Authorities in the occupied Gaza Strip must respect the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and cease the ongoing repression of protesters, Amnesty International said today.
Over the past two months, the organization has documented a disturbing pattern of threats, intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas-run security forces against individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide and its recent escalation in bombardment and expansion of mass displacement.
Since 25 March, residents of Beit Lahia, a town in the North Gaza governorate, have organized multiple marches demanding an end to Israel’s genocide and unlawful displacement. These protests have attracted hundreds, if not thousands of Palestinians. Protesters have been chanting slogans and holding signs criticizing the Hamas-led authorities in Gaza, with some people calling for an end to Hamas’ rule. Smaller protests have also taken place in Jabalia refugee camp, Shuja’iya and Khan Younis, where protesters also chanted slogans against specific Hamas leaders.
“The Hamas authorities must immediately cease all repressive measures against Palestinians who are bravely and openly expressing their opposition to Hamas practices in Gaza. Reports of beatings, threats, and interrogations are extremely alarming and constitute serious violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.
Palestinians in Gaza are protesting the devastating impact of Israel’s ongoing genocide and the forced displacement, as well as the failure of the authorities in Gaza to protect them from such attacks. They have the right to criticize the authorities without fearing violent reprisals.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.
“It is abhorrent and shameful that while Palestinians in Gaza are enduring atrocities at the hands of Israel, Hamas authorities are further exacerbating their suffering by ramping up threats and intimidation against people simply for saying ‘we want to live’. Palestinians in Gaza are protesting the devastating impact of Israel’s ongoing genocide and the forced displacement, as well as the failure of the authorities in Gaza to protect them from such attacks. They have the right to criticize the authorities without fearing violent reprisals.”
Amnesty International interviewed 12 individuals – 10 men and two women – who either participated in or organized protests, as well as family members of three other protesters who said their relatives had been threatened if they decided to continue protesting. The interviewees described incidents where people who took part in protests were summoned for interrogation without following formal procedures, beaten with sticks and, in some cases, being threatened that they would be shot.
Many expressed ongoing fears of further repression, with some family members of protesters describing threats and violence directed at their loved ones.
Others expressed defiance. One resident of al-Atatra in Beit Lahia, whose family was decimated in an Israeli airstrike last year, told Amnesty International:
“We are entitled to live with dignity. We started marching because we want a solution to our suffering. No one incited us or told us to protest. People are protesting because they cannot live, they wanted change… Security forces came threatening and beating us, accusing us of being traitors, simply for raising our voices. We will continue to protest, no matter the risk.”
He described how after a protest on 16 April, members of Hamas security services summoned him for interrogation, along with several others from the neighbourhood of al-Atatra where he lives. He said he and others were taken to a building in Mashrou’ Beit Lahia which had been transformed into a makeshift detention centre, and were beaten by around 50 armed men in civilian clothes:
“I was beaten on my neck, on my back, with wooden sticks on my neck. They shouted at me…They accused me of being a traitor – a collaborator with the Mossad [Israeli intelligence agency]. I told them we took to the streets because we wanted to live, we wanted to eat and drink… I lost my family in one of the worst massacres in this war, five of my siblings and their children were killed. It was horrible, to be called a collaborator, to have your patriotism questioned, when your family is wiped out,” he said, adding that the government in Gaza has failed its citizens and while people know Israel is to blame, they also feel the Hamas authorities don’t “see” their suffering
He was released after nearly four hours of detention and interrogation and was ordered not to participate in any further protests.
Since its takeover of Gaza in 2007 and the establishment of a parallel security and law enforcement apparatus, Hamas has imposed severe restrictions on freedom of association, expression and peaceful assembly, using excessive force in response to several protest movements, most notably in 2019, and regularly detaining and torturing dissidents. Even during Israel’s ongoing genocide, Hamas security services continued to throttle freedom of expression, including by labelling critics as traitors.
Seven protesters interviewed by Amnesty International said they had been labeled as “traitors” by security forces in plain clothes, who approached them after the protests, or during interrogation.
One protester said: “Here in Beit Lahia, we are attached to our land… so when we were displaced, it was like someone took our whole life away. We called on our neighbors, friends, to protest after the evacuation orders, because we were afraid of another displacement. It was a protest against the occupation and also against Hamas. We wanted them to listen to us.”
He said that initially the protestors called for Israel to end its genocide, establish a ceasefire and open the crossings into Gaza. However, many began chanting against Hamas because “people are angry and fed up”.
He told Amnesty International that he had been summoned for interrogation multiple times but refused to go until individuals affiliated with Hamas security services came to his home on 17 April.
“They beat me with sticks, and punched my face, the beating was not very hard, I think it more of a threat. Prior to that, after a protest, one person affiliated with them came over and threatened to shoot me in my feet if I continue to protest,” he said.
During interrogation he was accused of being recruited by the head of the intelligence services of the Ramallah-based Palestinian authorities and of being paid by Israeli intelligence.
“It’s all nonsense,” he said. “They know it’s nonsense. Yes, I identify with Fatah [the other main Palestinian political party] but in Gaza now, it’s not about Hamas and Fatah. We want to survive; we want to live.”
Other residents from Beit Lahia said the authorities threatened them but stopped short of harming them physically. An 18-year-old student told Amnesty International that men in plainclothes threatened to harm him and his family if he did not stop protesting.
A woman who helped to organize a women-led vigil in Beit Lahia told the organization that her husband and children were threatened with arrest for their participation in protests. She said: “After the threats against men we wanted to raise our voices as women. It was a small protest, but we wanted to send a message, to our leaders, and also to the occupation [Israel] that we cannot tolerate this anymore. We want to protect our children; we want to live.”
In recent days, Israeli forces expanded their military operations across the occupied Gaza Strip, re-deploying tanks in Beit Lahia and forcing most residents out. One woman displaced from Beit Lahia to Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on 16 May, told Amnesty: “We protested against Hamas and against the war, and now we are displaced by Israel again.”
Referencing a comment made by a senior Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, in which he said: “The house will be rebuilt and the martyr…we will reproduce tenfold,” she told Amnesty:
“They [Hamas leaders] don’t care for our suffering. Even if I rebuild my house that was destroyed, the memories and life I had there will never be rebuilt. My cousin lost her husband and three children in an Israeli strike. Can he look at her and say that her children will be reproduced?”
Criticism of Abu Zuhri’s remarks and other statements by Hamas leaders that appear to belittle the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza was voiced by displaced people who staged a spontaneous protest when Khan Younis received a mass “evacuation order” on 19 May 2025.
The authorities in Gaza must respect the rights of the people in Gaza and protect them, at a time when their survival is at stake.
Erika Guevara-Rosas.
“The authorities in Gaza must allow peaceful protesters, dissidents, and journalists to exercise their rights without intimidation, harassment, or violence. Interrogation of protesters must cease immediately, and those responsible for violence or threats should be held accountable. The authorities in Gaza must respect the rights of the people in Gaza and protect them, at a time when their survival is at stake,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International
Background
The recent crackdown on protests in the occupied Gaza Strip occurs against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing genocide and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. On 2 March Israel had completely cut off the supply of humanitarian aid and other items indispensable to the survival of civilians. The 77-day total siege, which Israel slightly but insufficiently eased following international pressure, and the ongoing severe restrictions area clear and calculated effort to collectively punish over two million civilians and contribute to the creation of conditions of life leading to the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The key event of the international exhibition “Metalloobrabotka – 2025” took place in the Moscow-City Expo Center – a plenary session dedicated to the implementation of the national project “Means of Production and Automation”. The event was organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Opening the meeting, the Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Anton Alikhanov presented the main parameters of the discussed project “Means of Production and Automation” and spoke about the key support measures. Thus, compensation of 50% of the cost of domestic robots makes them profitable in just one year.
According to the results of last year, the level is 29 robots per 10 thousand people. A year ago, this figure was 19. That is, we have grown quite well. But I repeat once again, our task is to reach the level, approximately, taking into account the growth of the entire parallel world, of 145 robots per 10 thousand people. This, in fact, is within our power, – the minister said.
In 2025, more than 1,200 companies from seven countries will participate in Metalloobrabotka: Russia, Belarus, India, Italy, China, the Republic of Korea and Turkey. More than 800 Russian companies will take part in the exhibition. Belarus and China will present national expositions.
The key topics of this year’s exhibition are: “Innovations in Machine Tool and Tool Building”; “Automated Lines and Robotic Systems”; “Software for Smart Factory Management”; “Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Digital Twins”; “New Materials and Additive Technologies”.
Visitors can see the equipment “in action” – from heavy metal-cutting machines to robotic complexes and artificial intelligence systems that manage production. The Polytechnic University stand is of particular interest to visitors. The University presents not just scientific developments, but ready-to-implement technological solutions – from 3D metal printing to robotic welding and the creation of intelligent materials. The Polytechnic University demonstrates the unique potential of laser and additive technologies, which today are becoming not just tools, but key drivers of the technological sovereignty of the Russian Federation. We are confident that these innovations are the future.
On Tuesday, a series of business negotiations and meetings with potential partners took place at the Polytechnic stand. The official delegation of SPbPU was headed by the Director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport Anatoly Popovich. Polytechnicians met with representatives of the leading IT company of the Russian Federation — Softline Group. At the negotiations, SPbPU was also represented by the Director of the Scientific and Educational Center “Mechanical Engineering Technologies and Materials” Pavel Novikov and the Scientific Secretary of the Polytechnic Dmitry Karpov.
The partners discussed the horizons of possible cooperation. Following the meeting, it is planned to create an inter-industry center for additive technologies. The meeting participants also considered the prospects for creating new-generation laser equipment.
The Director of the IMMI, Chief Designer of the KNU NEW Materials, Technologies, Production, as part of the Strategic Technological Leadership project, Anatoly Popovich shared his impressions of SPBPU in the exhibition: at the Metal processing-2025 exhibition, Polytechnic University of Peter the Great, a leader in the field of laser and additive technologies. The main task of SPBPU, as a scientific center with world -class competencies, is to ensure the country’s technological leadership. Our competitive advantage is the ability to create and introduce breakthrough technologies in various scientific areas. At the exhibition, employees of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of St. Petersburg State University demonstrate the unique potential of laser and additive technologies, which today become not just tools, but key drivers of technological sovereignty of Russia. We are sure that it is the future for these innovations.
The use of laser technologies allows us to significantly improve the quality of products, reaching an inaccessible level of accuracy and reliability. Additive methods, in turn, open new horizons to create materials that can be adapted to the specific needs of industry. This is especially relevant in the conditions of a rapidly changing market, where flexibility and adaptability become decisive success factors. The future belongs to those who are ready not only to follow the trends, but also to create them themselves. Polytechnic University of Peter the Great is a reliable partner and platform for the implementation of the most daring ideas. Time to act is time to introduce innovations.
The Laboratory of Light Materials and Constructions surprises everyone with electric arc printing right at the exhibition. Students of IMMiT, under the guidance of Oleg Panchenko, assembled a welding cell in the shortest possible time so that everyone at the event could get acquainted with the process and see how a new metal part is born. Also on display at the exhibition are previously printed parts, such as a wheel rim, impeller, burner and other samples made by friction stir welding.
The new technology of direct printing of plastic on metal interested visitors and gave rise to ideas for further cooperation. A cone gear is printed at the exhibition. It is used in heavy industry, can be used in the automotive industry, aircraft manufacturing and other industrial areas.
The exhibition guests are shown the process of high-temperature (1200 degrees) selective laser melting in real time. Unique developments of bimetallic samples of promising materials obtained by additive technologies are presented. Works in the field of composite materials are also demonstrated – a polymer compressor wheel reinforced with carbon fiber.
The staff of the research laboratory “Laser and Additive Technologies” brought to the exhibition samples manufactured by the method of direct laser growth and repaired by the method of laser cladding. Also presented are exhibits formed by laser and hybrid laser-arc welding methods.
The exhibits created by laser welding of 316L steel with a thickness of 100 µm to 10 mm are of the greatest interest to the guests. The employees demonstrated a sealed miniature flat sample of a hydrogen energy source fuel cell with a wall thickness of 100 µm, welded with an overlap. Samples of armor steel grades with a thickness of 7 mm to 20 mm, welded in one pass in the lower position, are presented.
Mikhail Kuznetsov, head of the laboratory, noted: In the era of rapid innovation, laser welding is becoming not just a technology, but a necessity. This process ensures high precision and speed of obtaining a permanent connection of the required quality, which is critically important in modern production conditions.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
A fourth-year student developed a hardware and software system for monitoring vital signs and motor activity for people with disabilities Faculty of Information Technology, Novosibirsk State University Mikhail Evdokimov. It allows remote monitoring of the user’s pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation, body temperature, as well as his movement in space. The prototype of the complex has already been assembled, testing is underway.
— The increase in the number of elderly people and patients suffering from various lifestyle-related diseases makes it critically important to develop systems that facilitate monitoring of the health of these people outside of hospitals, allowing them to stay at home or at work. Having various health limitations, these people need constant monitoring of their physical condition. Often, for various reasons, relatives cannot provide them with constant supervision, and negative changes occur when patients are left alone and are unable to seek help in a timely manner, which can sometimes lead to tragic consequences. Existing monitoring tools rarely combine autonomy and mobility, compactness and low cost, so we decided to create a monitoring system that would track the main indicators of the user’s physical condition and, if they deviate from the norm, notify the medical workers under whose supervision the user is, — said Mikhail Evdokimov.
The young researcher is confident that his project, which he is working on as part of his final qualifying work under the scientific supervision of the adviser to the rector of NSU, Professor Alexander Shafarenko, will help the elderly, including those with some forms of dementia, by simplifying health monitoring by transmitting the dynamics of indicators to medical organizations for the timely provision of medical care.
An important element of the system is a wristband that reads the pulse, body temperature and relative coordinates of the user. Other elements are a microcontroller with a magnetic sensor (one or more), as well as a central microcontroller, where all information from the sensors and the bracelet is sent.
