Ahead of a memorial service at Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterrestold journalists that the men and women being honoured “were not just names on a list” but “extraordinary individuals – each one a story of courage, compassion, and service.”
“They were driven by the pursuit of peace. By the urgency to ease human suffering. And by the conviction that every person, everywhere, deserves dignity and protection,” he said, speaking in front of the Security Council chamber.
He acknowledged that the past year has been especially devastating for UN humanitarian workers.
“More than one in every 50 UNRWA staff in Gaza has been killed in this atrocious conflict. This is the highest staff death toll in United Nations history,” he said.
“Some were killed delivering life-saving aid; others alongside their families; others while shielding the vulnerable.”
‘No room for impunity’
The Secretary-General said the sacrifice of all 168 fallen colleagues is a tragedy but also a reminder of the responsibility carried by every staff member every day.
It is important for the world to see this, he added, “because as we mourn those lost, we must also recognize the living.”
Mr. Guterres saluted staff members still serving in crisis zones across the globe for their courage and resilience.
“And to the world, I say: We will not grow numb to suffering. We will not accept the killing of UN personnel,” he stressed.
“We will not accept the killing of humanitarians, journalists, medical workers, or civilians as the new normal anywhere and under any circumstances. There must be no room for impunity.”
Remembering lives lost
Since 2011, the UN has held an annual service at Headquarters to honour personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty during the previous year.
Those who paid the ultimate price in 2024 worked with UNRWA, the UN Secretariat, the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and the World Food Programme (WFP).
They came from 31 countries and were teachers, engineers, doctors, administrators, humanitarians, peacekeepers, and more. Above all, they were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters.
Shortly after the press briefing, the Secretary-General joined some of their relatives, UN staff members and senior officials for the memorial service in the Trusteeship Council. Many others across the world followed the event online.
‘They were the best of us’
The Secretary-General noted that working for the UN “is far more than just a job” – it’s a calling.
“All our fallen colleagues answered the call to serve humanity,” he said. “They did so in their own ways – without fanfare – and with determination. They represented humanity in action.”
He remarked that “at a time when some may question international cooperation or the very notion of multilateralism, we would all do well to remember these lives taken far too soon.”
“Let us take inspiration from how they lived,” he said. “And let us vow that the memory and mission of our fallen colleagues will endure. They were the best of us. Let them live on through our work.”
Legacy lives on
The president of the UN Staff Union in New York, Narda Cupidore, echoed this message. She said they embodied the mission of the whole UN “and they paid the ultimate price.”
“Let this honouring be more than a moment of silence,” she said. “Let it be a call for action. A call to protect those who serve. A call to ensure that anyone who serves under the blue flag does so with the full protection, support and respect.”
Ms. Cupidore said the legacy of the fallen colleagues “lives on in our work, in our advocacy and in our unshakeable belief that the world is worth striving for.”
Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro highlighted the establishment of the National Transitional Authority and the National Authority for Missing Persons which are expected to help reveal the fate of the more than 100,000 Syrians estimated to have been forcibly disappeared or gone missing.
They are also expected to expose the truth about systematic violations like arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, and about widespread attacks which killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and maimed millions during hostilities.
Syria continues along the path to transition following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.
Wave of retaliatory attacks
Mr. Pinheiro said the security vacuum left after the dismissal of the armed forces and security services, together with a lack of clarity on the new framework for justice, contributed to an atmosphere where victims of past crimes and violations attempted to take the law into their own hands and settle scores.
Retaliatory attacks that took place in coastal areas in March, and on a smaller scale in other parts of the country, were “in part a response to five decades of systematic crimes perpetrated by security forces with impunity which affected all Syrians,” he said.
“More recently, sectarian fault lines have also been fuelled by widespread hate speech and incitement against Alawis, off and online, including posts with false information reportedly often originating from abroad.”
Eyewitness accounts
The Commission conducted its latest visit to Syria last week and travelled to several locations on the coast where killings and looting had occurred. The team met with several civil and security authorities, as well as eyewitnesses and victims’ families.
“First-hand accounts by survivors of these events…revealed in detail how residential areas were raided by large groups of armed men, many of them members of factions now affiliated with the State. They told us how the assailants detained, ill-treated and executed Alawis,” he said.
He acknowledged the interim authorities’ establishment of a National Inquiry to investigate the violations as well as an additional High-Level Committee to Maintain Civil Peace. Furthermore, dozens of alleged perpetrators have been arrested.
“Protection of civilians is essential to prevent further violations and crimes,” he said.
“We welcome the commitment of President (Ahmed) al-Sharaa to hold those responsible accountable to restore confidence for State institutions amongst the affected communities.”
He also pointed to a deadly attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus last Sunday, saying the authorities must ensure the protection of places of worship and threatened communities, and perpetrators and enablers must be held accountable.
Foreign intervention
Mr. Pinheiro told the Council that “the Syrian conflict has had no shortage of internal challenges and grievances, many of which were made worse by foreign interventions.”
In recent weeks, Israel has carried out a wave of airstrikes in and around Damascus, including near the presidential palace. Military bases and weapons depots in Daraa, Hama, Tartous and Latakia have also been targeted as part of its sustained military campaign in Syria. Several civilians were killed.
Civilian casualties were also reported in the context of Israeli operations in the buffer zone in Quneitra and southwestern Daraa monitored by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)
“These actions raise serious concerns of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law as UN Secretary-General (António) Guterres further stated recently,” he said.
Millions in need
Mr. Pinheiro reported that more than two million Syrians have returned home since December, including nearly 600,000 from neighbouring countries and just under 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“For many of the over seven million Syrians who remain displaced, massive property-related challenges will need to be tackled in the wake of industrial-scale destruction, pillage and confiscation of homes and lands,” he said.
Moreover, he noted that “despite the recent encouraging steps towards lifting of sectoral sanctions and opening the country to new investments, nearly 16.5 million Syrians remain in need of humanitarian assistance.” Among them are nearly three million people facing severe food insecurity.
Mr. Pinheiro concluded his remarks, saying “the interim authorities’ repeated commitments to protect the rights of everyone and all communities in Syria without discrimination of any kind are encouraging” and “should be met with the necessary support from the international community.”
The UN is taking part alongside more than 150 countries and organizations at the global gathering, which carries the forward-looking theme: Designing Future Society for Our Lives.
The UN Pavilion is divided into four areas; a timeline in the first area explains the history of the UN and its agencies, whilst the second – the so-called orb room – outlines the organization’s diverse range of work through a series of everyday objects displayed on the walls.
An immersive video in the third area offers a glimpse into what a future world could look like if development takes place in a sustainable way, while the fourth is a rotating exhibition which highlights specific agencies.
Here’s what some visitors to the UN Pavilion thought about their experience.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
Kaneko Sayaka (left) and her sister hold up displays promoting the SDGs.
Kaneko Sayaka: I liked the video as I felt I was in a forest surrounded by trees and animals. It showed me that protecting the environment is very important.
Mikako Takeuchi: I was sucked into the immersive experience of the video presentation. It was really engaging and, although it explained the problems the world faces, it also presented the solutions and provided hope.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
Phil Malone (left) and his companion visit the UN Pavilion.
Phil Malone: The message of the immersive video about sustainability and people’s rights and responsibilities towards the environment was clear and easily understandable by both young and older audiences.
It is difficult to explain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a short video, although I think a Japanese audience is generally knowledgeable about the goals. The SDGs are highlighted by institutions across Japan, and I have only ever seen this level of promotion in certain African countries where I have worked for an agriculture-focused development organization.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
The SDGs are frequently promoted by the private sector in Japan, in this case in Tokyo, the capital city.
Tomoyuki Kadokura: I learnt a lot about the SDGs from the interactive quiz while I was queuing to get into the pavilion. In Japan, we concentrate more on the goals which focus on the environment and sustainable consumption, so I was keen to learn more about the other goals, for example poverty and human rights, which do not get a lot of attention here.
I was also surprised by the number of UN agencies that are working on the SDGs.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
Agaka Sato (left) and Takato Ishida explore the orb room in the UN Pavilion.
Takato Ishida: At school we learn about the SDGs, so many Japanese people are interested in the goals, but I didn’t realize that progress towards them was so slow in many parts of the world.
I enjoyed the special projects section which highlighted the role that UN volunteers are playing across the world in supporting sustainable development.
Agaka Sato: I did not know there were so many different UN agencies and learnt a lot about them through the interactive display of objects in the orb room.
The touch screen which explains the role of these agencies is linked to the objects lining the wall of the room. I think it is fun for young children to make the link between objects like telephones, guns and health kits and the work of the UN.
Masako Yukita: The UN Pavilion made me consider what changes people need to make to contribute to the SDGs and world peace. When I get home, I will think about what more I can do as an individual.
Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, High Commissioner Volker Türk asked Member States whether enough was being done to protect people from the escalating impacts of climate change.
“Are we taking the steps needed to protect people from climate chaos, safeguard their futures and manage natural resources in ways that respect human rights and the environment?” asked delegates at the ongoing session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
His answer was simple – we are not doing nearly enough.
Mr. Türk emphasised that while climate change presents dire risks human rights – especially for the most vulnerable – it also can be a strong lever for progress.
Central to this is a “just transition” away from environmentally destructive activities.
“What we need now is a roadmap that shows us how to rethink our societies, economies and politics in ways that are equitable and sustainable,” he said.
The right to decent work
One of the main avenues through which the Council – UN’s highest intergovernmental body on human rights – examined the connection between human rights and climate change was the right to decent work.
“Because of climate change, the very human right of decent work is fundamentally challenged today,” said Moustapha Kamal Gueye, a senior official at the International Labor Organization (ILO).
He warned that 80 million full-time jobs will no longer exist in 2030 if the world continues its current climate trajectory. More than 70 per cent of the global workforce – 2.4 billion workers – will be exposed to excessive heat at some point on the job.
These alarming statistics underscored the urgent need for robust social protection systems, including social security, for workers as the climate crisis continues to intensify, Mr. Gueye said. Less than 9 per cent of workers in the 20 most climate-impacted countries have any form of social protection.
“From a climate resilience perspective, nations are far from achieving the human right to social protection,” Mr. Gueye said. “Investments in social protection need to be scaled up, and this must move from shock-responses to institutionalised and rights-based approaches.”
On a more hopeful note, he added, a shift towards low-carbon economies can potentially generate over 100 million new jobs by 2030. However, he cautioned that, that these jobs may not emerge where others are lost, reinforcing the need for strong safety nets and planning.
‘Defossilize’ the economy and knowledge
Elisa Morgera, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, also presented her latest report, which calls for “defossilization” of economies. Phasing out fossil fuels, she said, is the most effective way to reduce climate impacts while protecting human rights.
Of course, this is not a simple task, as Ms. Morgera noted that fossil fuels have invaded all parts of our lives and economies.
