have been able to not only withstand one test after another, but even turn crises into opportunities. The Taiwanese economy has emerged from these crises stronger and more resilient than ever. As we face this latest challenge, the government and civil society will work hand in hand, and I hope that all parties in the legislature, both ruling and opposition, will support the measures that the Executive Yuan will take to open up a broader path for Taiwan’s economy. Let us join together and give it our all. Thank you.
Source: Republic of France in English The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
France applauds the conclusion of negotiations on an agreement to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
These negotiations, which began three years ago under the leadership of France and the EU, were brought to a conclusion on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. France did its utmost to ensure their success and, since the summer of 2024, has co-chaired the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body of the World Health Organization (WHO) alongside South Africa.
This new “pandemic accord” will better prepare countries for future health crises and will strengthen our collective security in the face of pandemics, in keeping with the EU’s commitments and the French Global Health Strategy for 2023-2027.
Five years after the Covid-19 crisis, this accord reaffirms these countries’ determination to provide a coordinated, solidarity-based, equitable international response to crises that is based on cooperation, transparency, and science. This accord likewise reaffirms the international community’s trust in and support for the WHO, whose role at the center of the international health architecture is irreplaceable.
This accord is the first legally binding international text to establish clear obligations for strengthening prevention in every country by taking into account the One Health approach. It reaffirms the dual principle of equity and solidarity in the fight against future pandemics and, to this end, provides for mechanisms to facilitate fast access to vaccines, medications and diagnostic tools. Lastly, it proposes major advances for the health industry, especially with regard to developing R&D, strengthening scientific cooperation on emerging pathogens, and supporting the local production of medical countermeasures.
This accord will be proposed for adoption at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May 2025.
Operation Gomorrah may have been the most cynical event of World War Two (WW2). Not only did the name fully convey the intent of the war crimes about to be committed, it, also represented the single biggest 24-hour murder toll for the European war that I have come across.
Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
On the night of 27 July 1943, the RAF murdered 35,000, mostly working-class civilian residents living in the most densely populated part of Hamburg; a planned firebombing which started a sequence of events – a holocaust if not The Holocaust – that ended in Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. (Note The bombing of Hamburg foreshadowed the horrors of Hiroshima, National Geographic, 23 July 2021.) A holocaust is a “destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war” (Oxford Dictionary). [In The Holocaust, 31,000 Jews were shot dead in Kyiv in a single day in 1941; the worst single day of The Holocaust, I understand.]
Hamburg was, literally, a dry run for what came later; the aim was to maximise the number of barbecued civilians by, among other things, choosing perfect weather conditions for an experiment in incendiary murder. (Yes, I am literally using inflammatory language.) While the total death toll of the week-long operation has been estimated to be over 40,000, the toll arising from the night of 27/28 July 1943 represents about 85% of the total.
The Gomorrah chapter of Peter Hitchens’ The Phoney Victory, 2018, gives a documented account of the moral duplicity surrounding Churchill’s bombing campaign. For a full story of the Allies’ firestorm holocaust, see Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, 2022, by James M Scott. (John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, is a survivor of the Tokyo episode, the raid that killed more people – over 100,000 – than any other in a single arsonous assault.)
Sodom and Gomorrah
These twin ‘cities of the plain’, which, if they ever existed, are now either under the Dead Sea or east of there, in modern Jordan. The key chapter in the bible (Genesis, ch.19) mainly emphasises Sodom, though Gomorrah was reputedly as ‘sinful’. The biblical story is ghastly, in its misogyny as well as its extollation of extermination of ‘others’.
Genesis (ch.19) tells us, when Lot (Abraham’s nephew) found himself, in Sodom, hosting two Angels/men, ‘the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.”‘ The secret to understanding this is the biblical meaning of the word ‘know’; in this case the events took place in Sodom, and the guests had the appearance of ‘men’.
Lot replies: ‘”I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men …”.’ While the men of Sodom did not take up the offer – they favoured Lot himself – the angel-men saved Lot and his family. Then ‘When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be consumed in the punishment of the city.”‘ …
‘When they had brought [the four of] them outside, [the angel-men] said, “Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.” … Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.’ …
After the three survivors settled in a cave: ‘the firstborn [daughter] said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the world. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father.” … ‘Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.’ (Thus, the East Bank [of the River Jordan] was repopulated!!)
Hamburg came to be equated with biblical Sodom, as deserving victims for a particularly barbaric form of mass murder. Neither Churchill, nor his bomber commander Arthur Harris, could know that only 35,000 Hamburgers would die as a result of that night’s operation. There is reason to believe that Churchill and his savants were looking for many more than hundreds of thousands of Germans to be ‘de-housed’ over the incendiary bombing campaign. (Dehousing was the euphemism used by Churchill’s men; compare with ‘resettlement’ for the trip that the residents of the Warsaw Ghetto made to Treblinka.)
Hamburg and the Gomorrah holocaust
Why Hamburg? Basically, because it was there. Though it was/is a large industrial and mercantile port city, the terror target was workers, not the works which employed them. The National Geographic article notes, with gallows-humour irony: “After noticing that Brits whose homes were struck by bombs were less likely to show up to work, analysts determined that destroying Germany’s largest cities and towns would likely cripple Germany’s war efforts.” Hamburg was close to England, and could be reached without flying over occupied land. And Hamburg was defended by a radar system of sorts, though not as sophisticated as British radar. The first British bombing raid on Hamburg was very much a technology test-run; refer The Woman Whose Invention Helped Win a War – and Still Baffles Weathermen, Irena Fischer-Hwang, 28 November 2018, Smithsonian Magazine. The second British raid on Hamburg was the real thing, a particularly dry run to really get the Gomorrah holocaust underway.
Hitchens (p.178) says: “Winston Churchill speculated in a letter of 8 July I940 to his friend and Minister of Aircraft Production, the press magnate Lord (Max) Beaverbrook, that an ‘absolutely devastating exterminating [my emphasis] attack by very heavy bombers from this country upon the Nazi homeland would help to bring Hitler down’. Arthur Harris, later the chief of RAF Bomber Command, realised the significance of these extraordinary words … he kept a copy of this letter.”
Hitchens (p.181) citing Bishop Bell speaking in February 1944 in the House of Lords: “Hamburg has a population of between one and two million people. It contains targets of immense military and industrial importance. It also happens to be the most democratic town in Germany where the Anti-Nazi opposition was strongest. … Practically all the buildings, cultural, military, residential, industrial, religious – including the famous University Library with its 800,000 volumes, of which three-quarters have perished – were razed to the ground.” While dead and dazed people may have low morale, and therefore have an arguable incentive to wage a civil war against their own government, they – especially the dead – are uniquely unable to overthrow a ruthlessly militarised government.
We might note Hamburg’s anthropological links to England. At a time of high racial – indeed racist – sensibilities, Anglo-Saxon supremacy was a very real thing. The area of Germany around Hamburg is the ‘Hawaiki’ of the Anglo-Saxon people; Lower Saxony is the ancestral motherland of the English. The class-consciousness and revengeful bloodlust of the English political class outweighed their ethnic consciousness. This was not true for the German Nazis, for whom the English were racial equals; Hitler and his crew really did not want to kill English people. Nazi Germany wanted the United Kingdom to become a neutral country, as Ireland was, and as the United States was before December 1941. Nazi Germany’s policy was to enslave, resettle, and murder Slavs and Jews and Gypsies; not to kill or dehouse Englishmen and their families.
The ‘elephant in the room’ was Josef Stalin.
Hitchens (p.191): “There is little doubt that much of the bombing of Germany was done to please and appease Josef Stalin. Stalin jeered at Churchill for his failure to open a Second Front and to fight Hitler’s armies in Europe, and ceaselessly pressed him to open such a front – something Churchill was politically and militarily reluctant to do. Bombing Germany, though it did not satisfy Stalin’s demands for an invasion, at least reassured him that we were doing something, and so lessened his pressure to open a second front.”