The device’s bracelet looks very similar to a regular smart watch, and if the size of the device decreases during further development of the project, it will resemble fitness bracelets. But if the “smart watch” partially or completely implements health monitoring functions, then due to the limited functionality, they are not able to recognize abnormal conditions, and even more so, they do not have the functions of transmitting alarm information to medical workers. In addition, the “smart watch” device is tied to a specific manufacturer and is closed, which means that it does not allow modification by the medical service provider. These shortcomings have been eliminated by the developers of this project.
According to Mikhail Evdokimov, the vital signs monitoring system should be open and independent. Therefore, he studied and analyzed the design and functionality of several modifications of “smart watches” in search of successful ideas and the formation of requirements for his project. The young researcher came to the conclusion that a solution that meets all his requirements is currently absent, and the category of “smart watches” is only indirectly related to health monitoring and is not suitable for use as a component of the monitoring system he is creating. Therefore, his own “smart bracelet” was assembled and programmed, which has the set of functions necessary for the monitoring system. Using the C language, the program code was written for the operation of the built-in accelerometer, pulse sensor, data transmission via communication modules, power management and analysis of the collected data. The ESP-NOW protocol was chosen for communication between the system nodes. It was developed specifically for transmitting information between microcontrollers based on the ESP-32 processor and is a more efficient version of classic Wi-Fi. The interaction between the nodes has a client-server architecture: the bracelet and magnetic sensors send their readings to the central microcontroller with a static IP address.
This system works as follows: a magnetic sensor is installed on the doors of the apartment. It transmits information to the central microcontroller about whether the door is open or closed. The central microcontroller uses this data for analysis.
A magnetic sensor can be installed, for example, on the toilet door. If it has not been opened for a long time, this is an alarm signal. Perhaps the person is unconscious or in a helpless state, and urgent help is needed. A similar sensor installed in the kitchen can warn about the same thing – if a person does not come here for a long time, even to drink water, the system will issue a warning. Situations are envisaged when the user keeps the door open and does not close it behind him, or opens it, but does not enter the room. For this purpose, a comprehensive solution for the task of tracking movement has been developed, in which several sensors work together.
In such cases, an accelerometer is connected to track the user’s movements. The joint work of its coordinate system and magnetic sensors completely solves this problem. It is adjusted by a technical specialist during the initial calibration.
To track the user’s movements in space, the “smart bracelet” has a built-in accelerometer. Its readings are represented by three relative coordinates x, y, z. By analyzing the changes in coordinates, the device determines whether the user is moving or at rest. A fall of a person wearing the “smart bracelet” is recorded by a sharp change in the accelerometer sensor readings. At first, in order to distinguish a fall from movement in the direction of one of the coordinate axes, the difference was estimated not for each coordinate separately, but for the arithmetic mean of their changes. Later, Mikhail Evdokimov replaced this formula with a more accurate one, which uses the root of the sum of the squares of the change in coordinates. And as a threshold separating a fall from uniform movement, an experimentally calculated value was chosen, which is the average between the value of the formula when walking and when falling. When such a state of the user is recorded, the information is sent to the central microcontroller, and ultimately to the medical institution, from where the user’s condition is monitored.
And then, after the initial setup of the system, the user lives his normal life. He does not need to be in a hospital under 24-hour supervision. While at home, he is under the close attention of the monitoring system, which will notify medical workers about deviations of the user’s vital signs from the norm. It is important that this system is reliable and works autonomously.
— The advantage and key feature of my development is its focus on the autonomy of the system, which has its own power source and is highly energy efficient. And unlike smart watches, this is an open system that can be supplemented with other sensors if necessary. It has the ability to improve the analysis algorithms and transmit data to medical personnel. On the currently available hardware, the system can operate without recharging the source for about a week. When using more specialized and advanced hardware, it is expected that the equipment’s operating time without recharging will increase to one month. This is very important, since many elderly people often forget to charge their mobile phones, smart watches and other devices. With this approach, our solution will have minimal dependence on user activity, external power supply, communication channels and third-party platforms. Since all nodes have sufficient autonomy, system maintenance will need to be performed no more than once every six months. To achieve this, we decided to use high-capacity batteries at the hardware level, and at the software level, we created energy-efficient software code, said Mikhail Evdokimov.
An important task of the project was to organize energy-efficient operation of the programmable “smart bracelet” by changing the operating modes of the processor and peripherals depending on the situation. The emphasis was not on hardware, but on software reduction of energy consumption. Mikhail Evdokimov studied software capabilities for managing the energy consumption modes of the ESP-32 microprocessor, which is located on the bracelet. Then the student designed a system that regulates the sleep modes, which the processor can go into depending on the situation.
— In case of a long-term loss of connection with the central microcontroller, the bracelet goes into modem sleep mode, in which the power supply of the communication modules is turned off. After a certain period of time, the device wakes up to check the connection and, in case of failure, goes back to sleep. To minimize the loss of information, the collected sensor readings are partially stored in the bracelet’s memory and sent to the central microcontroller immediately after the connection is restored. As a result, energy consumption is reduced several times, — explained Mikhail Evdokimov.
The user can find out that the watch has been removed from the readings of the infrared heart rate sensor. In this case, since there is no more data to send, the system first goes into modem sleep mode, and after a few seconds, if the user has not returned, the light sleep mode is activated. The watch periodically wakes up to check whether it is on the user’s hand, and either resumes its work or goes back to sleep. If there are no significant changes in the accelerometer readings, for example, when the user is sleeping, the main processor goes into deep sleep mode. At this time, the Ultra Low Power coprocessor is engaged in data processing. It can wake the main processor from sleep by a timer or in the case of active user movement when he or she wakes up. Mikhail Evdokimov clarified that the implementation of this architecture required working with the assembly language.
To assemble the device units, the student purchased ready-made internal components and parts, and made the body of the “smart bracelet” on a 3D printer. The developed prototype of the vital signs and motor activity monitoring system has already confirmed its operability and feasibility of energy autonomy requirements in laboratory conditions, and also showed high potential for further development due to the openness and expandability of the system. The development of such solutions can improve the quality of life of people whose health requires special attention.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday announced her government’s plan to raise the hospital bed ratio to three per 1,000 citizens, aiming to significantly upgrade the city’s healthcare capacity.
Gupta made the remarks while laying the foundation stone for the construction of a new footpath at the SU Block park in Pitampura, located in the Shalimar Bagh Assembly constituency.
Addressing local residents gathered at the park, she said, “With everyone’s blessings, the government is completing 100 days on May 30, and we will present our report card before the public on May 31. But I can say this much: I do not make big promises. However, Delhi has now elected a government that can reduce problems. Your trust is our effort.”
Reflecting on the past 100 days of governance, Gupta said her administration has made a series of important policy decisions aimed at resolving long-standing public grievances.
“In the 100 days of service that our government has spent in Delhi, we have taken a lot of policy decisions because all these issues have been troubling the people of Delhi for years,” she said.
“The previous governments never tried to solve any problem, citing conflict. This lack of effort was a loss to the people of Delhi,” she added.
The Delhi Chief Minister revealed that a high-level health committee meeting she recently chaired brought to light a concerning statistic — Delhi had just 0.47 hospital beds per 1,000 people, far below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of two beds.
“I chaired a high-level health committee meeting, and I was shocked to learn that although the WHO recommends a minimum of 2 hospital beds per 1,000 people, Delhi had only 0.47 beds per 1,000 people—not even one bed per 1,000 citizens. This is a serious concern. Now, this elected government is working towards a goal of 3 beds per 1,000 people,” she said.
Calling for unified governance, she added, “Whether it is with the MCD, the Delhi Government, or the Central Government, an integrated system should be created so that no Delhiite remains without treatment, and no one dies due to lack of medical care.”
She also highlighted the implementation of Ayushman Bharat in Delhi, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for enabling the rollout of the healthcare scheme.
“I congratulate you that after you elected our government in Delhi, the Ayushman Yojana was implemented here. Today, Ayushman Yojana cards are being issued to the people of Delhi. We are issuing cards to all elderly residents above 70 years of age, and the Delhi government is providing treatment coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh—Rs 5 lakh from the Centre and Rs 5 lakh from the Delhi government,” she said.
“This scheme is not available anywhere else in the world. This is the only government that gives every elderly person above 70 years of age Rs 10 lakh for treatment,” she claimed.
Expressing gratitude for public support, Gupta concluded, “I sincerely thank PM Modi and all of you for your decision. It’s your single vote that has pushed Delhi forward on the path of progress.”
In a major push to bolster infrastructure and connectivity in Andhra Pradesh, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a four-lane highway corridor between Badvel and Nellore. The project, to be executed under the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model, will cover a distance of 108.134 kilometers at an estimated cost of ₹3,653.10 crore.
The newly approved Badvel-Nellore corridor is set to play a vital role in integrating key industrial nodes across the state. It will connect Gopavaram village in YSR Kadapa District, located on National Highway NH-67, to Guruvindapudi on NH-16 near Krishnapatnam Port in SPSR Nellore District.
The corridor is expected to enhance linkages to three major industrial corridors—Kopparthy on the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC), Orvakal on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (HBIC), and Krishnapatnam on the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC).
By facilitating direct access to the Krishnapatnam Port, which has been identified as a priority node under the CBIC, the highway will bolster logistics efficiency and improve India’s Logistic Performance Index (LPI). The improved route will shorten the existing travel distance to the port by nearly 34 kilometers, reducing it from 142 kilometers to just over 108 kilometers. This reduction is projected to save commuters up to one hour in travel time, while also lowering fuel consumption, vehicle operating costs, and the overall carbon footprint.
In addition to improving transportation infrastructure, the project is expected to have a positive economic impact by generating significant employment. It is projected to create approximately 20 lakh man-days of direct employment and an additional 23 lakh man-days of indirect employment. Moreover, the corridor is expected to stimulate economic growth in surrounding areas through increased commercial and industrial activity.
TORONTO, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Churchill Resources Inc. (“Churchill“) is extremely pleased to announce that due-diligence sampling at the historical Frost Cove Antimony and Stewart Gold mines on the Black Raven property returned assays of >10% antimony and >10g/t gold, respectively. These samples exceeded the detection limit for those elements, and further assay work is underway to determine their precise metal contents. The Frost Cove Antimony Veins and host felsic dyke have been traced over 800m on surface, with numerous historical samples grading >1% Sb (the upper detection limit of the historical assays), and has never been drilled.
“These exceptional results further validate the Company’s strategic pivot to antimony and gold at Black Raven’s past-producing mines, and underscores the entire property’s significant potential. They confirm and expand upon historical records from the property reported in our news release of April 14th, 2025. Further successful exploration at Frost Cove confirming these grade tenors along strike would place it among the highest-grade antimony projects globally. Finally, Churchill is very pleased to announce the execution of the definitive agreement dated May 6th, 2025 to acquire a 100% undivided interest in the Black Raven Antimony Property, from property owners Eddie and Roland Quinlan.” said Paul Sobie, Chief Executive Officer of Churchill.
The Black Raven property encloses the two small-scale past producing mines which operated between 1890 and 1918 exploiting stibnite, gold and arsenopyrite. The mines and numerous related occurrences constitute an extensive high-grade hydrothermal system carrying gold, antimony and silver in veins and stockworks. The historical mines and other occurrences are located within close proximity to each other, in a larger-scale geological environment defined by intense veining and alteration associated with felsic intrusions. For the first time in the project’s history, the entire mineralized system has been consolidated for systematic, state-of-the-art exploration.
Highlights:
Frost Cove Antimony Mine adits are in excellent condition for systematic sampling, CRI grab samples from the two known veins in upper adit assayed >10% Sb
Detailed sampling of both adits, and ~800m of known surface strike extent, with trenching and channel sampling, will commence in June
Numerous other historical high-grade gold-silver veins confirmed including the past-producer Stewart Gold Mine – large hydrothermal system confirmed which is also to be evaluated with trenching/stripping/channel sampling
Additional high-grade Au-Ag-Sb prospects not yet re-sampled
The Black Raven Property is located approximately 60km northwest of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, and hosts two past-producing mines dating back to the late 1800’s, the Frost Cove Antimony Mine, and the Stewart Gold-Antimony Mine. The Black Raven Property is located approximately 100km north of the Beaver Brook Antimony Mine, which is currently under care and maintenance. It is reported that the owners are actively exploring for more deposits to feed the mill. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/antimony-mine-closure-1.6703205)
Black Raven, like all of Churchill’s projects, is strategically located in Newfoundland and Labrador, which boast access to North American and European markets, proximity to deep water ports, exceptional power infrastructure and transportation networks. Like all of Churchill’s projects, Black Raven also benefits from Newfoundland & Labrador’s large and diversified minerals industry, which includes world class mines and processing facilities, and a well-developed mineral exploration sector with locally based drilling and geological expertise.
Antimony: A Critical Mineral in High Demand
Antimony is a critical mineral essential for national security and modern technology, with over 90% of global production controlled by China, Russia and other non-Western jurisdictions. The metal is a vital component in military applications, while also being crucial for certain flame retardants, strengthening alloys in batteries, and emerging energy storage technologies. Recent Chinese export restrictions have driven prices to record levels exceeding $50,000 per tonne, highlighting antimony’s strategic importance to a “Fortress North America” approach to critical mineral supply chains and making domestic North American sources increasingly important for economic and national security.
Due-Diligence Sampling Program
Antimony, gold and silver assay data from historical surface grab samples are presented in the figure below along with the 2025 Wilton due-diligence sample assays. Due-dilligence samples from several of the other prospects on the property returned high gold, lead, and zinc values per the figure and table below, with silver assays still pending. Importantly, reportedly high-grade occurrences at M.H. (Morton Harbour) Head, M.H.1 and M.H.2 were not able to be sampled during this first tour of the property.
All samples were selected by Dr. Derek Wilton, independent QP to Churchill, during field visits on April 24th and 25th in the company of Mr. Sobie and two senior field technicians, and led by vendor Roland Quinlan. All samples were labelled and securely bound and delivered to the prep laboratory of SGS Canada Inc. in Grand Falls-Windsor, for crushing and pulverizing. Splits were couriered to Burnaby, B.C. by SGS for assay work with analytical methods per the table below. Over-limit samples are currently receiving ore-grade assay work to determine precise metal contents. All due-diligence samples described in this news release were grab samples and are selective by nature and are unlikely to represent average grades of the property.