“Fossil fuels are everywhere: in our food systems, in our ocean and in our bodies, including in our brains – in many cases without us knowing or choosing for them to be in our lives,” Ms. Morgera said.
Ms. Morgera – who is mandated and appointed by the Human Rights Council, and is not a UN staff member – also stressed the need to “defossilize knowledge,” noting how fossil fuel interests have distorted public understanding and attacked climate defenders.
While geopolitical divisions may slow progress, she insisted that action can begin now at every level. “We can nourish hope and share concrete learning that can inspire a course correction, within the current decade, toward a safe climate for all.”
A people-centred approach
Mr. Türk concluded his remarks reinforcing that a just transition must ensure no one is left behind.
“If we don’t safeguard people’s lives, their health, their jobs and their future opportunities, the transition will replicate and exacerbate the injustices and inequalities in our world,” he said.
Mr. Gueye echoed that message: “The global climate agenda is a human story and it is about human rights. The ambition that nations and the global community seek cannot be confined to numerical targets and indicators – it must fundamentally be about people.”
They shared their experiences at an event this week at UN Headquarters to mark 20 years of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC).
The intergovernmental advisory body supports countries emerging from conflict in areas such as governance, justice, reconciliation, institution-building and sustainable development.
Pain and promise
“Liberia’s story is one of pain, but also of promise,” Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf said in a video message.
“A nation once brought to its knees by protracted conflict now stands as a testimony to what is possible when national will is matched by international solidarity.”
In August 2003, the Liberian Government, two rebel groups and several political parties signed a peace accord in Accra, Ghana, after 14 years of civil war.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Building a new Liberia
“Knowing that Liberia could not return to what it was, we had to construct a new nation based on new governance structures of inclusion, transparency, justice and hope,” said the former President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Critical institutions such as the Central Bank, the judiciary, the anti-corruption commission, and even civil society organizations, had to be restructured or built from the ground up. And women played a central role in peace efforts by leading advocacy, mediation and community rebuilding.
“Importantly, also, Liberia’s path to peace could not be walked alone,” she said.
Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf pointed to the essential role played by the international community through the UN and its peacekeeping Mission UNMIL, regional bloc ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union, and other entities.
‘A work in progress’
She also expressed gratitude to multilateral and bilateral partners – including the PBC – whose technical, financial and moral support laid the foundations for the peace enjoyed today.
“Liberia’s peace remains a work in progress,” she said. “We still face challenges -economic fragility, governance bottlenecks and the aspirations of a youthful population seeking opportunity. But we have also come a long way.”
The PBC has backed peacebuilding efforts in more than 30 countries and regions, for example supporting democratic transition in The Gambia and collaborating with Timor Leste to advance stability.
Its “intervention and decisiveness at a critical juncture is not only manifestly historic but serves as a cardinal reference point for preventive diplomacy and international solidarity,” said Gambia’s Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara.
Conflicts on the rise
Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, remarked that the event was being held at a time when conflicts are becoming more numerous, more protracted and more complex, and as negotiated settlements are becoming even harder to achieve.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
“Against this backdrop, the role of the Peacebuilding Commission remains critical and more needed than ever,” she said.
She highlighted the Pact for the Future, adopted by UN Member States last September, which recognizes the central role of civil society, women and youth, and the value of UN partnerships with regional organizations and international financial institutions.
“Crucially, the Pact decided on the strengthening of the Peacebuilding Commission,” she said. “Our task is to translate this ambition into practical progress.”
Still relevant today
Ms. DiCarlo said the PBC “should be equipped, strengthened and empowered to assist interested Member States to develop and implement national strategies for prevention and peace building.”
It should also have more systematic and robust links to other UN bodies and processes, such as the Security Council, and engage more deeply with regional organizations, international financial institutions and other key partners.
“The Commission is no longer a new institution, but its relevance and potential are undiminished at a time of increasing need. We must equip it to invest to deliver fully on its mandate.”
It covers the period from 1 December 2024 to 31 May 2025, during which 986 civilians were killed and 4,807 injured – a 37 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year.
“The war in Ukraine – now in its fourth year – is becoming increasingly deadly for civilians,” said Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).
“We continue to document patterns of violence that are inconsistent with obligations under international humanitarian law.”
Concern over use of short-range drones
Most casualties occurred in areas under Ukrainian Government control, primarily due to Russian attacks using long-range explosive weapons in populated areas and short-range drones near frontline locations.
Nearly half of all casualties were caused by missiles, loitering munitions and air-dropped bombs in densely populated areas. At least three attacks involved the use of missiles with fragmentation warheads which detonated above ground and scattered fragments across large open areas, killing and injuring many civilians at once.
The use of short-range drones is driving the rise in civilian casualties, the report said. OHCHR verified that 207 civilians were killed and 1,365 injured in these attacks.
Among the deadliest incidents was a Russian drone strike on a civilian bus transporting employees of a mining company to work in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Eight women and two men were killed, and 57 people were injured.
“The high number of civilian casualties from the use of short-range drones, which allow operators to see their targets in real time, raises grave concerns,” Ms. Bell said.
“Our findings strongly suggest a failure to distinguish between civilian and military targets, and to take all feasible precautions to verify the military nature of those targets – or worse, an intentional decision not to.”
During the same period, Russian forces struck at least five hospitals directly. Some of the attacks used multiple loitering munitions, suggesting potential deliberate targeting of the hospitals in violation of international humanitarian law.
Prisoners of war
Serious violations against prisoners of war (POWs) also remain a major concern, according to the report. OHCHR documented credible allegations that at least 35 Ukrainian POWs and one Russian POW were executed during the reporting period.
Staff interviewed 117 recently released Ukrainian POWs and two detained medical personnel, nearly all of whom described being tortured and ill-treated in captivity. This included severe beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, dog attacks, and deliberate humiliation, often carried out by personnel wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities.
Ms. Bell said the continued brutalization of Ukrainian prisoners of war is not only inhumane, but a serious violation of international law.
“These are not isolated incidents – they point to well-documented patterns of widespread and systematic torture that demand urgent and unambiguous accountability, and measures toward prevention,” she said.
Meanwhile, more than half of the Russian POWs and third-country nationals held by Ukraine also reported abuse – including torture, ill-treatment, threats, and internment in unofficial facilities – which mostly occurred in transit places before arrival at official places of internment.
Rights concerns in Russian-occupied areas
The report highlights ongoing human rights concerns with Ukrainian civilians unlawfully detained by Russian authorities, predominantly in occupied territory. People who have been released described torture, ill-treatment, and dire conditions of detention.
Ukrainians in occupied territory faced increased coercion to adopt Russian citizenship. OHCHR documented over 16,000 homes listed by Russian occupation authorities as potentially “abandoned” and therefore at risk of being confiscated.
Displaced residents faced severe legal and logistical obstacles, as well as security risks, to reclaim their property.
Ukrainian children recruited
Another issue covered in the report is the recruitment and use of Ukrainian children “for sabotage activities of increasing gravity against Ukrainian military objectives.”
The children reportedly were recruited by unidentified actors, likely affiliated with Russia, according to Ukrainian law enforcement authorities. Some of these youngsters were killed or injured, while others are facing prosecution after being enticed via social media to commit arson or plant explosives.
“Using children to commit acts of sabotage or violence exploits their vulnerability and endangers their lives,” Ms. Bell said. “It compounds their suffering by exposing them to violence, coercion, and harsh legal consequences.”
OHCHR also voiced concern over the situation of older people, mainly women, as well as persons with disabilities, who remain at disproportionate risk, particularly in frontline areas.
Many are unable to evacuate due to poverty and limited housing options, while those who can often face long stays in shelters that lack appropriate facilities, or they are placed in institutional settings due to the absence of suitable alternatives.
Visitors can explore the UN’s 80-year history of advancing peace, human rights, sustainable development and climate action and see how the work of the UN system impacts the lives of all people across the world.
What are the different sections of the pavilion and what they’re trying to achieve?
We have four exhibit zones. The first zone portrays 80 years of UN history, highlighting key milestones from 1945 until today. It also shows the changing relationship between Japan and the UN.
In the 1940s following the devastation of the Second World War Japan was a recipient of UN assistance. But after Japan joined the UN (in 1956) it gradually started to take leadership in different areas, for example in climate change issues, disaster risk reduction and in the provision of Universal Health Coverage.
Zone two shows the work of diverse UN entities. Visitors will notice that there are many everyday objects on the wall; a toilet, helmet, car seat, post box but they may not realize that these items are actually closely related to the work of the UN.
UN Pavilion
Visitors to the UN Pavilion explore the ‘orb’ room.
By tapping on the monitor, the items light up and an explanation is given about its relationship to the work of the UN.
One of the aims of this zone is to demonstrate that the UN is not just about conflict resolution. In Japan, when the UN is mentioned, many people think about the Security Council and ask why Japan isn’t a permanent member.
We wanted to show in an interesting interactive way that the UN’s work is so much more than that.
In zone three, which represents the future, we show through an immersive movie, a vision of the sustainable future that we can achieve if we work together. In the movie, the UN Secretary-General says that this future is not automatic, but it is one that we can achieve together.
The final part of the pavilion is the special exhibition zone that features the work of different UN entities each week.
Why is it important that the UN is here at Expo?
I would say that 90 per cent of Japanese people know about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but many do not know what they can do in their lives to contribute to the SDGs, or understand the positive role played by the UN in making the SDGs a reality in a global context. So, we felt that it was important to explain that work.
There are some 160 different countries participating in Expo and they are here to showcase their own cultures.
But it’s the UN which can encourage countries to work together to achieve peace and a sustainable world. So, collaboration and multilateralism are key themes of the pavilion.
Why is that message important?
The world is divided right now and you can sense the anxiety about that, even in Japan. That anxiety is not just focused on political issues but also on the environmental and other global challenges which go beyond the country level. At the UN Pavilion they can learn about these challenges but also the solutions.
I am so proud to be part of a team which explains how the UN is contributing to solving these global problems. It is rewarding to interact with visitors and to support their understanding of the UN.
Many are surprised by the range of work in which the organization is engaged, and everyone leaves inspired by our messages.
What is the most surprising reaction you’ve had from a visitor?
There has been great interest and engagement in the immersive video which envisions a hopeful future that all humanity can enjoy if we work together. It has a very simple message about collaboration which can be easily understood by people of all ages and backgrounds.
Many people have been deeply affected by its message and I have seen some moved to tears.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
A boy participates in an event at the UN pavilion to promote the SDGs.
I believe visitors feel closer to the UN after experiencing the video and the rest of the pavilion. I am from Japan and I think many people are surprised to meet a Japanese national working for the UN. That also helps to bring them closer to the work of the UN.
How important and relevant is an Expo in today’s world?