Hitchens (p.198): “Overy [in The Bombing War 2014] recounts how on 28 March 1945 Winston Churchill, clearly growing sick of the violence he had unleashed as victory approached and the excuses for it grew thinner, referred (in a memorandum) to Harris’s bombing tactics using these exact words. He urged, none too soon, that attacks turn instead to oil and transport. Harris paid no attention, and right up until 24th April 1945, his bombers continued to drop incendiaries and high explosives on German cities, turning many thousands of civilians into corpses.” [Hitler committed suicide on 30 April 1945, and VE Day was 8 May.]
Point of Interest: Churchill contested three elections, all after VE Day, all using Great Britain’s ‘first-past-the-post’ plurality system. He won just one of those three, though even then – in 1951 – his party got fewer votes than a Labour Party seeking re-election at a time of great difficulty for left-wing parties worldwide. Churchill’s Conservative Party got way-fewer votes than Labour in 1945 and 1950. The pressure on Prime Minister Clement Attlee to call the UK snap election of 1951 (one-third of the way through the term of his elected Labour government) can be understood as a successful example of political cunning on the part of the British establishment; literally a King’s coup.
A Scale of ‘Evil’?
While I generally hesitate to use the word ‘evil’, it may still be useful to grade very powerful people on a zero-to-ten scale of malevolence. On zero we might have the pacifist version of Jesus. On ten would be some very powerful person who actively sought nuclear ‘Armageddon’ (which would destroy life, not just humanity). After recently reading some quite difficult literature about World War Two, this is where I would place five powerful leaders:
9: Josef Stalin
8: Adolf Hitler
7: Benito Mussolini, Winston Churchill
6: Harry Truman
I need to read more about Truman; though, his legacy seems to have been airbrushed much as Churchill’s has been, and I might decide to upgrade him to a 7.
I would also note that these leaders had their close and powerful henchmen, whose ‘evilness’ can also be rated on such a scale, for example:
9.5: Lavrenty Beria
9: Josef Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler
Overall regimes can be better or worse than their leaders. I would rate both Stalin’s ‘Communists’ and Hitler’s ‘Nazis’ as both 8.5. Thus, Stalin’s regime was not quite as bad as its two most notorious figures. And Hitler’s regime was even worse than Hitler; that’s certainly not being kind to Hitler! (Stalin’s atrocities, the equal of Hitlers, were mostly committed in peacetime; the vast majority of Hitler’s were committed in wartime.)
‘Favourites’ as intimate (though not necessarily sexual) friends of powerful leaders
Churchill’s regime was not as bad as Churchill. Though Churchill had two favourites, both active members of his regime – especially his ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ – who were worse than him (possibly worse in one case, and definitely worse in the other). The ‘possibly worse’ one was Brendan Bracken, Minister for Information. Bracken, the prototype for ‘Big Brother’ in George Orwell’s book Nineteen Eighty-Four, was Churchill’s Goebbels. Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ was a conflation of the Ministry of Information and Orwell’s wartime employer, the BBC. (Born in Ireland, Bracken was sometimes rumoured to have been Churchill’s ‘love child’, though that supposition is most likely untrue.) Surprisingly little has been written about BB.
The ‘definitely worse’ favourite was German born (Baden Baden) and educated (Darmstadt and Berlin) scientist, Frederick A Lindemann; who was granted the title Lord Cherwell in 1941. He built his career in Britain at Oxford University, becoming Professor of Physics there in 1919. He also became a bit of a wartime ‘test pilot’, managing to establish his loyalty to the United Kingdom. His close friendship with Churchill lasted decades, beginning in 1921.
Frederick Lindemann, aka Lord Cherwell
In my assessment, Lindemann is the closest individual yet to a ten-out-of-ten on the above-suggested scale of malevolence. Let’s say that, if World War Three comes and someone like Lindemann has as much access to the levers of power as Lindemann actually had, then the world would be a goner. (In Lindemann’s defence, it has been noted that he was fond of children and animals. Likewise, another man; one with a famous moustache.)
Frederick Lindemann exerted a beguiling influence over Churchill. When Churchill was not in power, in the 1930s, Lindemann ran a private think-tank for Churchill. In the 1930s he allegedly undermined the scientific development of radar, which proved critical to the defence of Britain from Luftwaffe attacks; indeed, Lindemann seems to have shown a lack of interest in military defence; his thing was the elimination or dehumanisation of ‘others’. Lindemann “was one of the first to urge the importance of atom bomb research” (Where to Read about Professor Lindemann, The Churchill Project, 6 May 2015); indeed “Following his 1945 return to the Clarendon Laboratory, Lindemann created the [United Kingdom] Atomic Energy Authority”, Wikipedia.)
I will illustrate the Lindemann problem with quotes from these three sources; some may argue that I have made a biased selection, but so be it:
Mukerjee: “Known as the Prof to admirers (because of his academic credentials and his brilliance) and as Baron Berlin to detractors (thanks to his German accent and aristocratic tastes), Lindeman was responsible for the government’s scientific decisions.”
Mukerjee: “Lindemann attended meetings of the War Cabinet, accompanied the prime minister on conferences abroad, and sent him an average of one missive a day. He saw Churchill almost daily for the duration of the war and wielded more influence than any other civilian adviser.”
Gladwell: “I think that’s the crucial fact about Lindemann. One time he’s asked for his definition of morality and he answers, ‘I define a moral action as one that brings advantage to my friends.’ … The man who defined a moral action as ‘One that brings advantage to my friends,’ was best friends with Winston Churchill.”
Gladwell: “Lindemann becomes a kind of gatekeeper to Churchill’s mind.”
Mukerjee: “On most matters Lindemann’s and Churchill’s opinions converged; and when they did not, the scientist worked ceaselessly to change his friend’s mind.”
Mukerjee: “The mission of the S branch [Churchill’s nearest equivalent to DOGE] was to provide rationales for whichever course the prime minister, as interpreted by the Prof, wished to follow.”
Mukerjee: “Department heads ‘began to realize that, like it or not, the Prof was the man whom Churchill trusted most, and that all their refutations, aspersions, innuendos or attempts at exposure would not shift Churchill from his undeviating loyalty to the Prof by one hair’s breadth,’ wrote [economist] Harrod. So it was that the Prof would pronounce judgment on the best use of shipping space, the profligacy of the army, the inadequacy of British supplies, the optimal size of the mustard gas stockpile, the necessity of bombing German houses – and, when the time came, the pointlessness of sending famine relief to Bengal.”
Gladwell: “An argument took place at the highest reaches of British government. The question was what was the best use of the royal air force against the Germans? … One school of thought says, ‘Let’s use our bombers to support military activities, protecting ships against German U-boats, destroying German factories.’ The other school of thought argues that bombing ought to serve a bigger, strategic purpose. In other words, ‘Let’s use bombing to break the will of the German people, let’s make their lives so miserable that they give up.’”
Wikipedia: On dehousing, Lindemann says “bombing must be directed to working class houses. Middle class houses have too much space round them, so are bound to waste bombs”.
Gladwell on Lindemann’s dishonesty: “Lindemann’s memo to Churchill. It’s very matter of fact; it’s all about what the data says except for one thing. That’s not what the data says. The Birmingham-Hull study reached the exact opposite conclusion [about working-class morale] that Lindemann did.”
Gladwell: “Other experts [eg Henry Tizard] in the government, critics of strategic bombing, point out immediately that Lindemann’s numbers are ridiculous, five or six times too high, based on obvious errors.” [Hitchens (p.205) claims that the numbers of civilian casualties were only ten percent of what Lindemann had promised. If you multiply by ten the number of civilians – mostly workers, their families, slaves, and refugees – killed in the totality of the Gomorrah holocaust, you get a number bigger than deaths in The Holocaust; this would be a measure of Lindemann’s intent.]