Frost Cove Antimony Mine – the historical workings are intact and as described by Heyl (1936), with a lower adit just above sea-level on the coast, and the upper adit commencing ~50m to the south, ~15m above the lower adit. It was not possible to examine the lower adit due to ice blockage, but the upper adit was accessible per the photos below and extends ~15m to a face where the antimony veins and host quartz feldspar dyke are exposed. The mine exploited two quartz-antimony veins intruded along the margins of the dyke over a stope width of ~2.5m. A considerable amount of material has been mined out between the surface and the entrances to the two adits. The host dyke and associated quartz-antimony veins have been mapped and sampled over ~800m per the figure with several pits reporting elevated historical sampling results.
Samples DW 307 and 308 are from the massive sulphide portions of the two quartz-antimony veins (HW and FW veins) and both assayed above the detection limit of >10% Sb. The foot wall vein is ~50cm in width, and the hanging wall vein ~15cm in width at the sample site in the upper adit, with impressive massive stibnite zones within the veins, per photos below.
Sample 306 was quartz-carbonate-qfp (quartz-feldspar-porphyry)-antimony vein material from rubble at the mouth of the lower adit, and it assayed 3.32% Sb (with modest Zn).
Follow-up work has commenced as CRI crews have completed clearing away trees from the mined-out stope to provide safe access and better exposure. Plans are in place to collect several channel samples from both adits, as well as systematically sample at surface along the known 800m strike through mechanical trenching/stripping/channel samples. Several affiliated veins to the main one, based on the Heyl’s (1936) mapping will be investigated.
The table below provides assays received to-date for all 24 due-diligence samples.
Stewart Gold Mine – the site has been rehabilitated with the shaft and all pits covered and filled with gravel. Sample 302 quartz-arsenopyrite vein material from a very lean rubble pile (virtually all waste) assayed >10g/t. Follow-up planning for a trenching and drilling program at Stewart is commencing.
Nearby Gold Veins to Stewart Mine – Sample 303 assayed 7.51 g/t Au (plus modest Pb and Zn). In samples 304-305 from veins across the harbour and along trend –both samples returned 7.7g/t Au (plus modest Cu, higher tenor Pb and Zn). Arsenopyrite is the predominant sulphide within these narrow <0.5m veins.
Taylor’s Room Gold Prospect – only rubble piles were located thus far, as overburden and forest cover obscure the veins and pits have been filled in. CRI sampling didn’t confirm previously reported high values, with the best sample DW-310 grading 1.98 g/t Au from weathered arsenopyrite vein material. The CRI crew has completed cutting down the very thick trees and bush cover over these veins for better sampling access. The historical shaft is still present albeit full of water.
Nearby Veins to Taylor’s Room Veins – two different narrow quartz-carbonate-arsenopyrite veins (samples DW-314 and DW-315) graded 5.81 and 5.09 g/t Au respectively with DW-315 returning very high Pb and Zn assays.
Morton’s Harbour Pond/Western Copper – collectively these two prospects exhibit characteristics of a large-scale (~1km diameter) porphyry mineralization target based on wide-spread, intense stockwork veining carrying modest gold, copper, silver and molybdenum contents based on historical work. Low but encouraging values in Au, Mo, Zn were returned for samples DW-319 to 321 and 323 with one quartz vein sample (DW-321) grading 2.16 g/t Au (plus low copper, high Pb and Zn). At Western Copper – low Cu values were returned from three samples collected at past surface channel sampling, DW-316 to 318. CRI has compiled the results from the four Winkie holes drilled by Eddie Quinlan in 2024 which intersected mineralized Cu-Au-Ag stockwork in altered felsic volcanic rocks (0.1-0.3% Cu, 50-350ppb Au plus Ag) from collar to their end of holes at ~60m. CRI also has compiled 2012 Induced Polarization survey work over the larger porphyry target to plan follow-up trenching and drilling for the summer.
Black Raven Antimony-Gold Property The Black Raven Property comprises nine map-staked licenses constituting a single contiguous block of 125 claims that in total cover 3,125ha or 31.25km2. Churchill and the vendors have agreed to a 4km wide area of interest around the property boundaries as part of their agreement.
Churchill intends to immediately commence its sampling program on the surface showings and any accessible historical workings following compilation of all historical data is complete. The entire property will be surveyed with LiDAR and orthophotos as soon as the Government permit has been received. Follow-up prospecting and systematic trenching, with channel sampling work as required, are being planned for initiation in June based on the compiled database. The derived geological and geochemical data will used to outline drill targets along strike and at depth to the historical workings.
The past sampling data reported in this News Release is historic in nature and does not meet NI43-101 standards. Churchill has relied on the information supplied in the Government of Newfoundland field assessment reports and from information found in the Mineral Occurrence Database System operated by the Newfoundland Department of Industry, Energy and, Technology. Natural Resources.
The technical and scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Derek H.C Wilton, P.Geo., FGC, who is a “qualified person” as defined under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”). Dr. Wilton is an honorary research professor of Economic Geology at Memorial University in St. John’s and is independent of the Company for the purposes of NI 43-101.
References:
Heyl, George R., 1936. Geology and Mineral Deposits of the Bay of Exploits Area. Newfoundland Department of Natural Resources, Geological Section, Bulletin No 3. 65 pages.
Fogwill, W.D., 1968. Report on a copper prospect at Western Head, Moreton’s Harbour in the Notre Dame Bay Area, Newfoundland. Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, Assessment File 2E/10/0350, 1968, 48 pages
Kay, E.A. 1981. A geochemical and fluid inclusion study of the arsenopyrite-stibnite-gold mineralization, Moreton’s Harbour, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland. Master Thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada, 1981. Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, Assessment File 002E/10/1075, 1981, 209 pages.
Quinlan E, 2013. First Year Assessment Report for 019872M, Ninth Year Assessment Report for 015553M, and Third Year Assessment Report for 017787M for Exploration within the Black Raven Property, NTS Map Sheet 2E/10. Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey Assessment Report, 69 pages
Quinlan, E. 2025. 21st, 8th & 4th Year Assessment Report of Diamond Drilling & Prospecting On Black Raven Property, License 023212M (21st Year), License 02840m (8th Year), License 35674m (4th Year) NTS 02E/10, North-Central Newfoundland. Property centered at approximately 49°57’N, 54°87’ W. 34 pages.
About Churchill Resources
Churchill Resources Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on strategic, critical minerals in Canada, principally at its prospective Taylor Brook, Florence Lake, and Black Raven properties in Newfoundland & Labrador. The Churchill management team, board, and advisors have decades of combined experience in mineral exploration and in the establishment of successful publicly listed mining companies, both in Canada and around the world. Churchill’s Newfoundland and Labrador projects have the potential to benefit from the province’s large and diversified minerals industry, which includes world class nickel mines and processing facilities, and a well-developed mineral exploration sector with locally based drilling and geological expertise.
Churchill’s Taylor Brook Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-Vanadium-Titanium Property, and Florence Lake Nickel Property, are both in good standing for a number of years, such that further exploration and development can await improved market conditions sentiment while the Company focuses on high-grade antimony-gold and other critical minerals.
Further Information
For further information regarding Churchill, please contact:
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about Churchill’s objectives, goals and exploration activities proposed to be conducted on its properties; future growth potential of Churchill, including whether any proposed exploration programs at any of its properties will be successful; exploration results; and future exploration plans and costs. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the entering into of a definitive Option Agreement and other ancillary transaction documents with respect to the Black Raven Antimony Property and the exercise of such option; the number of Common Shares that may be issued in connection with the transactions discussed herein, closing conditions and receive necessary regulatory approvals These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: exploration results on the Black Raven Antimony Property; the expected benefits to Churchill relating to the exploration proposed to be conducted on its properties; receipt of all regulatory approvals in connection with the transaction contemplated herein; failure to identify any additional mineral resources or significant mineralization; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Churchill’s properties, if required; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and mineral exploration; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); the unlikelihood that properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; soil sampling results being preliminary in nature and are not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit; and title to properties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Churchill cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Churchill assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
On October 18th, 2024, Nicholas Quets traveled to Rocky Point, Mexico, where upon entry, he encountered a Sinaloa cartel checkpoint. These cartel members attempted to steal his pickup truck before shooting him in the back through his heart, ultimately taking his life at just 31 years old. President Trump and Secretary Noem have taken decisive action to dismantle drug cartels.
The Indian stock market ended in the red for the second consecutive session on Wednesday, weighed down by premium valuations and mixed global cues.
The BSE Sensex slipped 239.31 points, or 0.29 per cent, to close at 81,312.32, while the NSE Nifty dropped 73.75 points, or 0.30 per cent, settling at 24,752.45.
The decline was primarily driven by FMCG stocks, with the Nifty FMCG index ending nearly 1.5 per cent lower. Other sectoral indices such as Nifty Auto, Pharma, Metal, Realty, Infra, Commodity, and Healthcare also closed in negative territory.
Midcap and smallcap indices showed mixed trends. The Nifty Midcap 100 fell slightly by 13 points to 57,141, whereas the Nifty Smallcap 100 rose by 58 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 17,784.
Analysts attributed the subdued market sentiment to a lack of support from foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and the prevailing premium valuations.
“Domestic indices remained rangebound with a negative bias due to limited FII support and stretched valuations,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.
He added that key economic indicators such as a favourable monsoon forecast, a benign inflation outlook, and expectations of a strong Q4 GDP could help cushion downside risks. However, earnings visibility needs to improve alongside macroeconomic fundamentals to ensure stability in market direction, Nair noted.
Volatility eased, with the India VIX falling 2.79 per cent to 18.02, reflecting a drop in market uncertainty.
“Technically, the Nifty formed a red candle on the daily chart, indicating weakness. However, it continues to trade above its 21-day Exponential Moving Average (21-DEMA), which is currently around 24,570. As long as it holds above this level, a pullback move remains possible,” said Hrishikesh Yedve, Technical and Derivative Analyst at Asit C. Mehta Investment Interrmediates Ltd (a Pantomath Group company).
He noted that the index may face stiff resistance near the 25,000–25,100 zone in the near term.
Meanwhile, the Indian rupee traded flat around 85.40 against the US dollar, as the dollar index remained stable near the 99.45 mark.
“With key global economic data due this week—including the US Fed meeting minutes, Q4 GDP data, and the Core PCE Price Index—the rupee’s movement will largely depend on foreign fund flows in the secondary market,” said Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst at LKP Securities.
Gold prices traded firm, finding strong support in the $3,280–$3,300 range on Comex. On the domestic front, MCX gold gained Rs 600, supported by a base around the Rs 95,000 level.
The Government will substantially reduce tolls when it takes over the Tai Lam Tunnel (TLT) at 0.00am on Saturday.
In addition, the HKeToll free-flow tolling service will begin from 5am on the same day.
Outlining the takeover arrangements today, the Transport Department said that the TLT will briefly cease operating for five minutes at 0.00am on May 31 to facilitate the updating of toll collection facilities. Thereafter, manual or Autotoll toll collections will be in operation until 3am.
From 3am to 5am, the tunnel will be fully closed for switchover works. It will reopen at 5am, when motorists can start using HKeToll without having to stop or queue to make payments.
As May 31 falls on a public holiday, fixed tolls will be applied throughout the day for private cars and motorcycles, of $18 and $7.2 respectively. The same fees also apply on Sundays.
Starting from June 2, tolls for private cars during the peak, normal and off-peak time slots from Monday to Saturday will be $45, $30 and $18 respectively.
For motorcycles, the toll for all time slots is set at 40% of the private car toll, which is between $7.2 and $18.
Taxis and other commercial vehicles, such as goods vehicles and buses, will continue to have a fixed toll on all days, set at $28 for taxis and $43 for other commercial vehicles.
The new tolls for all vehicle types will be lower than the existing tolls by between 22% and 80%, the department highlighted.
To facilitate the launch of HKeToll, temporary traffic and transport arrangements will take place in phases in the tunnel vicinity from 1am on May 31, with the tunnel and all slip road entrances being fully closed from 3am to 5am. Motorists should opt for Tuen Mun Road during the full closure.
During the tunnel’s temporary closure, the bus stops at the toll plaza will be suspended. As a result, three overnight bus routes – namely KMB Route Nos. N269 and N368, and Long Win Bus Route No. NA43 – will be diverted via Yuen Long Highway and Tuen Mun Road. Temporary bus stops will be set up at the “Tuen Mun Road Bus-Bus Interchange”.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Yim Kong and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 28):
Question:
Last month, the United States released the findings of the “Section 301 Investigations” under the Trade Act of 1974 and announced that port fees would be imposed on vessels owned or controlled by Chinese entities (including Hong Kong entities), including vessels whose owner or operator is headquartered in Hong Kong and vessels of which more than 25 per cent of the equity interest is held by a citizen or citizens or the Government of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the fourth largest shipping register in the world, with over 1 100 maritime-related companies currently operating here. Some preliminary analyses have pointed out that such maritime companies will be faced with risks such as an upsurge in operating costs and a decline in market competitiveness, and ship leasing and ship financing businesses will also be affected by knock-on impacts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the Government has systematically assessed the negative impact of the aforesaid measures of the United States on Hong Kong’s shipping and maritime-related industries, and formulated a cross-departmental collaboration plan to safeguard Hong Kong’s status as an international shipping centre, as well as companies’ legitimate rights and interests;
(2) whether it will provide targeted relief measures to the affected companies engaged in shipping, ship leasing and so on, or provide certain financial support for them to adjust their route deployments; and
(3) whether it has proactive measures to attract “non-US” ship operators or relevant high-end maritime service providers to carry on developing their business in Hong Kong?
Reply:
President,
The United States (US) Government announced on April 17 this year the results of its Section 301 Investigations against Chinese maritime, logistics and ship building industries and decided to impose port fees on vessels owned or operated by Chinese (including Hong Kong and Macao) companies, and vessels built in China for the use of US ports. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has immediately issued a press release to express its strong opposition to the decision, particularly for the fact that the measures are blatantly discriminatory, deliberately dividing the international maritime community and undermining the spirit of international solidarity and co-operation.