There really isn’t any other place like this, where you can meet people from Uzbekistan, and then next door people from Malta. I think this is such a rare opportunity, especially in this era of the Internet, to be able to discover the culture and values of so many different nations.
Initially, the Japanese people were somewhat sceptical and critical of the cost of putting on Expo, because they said they could find all the information on the Internet.
However, when they visit, they realize that they can actually see, feel and learn about different cultures in person. It’s very different from reading something on the Internet or watching YouTube.
This venue is so special and people come here with an open and enquiring mind.
I think the timing of this Expo is important as there is so much uncertainty and conflict in the world. At the UN, we are here to promote a better world for all people built on equality, dignity and peace, living in harmony with nature and sustaining our Planet. We hope to share this positive vision with as many visitors as possible until the closing of the Expo in mid-October.
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine have taken or are considering steps to withdraw from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction – known also as the Ottawa Convention, after the Canadian city where the process was launched.
“These weapons risk causing persistent and long-term, serious harm to civilians, including children,” Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement. “Like other international humanitarian law treaties, the Ottawa Convention was principally designed to govern the conduct of parties to armed conflicts.”
“Adhering to them in times of peace only to withdraw from them in times of war or for newly invoked national security considerations seriously undermines the framework of international humanitarian law.”
A threat to civilians
Anti-personnel mines are one of the two main types of mines and target people – as opposed to anti-vehicle mines. However, because both of these mines are triggered automatically, they result in huge numbers of civilian deaths, especially children.
Their deadly risks linger long after hostilities end, contaminating farmland, playgrounds, and homes, and posing a constant threat to unsuspecting civilians.
Agreed in 1997, the Ottawa Convention prohibits signatories from using, stockpiling, producing or transferring anti-personnel mines due to the threat that these weapons pose to civilians, especially children.
In the two-and-a-half decades since it was passed, the Ottawa Convention has 166 States parties, has led to the a marked reduction in the use of anti-personnel mines.
Trends reversing
However, in recent years, these positive trends have begun to reverse with the number of civilians killed and injured by mines increasing by 22 per cent in 2024 – 85 per cent of the casualties were civilians and half of them were children.
Despite progress, some 100 million people across 60 countries still live under the threat of landmines.
In Ukraine, for instance, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimates that more than 20 per cent of the country’s land is contaminated – amounting to 139,000 square kilometres.
Similarly, landmines remain still a significant threat in Cambodia, decades after the end of the conflict and years of de-mining efforts.
Uphold international law
Mr. Türk urged all parties to the Ottawa Convention to uphold their international legal obligations regarding anti-personnel mines and on non-signatories to join the Convention.
“With so many civilians suffering from the use of anti-personnel mines, I call on all States to refrain from leaving any international humanitarian law treaty, and to immediately suspend any withdrawal process that may be underway.”
“Amid ongoing Israeli military operations, scores of people have reportedly been killed and injured, including while waiting for food,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
“Over the weekend, there were numerous reports of attacks hitting homes, as well as schools hosting displaced people,” it added.
Catastrophic hunger
OCHA noted that amid the “heavy constraints” on bringing in supplies and carrying out humanitarian operations across Gaza, people are going hungry.
“The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that one in five people faces catastrophic hunger, and more than 90,000 women and children urgently require treatment for malnutrition,” it said.
WFP has about 130,000 metric tons of food positioned in the region, ready to serve people in Gaza if improved access is granted.
Call for access
OCHA reiterated calls on Israel to facilitate the access and entry of essential supplies into Gaza, through the available crossing points and corridors, to address people’s desperate needs. Fuel, in particular, is urgently needed.
“The UN and its partners call on the Israeli authorities, with utmost urgency, to allow the entry of fuel into Gaza. This is critically needed for life-saving operations – including hospitals, water and sanitation equipment, telecommunications, moving cargo from crossings, and operating community kitchens,” it said.
Displacement continues
Mass displacement continues in the war-torn enclave.
On Sunday, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for parts of Jabalya and Gaza City, impacting around 150,000 people. Those forced to flee join thousands already crowded into shelters lacking water, sanitation, and medical care. Shelter materials such as tents and timber have not entered Gaza in 17 weeks.
Most of the territory remains under displacement orders, OCHA said, and Israel, as the occupying power, has a legal obligation to protect civilians.
Search for the missing
Meanwhile, in war-torn Gaza, thousands of families remain trapped in a spiral of anxiety and despair as they search for their missing loved ones.
Among them is Anwar Hawas, a young woman in her twenties, searching desperately for Hadi, her 17-year-old autistic brother who has been missing for weeks.
“Every day I go out in the morning and return in the evening, hoping to find him,” she told UN News.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports that more than 11,000 individuals are missing in Gaza since the war started on 7 October 2023, the majority among them women and children.
Anwar Hawas shows her missing brother’s photograph to people in the streets of Gaza, asking if they have any information about his whereabouts.
“In the early morning hours of 13 June, a number of attacks took place in Tehran, and other parts of Iran,” said Stefan Priesner, UN Resident Coordinator in Iran.
“Then over the next 12 days there were multiple attacks by either side…we know that there have been at least 627 people killed and almost 5,000 injured in Iran.
Underlining that the UN remained in Iran through the duration of the conflict, Mr. Priesner noted that discussions are ongoing with the Government on “how to adapt existing UN programmes to meet the country’s post-conflict needs”, he told journalists in Geneva via Zoom.
Tehran insight
Speaking from the Iranian capital, the UN official confirmed reports that Tehran had seen a population movement as several million residents left the city seeking safety from the missile strikes. He mentioned the solidarity that Iranians had shown towards each other, with families in the north and the countryside hosting those coming from Tehran.
Looking ahead, Mr. Priesner said: “we know that the health sector has very specific needs given the damage.”
Stefan Priesner, UN Resident Coordinator in Iran.
The UN’s development and humanitarian presence in Iran spans 18 agencies with approximately 50 international staff and 500 national staff.
Last year’s budget amounted to around $75 million with two-thirds dedicated to the country’s roughly 3.5 million refugees or people in refugee-like situations.
Iran has been hosting one of the largest – and most protracted – refugee situations in the world for over four decades, with inclusive policies in access to health and education. The UN has supported these efforts over the years.
The remainder of this budget is allocated for development projects including climate adaptation and mitigation work. Mr. Priesner said there was need for significant additional funding to support the most vulnerable groups in Iran including children, the elderly, female-headed households and persons with disabilities.
The UN official confirmed reports that increasing numbers of Afghan refugees have been heading back to their country across the Iranian border either voluntarily or through deportation.
“Every day, and sometimes every few hours, buses arrive and stop at the Afghanistan-Iran border, carrying exhausted and desperate Afghan refugee families with all their belongings,” said Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan returnees’ plight
“Many are returning to a country they barely know, forced out of Iran after decades of living there. The recent Israel-Iran war accelerated their return, pushing numbers to a record high, while deep funding cuts have made humanitarian aid operations increasingly challenging.”
The UNHCR official warned that Afghan returnees are arriving in an impoverished country that is unprepared to support them. Women and girls who had access to education and jobs in Iran now return to a country where “extreme gender injustice” makes such opportunities impossible, he said.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, on returns from Iran.
“As humanitarian assistance and basic services dwindle, people in Gaza have been increasingly deprived of the means for their survival,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York.
It has been 17 weeks since any fuel has entered Gaza, according to Mr. Dujarric – a critical shortage that forced the Al-Shifa Medical Complex to suspend its kidney dialysis services and restrict its intensive care unit services to just a few hours per day.
Other hospitals, including Al-Aqsa in Deir al-Balah, have also come under attack, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting a strike on a tent sheltering displaced civilians in its courtyard.
Over the past 48 hours, five school buildings sheltering displaced families were also hit, reportedly causing deaths and injuries, while a new evacuation order issued on Sudan displaced 1,500 families from northern Gaza.
Living in terror
Olga Cherevko, an official at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), described conditions for families in Gaza as “living in terror.”
“The only thing that is on their minds right now is a ceasefire and peace at last,” she said.
Ms. Cherevko called for Israel to open all border crossings and allow a steady and sufficient flow humanitarian aid.
“The thing that needs to happen for us…to address the emergency on the ground, is to reopen additional crossings, to allow supplies to enter through multiple corridors and remove the constraints that are in place for us to deliver supplies to people in need,” she said.
She warned that unless conditions change quickly, essential services will continue to shut down — and the broader humanitarian response could stall entirely.
“If the situation doesn’t change very, very urgently, more such services will continue shutting down,” Ms. Cherevko said.
“And if the situation doesn’t change going forward, the entire humanitarian operation could grind to a halt.”
In a statement on Monday, the prosecutors’ office confirmed that deputies Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang are taking the lead, ensuring continuity across all cases and operations.
The transition follows Prosecutor Khan’s announcement on 16 May that he would temporarily step aside while the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) conducts an external inquiry into the allegations.
The investigation into widely reported allegations of sexual misconduct is being conducted by the OIOS at the request of the ICC’s governing body. Mr. Khan has denied the allegations.
Although the ICC’s Independent Oversight Mechanism typically handles such matters, the OIOS was brought in given the circumstances of the allegations and perceptions of possible and future conflicts of interest.
Duty of care
The prosecutors’ office said it would fully cooperate with the investigation, while underscoring the need to protect the privacy and rights of everyone involved – emphasising the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the OIOS investigation.
“The Office is acutely aware of the duty of care it owes to all staff members and personnel, especially affected individuals,” the statement underscored.
Impartial and fair process
The Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC – which elects the 18 judges – said on Sunday that the OIOS investigation was being carried out to ensure a full independent, impartial and fair process.
“The findings of the investigation will be handled in a transparent manner in accordance with the Rome Statute and the legal framework of the Court,” it noted.
Upholding ICC’s mandate
In assuming leadership, the Deputy Prosecutors underlined the importance of ensuring continuity of the office’s activities across all areas of work, and particularly in its mission to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes – genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression – with independence and impartiality.
Court in the spotlight
The Prosecutor’s leave of absence comes at a sensitive moment for the ICC, which is conducting investigations and prosecutions across multiple conflict zones, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Sudan (Darfur) and Ukraine.
The UN Security Council can refer situations to the ICC, enabling the Court to investigate and prosecute most serious crimes. Notable referrals include the situations in Darfur, Sudan (2005) and Libya (2011).
In return, the ICC reports to the Security Council when needed involving referrals.
Criminal networks are increasingly seeking to gain control over extraction sites, trade routes, and refining infrastructure.
According to a new report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), these groups have become deeply embedded in gold supply chains, drawn by the sector’s high profitability and rising gold prices.
‘Serious global threat’
Organized crime has become so involved in the gold supply that it now constitutes a “serious global threat”, with illegal networks constantly adapting in order to enable and hide their operations.