Gladwell: “One of Lindemann’s friends said, ‘He would not shrink from using an argument which he knew to be wrong if, by so doing, he could tie up one of his professional opponents.’ Lindemann wanted strategic bombing, so Churchill went ahead and ordered the bombing of German cities.”
Gladwell: “Most historians agree that strategic bombing was a disaster. 160,000 US and English airmen and hundreds of thousands of German civilians were killed in those bombing campaigns. Many of Europe’s most beautiful cities were destroyed and German morale didn’t crack; the Germans fought to the bitter end. After the war, the Nobel Prize winning physicist Patrick Blackett wrote a devastating essay where he said that the war could have been won six months or even a year earlier, if only the British had used their bombers more intelligently.” [Note that the whole Gomorrah holocaust killed more Japanese civilians than German civilians; as noted in Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, the Hamburg dry run led more-or-less directly to the fire-bombings of almost every urban centre in Japan.]
Mukerjee: “‘Love me, love my dog, and if you don’t love my dog you damn well can’t love me,’ muttered a furious Churchill in 1941, after a member of the House of Commons had raised questions about the Prof’s influence.” [Gladwell: that “row occurred in 1942 and it occurred over strategic bombing”.]
Mukerjee: “Cherwell believed that a small circle of the intelligent and the aristocratic should run the world. ‘Those who succeed in getting what everyone wants must be the ablest,’ he asserted. The Prof regarded the masses as ‘very stupid,’ considered Australians to be inferior to Britons, advocated ‘harshness’ toward homosexuals, and thought criminals should be treated cruelly because ‘the amount of pleasure derived by other people from the knowledge that a malefactor is being punished far exceeds in sum total the amount of pain inflicted on a malefactor by his punishment.’” [Enjoyment arising from the punishment of the wretched outweighs the suffering of those wretched!]
Mukerjee: “Eugenic ideas also feature in a lecture that Lord Cherwell (then known as Professor Lindemann) had delivered more than once, probably in the early 1930s. He had detailed a science-based solution to a challenge that occupied many an intellect of the time: preserving for eternity the hegemony of the superior classes.”
Mukerjee: “New technologies such as surgery, mind control, and drug and hormone manipulations would one day allow humans to be fine-tuned for specific tasks. … ‘Somebody must perform dull, dreary tasks, tend machines, count units in repetition work; is it not incumbent on us, if we have the means, to produce individuals without a distaste for such work, types that are as happy in their monotonous occupation as a cow chewing the cud?’ Lindemann asked. Science could yield a race of humans blessed with ‘the mental make-up of the worker bee.’ This subclass would do all the unpleasant work and not once think of revolution or of voting rights: ‘Placid content rules in the bee-hive or ant-heap.’ The outcome would be a perfectly peaceable and stable society, ‘led by supermen and served by helots.’”
Mukerjee: “At least no one would demand votes on behalf of an ape. … To consolidate the rule of supermen – to perpetuate the British Empire – one need only remove the ability of slaves to see themselves as slaves.”
Gladwell: “How can you have a real debate against Churchill’s best friend? Friendship comes first.”
Gladwell: “The US starts sending over so many ships that, by late 1943 when the famine in Bengal is at its height, there’s actually a surplus of boats on the allied side. In fact, in 1943, the British actually start shipping wheat from Australia up through the Indian Ocean, just not to India. … British ships full of grain are sailing right past India on the way to the Middle East to be stored for some future, hypothetical need. They might even stop and refuel in Mumbai, but nothing leaves the ship. … Why is Lindemann [as Paymaster General] refusing to help? It doesn’t even make illogical sense. Indian soldiers, hundreds of thousands of them, are fighting the Germans in the Middle East and Africa. When other countries like Canada and the United States offered to send food to India, the British say, ‘We don’t want it.’ They turn down help. Lindemann seems completely unmoved by India’s plight.”
Gladwell: “Black people, according to a friend, filled him with a physical revulsion which he was unable to control. But I’m not sure that we’re seeing Lindemann here; I think we’re seeing Churchill. Churchill is the one with an issue about India. He’s obsessed with India. In the years leading up to the war, Gandhi is building his independence movement within India and Churchill hates Gandhi. Churchill is furious about the fact that Britain has to buy raw materials from India, meaning that the master is running up a debt with its supposed subject. … Why was Lindemann so adamant that England could not help India? Because Churchill was adamant that England could not help India and Lindemann was a loyal friend.”
CP Snow (1960), cited by Gladwell: “The Lindemann-Churchill relation is the most fascinating example of court politics that we’re likely to see.” [hmmm!]
Gladwell: “The best guess of how many died in the Bengal famine of 1943 is three million people. Three million. After the war, the British government held a formal inquiry into what happened, but the investigation was forbidden to consider, and I’m quoting, ‘Her Majesty’s government’s decision in regard to shipping of imports.’ In other words, they were asked to investigate the cause of the famine without investigating the cause of the famine.”
Hitchens (p.197): “Gas attacks were contemplated by Winston Churchill. … Overy writes ‘The RAF staff thought that incendiary and high-explosive raids were more strategically efficient [than gas or germ warfare], in that they destroyed property and equipment and not just people, but in any of these cases – blown apart, burnt alive or asphyxiated – deliberate damage to civilian populations was now taken for granted. This paved the way for the possibility of using atomic weapons on German targets in 1945’.”
It also paved the way for the potentially devastating anthrax attacks on Germany which would have taken place in 1944 had the American-led D-day offensive been unsuccessful; contamination from such attacks would have rendered parts of Germany uninhabitable for a human lifetime. (See my Invoking Munich, ‘Appeasement’, and the ‘Lessons of History’ 13 March 2025, which mentions both the Bengal famine and the anthrax program as well as the Hamburg holocaust.) The anthrax program bears the hallmark of Lindemann; the abandoned anthrax operation was dubbed Operation Vegetarian, in part a likely reference to Lindemann’s famed dietary obsessions.
Hitchens (pp.200-201): “It is surprising that Sir Max Hasting’s Bomber Command (first published in 1979) has not begun to change opinions. … Sir Max deserves much credit for the chapter in which he describes the indefensible destruction of the city of Darmstadt [south of Frankfurt] on 11 September 1944 (it was not, in any significant way, a military target). Hastings: ‘The first terrible discoveries were made: cellars crammed with suffocated bodies – worse still, with amorphous heaps of melted and charred humanity’.” (Lindemann went to school in Darmstadt. Victims most likely included his former classmates, teachers and their families.)
Hitchens (p.206), on the battle between Frederick Lindemann and Henry Tizard (the scientist who stood up to Lindeman, and paid a price): “Why is the only considerable account of this battle trapped inside [a] small, obscure volume that the reader must retrieve from deep in a few impenetrable scholarly libraries? Why is it not taught in schools? Why has nobody written a play about it? I suspect it is because this story, if well known, would undermine the shallow, nonsensical cult of Winston Churchill as the infallible Great Leader, a cult to which, surely, an adult country no longer needs to cling.”
Hitchens (p.205): “Tizard said that Lindemann’s estimate of the possible destruction was five times too high. He was supported by Patrick Blackett, a former naval officer who had become a noted physicist high in the scientific councils of the day. He would later win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and be ennobled as Lord Blackett. Blackett independently advised that Lindemann’s estimate was six times too high. ‘Both were slightly out. But they were nothing like as wrong as Lindemann was. Lindemann’s estimate of destruction was in fact ten times too high, as the postwar bombing survey revealed.” [The actual destruction of German cities was only one-tenth of what Lindemann had hoped and argued would be the case. Given the actual hundreds of thousands of barbecued German civilians, Lindemann had been arguing for millions.]