The HKSAR Government is highly concerned about the incident and the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) has been maintaining close liaison with the industry to assess the situation and respond as needed. With regard to the various parts of Hon Yim’s question, my reply is as follows:
(1) The US authorities has announced that the port fees will take effect on October 14 this year. For a vessel of 50 000 net tonnage, it will be charged US$2.5 million per entry into a US port, thereafter increased annually reaching US$7 million in April 2028. Each vessel will be charged up to a maximum of five times per year. The fees are indeed detrimental to others without beneficial to oneself, not only undermining the interests of the US port industry, cargo owners and consumers but also unfairly increasing the costs of Hong Kong’s shipping companies on their business operations routing to and from the US ports.
Hong Kong is an international maritime centre supported by our country. Over the years, Hong Kong has attracted shipping companies of different capital backgrounds from all over the world to operate in the city by virtue of our “one country, two systems”, bilingual common law as well as a free and open business environment. Each of these shipping companies has its own specific business portfolio and clientele. The extent to which they will be affected would depend on the share of the US market in their respective portfolios and their scope for adjusting shipping routes and business portfolios. It is therefore difficult to generalise the situation.
Recently, we have been visiting the shipping companies one after another, and the industry has reflected that the business environment in Hong Kong is indeed unrivalled and that the Hong Kong’s ship registry has brought an edge to their ships in terms of quality assurance and international reputation. The industry is striving to identify solutions to the incident, and we do not underestimate the pressure faced by them due to various commercial considerations. On the strength of our country’s strong backings, the HKSAR Government will render its full support to the Hong Kong’s shipping companies to cope with the challenges. At the same time, we urge the industry to stay confident and avoid making hasty decisions under short-term geopolitical pressures at the expense of the long-term development opportunities in Hong Kong.
(2) We understand from the affected companies that they consider financial subsidies from the Government neither financially sustainable nor an effective solution to the problem. In contrast, the industry hopes that the Government can better consolidate the edges for the maritime sector operating in Hong Kong.
In recent years, the Government has introduced a number of measures to enhance the competitiveness of the maritime industry, which has indeed saved up for a rainy day and enhanced the industry’s resilience in coping with the complex external circumstances. We will capitalise on our strengths via a systematic and proactive approach to reinforce the local maritime industry chain internally as well as to expand market opportunities in our country and the world externally. We would have four key areas of work in future, including strengthening the maritime ecosystem, leading the industry to seize the opportunities arising from green shipping, deepening Hong Kong’s role as an international exchange platform, and expanding opportunities in Mainland and overseas markets:
(i) Strengthening the maritime ecosystem, including the introduction of a half-rate tax concession for commodity traders and enhancement of the existing tax concessions for the maritime industry, for which the legislative bill is to be submitted to the Legislative Council in the first half of next year; continuing to provide green cash incentives and implementing the Block Registration Incentive Scheme for Hong Kong-registered ships;
(ii) Supporting and leading the industry to seize the opportunities arising from green shipping. The TLB has promulgated the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering at the end of last year, with a view to promoting Hong Kong into a high-quality green maritime fuel bunkering centre by, inter alia, providing collaborative platforms for catalysing green maritime fuel supply and trading, thereby equipping the industry to cope with the international trend of green transition.
(iii) Deepening Hong Kong’s role as an international exchange platform for facilitating interfaces between the local and overseas industry and expanding global business opportunities. The Government has been actively deepening collaborations with the international maritime organisations. The Hong Kong Maritime Week last year has been one of the most international editions ever where the key organisations like the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Maritime Organization had staged events in Hong Kong. These organisations have confirmed their continued participation in the Hong Kong Maritime Week this year and there would also be other international organisations staging events in Hong Kong for the first time.
(iv) Assisting and leading Hong Kong shipping companies to expand opportunities in Mainland and overseas markets, capitalising on Hong Kong’s connectivity. This include establishing a “rail-sea-land-river” intermodal transport system with the Mainland for securing more cargo sources for Hong Kong, as well as utilising the port community system to be launched in January next year for connecting with the international maritime community, thereby assisting the industry to further enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
In addition, the Government will soon set up the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Development Board to be chaired by a non-official and provided with dedicated team and resources for enhancing its research, promotion and manpower training capabilities, so as to provide more effective support to the Government in promoting the development of Hong Kong’s maritime industry.
(3) The aforementioned measures will significantly enhance Hong Kong’s business environment and attractiveness, reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as an international maritime centre. We will continue to step up external promotion on the advantages of operating in Hong Kong through the Marine Department’s service points located in seven different continents and Invest Hong Kong’s network at home and abroad. The Marine Department will also set up a new dedicated team in the Middle East in the fourth quarter of this year for targeted promotion towards the emerging markets there.
Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow Season 4 has made its way to South India, fueling a wave of youth-driven innovation. Across the dynamic campuses of Hyderabad and the bustling tech hubs of Bengaluru, students are uniting to envision a brighter future for their communities, armed with empathy, purpose, and the principles of design thinking.
Samsung ‘Solve for Tomorrow 2025’ will provide INR 1 crore to the top four winning teams to support the incubation of their projects, along with hands-on prototyping, investor connects, and expert mentorship from Samsung leaders and IIT Delhi faculty.
At the University of Hyderabad, hundreds of students immersed themselves in a design thinking workshop, challenging the status quo and uncovering solutions to everyday problems.
“For me, the turning point was when the instructor said, ‘There are countless problems in the world, but only a few who take action to solve them,’” said R. Deepika, a Business Analytics student. “That statement inspired me to become one of those problem-solvers and create meaningful impact.”
Mukta, a Healthcare and Hospital Management student, also experienced a shift in perspective. “This session taught me to think like an entrepreneur. A simple idea can transform the world, and now I’m determined to bring mine to life,” she said.
The momentum didn’t stop in there. At KG Reddy Engineering College in Hyderabad, D. Ganesh Reddy, a BTech Computer Science Engineering student, left the workshop with a clear understanding of how technology can address local challenges.
“The session showed me that student ideas can lead to real-world change if we approach them with curiosity and structure,” he said.
Similarly, over 500 students from top institutions like Jain University, Dr. Chandrama Dayanand Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research, and Kempowda Institute of Medical Sciences gathered to explore design thinking and innovation in action.
“This workshop opened my eyes to the problems in my own community,” said Joel J, a second-semester B.Tech student. “For the first time, I realized I could be the one to solve them.”
A Movement for Innovation
Across these cities, the workshops have done more than generate ideas—they’ve sparked confidence. Confidence that young minds, with the right mindset and guidance, can drive transformative change.
As Solve for Tomorrow continues its journey across India, it’s not just expanding its reach—it’s unlocking new possibilities. From Hyderabad to Bengaluru and soon to regions like the North-East, the program is cultivating a future powered by student-led innovation.
Applications are open, and the next generation of problem-solvers is already in motion.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Heidi Riley, Adjunct Research Fellow, University College Dublin, and Affiliate Researcher in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London
*Some pseudonyms are used to protect the identities of interviewees.
“I saw a lot of suffering.” The old man, Lokwi, gestures towards the woman cooking beside their hut as he talks. “The husband of this woman … was killed here.”
The woman is Lokwi’s sister-in-law. He is recalling the day in 1988 when his brother was killed by soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Lokwi was still a child when the SPLA captured the town of Kapoeta and surrounding settlements, where he lived with his family. The day his brother was killed, everybody was forced to leave:
There was nothing good that day … They burned all the villages and the soldiers attacked the civilians. People were scattered.
South Sudan – a central African country of around 11.5 million people split in half by the White Nile – suffered decades of conflict prior to gaining independence from the rest of Sudan in 2011. While independence brought optimism, this was thwarted two years later by internal disputes among the ruling parties that led to a resurgence of the violence.
While a ceasefire was brokered in 2018 and a power-sharing agreement signed between opposing political factions, there has been a lack of political will to implement it. The dire economic situation, worsening food insecurity driven by climate change and political instability, and legacies of ethnic rivalries continue to perpetuate ethnically motivated violence and distrust between communities. In April, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, warned that the world’s youngest nation is once again on the brink of civil war.
Amid this resurgence of violence, Lokwi – who is from the Toposa community – continues to be haunted by memories of the attack that killed his brother. Sitting under the shade of a tree in the village where it took place, he explains how he fled into the bush and survived for days on wild fruit until, starving, he managed to get to the town of Narus, where he was given some food by a local Dinka man.
When Lokwi finally returned to his village, he found everything destroyed by fire – huts, livestock and granaries “all burned”. Whereas he decided to start again and rebuild the village, his surviving brother, now living in Narus, promised “never to step in this land again because of the memories and pain”.
Today, Lokwi works as a peace activist in South Sudan. He spends a lot of time encouraging people in his village and the surrounding area to engage in peaceful dialogue with rival groups – and to resist violence. With an expression of concern, he explains the difficulties he faces in dissuading young men from engaging in violence:
When I tell them to stop the conflict … we have homes and families who listen and stay calm, but other individuals like the [male] youths don’t listen, they still create problems.
South Sudan’s long history of cattle raiding
Over the course of 2024, Anna Adiyo Sebit and three other South Sudanese researchers interviewed more than 400 men and women from South Sudan’s Toposa and Nuer communities as part of the XCEPT programme. This programme, based at King’s College London, seeks to understand the role that conflict-related trauma plays in influencing who engages in violence and who doesn’t.
As well as inter-ethnic fighting, South Sudan has a long history of cattle raiding. Cattle are central to the pastoralist communities which make up over half of the population, including ethnic groups such as the Dinka, Nuer and Toposa.
In most rural households, financial capital is typically held in livestock, mainly cows – which are also required for dowry payments and as compensation for any crimes committed. This places high value on cattle ownership, meaning that raiding and inter-community disputes over cattle are common.
And whereas these disputes were once fought with sticks, stones and spears, years of political conflict have left the country awash with guns – so cattle raiding has become a lethal activity. As one old man who described himself as a “retired warrior” explained:
In our grandparents’ and grand ancestors’ [time], in battles or fighting we used stones, pangas, sticks, spears and arrows. [At this time there were] rare fights or raids waged against [other] tribes … But after the introduction of AK-47 machine guns, it accelerated [to] higher numbers of raids and increased casualties in both communities.
Among these pastoralist communities, gender norms determine that where women and girls are tasked with maintaining domestic life, including sustaining subsistence farming and constructing huts, men are expected to keep and secure cattle. Many young men are active in cattle camps, which are in areas with better pastures where cows are taken to graze – but can be vulnerable to raids from other ethnic groups.
In many parts of rural South Sudan, young men are expected to fight to secure and protect their livelihood – including achieving the required “bride price” for their marriage to go ahead. Successful cattle raids can earn a young man respect among his peers.
But the trauma of experiencing violence from a young age, as so many of these young men have, is likely to be a factor in the perpetuation of various forms of violence in adulthood, including the prevalence of revenge killings.
The high rates of violence are also having a devastating impact on women and girls in South Sudan. According to a 2024 UN Population Fund study, 65% of women and girls have experienced some form of gender-based violence, of which intimate partner violence is the most prevalent. The UN Mission in South Sudan has also reported a steep increase in sexual violence and abductions of women and girls by armed groups in 2024.
Aware of the prevalence of violence against women by cattle youth, Lokwi speaks of confronting the issue at community meetings in his village where he brings together members of rival communities:
The youths are also part of the meeting. Everybody is given the chance from both communities to talk, and we tell them ‘stop killing women in the bush’. I tell them that women are the ones who give birth to generations, and [ask]: ‘Why do you kill women?’ [Some] will feel touched and listen and stop – but there are other individuals [for] whom killing is part of their life … They will still kill women.
Masculine expectations
In South Sudan, like many countries, masculine expectations that associate men with being the provider or protector, and with characteristics of strength, stoicism and bravery, play an important role in how men experience trauma and the coping mechanisms they use.
Men are often socialised into suppressing emotions such as sadness or hurt. As a result, alternative outlets for dealing with trauma and stress can manifest in more violent or aggressive emotions.
I have spent many years researching how societal expectations of masculinity play into the way men respond to traumatic experiences. In narratives of wartime suffering, our understanding of male trauma is often overshadowed by the association of masculinity with the perpetration of violence.
While not all men suffering from trauma respond in the same way, research by the Brazilian NGO Promundo has found that men and boys are more likely than women and girls to exhibit maladaptive coping behaviour such as risk-taking, low physical activity, withdrawal and self-harm – or violence in its multiple forms. There is also evidence that rates of alcohol and substance abuse are higher among men affected by trauma or high levels of stress.
During conflict or in situations of acute food insecurity, daily stresses through an inability to fulfil masculine expectations can become particularly acute – and lead to increasingly violent behaviour. This pattern emerges in many of the interviews conducted for the XCEPT project.
Eric, from the South Sudan state of Eastern Equatoria, lost his father when he was ten. His father was a fairly wealthy man but after his death, that wealth was passed on to Eric’s uncles on his father’s side, rather than his mother or her three co-wives. (The tradition of inheritance passing to male relatives is reflective of women’s lack of economic independence in rural South Sudan.)
Eric was then required to respect his uncles as stepfathers as they became the de facto authority over his mother, her co-wives and their children. As the oldest son, he endured years of beatings from his stepfathers, as well as witnessing violence by them against his mother.
Upon reaching adulthood, Eric said he realised he was able to escape the “catastrophic mistreatment from his stepfathers” and needed to “adventure” for his own survival. However, due to food shortages, survival meant engaging in cattle raiding.
On his first raid, his “warrior group” secured a herd of cattle by killing the cattle owner. Eric was granted four cows – but apart from one, these had to be handed over to his stepfathers. As he explained:
On my arrival, people in my village were excited to see me back without any injuries and I brought these cows. On [the] spot, my stepfathers took them. As in [the] culture of Toposa, anything from your enemies belongs to elder people. I was only left with one cow.
On his second raid, Eric secured 30 goats, of which his stepfathers allowed him to keep ten.