Exploiting advances in transportation, finance, and communications, many of these groups have a foothold in regular businesses, enabling them to both launder proceeds and move illegal gold with relative ease.
Apart from heightened violence, corruption and environmental degradation, crime gangs also expose vulnerable populations to exploitation, the UN highlights, increasing the risk of sexual exploitation, forced labour, and displacement.
Bypassing regulations
While legal mining operations are regulated to minimise environmental harm, illegal mining bypasses these safeguards entirely.
By clearing forests to access mineral deposits, illicit operations directly contribute to environmental destruction, degrading fragile ecosystems and accelerating biodiversity loss – particularly when such activities occur within protected areas.
One of the most severe environmental impacts of illegal gold mining is the use of hazardous or banned chemicals by criminal organisations.
Opportunities
Although the majority of gold mining sites are located in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, most gold refineries are concentrated in Europe, Asia, and North America. As a result, the precious metal often crosses multiple borders before it even reaches a refining centre.
This transnational movement creates opportunities for both criminal exploitation and law enforcement intervention.
Criminal groups frequently introduce illegally sourced gold into the supply chain by exploiting weak oversight, inconsistent documentation, and regulatory loopholes along trade routes.
However, the geographical concentration of refineries offers a strategic point for disruption, the UNODC report noted.
Focusing regulatory efforts on these key hubs could significantly reduce the flow of illicit gold into the global market, the report concluded.
It’s believed that hundreds of thousands of trafficked individuals of various nationalities are forced to carry out fraud in the centres located across Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines and Malaysia.
“The situation has reached the level of a humanitarian and human rights crisis,”said right experts Tomoya Obokata, Siobhán Mullally and Vitit Muntarbhorn. They stressed that thousands of released victims remain stranded in inhumane conditions at the Myanmar-Thailand border.
The underground operations are often linked to criminal networks that recruit victims globally, putting them to work in facilities principally in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Many victims are kidnapped and sold to other fraudulent operations, said the rights experts who are known as Special Rapporteurs, reporting to the Human Rights Council. They are not UN staff and work in an independent capacity.
They noted that workers are not freed unless a ransom is paid by their families and that if they try to escape, they are often tortured or killed with total impunity and with corrupt government officials complicit.
“Once trafficked, victims are deprived of their liberty and subjected to torture, ill treatment, severe violence and abuse including beatings, electrocution, solitary confinement and sexual violence,” the Special Rapporteurs said.
‘Address the drivers of cyber-criminality’
The rights experts added that access to food and clean water is limited and that living conditions are often cramped and unsanitary.
The experts urged Southeast Asian countries, as well as the countries of origin of the trafficked workers, to provide help more quickly and increase efforts to protect victims and prevent the scams from taking place.
This should include efforts that “go beyond surface-level public awareness campaigns” and which address the drivers of forced cyber-criminality – poverty, lack of access to reasonable work conditions, education and healthcare.
Other recommendations to governments included addressing the insufficient regular migration options that push people into the arms of people traffickers.
The dark inner workings of scam farms were revealed in a UN Newsinvestigation last year which found that they had proliferated following the coronavirus“>COVID-19 pandemic.
“Southeast Asia is the ground zero for the global scamming industry,” said Benedikt Hofmann, from the UN agency to combat drugs and crime, UNODC.
“Transnational organised criminal groups that are based in this region are masterminding these operations and profiting most from them,” said Mr. Hofmann, Deputy Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, at a Philippines scam farm that was shut down by the authorities in March 2024.
When UN News gained access to the compound, it was found to have housed 700 workers who were “basically fenced off from the outside world,” Mr. Hofmann explained.
“All their daily necessities are met. There are restaurants, dormitories, barbershops and even a karaoke bar. So, people don’t actually have to leave and can stay here for months.”
Escaping was a near-impossible task and came at a hefty price.
“Some have been tortured and been subjected to unimaginable violence on a daily basis as punishment for wanting to leave or for failing to reach their daily quota in terms of money scammed from victims,” the UNODC official insisted.
“There are multiple types of victims, the people who are being scammed around the world, but also the people who are trafficked here held against their will and who are exposed to violence.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A former mansion with a storied past in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has reopened as a movie-themed hotel, with the aim of becoming a new landmark in the city.
Left to right, Cheng Xinhua, founding partner of Movietel and chairman of Dossen International Group, and He Yan, founder of Movietel, pose for a photo at the transformed Bailu Mansion hotel, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
Following a year-long restoration, the historic Bailu Mansion now serves as a unique cultural landmark where revolutionary history meets cinematic art, according to He Yan, founder of Movietel, which operates under Dossen International Group.
“Bailu Mansion hosted such historic figures as Zhou Enlai, Chiang Kai-shek, Zhang Chong, Pan Hannian and Mei Lanfang, making it far more valuable than ordinary buildings,” He explained. “Through its transformation into a hotel, we aim to systematically showcase this historical legacy, allowing the public to physically engage with national memories rather than merely read about them.”
The mansion’s most historic moment came in 1937 shortly after the Xi’an Incident, when Zhou Enlai — later first premier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) — stayed at Bailu to conduct secret talks with Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling. These negotiations established the Second United Front between the Kuomintang (KMT) and Communist Party of China (CPC), forming China’s united resistance against the Japanese invasion.
An exterior view of Movietel, the transformed historic Bailu Mansion, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
Marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the restored site now features a Second United Front exhibition hall and preserves historic locations including the Panlong Gate where Zhou Enlai and KMT representative Zhang Chong took their historic photo. Other restored areas include Zhou’s residence, the garden and former KMT provincial chairman’s quarters.
“Bailu Mansion is a pivotal landmark where the KMT and CPC transitioned from confrontation to cooperation, symbolizing national unity during crisis,” He explained. The exhibition helps younger generations better understand these historic decisions, while a film on the West Lake Talks is screened in both the exhibition hall and on the hotel’s outdoor display to deepen public understanding of the historic event.
After the founding of the PRC in 1949, Bailu Mansion served as a guesthouse under the Hangzhou Railway Bureau before being designated a municipal-level cultural heritage site in 2009. When Hangzhou’s West Lake District government and Zhejiang Railway Development Group launched urban renewal plans, they selected the building for transformation into a heritage hotel. Movietel’s restoration followed “repair as old” principles — fixing walls, replacing tiles and restoring carvings, paintings and gardens.
A photograph of Zhou Enlai and Zhang Chong posing outside Bailu Mansion on display in the exhibition hall of Movietel, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
Blending cinematic creativity with historical heritage, Movietel reimagines Bailu as a living film studio. Inspired partly by Zhang Chong — a KMT official and pioneer in China’s early film industry as director of the KMT Central Film Studio — the hotel offers guests the opportunity to star in their own stories. They can meet script agents for assigned roles, receive full costume and makeup services, experience themed sets, enjoy private cinematic dining and stay in film-inspired suites — leaving with a personalized movie of their stay.
Movietel’s founder He Yan noted that the property also serves as a shooting location for film and TV productions and hosts cultural industry events, including a recent salon co-organized by the China Film Foundation and Motion Picture Association during the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival last month.
A movie-themed suite at Movietel, transformed from the historic Bailu Mansion, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
“Using Hangzhou as a model, we plan to expand this ‘historic architecture plus cinematic immersion’ format to neighboring cities and Beijing, keeping history alive through film while establishing new local film culture landmarks,” He Yan said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A former mansion with a storied past in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has reopened as a movie-themed hotel, with the aim of becoming a new landmark in the city.
Left to right, Cheng Xinhua, founding partner of Movietel and chairman of Dossen International Group, and He Yan, founder of Movietel, pose for a photo at the transformed Bailu Mansion hotel, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
Following a year-long restoration, the historic Bailu Mansion now serves as a unique cultural landmark where revolutionary history meets cinematic art, according to He Yan, founder of Movietel, which operates under Dossen International Group.
“Bailu Mansion hosted such historic figures as Zhou Enlai, Chiang Kai-shek, Zhang Chong, Pan Hannian and Mei Lanfang, making it far more valuable than ordinary buildings,” He explained. “Through its transformation into a hotel, we aim to systematically showcase this historical legacy, allowing the public to physically engage with national memories rather than merely read about them.”
The mansion’s most historic moment came in 1937 shortly after the Xi’an Incident, when Zhou Enlai — later first premier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) — stayed at Bailu to conduct secret talks with Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling. These negotiations established the Second United Front between the Kuomintang (KMT) and Communist Party of China (CPC), forming China’s united resistance against the Japanese invasion.
An exterior view of Movietel, the transformed historic Bailu Mansion, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
Marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the restored site now features a Second United Front exhibition hall and preserves historic locations including the Panlong Gate where Zhou Enlai and KMT representative Zhang Chong took their historic photo. Other restored areas include Zhou’s residence, the garden and former KMT provincial chairman’s quarters.
“Bailu Mansion is a pivotal landmark where the KMT and CPC transitioned from confrontation to cooperation, symbolizing national unity during crisis,” He explained. The exhibition helps younger generations better understand these historic decisions, while a film on the West Lake Talks is screened in both the exhibition hall and on the hotel’s outdoor display to deepen public understanding of the historic event.
After the founding of the PRC in 1949, Bailu Mansion served as a guesthouse under the Hangzhou Railway Bureau before being designated a municipal-level cultural heritage site in 2009. When Hangzhou’s West Lake District government and Zhejiang Railway Development Group launched urban renewal plans, they selected the building for transformation into a heritage hotel. Movietel’s restoration followed “repair as old” principles — fixing walls, replacing tiles and restoring carvings, paintings and gardens.
A photograph of Zhou Enlai and Zhang Chong posing outside Bailu Mansion on display in the exhibition hall of Movietel, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
Blending cinematic creativity with historical heritage, Movietel reimagines Bailu as a living film studio. Inspired partly by Zhang Chong — a KMT official and pioneer in China’s early film industry as director of the KMT Central Film Studio — the hotel offers guests the opportunity to star in their own stories. They can meet script agents for assigned roles, receive full costume and makeup services, experience themed sets, enjoy private cinematic dining and stay in film-inspired suites — leaving with a personalized movie of their stay.
Movietel’s founder He Yan noted that the property also serves as a shooting location for film and TV productions and hosts cultural industry events, including a recent salon co-organized by the China Film Foundation and Motion Picture Association during the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival last month.
A movie-themed suite at Movietel, transformed from the historic Bailu Mansion, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo courtesy of Movietel]
“Using Hangzhou as a model, we plan to expand this ‘historic architecture plus cinematic immersion’ format to neighboring cities and Beijing, keeping history alive through film while establishing new local film culture landmarks,” He Yan said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on the balcony of the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 4, 2025. Trump signed his landmark policy bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill, into law on Friday afternoon. [Xinhua/Hu Yousong]
U.S. President Donald Trump signed his landmark policy bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill, into law on Friday afternoon.