CP Snow (1960), cited by Hitchens (p.205): “It is possible, I suppose, that some time in the future people living in a more benevolent age than ours may turn over the official records and notice that men like us, well-educated by the standards of the day, men fairly kindly by the standards of the day, and often possessed of strong human feelings, made the kind of calculation I have just been describing. … Will they think that we resigned our humanity? They will have the right.” [Strikingly, although the post-war years have generally been regarded as ‘more benevolent’, the Gomorrah holocaust continues to ‘fly under the radar’. Indeed, so much so that Churchill’s speeches have been nominated as part of New Zealand’s schools’ draft English curriculum! (And that matter of Churchill was not raised by the New Zealand media; they were more interested in the ‘controversial’ possibility that Shakespeare might be compulsory.)]
Winston Churchill was not a nice man. His ‘favourite’ – Frederick Lindemann – was rather less nice.
Lessons
War itself is the problem, and the first casualty of war is truth. Drumbeating for war is cheap, and sabres are easily rattled. We stumble into wars without having any realistic idea how they might end; casual war becomes forever war. Wars involve multiple nasty people from the outset, and other similarly nasty people come to the fore during war, sometimes completely behind the scenes.
War changes much but solves little. World War Two was the first war in which civilians were targeted on an industrial scale. It ended, in Europe at least, in a Pyrrhic manner, with Josef Stalin’s USSR as the annihilist of Nazi Germany.
War in the modern age of globalisation means this and more. In a twenty-first century World War, while targeted civilians will be high on the murder list, the biggest death-counts are likely to be of untargeted civilians – residents of semi-belligerent and non-belligerent countries – and of completely guiltless non-human life forms.
If the Americans hadn’t successfully prosecuted D-Day (Operation Overlord) in 1944, I believe that Winston Churchill would have used the RAF to unleash his anthrax bombs. The Scottish island of Gruinard is only now becoming habitable, after eighty years of anthrax contamination. Imagine parts of Germany becoming uninhabitable – for nearly a century – had Operation Vegetarian been executed.
————-
Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Think Asia Forum 2025 was held on April 15 in Singapore with a strong critique of U.S. trade policies and calls for greater Asian cooperation, as over 40 experts from across the region gathered to address global governance challenges.
Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to Singapore, delivers the opening address for the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]
Cao Zhongming, the Chinese ambassador to Singapore, delivered a pointed opening address, condemning the recent U.S. tariff war against the world. “The reckless abuse of tariffs has severely violated legitimate rights of nations, undermined the rules-based multilateral trading system and disrupted the global economic order,” he told attendees. “Such unilateral and protectionist acts weaponize tariffs for selfish gains at the expense of global economic stability and Asian development.”
Ambassador Cao positioned China as a defender of multilateralism, stating: “China will continue taking resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests while opening its doors wider to the world.” He urged Asian nations to unite against protectionism and economic bullying, and strengthen cooperation to safeguard the stability of the global economic order, emphasizing that “development is a universal right of all nations, not the privilege of a select few.”
The forum was co-sponsored by China International Communications Group (CICG), Tsinghua University and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. Organizers included the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS), Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communication, the Center for International Security and Strategy, and the Institute for Global Industry, as well as NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.
Think tank experts and scholars from China, Singapore, Japan, India and other Asian nations gave speeches and engaged in in-depth discussions in front of approximately 200 audience members. The opening remarks were moderated by Zhou Qing’an, dean of Tsinghua’s School of Journalism and Communication, while the keynote speeches and special dialogue sessions were moderated by Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.org.cn and special research fellow at ACCWS.
President of Tsinghua University Li Luming highlighted Asia’s cultural ties as foundational for cooperation, stating, “Our civilizations provide enduring wisdom to address today’s challenges.”
Yu Yunquan, vice president of CICG and president of ACCWS, speaks at the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]
Yu Yunquan, vice president of CICG and president of ACCWS, observed that Asia and the world face growing instabilities and uncertainties. “The intensification of major-country competition and geopolitical tensions has raised widespread concerns,” he noted. Yu added that think tanks across Asia bear unique and critical responsibilities in advancing the region’s shared future, and can help regional countries enhance political mutual trust and align their interests.
“The U.S.’s recent erratic ‘tariff extortion’ demonstrates how instability, uncertainty and unpredictability have become the norm in our turbulent world. Such volatility is eroding the stable environment essential for all nations’ development and harming the welfare of people worldwide — including Americans,” Yu said, noting that Asia is home to many developing countries and emerging economies, with export-oriented industries that are particularly vulnerable to deteriorating international trade conditions. “We urge Asian nations to unite in supporting multilateralism and global trade development, ensuring our region remains both an anchor of stability and an engine of growth.”
Professor Ernst J. Kuipers, vice president of NTU Singapore, emphasized that higher education institutions serve as guardians of human civilization and carry a critical responsibility to advance global development amid today’s challenges and opportunities. “Science communication is essential to dispel misconceptions and cultivate rational consensus,” he said.
Zhu Guangyao, former Chinese vice minister of finance, warned of serious global challenges — from weakened multilateralism and climate setbacks to unregulated AI and rising geopolitical tensions. He called on Asian nations to build a shared future, promoting peace and cooperation to stabilize the region and support global development. Citing Asia’s economic strength, Zhu urged the region to uphold values of “peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness” to strengthen solidarity and institutional development while advancing trade, financial ties, regional free trade processes, digital economy collaboration and financial safety mechanisms to meet common challenges and drive inclusive growth.
Former Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office in Singapore Chan Soo Sen emphasized that amid global turbulence, Asian nations should draw upon traditional Asian wisdom — beginning with self-reflection and internal consolidation to build collective resilience. For Singapore, he said, facing risks of constrained international trade, it must strengthen social cohesion and government credibility to bridge potential divides and safeguard diversity and coexistence. He highlighted how Asia’s cultural emphasis on neighborly relations and cooperative spirit should guide enhanced regional collaboration to navigate an uncertain future together.
Alfred Schipke, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), believes Asia can become a key growth engine through deeper reforms and fewer barriers. With the rise of multipolarization, Asia should take on a larger role in trade, investment and financial cooperation, he explained, while countries must pursue stability through pragmatic partnerships to help reshape global governance.
(Left to right) Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.org.cn, moderates a special dialogue session between renowned historian Wang Gungwu, and Dong Qiang, dean of Yenching Academy at Peking University, at the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]
A highlight of the forum was the special dialogue between Wang Gungwu, renowned historian and former chairman of the East Asian Institute at NUS, and Dong Qiang, dean of Yenching Academy at Peking University, which explored how Asian wisdom can inform global governance.
Wang emphasized its openness and adaptability — absorbing new ideas, respecting diverse civilizations and rejecting extremism. Meanwhile, Dong noted that traditional wisdom can be reshaped into modern governance tools, with its strength lying in flexibility and responsiveness. Both agreed that Asian wisdom, rooted in openness and mutual respect, should contribute the strength of cultural civilization to the development of a more equitable global governance system.
Tuesday’s three parallel sessions featuring other speakers addressed themes of “Exchanges and Mutual Learning: The Coexistence of Diverse Asian Civilizations,” “Security and Stability: Asia’s Future in a Changing World” and “Development and Sharing: Asian Wisdom for Global Recovery,” reflecting the region’s push for greater collective influence amid global uncertainties.
Participants attending the Think Asia Forum 2025 in Singapore, April 15, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]
The forum concluded by launching a cooperation network of Asian think tanks, with ACCWS serving as secretariat to coordinate input from all parties and promote the network’s development.
PUBLIC DEALING DISCLOSURE BY AN EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER WITH RECOGNISED INTERMEDIARY STATUS DEALING IN A CLIENT-SERVING CAPACITY Rule 8.5 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)
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(a) Name of exempt principal trader:
Investec Bank plc
(b) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree
Science in Sport plc
(c) Name of the party to the offer with which exempt principal trader is connected:
Investec is financial advisor to BD-capital Partners Limited in relation to its proposed acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Science in Sport PLC.