Aware of the suffering that this raiding had caused and now with an established reputation as a “warrior”, Eric then stepped back from raiding and used the ten goats to breed more. This gave him the resources for marriage and to start a family – but he carried the legacy of his involvement in the killings during past raids, and the knowledge that he was now a target for retaliatory violence. He explained:
So far, I have killed six enemies; hence am also included as a warrior in my community. I do not want them [the enemy] to know my name because they will kill me if they know me.
For Eric and many other men like him in South Sudan, it is difficult to show emotions such as sadness or fear, as this could be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Our researcher and interviewer, Anna Adiyo Sebit, describes the expectations placed on men in her culture: “As a man, even when someone dies, you do not shed a tear, especially in front of women. Instead, you cry from your heart inside.”
The trauma of war
Ten years ago, while conducting fieldwork in Nepal for my PhD and book, I interviewed more than 60 former members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to examine how their participation in the civil war – known as the People’s War – affected notions of masculinity within the armed group.
While I never asked about trauma or psychological difficulties, it became clear these were present for many of the men – just never explicitly spoken about. Instead, they would talk about their sense of disillusionment or lack of ability to fulfil societal expectations of masculinity – all the while, carefully keeping their emotions in check.
These emotions would only surface in more casual conversations over tea or food, following the formal interviews. In these moments, the men revealed a more vulnerable side – often expressing sadness, frustration, and a desire to share their more personal stories.
It was a clear shift from the displays of hardened masculinity in their narratives of the battlefield. Some of these informal exchanges hinted at signs of PTSD – for example, in their descriptions of flashbacks, sleep difficulties and short temperedness. One young man who was extremely polite and courteous became very fidgety after the end of the interview. He told me: “In the night I can’t sleep, because I hear bomb blasts inside my head.”
Another, clearly proud of his role in the People’s War, recounted his bravery on the battlefield. Yet, when he spoke of the six months of torture he had endured in police custody, his composure faltered and he struggled to hold back tears. He showed me a photo of his three-year-old child, saying: “This is why I will never return to battle.”
What I encountered was men who appeared uneasy about expressing emotions as this runs contrary to masculine expectations, but were also frustrated at a lack of outlets to tell their story.
During one interview with a former PLA member in the western district of Bardiya, I noticed a group of ex-PLA fighters gathered at the boundary of his home after they had heard an interview was taking place. As my interpreter and I were leaving, a thin man at the front of the crowd began shouting aggressively at us.
Having initially assumed his anger was directed at my presence in the area, I realised it stemmed from his frustration at not being selected for an interview. “Why does everyone always want to interview you?” he shouted at the man I had just spoken to. The former fighter’s anger, fuelled by alcohol, appeared to reflect his frustration at lacking a platform to share his own story.
From Nepal in 2016 to South Sudan in 2024, amid the violence and trauma of war and the daily expectations of masculinity associated with being a provider and protector, there appeared to be few outlets through which these men could talk freely about their emotions, tell their stories, and admit their mental health difficulties.
Many of the men interviewed in South Sudan had been involved in violent clashes involving killings at some point in their lives. In interviews carried out in Kapoeta North, a county in eastern Equatoria, some men reported having constant flashbacks to the sounds of gunshots – when they tried to sleep at night, these sounds would “become real”, stopping them getting any proper rest:
Sometimes you can wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself trembling as if these people are coming for you.
One man explained how he would get up in the night to follow a “black shadow” like a ghost. When community members would run after him to stop him, he would become “hostile and behave like he wants to kill everyone” – because, he explained, he saw his friend being killed on the battlefield and the memory of this would not leave him, especially in the night.
A woman described how, when young men are involved in “killing”, their “mind is not functioning well”. Contextualising this claim she explained: “There was this man who got traumatised due to the ongoing conflict of raiding. He fought many battles until the gunshot sound affected his brain and made him crazy.”
She then described a man who could not accept his friend had died in a cattle camp raid and insisted on returning to the battlefield, even though the community told him not to. “After confirming [his friend’s death] he ran mad and became confused. We say that such a person had his heart broken by the incident he witnessed, and we say he is mad.”
Men whose companions have been killed can become fixated on revenge, as Sebit explains, “It will torture their mind until they go and avenge the death of the person that was killed.” Some will encourage them to take revenge but others, like Lokwi, are trying to discourage revenge killings and working towards peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue.
Societal expectations of masculinity
The link between societal expectations of masculinity, trauma and violent behaviour among men is important in better understanding ongoing insecurities in rural South Sudan. A man is supposed to own cows in order to gain respect from their community. Without these, they can be rejected – leading to feelings of isolation, despair and a fear of ridicule.
As noted by another elderly interviewee: “If a man does not go for raiding, he will be cursed by elders. [In contrast], if he comes back with cows, people will celebrate – and if he dies, people will say he died as a warrior.”
It can be a vicious circle. If you do not get cows when you raid another community, this may lead to further feelings of shame – driving the young men to put themselves at further risk. In a state of stress and having grown up in a culture of conflict, they may regard themselves as having no choice but to risk death in the quest for cows. Those who have been orphaned or do not have other family members to support them can be particularly vulnerable to this.
Such concerns about masculinity emerge in many of the interviews with young men in South Sudan – and also in discussions with support workers there. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is one of the few organisations in South Sudan who have run trauma awareness training for men. A local CRS programme manager, Luol, explained to me in an online meeting how men’s worries about marriage rights can spiral into acts of violence:
What is actually happening in [young men’s] brains is they are thinking: ‘Okay, I am 18 or 17 years old now, in the next two years I have to have my partner at home, but I don’t have resources. [So] the best way to get resources is to raid or steal people’s properties.’ This is the thinking of war. This is the thinking of a person who has been exposed to conflict – that the best way to get resources is to raid from somebody.
In another meeting, Luol described his experience of facilitating trauma awareness programmes with men. He explained that “many of the men have participated in cattle raiding and have seen horrific kinds of events such as, seeing somebody [being] killed, and [they] can be traumatised because [they] participated in that war [raid].”
Luol described one young man who came and spoke to him after the first day of training:
He wanted to testify that he’s now recovering from his trauma because he participated in the war and he saw children and women being killed and when he returned home, he saw [in] his own children, the children who were killed, and he cried, he felt ashamed for participating and playing a part in this. And he was trying to recover from that effect of trauma. And that’s very common. Most of the young men who participate in war come back traumatised.
The importance of such outlets for men to come and talk together about their emotions was emphasised in our meeting. For cultural reasons, neither individual counselling sessions nor sessions including women would be acceptable to the men.As noted by another local CRS staff member :
If women are in that group, the men are likely not to talk about [trauma] because of masculinity issues. They don’t want the women to hear men accepting weakness or vulnerability … But if the men are talking alone [about] their life they will say: ‘Yes, this is what happened to me, and this is how we can move forward.’
While these sessions are not supposed to be a form of restorative justice or “amnesty” for crimes committed, Luol explained that opening up about feelings of guilt in the small group is helpful in addressing “displaced anger” that can manifest in continued violence in the community, clan or in the family.
CRS Trauma Awareness and Social Cohesion programmes also encourage discussions of alternatives to violence or cattle raiding, presenting a longer-term life vision for those present. According to one attendee, his less traumatised brain allows for rational thinking such as: “If I start cultivating this year and I want to marry in two or three years’ time, I’ll be able to produce the crops, sell them in the market, and then buy cows if I need to buy cows.”
The programme was piloted in South Sudan’s Greater Jonglei State in 2014 using CRS private funding. Three years later it secured funding from USAID after “demonstrating its value”. In 2020, with additional funding from the EU, the programme was expanded to areas of Eastern Equatoria. While the programme has now ended with the completion of its funding cycle, CRS continues to seek future funding to re-establish the initiative.
Soldiers celebrate the anniversary of South Sudan’s independence day, which briefly brought peace. Richard Juilliart/Shutterstock
‘Everything gets destroyed’
While recognising that most men do not engage in violence, the reality is men are overwhelmingly responsible for violence when it does occur. This is the case in South Sudan as in all countries. It is therefore vital to engage with men, not just as perpetrators of violence but as potential peacemakers.
Unfortunately, gender stereotyping within the humanitarian and donor sector has resulted in a lack of trauma response targeted at men. Instead, men and boys tend to be framed as perpetual perpetrators of violence and discrimination – as “emasculated troublemakers” not worth engaging with, or at best by the “men can cope by themselves” narrative.
Wider research by XCEPT has found that out of 12 humanitarian organisations interviewed in northern Syria, northern Iraq and South Sudan, only two had programmes specifically targeted at men. The situation appears little changed from the conclusion reached in the 2021 Promondo report, which stated:
This de-prioritisation of boys and men in emergency response is rooted in donors’ and international organisations’ lack of political will to meaningfully acknowledge that vulnerability exists beyond women and girls … Chronic inattention to boys and men has resulted in programs, services and spaces not being sufficiently tailored to meet their needs.
This not only has an impact on men and boys’ wellbeing. It also fails to take on board the reality that unaddressed trauma among men correlates with increases in community violence, revenge killings, cattle raiding and gender-based violence suffered by women and girls. As an international CRS staff member explained:
Unless donors have a way of facing [the reality of trauma] and addressing it in all interventions, all the money we’re spending on health programs and infrastructure programs and education programs and whatever it is, it’s just money down the drain. Because eventually, everything gets destroyed in violence.
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Heidi Riley receives funding from the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme, funded by UK International Development from the UK government. (Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.) She also received funding from the Irish Research Council for the Nepal research mentioned. Sincere thanks to Anna Adiyo Sebit, expert researcher with Catholic Relief Services in South Sudan, for her fieldwork and other contributions to this article.
Question for written answer E-002014/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez (Renew), Nicolás González Casares (S&D)
The European Ocean Pact – expected to be adopted by the European Commission on 4 June 2025– will seek to bring coherence to all EU policies related to oceans. In addition to fostering the blue economy, it will prioritise maintaining healthy and resilient oceans and coastal regions.
The scope of the emissions trading system was extended to cover maritime transport in January 2024, with a gradual implementation timeline until 2027. Given the process of decarbonising the fleet and taking into account the sector’s efforts in this transition and the very small proportion of emissions generated by its activity, we would like to ask:
1.Does the Commission plan to include the implementation of ETS2 in the European Ocean Pact to cover other maritime activities, such as fisheries?
2.If so, what are the estimated costs for the European fleet of extending this system and what measures does the Commission intend to take to support the sector with regard to the impact of this cost?
Question for written answer E-002054/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Claudiu-Richard Târziu (ECR)
In Romania and other central and eastern European countries, livestock breeding is not just an important economic activity, but also a part of rural identity and cultural heritage. The new European animal welfare initiatives – such as the elimination of cages or the limiting of transportation – can place excessive burdens on small and traditional farms that do not have the resources necessary for a rapid transition.
There are concerns that these regulations are designed for large farms in western Europe and are being applied uniformly, without reflecting the Union’s economic diversity. This approach could have an adverse impact on farmers in the East and reinforce the perception of an unequal single market.
In this context, we request the following clarifications from the European Commission:
1.What concrete measures will it take to ensure that the animal welfare standards will be implemented in a proportionate manner that reflects the structural differences between the Member States, especially those in eastern Europe?
2.What types of financial support or transition mechanisms does it intend to offer to small farmers to enable them to adapt without the risk of being forced to cease their activity?
3.How will it guarantee that the application of these rules will not lead to distortions in single market competitiveness to the detriment of farmers in less developed regions of the Union?
The next multiannual financial framework is an opportunity to better focus EU spending on the EU’s shared priorities. Addressing demographic change is one of these shared priorities. In general, as per the Commission’s political guidelines[1], the EU will also step up its work on preventive health, in particular for mental health and cardiovascular diseases, as well as on treatments for degenerative illnesses.
As recalled in the recent Commission’s communication on ‘The road to the next multiannual financial framework’[2], financing the social transition will require maximising public investment and leveraging private capital.
There is scope for increasing additionality to ensure that the EU budget focuses on investments which would not have materialised otherwise.
Reinforcing the link between overall policy coordination and the EU budget will also be key to ensure better alignment with EU priorities and inform decisions on investments and reforms at EU and national level, including in the social care sector.
In line with the ‘better regulation’ principles[3], the Commission intends to use evidence-based policymaking supported by thorough impact assessments and stakeholder consultations to ensure future initiatives address actual needs.
In addition, a comprehensive performance framework will support the monitoring and reporting of the progress toward the defined objectives, using appropriate performance indicators.
In the implementation of EU funds under Common Provisions Regulation (CPR)[1], Member States and the Commission should ensure compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights[2] and the implementation and application of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNCRPD) throughout the programming period, also when designing the selection criteria for operations[3].
In addition, the horizontal enabling condition (HEC)[4] on the implementation and application of the UNCRPD requires that a national framework to ensure implementation of the UNCRPD is in place. Other thematic enabling conditions (TEC) also promote the shift to community-based services and care, through deinstitutionalisation[5].
The Commission assesses the fulfilment of the HEC and TECs and their application by the Member States throughout the CPR programming period and when not fulfilled, the related expenditure under the CPR is not reimbursed from the EU budget. Member States are required to appoint monitoring committees to ensure the correct implementation of programmes[6].
The Commission participates in a monitoring and advisory capacity, with annual review meetings to examine the performance of each programme[7].
Through the application of the relevant HEC and TEC, the Commission remains committed to enabling shift to community-based services and care, through deinstitutionalisation.
The Commission has issued guidance on independent living and inclusion in the community of persons with disabilities in the context of EU funding[8].
The approach presented in this notice is relevant to all EU funding instruments within their scope of support, including EU’s external action and EU-funded projects internationally.
[1] Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. Available from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1060/oj/eng.
[8] Commission Notice Guidance on independent living and inclusion in the community of persons with disabilities in the context of EU funding. Available from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/7188/oj/eng.
Question for written answer E-002039/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Krzysztof Brejza (PPE)
The European chemicals industry is facing severe challenges, exacerbated by high energy costs and fierce competition from non-EU countries benefiting from cheaper energy, including Russian resources. This has led to a widening trade deficit, especially in the production of critical molecules such as sodium carbonates, essential for industries such as glass production, detergents, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. To address this, the EU Critical Chemicals Act, supported by Member States including France, Spain, Hungary and others, is a crucial step in ensuring the long-term resilience of Europe’s chemical sector. This initiative must focus on modernising chemical plants, reducing emissions and recognising strategic EU molecules, such as sodium carbonates, which are pivotal to Europe’s industrial base.