The signing ceremony at the White House came a day after the bill was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday. Trump set a deadline for the bill to pass before July 4 to make the signing event a part of the Independence Day ceremony that included a B-2 bomber flyover.
The law represents Trump’s agenda policies including tax cuts and funding boosts for military expenditure and border security.
Speaking before the signing ceremony, Trump praised Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson for their work in holding the conference together to get the bill passed. “Those two are a team that is not going to be beat,” he said.
Representatives of both parties in the House were deeply divided on the bill, which features sweeping cuts to spending on healthcare and food programs for the poor, and increased expenditure on military and border security, while cutting taxes on a broad line of incomes. It has been predicted that the bill will add 3.3 trillion U.S. dollars to the country’s already high debt burden.
The bill passed the House voting with a narrow margin of 218 to 214, with every Democrat and two Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voting against it.
Following the passage of the bill in the House, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the legislation “an encapsulation of all of the policies that the president campaigned on and the American people voted on,” and said it was a “victorious day for the American people.”
The White House has touted the bill’s passage as the biggest legislative win of the president, saying in a release Thursday afternoon that “Again and again, President Trump and Republicans fought and won for the American people.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on the balcony of the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 4, 2025. Trump signed his landmark policy bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill, into law on Friday afternoon. [Xinhua/Hu Yousong]
U.S. President Donald Trump signed his landmark policy bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill, into law on Friday afternoon.
The signing ceremony at the White House came a day after the bill was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday. Trump set a deadline for the bill to pass before July 4 to make the signing event a part of the Independence Day ceremony that included a B-2 bomber flyover.
The law represents Trump’s agenda policies including tax cuts and funding boosts for military expenditure and border security.
Speaking before the signing ceremony, Trump praised Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson for their work in holding the conference together to get the bill passed. “Those two are a team that is not going to be beat,” he said.
Representatives of both parties in the House were deeply divided on the bill, which features sweeping cuts to spending on healthcare and food programs for the poor, and increased expenditure on military and border security, while cutting taxes on a broad line of incomes. It has been predicted that the bill will add 3.3 trillion U.S. dollars to the country’s already high debt burden.
The bill passed the House voting with a narrow margin of 218 to 214, with every Democrat and two Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voting against it.
Following the passage of the bill in the House, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the legislation “an encapsulation of all of the policies that the president campaigned on and the American people voted on,” and said it was a “victorious day for the American people.”
The White House has touted the bill’s passage as the biggest legislative win of the president, saying in a release Thursday afternoon that “Again and again, President Trump and Republicans fought and won for the American people.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz remained on course for a third straight Wimbledon title after defeating Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round on Friday.
The second-seeded Spaniard secured a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, converting five of 12 break points. He excelled on second returns, winning 34 of 55 points – a key factor in his win.
“I think I returned pretty well. It just puts so much pressure on his serve. I think it was the key today,” the 22-year-old said.
Alcaraz will next take on 14th seed Andrey Rublev, who eased past Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.
The two-time champion anticipates a tough match against the aggressive Russian.
“He’s a really powerful player. I think he plays really well on grass because he always loves to be aggressive,” he said.
“When he finds his forehand, I think he likes to move his opponent from side to side. It’s going to be really difficult because on grass, the movement is the most difficult thing to do,” he added.
Meanwhile, fifth-seeded American Taylor Fritz advanced with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and will meet Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the next round. Thompson defeated Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame a spirited challenge from Britain’s Emma Raducanu, winning 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Trailing 4-1 in the second set, Sabalenka rallied to claim five consecutive games.
“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said Sabalenka.
“I had to fight for every point to get this win,” the 27-year-old Belarusian added.
Elsewhere, Australian Open champion Madison Keys fell to 37-year-old German Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3, while former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka squandered a set lead to lose 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz remained on course for a third straight Wimbledon title after defeating Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round on Friday.
The second-seeded Spaniard secured a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, converting five of 12 break points. He excelled on second returns, winning 34 of 55 points – a key factor in his win.
“I think I returned pretty well. It just puts so much pressure on his serve. I think it was the key today,” the 22-year-old said.
Alcaraz will next take on 14th seed Andrey Rublev, who eased past Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.
The two-time champion anticipates a tough match against the aggressive Russian.
“He’s a really powerful player. I think he plays really well on grass because he always loves to be aggressive,” he said.
“When he finds his forehand, I think he likes to move his opponent from side to side. It’s going to be really difficult because on grass, the movement is the most difficult thing to do,” he added.
Meanwhile, fifth-seeded American Taylor Fritz advanced with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and will meet Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the next round. Thompson defeated Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame a spirited challenge from Britain’s Emma Raducanu, winning 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Trailing 4-1 in the second set, Sabalenka rallied to claim five consecutive games.
“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said Sabalenka.
“I had to fight for every point to get this win,” the 27-year-old Belarusian added.
Elsewhere, Australian Open champion Madison Keys fell to 37-year-old German Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3, while former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka squandered a set lead to lose 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Los Angeles, California, July 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SunnyMining, the world’s leading cloud mining service provider, today announced the official launch of the first cloud mining program that integrates the concept of public welfare. The project closely combines innovative cryptocurrency revenue models with social responsibility, and is committed to promoting the sustainable and healthy development of the digital mining industry. By adopting green and low-carbon mining technology and continuously investing part of the revenue in education, environmental protection and various public welfare undertakings, SunnyMining not only allows users to easily earn mainstream cryptocurrencies, but also injects new impetus and value into social welfare.
Daniel Hargreaves, CEO of SunnyMining, said: “Our public welfare cloud mining program allows every user to be part of a social good. We are committed to using responsible innovation to fund projects that improve people’s livelihoods and promote sustainable development, and to set a new benchmark for the crypto industry to achieve profitability and social responsibility in parallel.”
Main features of Sunny Mining public welfare cloud mining project
Focusing on user benefits：SunnyMining breaks the traditional threshold, allowing every user to easily participate in cloud mining without any professional equipment or technical thresholds. After registration, you can mine mainstream cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin through the platform to achieve convenient benefits.
Continuous support for public welfare：The platform promises to continue to invest part of its operating profits in public welfare projects around the world, and practice corporate social responsibility with practical actions. Every time a user earns a share of income, it also indirectly contributes to social welfare.
Green, low-carbon and environmentally friendly：SunnyMining adheres to the concept of green mining, vigorously adopts renewable energy to drive data centers, optimizes energy efficiency, and strives to achieve a win-win situation between mining benefits and environmental protection.
Open, transparent, trustworthy：The platform discloses mining results in real time, with transparent benefits and clear capital flows, so that every user can participate and profit with peace of mind.
The platform provides a variety of flexible contracts, ranging from short-term trials to high-yield long-term plans. The investment threshold, cycle and income of each contract are clearly displayed, which is convenient for users to choose as needed.
Automatic daily settlement of income
After the contract is activated, the system will automatically allocate computing power and help you mine. Daily income is automatically settled, and you can check it on the APP at any time. The operation is simple and the process is transparent.
“This project sets a new benchmark for the industry and fully proves that profitability and social responsibility can go hand in hand in the field of crypto mining.” —— David Chen, blockchain industry expert
About SunnyMining
SunnyMining is an innovative cloud mining platform. Since its establishment in 2019, it has always insisted on providing users with convenient, efficient and sustainable cryptocurrency mining services. We not only attach importance to the continuous upgrading of technology, but also integrate social responsibility into every step of corporate development. We are committed to empowering global users, while actively giving back to the society and helping public welfare and environmental protection.
Welcome to visit SunnyMining’s official website for more details and start your new experience of public welfare cloud mining.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mohammadamin Ahmadfard, Postdoctoral Fellow, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University
Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly transforming how cities generate, store and distribute energy, acting as the invisible conductor that orchestrates cleaner, smarter and more resilient cities.
By integrating renewables — from solar panels and wind turbines to geothermal grids, hydrogen plants, electric vehicles and batteries — AI can enable cities to manage diverse energy sources as a single, intelligent system.
One striking example is the Oya Hybrid Power Station in South Africa. Here, AI-driven controls seamlessly co-ordinate solar, wind and battery storage to deliver reliable power to up to 320,000 households. Using AI makes this kind of integration not only possible, but dramatically more efficient.
Recent research shows AI can also optimize how batteries, solar and the grid interact in buildings. A 2023 study found that deep learning and real-time data helped a boarding school in Turin, Italy increase low-cost energy purchases and cut its electricity bill by more than half.
Cleaner, smarter energy grids
AI models are increasingly able to predict weather with greater precision. These predictions allow electric grid operators to plan hours ahead, storing excess energy in batteries or adjusting supply to meet demand before a storm or heatwave hits.
Using AI to respond strategically to weather is a game-changer. In Cambridge, England, a system called Aardvark uses satellite and sensor data to generate rapid, accurate forecasts of sun and wind patterns.
Unlike traditional supercomputer-driven weather models, Aardvark’s AI can deliver precise local forecasts in minutes on an ordinary computer. This makes advanced weather prediction more accessible and affordable for cities, utilities and even smaller organizations — potentially transforming how communities everywhere plan for and respond to changing weather.
AI models are increasingly able to predict weather with greater precision, allowing electric grid operators to plan ahead, storing excess energy in batteries or adjusting supply to meet demand before a storm or heat wave hits. (Shutterstock)
AI for smarter district heating and cooling
In Munich, Germany, AI is improving geothermal district heating by using underground sensors to monitor temperature and moisture levels in the ground.
The collected data feeds into a digital simulation model that helps optimize network operations. In more advanced versions, during winter cold snaps, such systems can suggest lowering flow to underused spaces like half-empty offices and boosting heat where demand is higher, such as in crowded apartments.
This intelligent, self-optimizing approach extends the life of equipment and delivers more warmth with the same energy input.
This is a breakthrough with enormous potential for cities in cold climates with established geothermal networks, such as Winnipeg in Canada and Iceland’s Reykjavik.
Although these cities have not yet adopted AI-driven monitoring systems, they could benefit from AI’s real-time improvements in efficiency, comfort and energy savings during harsh winters — a principle that holds true wherever geothermal district heating and cooling exists.
Inside the home, AI-managed smart climate systems can factor in how many people are in each room, which appliances are in use, how much natural sunlight each space receives. (Shutterstock)
Smart buildings
Inside the home, AI-managed smart climate systems can factor in how many people are in each room, which appliances are in use, how much natural sunlight each space receives and how much electricity or heat a home’s solar panels generate throughout the day.
Based on this, AI determines how to heat or cool rooms efficiently, and can transfer energy from one space to another, balancing comfort with minimal energy use.
Coastal cities and those in wind-heavy regions are using AI in other creative ways. In Orkney, Scotland, excess wind and tidal energy are converted into green hydrogen. Instead of letting that surplus power go to waste, an AI system called HyAI controls when to generate hydrogen based on wind forecasts, electricity prices and how full the hydrogen storage tanks are.