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16th April 2025
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99,146
32
27.3
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Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the exempt principal trader making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
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Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.
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Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
A solemn ceremony of presenting the mantle and diploma of Honorary Doctor of SPbPU to Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov took place at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
The event was attended by honorary doctors of SPbPU: Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Knyaginin, General Director of the Scientific and Technical Center of Gazprom Neft Mars Khasanov, as well as the Director of the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Taliya Khabriyeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Roman Shaikhutdinov and other honored guests. The ceremony began with the performance of the anthem of the Polytechnic University by the youth choir of SPbPU “Polyhymnia”.
Today is a ceremonial meeting of the Academic Council, dedicated to a very important historical event. You can talk about Rustam Nurgalievich for a long time, and still not reveal the breadth of soul, mind, intellect, talents that were given to him. It is a great honor and joy for us to see such a legendary person among polytechnics, – emphasized the rector of SPbPU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy.
The new honorary doctor was introduced by the Scientific Secretary of the Polytechnic Dmitry Karpov, who greeted the guests in the Tatar language. He reported that the members of the Academic Council of our university unanimously voted to award the title to Rustam Nurgalievich on November 27, 2023.
The long-standing and in every sense friendly interaction of our university with universities, enterprises and administrative institutions of Tatarstan is seen as one of the most convincing and positive symbols of the unity of our multinational and multi-confessional country. And just as the bear has become a significant symbol of a large, strong, powerful Russia since ancient times, the winged white leopard on the coat of arms of the Republic of Tatarstan is significant for us – a sacred symbol of purity of thoughts and heavenly protection, a symbol of nobility and rebirth, – noted Dmitry Karpov.
Under the leadership of Rustam Minnikhanov, the republic is actively developing: 6th place among the subjects of the Russian Federation in terms of gross regional product, 5th and 3rd in terms of industrial and agricultural production, 2nd in terms of construction scale. Today, Tatarstan produces over 7% of all Russian oil, produces over 40% of synthetic rubbers, and produces every third truck produced in the country. In the quality of life rating in 2024, the Republic of Tatarstan took 2nd place after Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Kazan today is one of the largest economic, industrial, scientific and cultural centers of our country, a popular tourist city that has a registered brand “Third Capital of Russia”. Elabuga, a city with more than a thousand years of history, has become a special economic zone “Alabuga”, recognized as the best in the country. Innopolis is one of four science cities in Russia, created from scratch, a special economic zone. Five Advanced Engineering Schools have been created in Tatarstan within the framework of a federal project.
Outstanding results are behind many significant awards of the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan. Rustam Nurgalievich has more than 40 orders, medals and badges of distinction – state, regional, departmental, public, religious, as well as dozens of certificates, gratitude from the President, honorary titles.
Rustam Minnikhanov is a holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland for his great contribution to solving socio-economic problems and many years of conscientious work, the holder of the Order of Alexander Nevsky for special personal services to the state and great contribution to strengthening the international authority of the Russian Federation, as well as the Stolypin Medal of the 2nd degree for services in solving strategic problems of the country’s socio-economic development and many years of conscientious work. A professional race car driver, Honored Master of Sports of the Russian Federation, multiple Russian autocross champion, Rustam Nurgalievich also makes a great contribution to the development of sports.
The robe and diploma of the Honorary Doctor of SPbPU are symbols that have a lot of meaning for our university, and for Rustam Nurgalievich personally, and for Tatarstan universities and enterprises, and for the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, whose project group we are expecting for an internship in October of this year at the request of the President of the Academy Rifkat Nurgalievich Minnikhanov. I would like to especially note that the badge of the Honorary Doctor of the Polytechnic University of Rustam Nurgalievich turned out to be doubly symbolic: our university celebrated 125 years since its foundation, and the number of the badge that will be awarded is 125, – Dmitry Karpov emphasized.
The doctoral robe and cap were brought into the Academic Council hall by students in the uniform of the Polytechnic University of the early 20th century. Traditionally, the Polyhymnia choir performed the Gaudeamus anthem. Andrei Rudskoy presented Rustam Nurgalievich with a book about honorary doctors of the Polytechnic University, which has a page dedicated to the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan. As a sign of special respect, the book is also made in the Tatar language.
Rustam Minnikhanov expressed gratitude for the honor bestowed upon him.
It is a great honor for me to become an Honorary Doctor of the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, the leading university in the country, a world-class university. Mechanical engineering, the oil industry, energy, and IT are actively developing in the Republic of Tatarstan. In recent years, we have been working very closely with the Polytechnic University, collaborating in many areas, and are in touch with Andrey Ivanovich. This is for the benefit of everyone. Thank you very much, Rustam Minnikhanov said in his response.
After the ceremony, Rustam Nurgalievich met with students who came to study at SPbPU from the Republic of Tatarstan. The polytechnicians asked questions about employment opportunities and prospects for young specialists. They were interested in what measures are being taken in Tatarstan to attract graduates of technical universities, what bonus programs exist.
Polytechnic University is a world-class university, I have once again seen this today. You are very lucky to be studying at one of the best technical universities in Russia. We will be sincerely happy if you find a job in Tatarstan, which needs strong and well-trained personnel, the head of the republic emphasized.
The meeting participants left their contact details so that representatives of the relevant structures and services of the Republic of Tatarstan could contact them and provide detailed information. The students also suggested diversifying the menu of the Polytechnic donut shop with Tatar cuisine.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
A large-scale program for training teachers has begun in the capital, who, starting from the new school year, will teach additional courses in mathematics and natural sciences in grades one through six. This was reported by Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.
“Moscow strives to maintain its leading position in the field of education, for this we are actively strengthening the key areas that shape the future of our children. One of them is school mathematics and natural science education. As part of the development of the new training system, additional city courses in mathematics, science and technology will be introduced for Moscow students in the next academic year. They are designed for schoolchildren in grades one through six. Research shows that it is during this period that interest in the exact sciences is formed. The new classes will help create a solid foundation for further in-depth study of subjects in senior grades. They will not duplicate the school curriculum: the emphasis is on creative tasks that develop logic and analytical thinking. Teachers who will conduct such lessons have already begun to take advanced training courses. 14 thousand Moscow teachers have begun training,” said Anastasia Rakova.
The first meeting of teachers within the framework of the new program was held on April 15 at the Moscow Center for Education Quality of the capital’s Department of Education and Science. In addition, throughout the school year, teachers will receive methodological support, including monthly analysis of new tasks, consultations with specialists and additional training materials.
“The work of a teacher in this project differs from that carried out within the framework of regular school lessons. The emphasis is not on obtaining new information and reinforcing it with examples of various tasks, but on developing the child’s thinking. In order for this system to function successfully, advanced training courses have been organized for teachers, and throughout the year the Center for Pedagogical Excellence and the Moscow City Pedagogical University will provide them with methodological support,” noted the scientific director.
The city’s math, science and technology courses for students in grades one through six are unique in that they focus on solving creative problems. Special attention will be paid to developing skills that are important in the modern world. The program also does not include homework, so as not to create an additional burden. Some of the tasks within the courses will be devoted to Moscow’s opportunities and professions in demand.
As Natalya Morgunova, a primary school teacher at School No. 2090 named after Hero of the Soviet Union L.Kh. Papernik, added, today new approaches to such a subject as mathematics are needed. Because it is the basis of everything, all sciences, which will be useful to children in the future. According to the new program, children will develop skills, learn to think, solve logical problems, and not act according to a model.
For schoolchildren, classes will begin in September 2025. They will help prepare for studying in specialized classes, as well as for participation in intellectual competitions, such as the new Olympiad “Ready for Life in a Smart City.” Its tasks are aimed at primary school students and include complex questions on mathematics and the world around them.
The new city courses will not only help schoolchildren master mathematics and natural sciences better, but will also increase their interest in other subjects. The content of the classes and the methods used develop thinking, independence and educational initiative.