1.Is the Commission considering proposing an EU Critical Chemicals Act to address challenges facing the European chemicals industry, which will recognise the EU’s strategic molecules – including, among others, sodium carbonates?
2.How does the Commission plan to ensure the modernisation and long-term sustainability of Europe’s chemical industry, particularly by providing flexible funding options for investments aimed at reducing process emissions?
3.What steps will the Commission take to protect EU production of strategic molecules and improve trade defence mechanisms against unfair practices?
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Warning on oak processionary moth issued ahead of hatching season
Public and construction trade vigilance needed as oak processionary moth (OPM) growth higher at start of greatest risk period
Image credit: Henry Kuppen
The public are being urged today (Wednesday 28 May) to be vigilant for any sightings of oak processionary moth caterpillars, a tree pest which can strip oak trees of their foliage and leave them susceptible to disease.
The caterpillars – predominantly found in South East England – descend down oak trees in head-to-tail processionary form, occasionally taking the form of an arrow shape, earning them their name. They feed on the leaves as they migrate causing the leaves to sometimes drop off which negatively impacts their growth. This can weaken the tree and leave it more vulnerable to other stresses, such as drought and further diseases.
The warning has been issued today by the Forestry Commission who are urging the public to report any sightings via the TreeAlert portal or by email to opm@forestrycommission.gov.uk.
Oak processionary moth was first identified in London in 2006 after being accidentally transported over from Europe in trees for planting. It has since spread to surrounding counties in the South East, and last July, a small outbreak of the caterpillars was found at a site designated free from the pest.
OPM caterpillars and their nests, which are made of distinctive white silken webbing, contain hairs that can cause itchy rashes, eye and throat irritation and should not be touched under any circumstances. The nests can be found in the trunk or branches of oak trees, and fade to a light brown over time. The public are urged never to try and dispose of the nests themselves.
Forestry Commission Oak Processionary Moth Programme Manager Dr Edward Straw said:
“The warm weather in spring has led to oak processionary moth growing quicker than in previous years. We’re already receiving reports of homeowners being affected by the caterpillars, coming out in painful rashes, and it is important those living and working in areas affected by oak processionary moth remain vigilant about the health risks they pose.
The Forestry Commission continues to undertake a rapid management response and extensive surveillance work is in place to monitor the area and continue to direct appropriate control measures to prevent the potential spread of OPM.
Professor Nicola Spence, UK Chief Plant Health Officer, said:
“Oak trees are an iconic and much-loved part of our British landscape. By reporting any sightings of the oak processionary moth to the Forestry Commission, we can all minimise the pest’s spread as well as reduce their impact on tree health.
“I would advise that members of the public living in London, the surrounding areas and Derbyshire, avoid any contact with the caterpillar and its nests, as this can cause irritation.”
By identifying threats such as pests and diseases, we protect the benefits plants provide to the public, to wildlife, the environment, and our economy. More information can be found on the Plant Health Action.org website.
How to identify Oak processionary moth caterpillars
Nests are typically dome or teardrop-shaped, averaging the size of a tennis ball. They are white when fresh, but soon become discoloured and brown. The caterpillars have black heads and bodies covered in long white hairs which contain proteins which can cause itchy rashes, eye, and throat irritations. They can also occasionally cause breathing difficulties in people and pets, so should not be touched under any circumstances.
A public information leaflet covering how to identify OPM and methods to control is available,
There is also a document outlining species commonly confused with OPM which can be found here.
Following possible OPM contact, visit your pharmacist for relief from milder skin or eye irritations. Consult a GP or call NHS111 for more serious reactions. Contact a vet if animals are seriously affected.
The Tree Health Pilot scheme offers a local authority grant for oak with OPM. It supports local authorities in the OPM ’established area’ to organise surveying of oak trees for OPM and create an OPM management plan and communications strategy to understand the risks and appropriate management of the affected area. Funding is also available for communications materials such as signage, and biosecurity items including boot cleaning equipment and red tape/posts for cordoning off areas. For more information and details of how to apply see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-health-pilot-scheme-2024/grants-for-oak-with-oak-processionary-moth-opm
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ17: Coping with extreme weather Question:
There are views pointing out that in recent years, Hong Kong has been affected time and again by localised rainstorms, super typhoons and even very hot weather, thereby exposing the safety as well as lives and properties of members of the public to a greater risk. On coping with extreme weather, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of weather warnings and signals issued by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) in each of the past five years (set out by type of weather warnings and signals);
(2) in order to cope with extreme weather (including super typhoons and severe rainstorms) that may occur in Hong Kong, of the details of the interdepartmental drills conducted and contingency plans drawn up by various government departments so far this year (including the number of government departments and personnel involved); whether various government departments have put in place a comprehensive contingency mechanism for coping with extreme weather to assist members of the public and disseminate the relevant information in a timely manner;
(3) given that in the past, flooding and landslides frequently occurred in some districts (including Chai Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Wan Chai, Yuen Long and Tsim Sha Tsui) during rainstorm, whether the authorities have increased the supporting staff for flood and disaster prevention work specifically for those districts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether the authorities will formulate a mechanism to require the relevant government departments to take corresponding measures in the districts concerned simultaneously when the Localised Heavy Rain Advisory was issued by the HKO, e.g. strengthening local flood monitoring and deploying manpower to clear the drains, with a view to preventing the occurrence of localised large-scale flooding;
(5) given that the 2023 Policy Address indicated that the Drainage Services Department would complete the “Strategic Planning Study on Flood Management against Sea Level Rise and Extreme Rainfall” and develop a forward-looking strategy, of the progress of the relevant work and the findings of the Study; whether the Government has set aside resources for the implementation of the recommendations of the Study and the construction of the relevant infrastructure facilities; and
(6) whether it has further stepped up public education on disaster preparedness, e.g. regularly arranging for members of the public and students to participate in disaster prevention exercise, and teaching members of the public the corresponding measures to take when extreme weather and even natural disasters occur; if so, of the details; if not, whether it will strengthen such efforts in the future?
Reply:
President,
The responses to the various parts of the question are as follows:
(1) Based on the information provided by the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Hong Kong Observatory, the number of various warnings and signals issued by the Observatory in the past five years is set out below:
(i) Number of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals issued
Year (ii) Number of Thunderstorm Warning, Special Announcement on Flooding in the northern New Territories, Rainstorm Warning Signal and Landslip Warning issued
Year(iii) Number of other warning and signal issued
Year(2) After consultation with the Security Bureau and the Home Affairs Department, our reply is as follows:
The Government has implemented the following measures in relation to emergency response mechanisms, interdepartmental drills, and the provision of timely assistance and dissemination of relevant information:
To address extreme weather events, the Security Bureau has formulated the Contingency Plan for Natural Disasters, which sets out the Government’s strategies, organisational framework, and alerting system for dealing with natural disasters, as well as the functions and responsibilities of Government bureaux/departments, public utility companies, and non-governmental organisations in the events of natural disasters. When major natural disasters happen, the Security Bureau will immediately activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre to co-ordinate a comprehensive response and collaborate the actions of relevant departments and organisations (including their emergency control centres) to ensure the incidents are handled swiftly and effectively.
In the event of super typhoons or other large-scale natural disasters, the Chief Secretary for Administration will convene an interdepartmental Steering Committee meeting for provisioning high-level co-ordination and supervision in the various stages of preparedness, contingency and recovery as well as setting priorities for various tasks, thereby enabling the normal daily living of the community to resume as quickly as practicable. If a natural disaster has caused extreme and widespread impacts, such as widespread flooding, severe landslides, or severe disruption to public transportation services, the Steering Committee will consider making an “extreme conditions” announcement to advise members of the public to remain in their original safe locations.
The Security Bureau has been organising interdepartmental drills to enhance communication and collaboration among various government departments under different extreme weather conditions. Through the drills with various testing scenarios, the departments’ emergency plans will be refined. As at May 18 this year, the Security Bureau and relevant departments had conducted a total of 10 drills related to extreme weather, involving 33 policy bureaux and departments, with a total of 960 participants. For areas vulnerable to flooding or seawater inundation, the respective District Offices will also conduct interdepartmental drills before the typhoon season to strengthen co-ordination among departments, enhance response capabilities and raise residents’ understanding of response arrangements.
The Government will also, as appropriate, disseminate to the public the latest weather forecasts, natural disaster alerts, and related information including flooding, landslides, and traffic arrangements for affected roads through the Information Services Department, the media and social media platforms.
(3) The Drainage Services Department (DSD) is currently taking forward 15 major drainage improvement works and it is anticipated that these projects will be completed progressively by 2030. These projects include works in the abovementioned areas of concern, namely Chai Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Yuen Long, and Tsim Sha Tsui (Note). In recent years, the DSD has also completed a number of minor works in these districts, including improvement works to the drainage systems near Chai Wan Road roundabout and in Wong Tai Sin.
The DSD has identified around 240 locations prone to blockage in Hong Kong. Whenever the Hong Kong Observatory forecasts severe rainstorm, the DSD will arrange and deploy resources to step up their inspections and, where necessary, carry out immediate clearance of blocked drains to ensure proper functioning of the drainage system.
In relation to landslides, apart from conducting regular inspections of slopes under their maintenance responsibilities, relevant government departments need to additionally carry out special inspections for government man-made slopes adjacent to sole accesses to community or important livelihood facilities before each wet season. This helps minimise the potential impact on people’s lives due to incidents on these slopes. The relevant inspections were completed before the wet season this year. On the other hand, the Geotechnical Engineering Office will remind private owners to complete all regular slope inspections and the necessary slope maintenance before the onset of wet season through letters, social media posts, television promotional videos, radio broadcasts and media briefings, etc.
(4) The DSD has been working closely with the Hong Kong Observatory and has implemented the “Just-in-time Clearance” arrangement since 2020. Under this arrangement, when the Observatory forecasts severe rainstorms, the DSD will immediately deploy manpower to inspect locations prone to blockage and clear any blocked drains, thereby reducing the risk of flooding during heavy rainstorms. Since 2022, the DSD has taken proactive measures to further enhance its preparatory measures following the Hong Kong Observatory’s issuance of the Localised Heavy Rain Advisory. During periods of heavy rainstorms, the DSD, depending on the rainfall severity, will increase the number of emergency response teams to 180 teams. These teams are deployed to various districts to promptly handle flooding incidents so as to minimise the impact of flooding on the public.
The DSD also adopts innovative technologies, including the deployment of powerful pumping robots, piloting artificial intelligence-based flood monitoring systems, and the use of new flood monitoring devices, such as Flood Monitoring Devices, and dissemination of real-time water level information.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
DH organises International Medical Device Regulatory Forum to promote advancement of health through research and technology Addressing the opening ceremony, the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, said, “Given the rapid development of AI technology, the DH is committed to developing a regulatory framework in Hong Kong to help healthcare workers and members of the public choose safe and reliable medical devices. The DH has issued guidance on cybersecurity and AI medical devices in 2023 and 2024 to help manufacturers navigate and follow the voluntary Medical Device Administrative Control System (MDACS), which was introduced by the DH. To date, 22 AI medical devices have been listed in the MDACS, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electrocardiography (ECG) systems.
“The HKSAR Government is committed to developing Hong Kong as a hub for health and medical innovation. The soon-to-be-established Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation will conduct independent evaluations on the safety, quality, and efficacy of medical products based on clinical data. In addition, with the development of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, Hong Kong will leverage its unique advantages under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and serve as a ‘super connector’, linking Mainland China and the global market. This will create opportunities for entrepreneurs to thrive while supporting our country in enhancing its new quality productive forces in the health field,” said Dr Lam.
“The emergence of innovative medical devices is bringing revolutionary changes to the healthcare industry. Multinational and cross-border collaborations are required to enable the development of a regulatory system that aligns with the rapid advancement in medical technology. The CUHK is delighted to partner with the DH in hosting the first forum to strengthen co-operation in medical innovation. The goal is to enhance health and medical industry standards by engaging leaders and pioneers in the field,” said the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the CUHK, Professor Philip Chiu.
Today’s forum featured keynote speeches by representatives of medical device regulatory authorities from Hong Kong, the Mainland, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, as well as local and Hungarian academia. The forum focused on trends in the medical device industry, international regulatory co-ordination mechanisms and breakthroughs in AI technology in the healthcare sector. Participants proactively engaged in discussions, sharing their insights and experiences.
The DH will continue to promote exchanges between governments, industry, and academia through various means to strengthen international collaboration networks, and lay a solid foundation for Hong Kong to develop into an international medical innovation hub. Issued at HKT 18:50
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ20: Borrowing on the part of foreign domestic helpers Question:
The Government has indicated that the borrowing problems of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) not only affect their own financial well-being, but also bring much trouble to their employers. It has been reported that in recent years, there have been instances where employers or former employers of FDHs are harassed by money lenders or financial intermediaries as FDHs default on loans. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the annual number of cases received by the Companies Registry from FDH employers, in 2024 and this year to date, in which harassment was allegedly inflicted on them by licensed money lenders during debt recovery from their FDHs;
(2) given that in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on November 27 last year, the Government indicated that it was formulating specific measures for public consultation along such directions as reviewing the existing regulations on money lenders and enhancing publicity and education, and it planned to commence such consultation in the first half of this year, of the progress of the public consultation on such new measures and the actual implementation timetable;
(3) as the revised Code of Practice for Employment Agencies (CoP) promulgated by the Labour Department (LD) in May last year requires employment agencies to, when making an application for a licence and renewal of a licence, inform the LD of whether they are associated with any financial institution, of the number of employment agencies that have made such declarations to LD since the revision of CoP;
(4) given that in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on January 8 this year, the Government indicated that only about 90 licensed money lenders had joined or were in the process of joining “Credit Data Smart” (CDS), a Credit Reference Platform, how the authorities plan to encourage the remaining licensed money lenders to join CDS so that the affordability of borrowers (including FDHs) for unsecured personal loans can be more accurately assessed by the industry; and
(5) as it is learnt that some FDHs have successfully applied for loans using their former employers’ addresses despite the completion of their agreements, whether the authorities have plans to address this issue, such as requiring financial institutions to verify with the authorities whether the FDH has an employment relationship with the employer declared by him or her before approving the loan?