When winds are strong at night and electricity is cheap, the AI can divert surplus power to produce hydrogen and store it for later use. On calmer days, that stored hydrogen can power fuel cells or buses.
Energy storage
AI is transforming energy storage into a smart, revenue-generating force. In Finland, a startup called Capalo AI has developed Zeus VPP, an AI-powered virtual power plant that aggregates distributed batteries from homes, businesses and other sites.
Zeus VPP uses advanced forecasting and AI algorithms to decide when batteries should charge or discharge, factoring in energy prices, local consumption and weather forecasts. This enables battery owners to earn revenue by participating in electricity markets, while also supporting grid stability and making better use of renewable energy.
AI-powered dynamic line rating adjusts how much electricity a line can carry in real time, boosting capacity by 15 to 30 per cent when conditions allow. This helps utilities maximize the use of existing infrastructure instead of relying on costly upgrades.
At the local level, AI analyzes smart metre data to predict which transformers are overheating due to rising EV and heat pump use.
By forecasting these stress points, utilities can proactively upgrade equipment before failures happen — a shift from reactive to predictive maintenance that makes the grid stronger and cities more resilient.
AI-powered public transit and mobility
Transportation innovation is becoming part of the energy solution, with AI at the centre of this transformation. In New York City, energy company Con Edison has installed major battery storage systems to help manage peak electricity demand and reduce reliance on polluting peaker plants, which supply energy only during high-demand periods.
More broadly, Con Edison is deploying advanced AI-powered analytics software across its electric grid — optimizing voltage, enhancing reliability and enabling predictive maintenance. Together, these efforts show how combining energy storage and AI-driven analytics can make even the world’s busiest cities more resilient and efficient.
AI is also powering “vehicle-to-grid” innovations in California, where an AI-driven platform manages electric school buses that can supply stored energy back to the grid during periods of high demand.
By carefully managing when buses charge and discharge, these systems help keep the grid reliable and ensure vehicles are ready for their daily routes. As this technology expands, parked electric vehicles could serve as valuable backup resources for the electricity system.
Transportation innovation is becoming part of the energy solution. (Shutterstock)
AI for clean energy initiatives
AI is rapidly transforming cities by revolutionizing how energy is used and managed. Google, for example, has slashed cooling energy at its data centres by up to 40 per cent using AI that fine-tunes fans, pumps and windows more efficiently than any human operator.
Organizations like the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in collaboration with NVIDIA, Microsoft and others, have launched the Open Power AI Consortium, which is creating open-source AI tools for utilities worldwide.
These tools will enable even the most resource-constrained cities to deploy advanced AI capabilities, without having to start from scratch, helping to level the playing field and accelerate the global energy transition.
The result is not just cleaner air and lower energy bills, but a path to fewer blackouts and more resilient homes.
Mohammadamin Ahmadfard receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Mitacs Inc. for his postdoctoral research at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Shannon D. M. Moore, Assistant professor of social studies education, Department of Curriculum Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba
The sexual assault trial of five former World Juniors hockey players has spotlighted issues around sexual assault and consent.
We argue for harnessing popular media to advance sexuality education. Children and youth learn about a great deal about gender, relationships, sexuality and consent from popular media.
Although there is strong theoretical rationale for using popular media to confront sexual assault, many teachers identify and experience barriers to putting this into practice in their classrooms.
Talking about sex in society and in schools is often taboo. Discussions of healthy relationships and consent are often highly controlled, minimized or relegated to a sexual education curriculum that is not universally taught. This is due to parental opt-outs/ins in many provinces.
Not surprisingly, neglecting comprehensive sexuality education has many adverse consequences. Students learn that eliminating sexual violence is not a societal priority. Those who have experienced assault and other forms of violence learn that they are not important, as their stories are often silenced, ignored or distrusted.
As a result, rape culture and gender-based violence remains unchallenged in schools, while it is normalized, legitimized and endorsed in popular media.
What youth watch, play, listen to or create on social media has a significant role in teaching dominant understandings that normalize sexual violence, misogyny and the patriarchy.
As teacher educators and educational researchers, the teachers we have worked with across grades and subject areas recognize how popular media is always and already present in classrooms, and many embrace the opportunities it affords for necessary conversations that are relevant to students.
Challenges with using popular media
The teacher participants in our study revealed that classroom culture wars have had a chilling impact on their practice, making them feel more wary about tackling particular topics.
We found that despite research-informed rationale for using popular media to ground sexuality education, teachers encounter several barriers and complications in doing so.
Teachers’ discomfort was exacerbated when school leaders did not support their efforts to advance these lessons, even though they were anchored to the provincial curriculum. Teacher participants also spoke of a lack of professional development or preparation to talk about healthy relationships and consent in teacher education contexts.
1. Start with media constructions of gender: As popular media contributes to societal expectations of gender, students should begin by interrogating how masculinities and femininities are constructed and mobilized in popular media.
This can include examining how male, female and non-binary characters are constructed and presented to audiences, their position within the broader storyline and their level of dialogue and how varied intersections of identity impact these depictions.
2. Begin with unfamiliar content: Students can initially become defensive when they are asked to critically engage with media content that deeply connect with their identity and give them a sense of joy.
While the goal is to move to the interrogation of students’ own media diets, it can positively generate student participation when educators begin analytical and critical discussions about media with unfamiliar, or at least not cherished, material (like popular songs, video or social media).
3. Offer a feminist lens: As teacher educators, we recognize that there is no single method or approach that tends to every aspect of sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence. Yet, we also know that educators seek resources to engage more meaningfully with students.
Cards to foster conversation
We constructed a deck of educational playing cards that educators can use to foster conversations about media portrayals of gender, healthy relationships and consent (or lack thereof).
These cards employ a feminist lens, based on Sarah Ahmed’s Living a Feminist Life. We advocate for teachers to have time in professional learning spaces to try out the cards with other educators before they facilitate complex conversations related to gender-based violence with students.
If as a society we want to see fewer instances of gender-based violence, teachers need provincial curriculum documents that align with the research on comprehensive sex education. They also need school leaders who will support their work and model consent in the broader school culture, and more professional development and preparation in teacher education.
Shannon D. M. Moore receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Jennifer Watt receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council .
This political support stands in sharp contrast to the many businesses that have reduced or ended their support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community this Pride season.
Multinational corporations like Google, as well as Canadian-owned companies like Molson Coors, have divested from supporting festivals, while Target has scaled back its Pride merchandise due to threats against employees and large-scale conservative backlash.
The impact is already being felt. Pride Toronto is currently facing a $900,000 funding gap. Executive director Kojo Modeste recently told CBC News this corporate divestment appears to be linked to the larger backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Fear of punitive measures
In January, United States President Donald Trump issued an executive order to dismantle DEI initiatives in federal agencies and target private companies that support DEI measures. In the executive order, Trump’s administration called DEI measures and mandates “immoral discrimination programs.”
Major private corporations, including IBM, quickly bent to the pressure of Trump’s anti-DEI orders by gutting their programs and shifting corporate donorship away from “woke” initiatives.
The pressure to comply with anti-DEI measures hasn’t ended with corporations. More recently, Trump has set his sights on the U.S. post-secondary system, freezing US$2.2 million in federal grants and US$60 million in contracts after Harvard University refused to comply with the administration’s demands related to its DEI programs.
Following in the footsteps of the U.S., Alberta’s United Conservative Party membership passed a resolution to eliminate DEI programs and training in the public service. The party has also indicated it will remove government funding from post-secondary institutions that continue to do DEI work.
Declining public support
In addition to the rollback of DEI programs, the ongoing corporate reductions in Pride support are taking place amid increasing anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment.
A 2024 poll reported that, in Canada, support for 2SLGBTQIA+ visibility — like representation on screens and in sports — is lower than it was in 2021. Compared to previous years, Canadians also expressed less support for transgender rights, and this level of support was lower than the 26 other countries surveyed.
Public attitudes don’t change in a vacuum. They are deeply influenced by hate movements, political rhetoric and the spread of misinformation and disinformation weaponized by politicians and leaders to dehumanize the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, particularly transgender people.
This dehumanization incites fear, violence and support for anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate. It has coincided with companies silently withdrawing their support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Where we live, in Alberta, the provincial government has passed the most draconian anti-trans laws Canada has ever seen. As we (Corinne L. Mason and Leah Hamilton) have previously written, Premier Danielle Smith’s government has unveiled a suite of policies targeting transgender, intersex and gender diverse children and youth in Alberta, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community more broadly.
In this environment of reduced public and political support, it’s not surprising to see companies backing away from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Getting back to Pride’s roots
The fact that companies have quickly backed away from their support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community — by halting production of Pride merchandise or reducing sponsorship in Pride festivals — illustrates the conditionality of their support.
Rather than beg big business to come back to the table, some members of the community are using this moment to reflect on how corporate “Love is Love” campaigns haven’t actually led to increased quality of life or justice for our communities.
Pride Month is rooted in protest and resistance against police violence and systemic oppression. It was led by Black trans women and can be traced back to the Stonewall Riots. Today, Pride still isn’t simply a party and parade.
Authentic ‘rainbow dollars’
In this sociopolitical climate of legislated DEI rollbacks and declining public support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, organizations that want to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community should back up their messaging with meaningful actions and structural support.
Some organizations have shown a commitment to structural support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community from its beginning, including the Northern Super League, the top-division professional women’s soccer league in Canada. The league openly and consistently amplifies and supports its 2SLGBTQIA+ players, coaches, staff and fans. Founded by Diana Matheson, an openly queer woman, the league is founded on inclusion as a core value.
When it comes to creating Pride merchandise, Social Made Local is a queer-owned Canadian apparel company in Saskatoon that focuses on gender-inclusive sizing, sustainability and community. They donate a portion of their sales to Canadian non-profits like Rainbow Railroad.
Companies that want to show their support can spend their rainbow dollars in good faith through actions that meaningfully support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. This could include creating programs that support queer entrepreneurs, donating to legal funds that are fighting discriminatory legislation, and partnering with 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations to amplify their work.
Leah Hamilton receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Corinne L. Mason receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Gini (Virginia) Weber 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: The Conversation – Canada – By Erenna Morrison, PhD Candidate, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
However, the DPCDSB — located in the Greater Toronto area — has also introduced a flag policy that raises serious questions about a commitment to the wider progress being made in welcoming all students and promoting reconciliation.
On Jan. 28, 2025 — following advocacy in different parts of Ontario and the country against the presence of the Pride flag — the board’s trustees voted in nine to one to add more restrictions to its flag policies. These restrictions stipulated that only flags representing Canada, the provinces, territories and the school board can be be displayed inside schools or other DPCDSB facilities.