The task of strengthening the mathematical and natural science training of schoolchildren is included in the strategy for the development of Moscow education, approved by Sergei Sobyanin. The measures taken will help maintain the capital’s advantage in this area. Moscow is among the top five world leaders in the quality of school education – students of city educational institutions regularly show high results. In 2024, more than half of the country’s gold medals at international Olympiads were won by participants from the capital. The share of graduates who scored over 220 points in three subjects on the Unified State Exam is 38 percent.
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Located at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on the border of France and Switzerland, the LHC is expected to run for another 15 years. Nevertheless, physicists are already planning what will come after it.
One of the most favoured proposals for CERN’s next step is the 70-year Future Circular Collider (FCC) project. More than three times the size of the LHC, this enormous proposed machine promises to resolve some mysteries of the universe – and undoubtedly reveal some new ones.
What will the Future Circular Collider do?
The LHC, which occupies a circular tunnel 27 kilometres in circumference, is currently the largest machine in the world. The FCC would be housed in a much larger 91km tunnel in the Geneva basin between the Jura mountains and the Alps.
The first stage of the FCC would be the construction and operation of a collider for electrons (the lightweight particles that make up the outer shell of atoms) and positrons (the antimatter mirror images of electrons). This collider would allow more precise measurements of the Higgs boson.
The planned Future Circular Collider would occupy a tunnel 91 kilometres long, dwarfing the 27-kilometre Large Hadron Collider. CERN
The second stage would be a collider for protons (heavier particles found in the cores of atoms). The LHC already collides protons, but the new collider would accelerate the protons up to more than seven times as much energy.
This increase in collision energy allows for the discovery of particles never produced by humanity before. It also brings with it technical challenges, such as the development of high-powered superconducting magnets.
Known unknowns
The most high-profile result from the LHC has been the discovery of the Higgs boson, which lets us explain why particles in the universe have mass: they interact with the so-called Higgs field which permeates all of space.
This was a great victory for what we call the Standard Model. This is the theory that, to the best of our current knowledge, explains all the fundamental particles in the universe and their interactions.
However, the Standard Model has significant weaknesses, and leaves some crucial questions unanswered.
The FCC promises to answer some of these questions.
Collisions between high-energy particles may shed light on several unanswered questions of physics. CERN
For example, we know the Higgs field can explain the mass of heavy particles. However, it is possible that a completely different mechanism provides mass to lighter particles.
We also want to know whether the Higgs field gives mass to the Higgs boson itself. To answer these Higgs questions we will need the higher energies that the FCC will provide.
The FCC will also let us take a closer look at the interactions of very heavy quarks. (Quarks are the tiniest components of protons and some other particles.) We hope this may shed light on the question of why the universe contains so much more matter than antimatter.
And the FCC will help us look for new particles that might be dark matter, a mysterious substance that seems to pervade the universe.
Of course, there is no guarantee that the FCC will provide the answers to these questions. That is the nature of curiosity-driven research. You know the journey, but not the destination.
Competing colliders
The FCC is not the only major particle physics project under consideration.
Another is a proposed 20-kilometre machine called the International Linear Collider, which would likely be built in Japan.
The US has several projects on the go, mainly detectors of various kinds. It also supports an “offshore Higgs factory”, located in Europe or Japan.
One project that may concern the FCC’s backers is the planned 100 kilometre Chinese Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), which has significant similarities to the FCC.
This poses a dilemma for Europe: if China goes ahead with their project, is the FCC still worthwhile? On the other hand, CERN chief Fabiola Gianotti has argued that the FCC is necessary to keep up with China.
High costs
The decision on the FCC won’t be taken lightly, given the large cost associated with the project.
CERN estimates the first stage will cost 15 billion Swiss francs (around US$18 billion or A$28 billion at current exchange rates), spread out over 12 years. One third of this cost is the tunnel construction.
The size of the sum has attracted criticism. However, a CERN spokesperson told the Agence France-Press that up to 80% of the cost would be covered by the organisation’s current annual budget.
The second stage of FCC, which would reuse the 91km tunnel as well as some existing LHC infrastructure, is currently estimated to cost 19 billion Swiss francs. This costing carries a large uncertainty, as the second stage would not be commissioned until 2070 at the earliest.
Benefits beyond science
Pure science has not been the only benefit of the LHC. There have been plenty of practical technological spinoffs, from medical technology to open and free software.
One specific example is the Medipix chips developed for a detector at the LHC, which are now used across multiple areas in medical imaging and material science.
For the past 70 years, CERN has served as a fantastic model for peaceful and efficient international collaboration. Beyond its astonishing scientific output, it has also produced significant advances in engineering that have spread through society. Building the FCC will be an investment in both technology and curiosity.
Tessa Charles has previously received funding through an EU Horizon 2020 project, the FCC Innovation Study (FCCIS).
Ulrik Egede receives funding from the Australian Research Council to carry out research at the Large Hadron Collider. He is representing southeast Asia and Australia/NZ on the International Committee of Future Accelerators.
Do you ever feel like you can’t stop moving after you’ve pushed yourself exercising? Maybe you find yourself walking around in circles when you come off the pitch, or squatting and standing and squatting again when you finish a run.
Sometimes the body knows what’s best for us, even if we’re not aware of the science.
Moving around after intense exercise actually helps the body recover faster. Here’s how it works – plus a tip for if you feel exactly the opposite (and just want to lie down).
What is ‘intense’ exercise?
There are different ways to measure exercise intensity. One is simply how hard it feels to you, known as the “rating of perceived exertion”.
This takes into account how fast you’re breathing, how much you’re sweating and how tired your muscles are. It also considers heart rate.
The average resting heart rate when you’re not exerting yourself is around 60–80 beats per minute, although this can vary between people.
The maximum healthy heart rate is based on subtracting your age from 220. So, if you’re 20 years old, that’s 200 beats per minute when you’re exercising as hard as you can.
This decreases as you age. If you’re 50 years old, your maximum heart rate would be around 170 beats per minute.
An increased heart rate helps pump blood faster to deliver fuel and oxygen to the muscles that are working hard. Once you stop exercising your body will begin its recovery, to return to resting levels.
Let’s look at how continuing to move after intense exercise helps do this.
Removing waste from the muscles
Whenever the body converts fuel into energy it also produces leftover substances, known as metabolic byproducts. This includes lactate (sometimes called lactic acid).
During intense exercise we need to burn more fuel (oxygen and glucose) and this can make the body produce lactate much more quickly than it can clear it. When lactate accumulates in the muscles it may delay their recovery.
We can reuse lactate to provide energy to the heart and brain and modulate the immune system. But to do this, lactate must be cleared from the muscles into the bloodstream.
After intense exercise, continuing to move your body – but less intensely – can help do this. This kind of active recovery has been shown to be more efficient than passive recovery (meaning you don’t move).
Intense exercise can mean your muscles produce more metabolic byproducts. Tom Wang/Shutterstock
Returning blood to the heart
Intense exercise also makes our heart pump more blood into the body. The volume pumped to the muscles increases dramatically, while blood flow to other tissues – especially the abdominal organs such as the kidneys – is reduced.
Moving after intense exercise can help redistribute the blood flow and speed up recovery of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. This will also clear metabolic byproducts faster.
After a long run, for example, there will be much more blood in your leg muscles. If you stand still for a long time, you may feel dizzy or faint, thanks to lowered blood pressure and less blood flow to the brain.
Moving your legs, whether through stretching or walking, will help pump blood back to the heart.
In fact around 90% of the blood returning from the legs via veins relies on the foot, calf and thigh muscles moving and pumping. The calf muscle plays the largest role (about 65%). Moving your heels up and down after exercising can help activate this motion.
What if you don’t feel like moving?
Maybe after exercise you just want to sit down in a heap. Should you?