Reply:
President,
The Government is very concerned about the borrowing issue of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and will strictly regulate licensed money lenders (money lenders) and step up publicity and education etc, to better protect the interests of FDHs and their employers. In consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau, Companies Registry (CR) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) In 2024 and 2025 (as at April), the CR received 11 and four complaints respectively on the alleged harassment of employers of FDHs by licensed money lenders due to debt collection in relation to the FDHs. The CR referred the cases concerned to the Police for handling.
(2) The Government has been closely monitoring the market situation in the money lending sector to continuously review and enhance the prevailing regulatory measures. In 2021, we enhanced the licensing conditions of money lenders, including requiring money lenders, before entering into a loan agreement for an unsecured personal loan, to undertake an assessment of the borrower’s repayment ability and have due regard to the assessment outcome, and requiring money lenders to immediately cease to use a referee’s information after they are informed or aware that the written consent was in fact not signed by the referee. In 2022, we lowered the statutory interest rate cap and the threshold of extortionate rate from 60 per cent to 48 per cent and from 48 per cent to 36 per cent respectively.
To step up efforts in addressing the issue of excessive borrowing, we will commence a public consultation this June on enhancing regulation of unsecured personal loans and strengthen protection for loan referees etc, and will consult the Legislative Council Panel on Financial Affairs in July. After the consultation period, we will collate and summarise the views to be received to finalise relevant measures and formulate relevant legislative proposals.
(3) To enhance the protection for job seekers and employers, the Labour Department (LD) promulgated the revised Code of Practice (CoP) for Employment Agencies on May 9, 2024. The revised CoP requires employment agencies (EAs) to declare, when applying for a licence or licence renewal, whether they operate any financial institution on the same premises as EAs, and whether the EA licensee or the person intending to be the licensee is at the same time the responsible person of any financial institution.
As at April 2025, the LD received and processed declarations from 3 362 EAs during applications for a licence or licence renewal in accordance with the aforementioned requirement. Among the 3 362 EAs, 41 EAs declared affiliations with financial institutions.
(4) To encourage more money lenders to join the Credit Data Smart (CDS), the Government and the HKMA have been working closely with the Hong Kong Association of Banks, the Hong Kong Association of Restricted Licence Banks and Deposit-taking Companies, and the Hong Kong S.A.R. Licensed Money Lenders Association Limited to research into and provide different solutions, as well as to organise briefing sessions on the CDS and proactively invite money lenders that have not joined the CDS to meetings.
Furthermore, under the strong support and promotion of the HKMA, the platform operator (i.e. Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited) has developed an interface, namely the “Common Module”, which provides an effective, lower-cost, and more convenient way for money lenders to connect to the CDS, saving the need to establish their own application programming interfaces (API).
The Government and the HKMA will continue to co-operate with the industry to develop enhancement measures to assist more money lenders in joining the CDS, so as to build a more comprehensive database.
(5) To address situation of employers or former employers being harassed due to borrowing of their FDHs, the licensing conditions of the current money lenders licence have clearly set out the relevant regulatory requirements. According to licensing condition 10 of the money lenders licence, a money lender and his debt collector shall only recover debts from the person who is in law indebted to him. A money lender and his debt collector shall not, while trying to locate the whereabouts of debtors, harass anyone, adopt unlawful or improper debt collection practices. Therefore, if a FDH employer or former employer discovers that his/her residential address is used improperly and feels harassed, he/she may lodge a complaint with the money lender concerned and request immediate cessation of his improper debt collection behaviours.
Money lenders should strictly comply with the licensing conditions in carrying on their business. Any breach of the licensing conditions during the course of business is an offence under the Money Lenders Ordinance. Upon conviction, offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years. If the Registrar of Money Lenders (Registrar) and the Police consider that a money lender has ceased to be a fit and proper person to carry on business as such, they may apply to the Licensing Court for revocation of his licence or refusal of his licence renewal application. Therefore, if there is any complaint against a money lender for improperly harassing a FDH employer or former employer, the complaint may serve as a ground for the Registrar or the Police to apply to the Licensing Court for revocation of his licence, or make an objection against his licence renewal application.
In addition, we will step up promotional and educational efforts targeting the FDH community, reminding FDHs that they could not provide their employers’ or former employers’ addresses as the borrower’s contact address without seeking their prior consent. We will also strengthen co-operation with the LD and non-governmental organisations to ensure that the relevant messages are effectively conveyed. Issued at HKT 16:21
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Transport Department (TD) today (May 28) reminded members of the public that the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in Southern District and Tai Po during the Tuen Ng Festival holidays (May 30 to 31) to facilitate the holding of dragon boat races.
Southern District (i) Road closures B. Public transport arrangements (i) Road closures
Dai King Street, Dai Hei Street and the section of Dai Kwai Street south of Dai Cheong Street will be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic, except for taxis, emergency vehicles and those vehicles authorised by the police officers on site, from 6pm on May 30 to 5pm on May 31.
Under the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374), the driver of a vehicle shall stop if an accident involving that vehicle occurs whereby damage is caused to animals not in the vehicle, and the Government included cats and dogs in the definition of “animal” under the Ordinance in 2021. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information in respect of traffic accidents involving vehicles hitting animals in each of the past five years: (i) the number of animals being hit (set out in the table below a breakdown by the type of animals (i.e. (a) horses, (b) cattle, (c) ass, (d) mules, (e) sheep, (f) pigs, (g) goats, (h) cats and (i) dogs)), (ii) the number of reports received by the Government on such accidents, and (iii) among these accidents, the number and percentage of cases involving hit-and-run drivers, (iv) the number of such accidents investigated by the Government under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169), and (v) among them, the number of prosecutions instituted;
Year(2) of the current handling procedures adopted by the government departments concerned upon receipt of cases of animals being hit by vehicles; the number of such cases in which animal carcasses were handled directly by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in each of the past five years, and their percentage in the total number of cases involving animals being hit by vehicles;
(3) as there are views that the deterrent effect of the existing legislation on accidents involving vehicles hitting animals is inadequate, whether the authorities will introduce fixed penalty or incorporate a demerit point system; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether the Government will allocate additional resources to assist in rescuing animals hit and injured by vehicles; and
(5) whether the Government will review the legislation to include more local wild animals (including but not limited to monkeys and wild pigs) in the definition of “animal” under Cap. 374; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374) (the Ordinance) provides that the driver of a vehicle shall stop if an accident involving that vehicle occurs whereby damage is caused to specified animals not in the vehicle. Drivers are also required to provide particulars, including name and address, to any police officer or any person having reasonable grounds for requiring the information. Otherwise, the driver must report the accident to the Police as soon as possible and in any case no later than 24 hours after the accident. The Government amended the definition of specified animals under the Ordinance on November 7, 2021 to include cats and dogs. Currently, specified animals include horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig, goat, cat and dog.
Having consulted the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the reply to the question from the Hon Chan Hak-kan is as follows:
(1) In the past five years, the HKPF has received a total of 933 reports of vehicle hitting the specified animals (details set out at the Table below), 147 of them involved driver failing to stop after hitting the animals. The HKPF does not maintain breakdown of statistics by the type of animals, cases investigated under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169), and the prosecution number.
Year(as at April 30) For the drivers involved, if such person did not stop after the accident, or provide particulars to police officers or report to the Police in accordance with the requirements of the Ordinance, the HKPF will investigate and follow up according to the established mechanism; and will instigate prosecution if there is sufficient evidence.
As regards the disposal of animal carcasses, upon receipt of referrals from departments or reports from the public, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will arrange for contractors to collect animal carcasses at the scene and deliver them to the landfills of the Environmental Protection Department for disposal. The FEHD does not maintain a breakdown of animal carcasses collected in traffic accidents.
(3) Under the Ordinance, a driver failing to stop upon a relevant accident is liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and imprisonment for 12 months, whereas failing to provide particulars and report to the Police according to the requirements of the Ordinance is liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. In general, enforcement by fixed penalty notices is targeted at cases which are simple, straightforward, clear-cut and capable of being easily established, but whether a driver has complied with the Ordinance requires further investigation of the Police, hence it is more appropriate to prosecute by issuing summonses. As regards demerit point system, considering the existing penalties have a certain deterrent effect, we do not intend to include the above offences in demerit point system at this stage, but will timely review them as necessary.
(5) The Ordinance requires drivers to stop if they hit a specified animal, with the intent of facilitating livestock owners to seek compensation from the drivers concerned for the loss incurred. The Government’s inclusion of cats and dogs as specified animals under the Ordinance in 2021 aimed to enable cats and dogs injured in traffic accidents to receive timely treatment. As regards whether other wild animals will be included, making reference to the legislation in some overseas jurisdictions, similar stopping and reporting requirements generally only cover animals that are commonly kept by people but not wild animals. In fact, a number of stakeholders raised at the public consultation for amending the Ordinance in 2021 that if monkeys and wild pigs are to be included as specified animals, the drivers may suddenly stop their vehicles and lead to road traffic safety problems. The Government will closely monitor the implementation of the Ordinance and strive to strike a balance between safeguarding animal welfare and the safety of road users, and will timely review whether there is room to further enhance the Ordinance. Issued at HKT 11:45
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Cheng and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 28):
Question: Reply:(2) The car parks at West Kowloon Government Offices and Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, managed by the GPA, provide 50 and 263 PC parking spaces respectively and operate under commercial principles by contractors. At Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, some parking spaces are available for public use throughout the day, while others are open only during non-office hours due to departmental needs. The car park at West Kowloon Government Offices is open to the public during non-office hours.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Ngan Man-yu and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (May 28):
Question: The WFSFAA reviews and streamlines the application and vetting procedures of the WFA Scheme and the School Textbook Assistance Scheme (STAS) from time to time. With respect to the WFA Scheme, the WFSFAA provides households which got approved WFA previously with application forms prefilled with basic household information, and requires less documentary proof in their subsequent applications. The WFSFAA provides reference materials for applicants such as guidance notes, checklist of documents required for the application and sample application forms. The WFSFAA sets up mobile information booths at various locations (including PHEs), and provides service counters (Note 2) and a 24-hour telephone enquiry hotline to answer public enquiries and offer assistance in filling out application forms.
In addition, the WFSFAA adopts a household-based application form to facilitate the submission of a consolidated application by families concerned for all eligible children attending primary or secondary schools or kindergartens / child care centres for applicable student financial assistance (including the STAS). Apart from providing enquiry hotlines and counter services, the WFSFAA also maintains close contact with schools with a view to offering assistance to applicants in need. Since the introduction of the WFA Scheme in April 2018, the Government has reviewed the WFA Scheme at various times and implemented a number of enhancement measures, including relaxing the eligibility criteria by extending the Scheme to singleton households and allowing household members to aggregate their working hours to apply for WFA. In addition, the Government has increased the rates of allowance under the WFA Scheme thrice to further alleviate the burden of grassroots working families (including those living in PHEs). The Government has launched the Strive and Rise Programme since 2022 which focuses on lifting secondary school students from underprivileged families (including those in PHEs) out of intergenerational poverty. Through tripartite collaboration of the Government, the business sector and the community, the Scheme broadens student participants’ horizons, reinforce their self-confidence, develop a positive life attitude, set goals for their future and strive for upward mobility. Note 2: The service counters are located at the HA customer service centre in Lok Fu and the WFSFAA office in Kwun Tong.
A €90 million loan from the European Investment Bank will enable the company majority-owned by Bordeaux Métropole to strengthen its business as part of its 2024-2028 strategic plan.
The funding will cover multiple aspects of the plan, ranging from the development of renewable energy in the Gironde to the energy renovation of individual properties and jointly-owned buildings.
For the EIB, this financing is also part of the European Union’s plan for the continent’s energy and green transition known as Repower EU.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Bordeaux Métropole Énergies (BME) have signed a €90 million loan agreement in support of a strategic plan for this semi-public company which supports the energy transition of local authorities, businesses and individuals in the Gironde department.
This funding aims at supporting BME in four areas of activity:
development of photovoltaic solutions in urban and rural areas for local authorities or businesses;
creation and extension of district heating and cooling networks for infrastructure sourced by renewable energy;
development of biogas production projects via anaerobic digestion and financing of energy efficiency renovation work on individual properties and jointly-owned buildings.
“We are pleased to support Bordeaux Métropole Énergies in its energy transformation plan, which will have a positive impact across the Gironde department,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle.
“Promoting renewable energy, financing innovative solutions and reducing the energy bill of local authorities, businesses and individuals are the goals of the EIB in terms of climate action and the energy transition, so that EU financing can benefit everyone living in local communities.”
“The EIB’s support marks an important step for BME and its enterprises in their ability to play a key strategic and operational role in building a carbon-neutral territory by 2050,” said Claudine Bichet, Chair of BME’s Board of Directors.
“It enables us to step up our investment in energy and low-carbon solutions along with local authorities and companies in the Gironde department,” said BME Managing Director Audrey Dugal.
For BME, this funding will make it possible to implement the commitments set out in its roadmap published in 2024. It boosts the group’s ability to invest in the region to develop solar photovoltaic projects on roofs, car parks and in ground-based power plants, generate renewable heating and cooling networks, produce biogas and increase the energy-efficient renovation of buildings.
For the EIB, this financing is part of a long tradition of supporting local authorities in France. It also forms part of the Bank’s climate action activity, which is one of the EIB’s strategic priorities, as well as supporting the REPowerEU programme, launched by the European Commission in 2022, aimed at reducing Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels and accelerating the green energy transition. By helping people to renovate their homes, this funding ultimately aims to help make the housing sector more low-carbon in France and across the European Union.
Background information
About the EIB
The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives in climate action, environment, digitalisation, technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
In 2024 the EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in Europe and across the world. In France, the EIB Group signed more than 100 operations in 2024 for a total amount of €12.6 billion. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.