Acts of erasure
The developments in Peel Region follow earlier policy changes to restrict the presence of the Pride flag and other flags at schools.
Our concern is informed by our combined research and personal engagement focused around reconciliatory education in elementary Catholic schools (Erenna) and Anishinaabe Catholic expressions of self-determination in the Church (Noah). Erenna is a settler and Noah is a member of Michipicoten First Nation.
We are married writing partners who travelled to Québec City in July 2022 to witness the long-awaited penitential pilgrimage of the late Pope Francis. We left with an awareness that this is a critical time for the righting of relationships that have been severely fractured by a Church complicit in genocide.
The DPCDSB flag policy speaks to an unwillingness of many to sever emotional attachments to the white imperialism that preserves a western way of thinking, doing and being, in the name of faith.
When a major Catholic entity like the DPCDSB introduces policies that may cause harm, concerned people, regardless of creed, must pay attention to such injustices.
Brea Corbet, the only trustee with voting power who did not vote to restrict the Pride flag, told an earlier bylaw policies meeting: “When we remove rainbow flags and heritage flags, we are not protecting our Catholic identity; we are revealing institutional fragility. The Pride flag does not threaten Catholic education, policies of exclusion do.”
Three student trustees also opposed the restrictive policy, but their votes unfortunately aren’t counted. We argue this too speaks to the suppression of student voice within the board.
This fragility disproportionately threatens the safety of Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and marginalized students and staff as they are overlooked and dismissed by the flag policy.
Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk) education professor Frank Deer speaks of educational programming “that is congruent with the identity of the local community.” This programming, he writes, must go beyond curricula to address the school environment as well. Student safety, inclusion and identity affirmation must be prioritized in all aspects of school life.
Jennifer Brant, a Kanienʼkehà:ka interdisciplinary scholar, speaks in depth about how silence during times like these equates to complicity in accepting injustices that are taking place within “the communities in which we live, the broader society and global communities.”
Inaction in response to this policy is negligent.
Detrimental ramifications may also extend to reconciliation efforts in religious spaces more generally. This regressive policy poses lingering questions about the longevity of Catholic schools if they fail to protect and nurture all students.
Impacts on reconciliation
The primary target of the DPCDSB’s sweeping flag policy is the 2SLGBTQI+ community. In addition, the flag ban attacks Indigenous sovereignty and Anishinaabek nationhood, perpetuating attitudes tied to the Doctrine of Discovery still present in the Catholic ethos.
Flying the flags of First Nations (at their request) is not only a matter of inclusion, it is a matter of respect — respect for the land, the people and the treaties that connect us.
In denying this step towards relationality, this governing body of a Catholic school board sets back the Church’s reconciliation efforts riding on the momentum of the papal visit.
The board’s ignorance of how this policy risks damaging relationships with students, families and staff at the board, as well as the broader public, partly reflects an indifference that Pope Francis warned Catholics about during his visit:
“I trust and pray that Christians and civil society in this land may grow in the ability to accept and respect the identity and the experience of the Indigenous Peoples. It is my hope that concrete ways can be found to make those peoples better known and esteemed, so that all may learn to walk together.”
Walking together in solidarity
As we write this piece, we can see through the window a local Toronto Catholic Distric School Board elementary school, where an Every Child Matters flag is flown alongside a Pride and Canadian flag.
Catholic education, despite its sordid history and contested perspectives about interpreting and practising Church doctrine, can be a tool to drive reconciliation.
We wish to continue to hear counter-narratives of hope and possibility for Catholic education. We wish to see active changes that move the DPCDSB, as scholar Sheila Cote-Meek of the Teme-Augama Anishinabai, writes, “to a drastically different way of being, doing and working.”
As other Catholic boards in Ontario initiate flag debates of their own, we are left with the lingering question. What is the future of Catholic education if it’s not intended to support the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of all those entrusted to its care?
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Urban Indigenous gathering for community well-being, showing the importance of interconnectedness in Indigenous Communities in Hamilton, Ont. in August 2021. This way of being must be reflected in nuclear projects to better work alongside Indigenous Peoples.(Michelle Webb)
With climate change-fuelled natural disasters becoming more frequent and devastating for communities around the world, the need for cleaner energy solutions is more urgent than ever.
When it comes to transitioning away from fossil fuels, much of the focus tends to be on solar, wind or hydroelectricity. However, small modular reactors (SMRs) are an emerging technology showing promise globally.
SMRs are a specific type of nuclear reactor that, as the name suggests, are small in energy output and modular in their manufacturing. Provinces like New Brunswick, Alberta and Saskatchewan have made progress on strategic plans to make SMRs part of their provincial climate action plans.
Unlike traditional nuclear reactors that generally produce more than 1,000 megawatts of electricity, SMRs are designed to produce as low as five megawatts. The modularity of such reactors allows for manufacturing off-site and installation at the desired location. This can decrease construction time, manufacturing costs and certain environmental costs associated with building on site.
In an effort to shift reliability from carbon-emitting resources to nuclear power, SMRs provide an exciting alternative, but implementation needs effective engagement with Indigenous communities to flourish.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) could be relatively feasible way to generate power for many off-grid communities. (A. Vargas/IAEA)
Engaging Indigenous communities
Much of Canada’s electricity is already generated from low-carbon emission sources. However, there are still areas in northern Canada that are reliant on diesel, and therefore SMR plans are often aimed at providing electricity to these communities.
As research continues into the engineering and science behind SMR technology, meaningful community engagement with Indigenous communities is also required.
Thoughtfully considered and integrated consultations are necessary to ensure projects respect treaties, land rights and the surrounding environment. Consultation is needed to understand the needs and goals of the community for creating an energy transition plan.
In addition, incorporating traditional ecological knowledge in environmental risk assessments is vital. Ultimately, projects designed alongside Indigenous communities should strive for Indigenous sovereignty over growing infrastructure.
Why community engagement is important
Indigenous communities continue to face challenges as a result of colonization. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) seventh Call to Action highlights the need to eliminate educational and employment disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
A direct way to address in terms of Canada’s nuclear landscape is to train members of those communities in technical roles related to the planning, deployment and sustained use of a nuclear facility. Specifically, training today’s Indigenous youth so they can fulfil these roles in their future careers.
The TRC’s Call to Action 92 calls on Canada’s corporate sector to engage in meaningful consultation, respectful relationship-building and equitable access to training and education opportunities that will contribute to long-term benefits from any economic development projects.
Through understanding the need for this relationship-building, there is a lot that western practices can learn from adopting Indigenous ways of knowing. Indigenous people have a long history of sustainable practices in their culture and traditions, and although western science now consider sustainable practices, it is not deeply woven into community and industrial initiatives.
As nuclear projects advance in Canada, it’s vital to respect Indigenous knowledge through weaving with western science. Projects can adopt a Two-Eyed seeing approach. This refers to viewing a problem with one eye using an Indigenous knowledge perspective and the other with a western knowledge lens. There is much to learn from understanding the philosophy behind Indigenous ways of knowing that can be applied to protect the environment.
Indigenous knowledge varies across Canada and comes with different insights, but a commonality is the teaching that all living things are interconnected and must be respected and cared for. This perspective is necessary for the future of nuclear projects to ensure the environment is sustained to support the biodiversity of regions throughout Canada.
This informed approach of protecting the environment, together with an ecosystem approach that considers the uniqueness and interconectedness of each organism, will ultimately lead to improved nuclear policies and safety.
The actions that institutions and private industry take today to build strong relationships with Indigenous communities and work towards an increasingly sustainable future will support already resilient communities so they can see growth well beyond the deployment of SMRs. A path to a cleaner future is in reach, but only if we walk beside Indigenous leaders, knowledge holders, community members and, especially, youth.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides recently announced the province will move ahead to develop provincial standards “to ensure the age-appropriateness of materials available to students in school libraries.” This followed a public engagement survey related to what he said were concerns about “sexually explicit” books in Edmonton and Calgary schools.
Like Florida’s statute on K-12 instructional materials, Alberta’s proposal centres on age-appropriateness and increasing parental choice in learning materials.
Confusion and a climate of fear caused by the bill has led Florida teachers and librarians to self-censor. Florida’s Department of Education urged districts to “err on the side of caution” to avoid potential felony charges.
Such fear and surveillance lead to unnecessary restrictions on students’ rights.
However, as PEN Canada notes, the implications of the proposed policies raise alarm bells, with the government’s actions “paving the way to a new era of government-sponsored book banning.” Singling out books has the same effect as a ban, according to the CEO of the St. Albert Public Library.
Nicolaides also said the proposed policy is focused on sexual content, so themes and depictions of graphic violence are “probably not” an issue.
Rolling back trans, queer rights
Alberta has already rolled back the rights of trans and non-binary children and youth to use different pronouns, access gender-affirming care and participate in sports.
Queer and trans identities are also absent from all subjects in the K-12 program of studies, including recently updated K-6 curriculum. New sexual health resource guidelines prohibit the use of learning materials that primarily and explicitly address sexual orientation or gender identity unless they have been vetted and approved by Alberta Education (except for use in religion classes).
Survey amplifies moral panic
Through specific communication tactics, the minister’s public engagement works to exacerbate moral panics about sexuality as a threat to childhood innocence. This influences broader messages about 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion.
The government-created survey shared illustrations and text excerpts on their own, without context or consideration of their narrative purpose in each book. Although the excerpts flagged by the minister make up between 0.1 to two per cent of the total page count in each book, the books as a whole are labelled “extremely graphic.”
Forty-nine per cent of parents of school-aged children were not at all or not very supportive of the creation of government guidelines, compared to 44 per cent of the same demographic who were somewhat or very supportive (eight per cent were unsure). Across each other demographic, most respondents expressed that they didn’t support the creation of new government standards. But the ministry plans to move ahead anyway.
Parental rights groups and far-right activists have long asserted that 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in schools “indoctrinates” and sexualizes children.
We’re concerned the Alberta government may be reinforcing this message to manufacture a greater public consensus in support of wider policies against 2SLGBTQIA+ rights.
Far-right activist groups like Take Back Alberta have shaped the UCP government’s policies alongside special interest groups like Action4Canada and Parents for Choice in Education.
Queer and trans identities are viewed as a social contagion threatening to change anyone exposed to them, and efforts for inclusion are labelled “gender ideology.”
These misconceptions, combined with political and religious biases, frame queerness and transness as “adult topics” that will confuse or harm children. However, research confirms ignoring these topics is of far greater concern when children may already experience discrimination about their gender expression by the age of five.
Earlier learning about diverse forms of gender expression and relationships can reduce victimization, and prevent young children from becoming perpetrators of, or bystanders to, anti-2SLGBTQIA+ harassment and violence.
Access to self-selected literature is important for all students, and can be a lifeline for 2SLGBTQIA+ students who don’t see themselves in the curriculum.