If you’re too tired to do light movement such as stretching or walking, you may still benefit from elevating your legs.
You can lie down – research has shown blood from the veins returns more easily to the heart after exercise when you’re lying down, compared to sitting up, even if you’re still. Elevating your legs has an added benefit, as it reverses the effect of gravity and helps circulation.
Ken Nosaka 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.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The textbook “My Moscow, I’m proud of you!” “Moscow Electronic School”(MESh) was used almost 125 thousand times. Cartoons, audio books, a dictionary, projects and interactive tasks are available to first-graders, their parents and teachers. They introduce the historical and cultural heritage of Moscow, its present and future.
“Introducing children to the history and culture of their home city is an important part of the educational process. For this purpose, the educational project “My Moscow, I am proud of you!” was launched in 2023. Thanks to it, children can study the architecture, monuments, museums and other iconic objects of the capital in a playful way,” the press service of the capital said.
The chapters of the manual can be either read or listened to in audio format. An educational cartoon is available for each topic. In the “Tasks” section, children can consolidate their acquired knowledge by solving game tests with automatic verification, and in the “Dictionary” section, they can learn the meanings of new words and view a collection of illustrations.
In the “Projects” section, you can learn how to create models using various techniques. Using step-by-step instructions, children cut out, glue and paint parts, assemble structures, and then combine them into a large three-dimensional model of the Kremlin, modern Moscow, or others. Printed patterns, cardboard, colored paper, yarn, colored pencils, markers, glue, and other materials are used for work.
For the “Flowers of Victory” competition, which took place last year, the children created models of Moscow in different historical periods – from the times of Yuri Dolgoruky to the present day. The capital’s first-graders presented more than 300 projects. Based on the results of the selection, an exhibition was organized in the Victory Museum, where the authors of the best works were awarded.
“Thanks to the educational manual “My Moscow, I am proud of you!” the children are beginning to take an interest in the history of the city. It is great that everything is so visual. The children see what is being discussed, are surprised and ask questions,” said Svetlana Lysaya, a primary school teacher at School No. 338 named after Hero of the Soviet Union A.F. Avdeev.
The textbook “My Moscow, I’m proud of you!” is available in the MES library. You can find out how to use it in the instructions.
“Moscow Electronic School” — a joint project of the capital’s Departments of Education And information technology. It was created in 2016. The unified digital educational platform is available to Moscow teachers, students and their parents. Among the main services of “MESh” are a library of educational materials, an electronic diary and journal, “Moskvenok”, “Student Portfolio” and “Olympiads”.
Providing Moscow schoolchildren with modern digital services increases the efficiency of the educational process, helps young Muscovites plan their time wisely and is in line with the objectives of the “All the Best for Children” national project “Youth and Children”.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Training under the MPA (Master of Public Administration) professional retraining program “Management of an educational organization in the field of secondary vocational education (SPO)” will begin on April 16. Its goal is to help heads of Moscow colleges and their deputies create better conditions for training personnel in the capital, taking into account the needs of the labor market. The training course was developed by the Department of Personnel Services of the Government of Moscow in collaboration with Department of Education and Science.
According to Sergei Sobyanin, today the capital’s economy is creating a need for specialists in various professions. In order to effectively meet this demand, a large-scale transformation of the infrastructure and content of education is necessary. Strong managers who think strategically and can solve problems in a comprehensive manner are needed to develop the secondary vocational education system. tasks of the vocational education system, set by the city.
“A large-scale program for professional retraining of college managers has been launched in the capital. It was developed jointly with the Moscow Government’s Personnel Services Department and focuses on the practical application of knowledge. Participants in the program will receive specific tools for implementing changes in their colleges. This approach will help significantly improve the quality of management of educational organizations, which will directly affect the effectiveness of training specialists in demand among employers in the city,” she reported.
Irina Shvets, Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Science of the City of Moscow.
Over the course of nine months, 59 participants in the first stream of the program will gain relevant knowledge in the field of management, learn to build partnerships with employers and create a strategy for developing teams in their educational organizations, which they will defend in front of experts in the final.
The program for heads of secondary vocational educational institutions creates a new system for training managers in the field of secondary vocational education. Participants will not only receive theoretical knowledge, but will also exchange best practices, form a bank of solutions to complex management problems, and develop strategies for interaction with key stakeholders: the management team, employers, teachers, schoolchildren, students, and parents.
The training will combine classic and innovative formats: face-to-face meetings, online workshops, trainings, master classes, VR simulator. The speakers are recognized industry leaders, business leaders, leading trainers and consultants in the development of management potential.
At the end of the program, each participant will defend a project for developing the management team of their college before the leadership of the Moscow educational system and will receive a diploma of the established form on professional retraining with the assignment of the qualification “Specialist in State and Municipal Administration – Master of Public Administration (MPA)”.
“The HR Services Department, relying on the successful experience of implementing the program for school principals, continues to work on developing the leaders of the capital’s education system. Today, courses that provide for the comprehensive development of management skills based on industry examples are of particular value. Our training has been developed specifically for the directors of Moscow colleges together with key leaders in the SPO sector, and we thank the Moscow Department of Education and Science for their cooperation and trust,” said Olga Polobok, program director, head of the training and development department of the HR Services Department of the Moscow Government.
The HR Services Department forms a support system for Moscow Government organizations and offers comprehensive HR solutions that take into account the needs of all city industries. The concept was developed on behalf of Sergei Sobyanin and is intended, among other things, to facilitate the implementation of the Moscow development strategy until 2030.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland
After decades of Hollywood showcasing white-picket-fence celebrity smiles, the world has fallen for White Lotus actor Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth.
Wood was bullied for her looks in her youth and expressed gratitude for the positive comments she received about her teeth since appearing on White Lotus. She also joked that people shouldn’t take to drastic measures like filing teeth to copy her famous gap.
But social media influencers are promising that teeth filing is a quick way to achieve a straight smile. Some influencers even use electric nail drills to cut gaps between their front teeth.
A few of my patients admit to taking a nail file to “buff” or file jagged edges off their teeth. Many do this without understanding what they are cutting away.
Here’s why you should think twice about filing your teeth at home, and why we as dentists or orthodontists occasionally resort to this.
When might a dentist file a tooth?
Dentists and orthodontists occasionally file a tooth’s enamel, known as enameloplasty, to conservatively smooth-down a chipped tooth, or even-out a smile.
But adjustments to a person’s smile are minute, and always limited to the superficial enamel layer of the tooth.
Why don’t dentists routinely file teeth?
Dentists and orthodontists are particular about what and when we cut because teeth don’t grow back like fingernails or hair.
So what is a tooth? A tooth is like an egg, with an outer diamond-like lustrous crystal enamel coat that envelops the hard yet springy dentine.
The enamel and dentine envelop a central chamber – containing blood vessels, cells and nerves – called the pulp.
The outer periphery of the pulp is surrounded by and nourishes special dentine-making cells called odontoblasts.
Our enamel-making cells die when our teeth cut through our gums as children, which means we can no longer make new, or repair damaged, enamel.
So damaged enamel or dentine on the outer surface of the tooth cannot self-repair.
Cutting your teeth without sealing and filling them can leave the tooth exposed, destroying the previously well-insulated pulp and causing sensitivity and pain.
Infections can occur because the bacteria from the plaque inside your mouth travels into the tooth and inflames the pulp.
And just like a cut on your skin, the pulp inflames and swells as part of the healing process. But your pulp is encased in a hard enamel-dentine chamber, so it has no room to expand and swell, leading to a throbbing toothache.
What can you do if you want to change your teeth?
You can change your smile without compromising the integrity of your teeth. Dentists can even create or close gaps.
And we will always offer conservative options, including “no treatment”, to keep as many of your teeth whole and healthy as possible.
Sometimes, your dentists and or orthodontists may offer options to:
use braces to move teeth. Moving teeth can create a different smile, and sometimes change the shape and position of your jaws, lips and cheeks
whiten teeth to remove superficial stains to make your smile look more visually even
adapt white resin fillings or veneers to add and change the shape of teeth, with little or no tooth cutting required.
If you’re concerned about the look of your teeth, talk to your dentist or orthodontist about options that won’t damage your teeth and make them last the distance.
Don’t forget that Aimee Lou Wood’s iconic smile makes her stand out from the crowd. Your smile is what makes you special, and is part of who you are.
Arosha Weerakoon is a member of the Australian Dental Association and Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. She is the Deputy Chair of the Country to Coast Queensland Clinical Advisory Council. Arosha is a Colgate Advocate for Oral Health. In this role, she promotes professionalism to her peers. She is the principal and owner of a general dental practice.
Disabled people encounter all kinds of barriers to accessing healthcare – and not simply because some face significant mobility challenges.
Others will see their symptoms not investigated properly because it’s assumed a problem is related to their disability rather than another medical condition. Or they will have decisions made for them rather than with them.
This often means they experience worse – and avoidable – outcomes compared to others. But despite this, health research – which is meant to reduce these disparities – frequently excludes disabled people.
For instance, a 2023 global review of 2,710 clinical trials found 35% reported excluding disabled individuals specifically. Researchers sometimes assume (without a good ethical or scientific reason) that disabled people can’t give consent, don’t meet the study criteria, or will struggle to follow instructions and collaborate.
Even when researchers are more inclusive, their plans can fail to account for the difficulties disabled people face with travel, communication and physical access. All of which makes it harder for them to participate.
This creates a vicious circle. Health research is vital for shaping the policies, treatments and community interventions that underpin modern healthcare. However, for disabled people, who make up one-sixth of the national and global population, too much research does not reflect their experiences and needs.
Beyond clinical and scientific research
The active participation by disabled people in health research is good science, good economics and the right thing to do. When people with lived experience contribute to the design and delivery of health care and research, it means services are used more and fairer outcomes are achieved.
But this is far from the reality in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world. Scientific and clinical research is still often viewed as being more important than research addressing the needs of patients and people, as prioritised by them.
There is increasing interest in public and patient involvement in health services, and to a lesser extent health research. But this is not sufficiently embedded or formalised. Research priorities are still set primarily by clinicians and medical researchers.
Most funding still goes to research investigating the causes, genetics and treatment of health conditions. And while these are important to study, there is still too little research focused on how people can live well with disability.
A recent review of research funding for autism, for example, found the most money and number of grants were awarded to biological research. But a survey of about 500 people from New Zealand’s autistic and autism communities found people wanted more research into their mental health, wellbeing and practical skills development.
If research aims to improve health outcomes for everyone, it must involve all populations – particularly those most at risk of poorer health outcomes.
This extends beyond people with disability to include all marginalised and often excluded communities. But this kind of change will need action at different levels of research, and to be led by researchers themselves. The rules and funding systems must also support a more inclusive approach.
Practical steps to make a difference
Some of the key strategies needed to ensure health research becomes more representative, ethical and effective have been outlined by the Disability Inclusion in Research Collaboration, a global network of researchers:
Making sure disabled people are visible in research grant applications: funding bodies must actively require and reward the inclusion of disabled participants in health research studies.
Including disability perspectives from the very start: disabled people should be involved in formulating research questions, designing studies and advising on accessibility measures.
Ensuring disabled people are research participants whenever possible: researchers must clearly explain and justify any exclusion criteria related to disability, which need to be grounded in legitimate safety or ethical concerns rather than mere assumptions.
Making it routine to report on disability status: research studies should use data to identify, track and report on participants’ disability status, so it is easier to monitor inclusion efforts and outcomes.
By committing to these basic measures, health research can become more representative, ethical and effective. It will also help the research produce insights relevant to a broader range of people, ultimately leading to stronger and fairer healthcare systems.
This is about more than justice for disabled people. It is about ensuring medical research achieves its true purpose: to improve health for everyone.
Rachelle A Martin receives funding from the NZ Health Research Council.
Kaaren Mathias receives funding from the Health Research Council and CURE Kids.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 17, 2025.
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Despite the challenges faced by local democratic activists, Thailand has often been an oasis of relative liberalism compared with neighbouring countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
Westerners, in particular, have been largely welcomed and provided with a measure of protection from harassment by the authorities. Thailand’s economy is extremely dependent on foreign tourism. Many Westerners also work in a variety of industries, including as academics at public and private universities.
That arrangement now seems under pressure. Earlier this month, Paul Chambers, an American political science lecturer at Naresuan University, was arrested on charges of violating the Computer Crimes Act and the lèse-majesté law under Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code for allegedly insulting the monarchy.
Chambers’ visa has been revoked and he now faces a potential punishment of 15 years in jail.
The lèse-majesté law has become a common tool for silencing Thai activists. At least 272 people have been charged under the law since pro-democracy protests broke out in 2020, according to rights groups.
Its use against foreigners has, until now, been limited. No foreign academic has ever been charged with it. Because of the law, however, most academics in Thailand usually tread carefully in their critiques of the monarchy.
The decision to charge a foreign academic, therefore, suggests a hardening of views on dissent by conservative forces in the country. It represents a further deterioration in Thailand’s democratic credentials and provides little optimism for reform under the present government.
Thailand’s democratic deficit
Several other recent actions have also sparked concerns about democratic backsliding.
Following a visit by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to China in February, the government violated domestic and international law by forcibly returning 40 Uyghurs to China.
The Uyghurs had fled China a decade earlier to escape repression in the western Xinjiang region and had been held in detention in Thailand ever since. They now potentially face worse treatment by the Chinese authorities.
Then, in early April, Thailand welcomed the head of the Myanmar junta to a regional summit in Bangkok after a devastating earthquake struck his war-ravaged country.
Min Aung Hlaing has been shunned internationally since the junta launched a coup against the democratically elected government in Myanmar in 2021, sparking a devastating civil war. He has only visited Russia and China since then.
In addition, the military continues to dominate politics in Thailand. After a progressive party, Move Forward, won the 2023 parliamentary elections by committing to amend the lèse-majesté law, the military, the unelected Senate and other conservative forces in the country ignored the will of the people and denied its charismatic leader the prime ministership.
The party was then forcibly dissolved by the Constitutional Court and its leader banned from politics for ten years.
In February, Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission criminally indicted 44 politicians from Move Forward for sponsoring a bill in parliament to reform the lèse-majesté law. They face lifetime bans from politics if they are found guilty of breaching “ethical standards”.
Even the powerful former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who is also the uncle of the current prime minister, is not immune from the lèse-majesté law.
He was indicted last year for allegedly insulting the monarchy almost two decades ago. His case is due to be heard in July.
This continued undermining of democratic norms is chipping away at Thailand’s international reputation. The country is now classified as a “flawed democracy” in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, with its ranking falling two years in a row.
The lèse-majesté law has always represented something of a challenge to academic freedom in Thailand, as well as freedom of speech more generally. Campaigners against the law have paid a heavy price.
The US State Department has provided a statement of support for Chambers, urging the Thai government to “ensure that laws are not used to stifle permitted expression”. However, given the Trump administration’s attacks on US universities at the moment, this demand rings somewhat hollow.
Academic freedom is a hallmark of democracies compared with authoritarian regimes. With the US no longer so concerned with protecting academic freedom at home, there is little stopping flawed democracies around the world from stepping up pressure on academics to toe the line.
The undermining of democracy in the US is already having palpable impacts on democratic regression around the world.
With little international pressure to adhere to democratic norms, the current Thai government has taken a significant and deleterious step in arresting a foreign academic.
In the future, universities in Thailand, as in the US, will find it harder to attract international talent. Universities – and the broader society – in both countries will be worse off for it.
Adam Simpson 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.