If Alberta Education will not prepare students for the world they live in — where we queer and trans people exist, flourish and are loved — then students should be able to seek out stories that reflect that world. It’s a matter of protecting their freedom of expression.
Jamie Anderson has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Calgary.
Tonya D. Callaghan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Killam Trusts.
Caitlin Campbell and Nicole Richard do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
But many asylum-seekers face significant challenges. Refugees formally in the asylum system are often denied residency permits, which means they face persistent insecurity, poverty and isolation
These conditions are compounded by restrictive and limited services for asylum-seekers. This deepens the precarity and exclusion refugees face within a political and economic system that treats them more like economic burdens than as human beings with rights who need help.
In response to these institutional failures, citizens, volunteers and refugees themselves have begun to build grassroots networks of care and solidarity in the ROC and beyond to support refugee communities.
In 2022 and 2023, we conducted interviews with women volunteers and refugees affiliated with The Learning Refuge, a civil society organization in the city of Paphos in southwest Cyprus that cultivates dialogue and collaboration among these two diverse groups.
Women-led initiatives
Many displaced people first arrive on the island of Cyprus through the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). However, the absence of a functioning asylum system or international legal protections leaves them in limbo.
With no viable path to status in the TRNC, most cross the Green Line that bifurcates Cyprus into the ROC, where European Union asylum frameworks exist but remain limited in practice.
In Cyprus, as in manyother countries, a variety of community-building efforts are important responses to limited or restricted state support and humanitarian aid for refugees.
Women-led efforts offer opportunities to deliver educational activities and establish networks, and to help improve the welfare and social protection of refugee women, however imperfectly.
Founded in 2015, The Learning Refuge began as community meetings in a city park. The organization then used space from a nearby music venue to conduct support activities, and later, established itself in a dedicated building.
Organizations like The Learning Refuge emerged to address the limited state support and humanitarian assistance services available to refugees.
The Learning Refuge cultivates dialogue and collaboration among a diverse group of community volunteers. (Suzan Ilcan)
The Learning Refuge cultivates dialogue and collaboration among a diverse group of community volunteers, including schoolteachers, artists, musicians, local residents, refugees and other migrants.
With the aid of 20 volunteers, the loosely organized groups provide women refugees with material support and resources to enhance collective activities, including art and music projects, while also engaging in educational and friendship activities.
While modest in scale, the organization has formed partnerships with local and international organizations, including Caritas Cyprus, UNHCR-Cyprus and the Cyprus Refugee Council to extend its outreach to various refugee groups.
The organization has also launched creative initiatives aimed at cultivating additional inclusive civic spaces. One such effort, “Moms and Babies Day,” was developed in response to the rising number of single mothers from Africa arriving on the island. These women often face poverty and isolation, and struggle with language barriers.
These efforts highlight how grassroots responses — especially those led by women — can offer partial but vital educational and emotional support to refugees struggling to find their footing in a new country.
Negotiated belonging
Through participation in The Learning Refuge, refugee women in Paphos engage in a dynamic process of negotiated belonging, navigating challenges like language barriers, gendered isolation, domestic violence and poverty while contributing to broader community-building efforts.
For example, Maryam, a Syrian woman and mother of three, told us how The Learning Refuge helped her children establish friendships and learn Greek. She also highlighted that it helped her form close ties with volunteers and other Syrian women living in Cyprus, and find paid work in the city.
The volunteers and women refugees participating in The Learning Refuge’s activities emphasized not only their capacity to develop new forms of belonging and solidarity; they also help reshape communal knowledge and generate supportive spaces for women from various backgrounds.
Our research shows that women-led community-building is an effective, though short-term, response to insufficient state support and humanitarian aid systems that leave many refugees in precarious situations.
In varying degrees, these efforts offer women and their families spaces to learn and cultivate new relationships, and foster collective projects and better visions of resettlement and refuge.
Suzan Ilcan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada.
Seçil Daǧtaș receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Having GenAI generate an image can draw about 6,250 times more electricity, roughly the energy of fully charging a smartphone, or enough to keep the same light bulb on for 87 consecutive days.
The hundreds of millions of people now using AI have effectively added the equivalent of millions of new homes to the power grid. And demand is only growing. The challenge for tech companies is that few sources of electricity are well-suited to AI.
The grid wasn’t ready for AI
AI requires vast amounts of computational power running around the clock, often housed in energy-intensive data centres.
Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind provide intermittent energy, meaning they don’t guarantee the constant power supply these data centres require. These centres must be online 24/7, even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
Major tech companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft say they are committed to eliminating CO2 emissions, making fossil fuels a poor long-term fit for them.
This has pushed nuclear energy back into the conversation. Nuclear energy is a good fit because it provides electricity around the clock, maximizing the use of expensive data centres. It’s also clean, allowing tech companies to meet their low CO2 commitments. Lastly, nuclear energy has very low fuel costs, which allows tech companies to plan their costs far into the future.
However, nuclear energy has its own set of problems that have historically been hard to solve — problems that tech companies may now be uniquely positioned to overcome.
Is nuclear energy making a comeback?
Nuclear power has long been considered too costly and too slow to build. The estimated cost of a 1.1 gigawatt nuclear power facility is about US$7.77 billion, but can run higher. The recently completed Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in the state of Georgia, for example, cost US$36.8 billion combined.
Historically, nuclear energy projects have been hard to justify because of their high upfront costs. Like solar and wind power, nuclear energy has relatively low operating costs once a plant is up and running. The key difference is scale: unlike solar panels, which can be installed on individual rooftops, the kind of nuclear reactors tech companies require can’t be built small.
Yet this cost is now more palatable when compared to the expense of AI data centres, which are both more costly and entirely useless without electricity. The first phase of OpenAI and SoftBank’s Stargate AI project will cost US$100 billion and could be entirely powered by a single nuclear plant.
Nuclear power plants also take a long time to build. A 1.1 gigawatt reactor takes, on average, 7.5 years in the U.S. and 6.3 years globally. Projects with such long timelines require confidence in long-term electricity demand, something traditional utilities struggle to predict.
One of the biggest challenges facing nuclear energy is the perception that it’s dangerous and dirty. Per gigawatt-hour of electricity, nuclear produces only six tonnes of CO2. In comparison, coal produces 970, natural gas 720 and hydropower 24. Nuclear even has lower emissions than wind and solar, which produce 11 and 53 tonnes of CO2, respectively.
Still, nuclear energy remains stigmatized, largely because of persistent misconceptions and outdated beliefs about nuclear waste and disasters. For instance, while many public concerns remain about nuclear waste, existing storage solutions have been used safely for decades and are supported by a strong track record and scientific consensus.
For decades, there was little effort to correct public perceptions about nuclear fears because it wasn’t seen as necessary or profitable. Coal, gas and renewables were sufficient to meet the demand required of them. But that’s now changing.
The world has long lived with two nuclear dilemmas. The first is that, despite being one the safest and cleanest form of energy, nuclear was perceived as one the most dangerous and dirtiest.
Now tech companies are making hundred-billion-dollar strategic bets that they can solve both nuclear dilemmas. They are betting that nuclear can offer the kind of steady, clean power their AI ambitions require.
This could be an unexpected positive consequence of AI: the revitalization of one of the safest and cleanest energy sources available to humankind.
Michael Tadrous, an undergraduate student and research assistant at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, co-authored this article.
Goran Calic 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.
Having GenAI generate an image can draw about 6,250 times more electricity, roughly the energy of fully charging a smartphone, or enough to keep the same light bulb on for 87 consecutive days.
The hundreds of millions of people now using AI have effectively added the equivalent of millions of new homes to the power grid. And demand is only growing. The challenge for tech companies is that few sources of electricity are well-suited to AI.
The grid wasn’t ready for AI
AI requires vast amounts of computational power running around the clock, often housed in energy-intensive data centres.
Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind provide intermittent energy, meaning they don’t guarantee the constant power supply these data centres require. These centres must be online 24/7, even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
Major tech companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft say they are committed to eliminating CO2 emissions, making fossil fuels a poor long-term fit for them.
This has pushed nuclear energy back into the conversation. Nuclear energy is a good fit because it provides electricity around the clock, maximizing the use of expensive data centres. It’s also clean, allowing tech companies to meet their low CO2 commitments. Lastly, nuclear energy has very low fuel costs, which allows tech companies to plan their costs far into the future.
However, nuclear energy has its own set of problems that have historically been hard to solve — problems that tech companies may now be uniquely positioned to overcome.
Is nuclear energy making a comeback?
Nuclear power has long been considered too costly and too slow to build. The estimated cost of a 1.1 gigawatt nuclear power facility is about US$7.77 billion, but can run higher. The recently completed Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in the state of Georgia, for example, cost US$36.8 billion combined.
Historically, nuclear energy projects have been hard to justify because of their high upfront costs. Like solar and wind power, nuclear energy has relatively low operating costs once a plant is up and running. The key difference is scale: unlike solar panels, which can be installed on individual rooftops, the kind of nuclear reactors tech companies require can’t be built small.
Yet this cost is now more palatable when compared to the expense of AI data centres, which are both more costly and entirely useless without electricity. The first phase of OpenAI and SoftBank’s Stargate AI project will cost US$100 billion and could be entirely powered by a single nuclear plant.
Nuclear power plants also take a long time to build. A 1.1 gigawatt reactor takes, on average, 7.5 years in the U.S. and 6.3 years globally. Projects with such long timelines require confidence in long-term electricity demand, something traditional utilities struggle to predict.
One of the biggest challenges facing nuclear energy is the perception that it’s dangerous and dirty. Per gigawatt-hour of electricity, nuclear produces only six tonnes of CO2. In comparison, coal produces 970, natural gas 720 and hydropower 24. Nuclear even has lower emissions than wind and solar, which produce 11 and 53 tonnes of CO2, respectively.
Still, nuclear energy remains stigmatized, largely because of persistent misconceptions and outdated beliefs about nuclear waste and disasters. For instance, while many public concerns remain about nuclear waste, existing storage solutions have been used safely for decades and are supported by a strong track record and scientific consensus.
For decades, there was little effort to correct public perceptions about nuclear fears because it wasn’t seen as necessary or profitable. Coal, gas and renewables were sufficient to meet the demand required of them. But that’s now changing.
The world has long lived with two nuclear dilemmas. The first is that, despite being one the safest and cleanest form of energy, nuclear was perceived as one the most dangerous and dirtiest.
Now tech companies are making hundred-billion-dollar strategic bets that they can solve both nuclear dilemmas. They are betting that nuclear can offer the kind of steady, clean power their AI ambitions require.
This could be an unexpected positive consequence of AI: the revitalization of one of the safest and cleanest energy sources available to humankind.
Michael Tadrous, an undergraduate student and research assistant at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, co-authored this article.
Goran Calic 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.