About the Bordeaux Métropole Energies Group
A major player in local energy transition, Bordeaux Métropole Energies (BME) is a group composed of four subsidiaries (Gaz de Bordeaux, Mixener, Néomix, Regaz-Bordeaux) and two brands (Facirénov and Via33), all committed to decarbonisation. They support local authorities, businesses and individuals in their energy revolution and decarbonisation through energy renovation activities and the construction of a local and diversified energy mix (biogas, solar, heating and cooling, and renewables). BME has been a local semi-public company since 2017 and its shareholding structure comprises public partners such as Bordeaux Métropole (67.9%), private players like Engie (20%), Banque des Territoires (12%) and 13 municipalities of the Bordeaux region (0.1%).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected methamphetamine and suspected cannabis buds at airport The first case involved a 37-year-old woman who arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found a batch of suspected methamphetamine, weighing about 6kg, concealed inside some tea leaf packaging bags in her check-in suitcase. She was subsequently arrested.
After an investigation, the arrested person has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (May 29).
The second case involved a 21-year-old male passenger who arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, this morning. During customs clearance, about 12kg of suspected cannabis buds were seized from his check-in suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested. The dangerous drugs were packed in plastic bags and vacuum bags and were mix-loaded with personal belongings.
The investigation of the second case is ongoing.
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 18:55
Para-archer Harvinder Singh was conferred the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, honouring his trailblazing achievements in Indian para-archery and his inspiring journey of resilience and success.
Born on February 25, 1991, in a remote village in Haryana, Harvinder Singh defied early life challenges to etch his name in India’s sporting history. A childhood medical mishap resulted in a permanent disability in his left leg, but this adversity became the foundation of his unyielding determination.
Taking up archery in 2012 under the mentorship of coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja, Harvinder’s rise was swift and inspirational. His international debut came in 2017, and within a year, he created history by clinching India’s first-ever gold medal in para-archery at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. He triumphed in the Men’s Individual Recurve (Open category), a feat that placed him firmly on the global map.
Harvinder Singh’s accomplishments only grew from there. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, he became the first Indian archer to win a Paralympic medal, securing bronze. He followed this with another bronze in the Men’s Team Recurve event at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.
However, it was his golden performance at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games that truly defined his legacy. With a commanding win in the Men’s Recurve Archery (Open category), Harvinder Singh delivered India’s first-ever gold medal in para-archery at the Paralympic level—a moment of immense pride for the nation.
Beyond the sporting arena, Harvinder Singh has also excelled in academics. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Punjabi University, Patiala, and is currently pursuing a PhD in the same field, embodying the spirit of all-round excellence.
His contributions have previously been recognised with the Arjuna Award in 2021 and the Bhim Award by the Haryana government in 2022. Now, with the conferment of the Padma Shri, Shri Harvinder Singh joins the ranks of India’s most respected civilian honourees.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The annual parade of the Moscow cadet movement “The connection between generations will not be broken!” dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War took place on Victory Square on Poklonnaya Gora.
Before the parade began, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ and the Mayor of Moscow addressed the cadets with a welcoming speech. Sergei Sobyanin and the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergei Kravtsov.
“I congratulate you on the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, the glorious anniversary that we are celebrating on these bright May days. Moscow sacredly honors the legacy of the victors. Courage, fortitude, patriotism and selfless service to the Fatherland. Cadets and the entire younger generation grow and are brought up on these values. And today, on Poklonnaya Gora, we see the best representatives of the Moscow cadet movement in the parade formation. Next to you, shoulder to shoulder, are cadets from other cities of Russia and Belarus. This emphasizes the traditions of the cadet brotherhood. You are smart and talented, strong and courageous, energetic and purposeful. And such concepts as honor and dignity are the main principles of life for you. Your peers look up to you, your family and friends are rightfully proud of you. Everything is ahead of you. And I am sure that you will succeed, because where there are cadets, there is victory,” said Sergei Sobyanin.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ congratulated the cadets on the holiday.
“Moscow has truly changed beyond recognition in recent years. It is a wonderful city, convenient for living, beautiful, which really reflects the general development of our entire state. Many thanks to Sergei Semyonovich Sobyanin, the City Hall, all those who work to beautify and improve all aspects of Muscovites’ lives. Of course, thanks to all of us, to all our people, to all working people, to all who love their country and work for its prosperity,” noted Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Kirill.
The Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov emphasized that Moscow is becoming the center of the cadet brotherhood, which is based on spiritual and moral values, courage and loyalty to traditions. Today, a strategy for the development of cadet education is being developed. 510 thousand children are studying in cadet and Cossack corps and schools, educational organizations with cadet and Cossack classes.
“The Moscow Cadet Movement unites young patriots who are ready to take up the baton of serving the Fatherland from their great-grandfathers, grandfathers, and fathers. Cadets are the golden fund of the Russian state. The future of the country is in your hands. And now your main task is to comprehend the world, study science, and get good and excellent grades. Cadet – that sounds proud. Love for the Fatherland is not just words, but deeds,” added Sergey Kravtsov.
The parade was attended by seven thousand people. Among them were combat veterans, including participants in the special military operation (SVO), representatives of legislative and executive authorities, law enforcement agencies and public organizations, teachers, parents and students from the capital’s schools.
On behalf of the Moscow cadet movement, Artem Lazorev, a student of school No. 1794 named after A.S. Chufistov, spoke.
“In May, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. We are proud of the feat of our ancestors. A feat that will be inscribed in history and in our hearts for centuries. We will be proud that we continue the work of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. We are preparing to serve our great Motherland. We remember them, we thank them. The connection between generations will not be broken,” the cadet thanked.
More than three thousand cadets took part in the parade – 52 parade units. Among them:
— 43 ceremonial units of students from cadet classes of comprehensive schools in Moscow;
— three ceremonial units of students from federal general education institutions: the Alexander Nevsky Cadet Corps of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the M.A. Sholokhov Moscow Presidential Cadet School of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, and the Moscow Suvorov Military School of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation;
— a ceremonial crew of the cadet boarding school with initial flight training named after three times Hero of the Soviet Union A.I. Pokryshkin (city of Fryazino, Moscow region);
– four parade units from Lugansk, Kherson, Izhevsk and Perm;
— a ceremonial formation of the cadet delegation from Belarus (city of Brest).
The Moscow Cadet Movement Parade has been held since 2015. Its goal is to increase the prestige of the capital’s cadet education, to develop in young people a sense of pride in the history of the country and belonging to the cadet brotherhood, and to cultivate a readiness to serve the Fatherland.
Festival-forum of the Moscow cadet movement
This year, the Moscow Cadet Movement Festival and Forum began after the parade. The practical cluster for cadets and other guests hosts interactive master classes and exhibitions on tactical medicine, UAV control, VR training and fire training. Speaker sessions are also held here with the participation of Heroes of the Fatherland, representatives of the veteran community, government bodies, popular athletes and opinion leaders in the field of patriotic education of youth. These meetings are of greatest interest to educators, parents and teachers.
The sports cluster hosts tournaments in team sports and tactical games: basketball, handball, mini-football, tag rugby, laser tag and archery tag. Guests can also attend master classes organized by sports federations, autograph sessions and meetings with famous athletes.
The career guidance cluster features an exhibition of leading universities – partners of the Cadet Class in a Moscow School project and law enforcement agencies, interactive career guidance platforms and demonstration performances.
In the creative cluster, spectators will see performances by the best creative cadet groups, exhibitions and photo zones on the theme of traditional crafts and Cossack culture.
The festival-forum will end with a gala concert featuring popular domestic performers.
Cadet education in Moscow
In total, the cadet movement in the capital includes more than 30 thousand children. It has a banner approved by the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation, presented by the Mayor of Moscow and consecrated by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’.
In Moscow schools, cadet education is one of the types of specialized training aimed at preparing students for military and civil service. The project began in 2014 with the first 70 cadet classes. They are now open in 236 schools.
“Cadet education is one of the most popular in Moscow schools. More than 28 thousand children study in specialized classes. They are brought up in the best cadet traditions – with an emphasis on erudition, physical development, service to the Motherland and people. Many children join volunteer organizations and choose a military career,” the Mayor of Moscow wrote in
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin
Cadets are mainly trained in daytime mode from the seventh to the 11th grade. Cadet classes with round-the-clock stay in the system Department of Education and Science of the City of Moscow are available at two cadet boarding schools (the First Moscow Cadet Corps and Cadet Boarding School No. 5), as well as at the Police College.
There are also five cadet educational institutions of federal subordination in Moscow. These are the Moscow Suvorov Military School, the Moscow Presidential Cadet School named after M.A. Sholokhov of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, the Cadet School of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation named after Alexander Nevsky, the Moscow Cadet Corps “Boarding School for Pupils of the Ministry of Defense of Russia” and the Moscow Military Music School of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.
Children are selected for cadet classes of city schools based on their academic achievements, physical development and health, and their degree of focus on the future choice of a military or civil servant profession. The profile of cadet education is provided by ministries and departments of the security forces, including the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Together with them, schools determine the subject profile and a variable set of additional general development programs for cadet classes depending on the specifics of the department, and also provide in-depth study of Russian history.
In 2024, more than 90 percent of graduates of cadet classes and institutions entered higher education institutions and secondary vocational education organizations, including law enforcement agencies.
Every year, Moscow cadets participate in city events of patriotic orientation. Among them:
— the parade of the Moscow city cadet movement “The connection between generations will not be broken!” dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War;
— Moscow meta-subject Olympiad “The connection between generations will not be broken”;
— Cadet Class Day at the Victory Museum (standing watch as an honor guard at post No. 1 near the Flame of Memory and Glory on Poklonnaya Hill);
— educational project “Cadet Day at VDNKh”;
– Cadet Spartakiad;
— city competition “Review of the formation and songs. “March to the victors!””;
— events dedicated to days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia;
— events held by public and veteran organizations of Moscow: Moscow City Council of Veterans of War, Labor, Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies; Club of Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and Full Cavaliers of the Order of Glory of the City of Moscow and the Moscow Region; Regional Public Fund for the Support of Heroes of the Soviet Union and Heroes of the Russian Federation named after General E.N. Kocheshkov; Interregional Public Fund for Social Security “Law and Order-Shield”.
In the 2024/2025 academic year, 895 students of cadet classes became winners and prize-winners of the meta-subject Olympiad “The Connection between Generations Will Not Be Broken”. More than six thousand cadets passed the demonstration exam. More than eight thousand students attended classes in 20 areas of the cycle of introductory professional trials “Cadet Class – Path to the Profession” and career guidance events at partner universities.
Among the cadets’ sporting achievements is passing the standards of the “Ready for Labor and Defense” (GTO) complex. Thus, 3,134 cadets became holders of the gold GTO badge, 2,076 people became holders of the silver badge, and 1,873 students became holders of the bronze badge.
Patriotic education of youth
Patriotic education is an integral part of the educational process in the Moscow education system.
The main areas of this work include preserving the continuity of generations. Priorities include perpetuating the memory of the participants in the Great Patriotic War and implementing joint projects with veterans’ organizations. In the system of the Moscow Department of Education and Science, more than 70 schools and colleges are named after heroes. For example, in recent years, the capital’s schools have been named after V.A. Matrosov, R. Sorge, A.N. Samsonov, M.V. Grizodubova. In 2024, the name of A.S. Chufistov, director of school No. 1794 who died in the SVO, was perpetuated.
Every year, together with the city’s veteran organizations, about a thousand joint projects are implemented, including museum-historical Olympiads, competitions, meetings with students in school museums, and courage lessons.
Since 2001, the Heroes’ Cup review competition has been held for the best organization of patriotic education in educational organizations of the capital’s Department of Education and Science. The competition takes into account the presence of volunteer and young army units, sports and tourist sections and associations, as well as the number of children attending them. Important components of the assessment are the work of children in caring for memorial sites under the patronage of the educational organization, the quality of passing five-day training camps and fulfilling the standards of the GTO complex. All subordinate educational organizations participate in the competition.
Museum pedagogy is developing. There are more than 1,100 museums in the capital’s schools. Of these, more than 600 are dedicated to the history of Russia, including the Great Patriotic War and the special military operation. Military personnel take an active part in organizing exhibitions: they donate personal belongings and documents to museums, and also hold meetings with children.
In the 2024/2025 academic year, military-patriotic clubs began to develop in the Moscow education system as associations of additional education. From September to May, their number increased from 193 to more than 400. Currently, over 22 thousand people are involved in military-patriotic clubs.
The city’s educational institutions closely cooperate with the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Hill. Together with the largest museum complex in Russia dedicated to the history of the Great Patriotic War and World War II, a project such as the educational and historical quest “The Feat of the People” is being implemented. It is visited by 103 thousand people per year.
The interactive excursion program is of great interest “Battle for Moscow. First Victory”The exhibition at the Victory Museum includes five three-dimensional interactive panoramas, 24 multimedia complexes, more than 1.7 thousand exhibits, including personal belongings of soldiers, generals and people’s militia fighters, over 3.5 thousand photographs, over a thousand scanned documents and over two thousand reference materials. The exhibition is visited by 60 thousand people per year.
Together with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Victory Museum is holding an interactive tour, “A Journey into History. Faith in Victory.” The project tells about the contribution of believers — Orthodox and representatives of other faiths — to the fight against fascism and the approach of the Great Victory. Schoolchildren will learn about the exploits of partisan priests, the origin of the expression “sister of mercy,” and the qualities that warrior defenders cultivate in themselves. The annual number of excursionists is 25 thousand people.
Another direction of patriotic education of youth is conducting lessons “Conversations about the important”. Each school week in educational institutions of the city begins with the raising of the State Flag of the Russian Federation and the performance of the anthem. Classes of the cycle “Conversations about the important” are held, dedicated to the peoples of Russia, its history, culture, nature.
These classes are also held at the sites of additional education centers and cultural institutions. In September 2024, the project “Conversations about the Important in the Museum of Contemporary History of Russia” began, which was organized by the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia and the Moscow Center for Educational Practices. Excursions dedicated to significant events in the history of Russia in the 19th-21st centuries were attended by more than 10 thousand schoolchildren and students;
Young people actively participate in the volunteer movement. Every year, students from schools and colleges, under whose patronage there are more than a thousand objects of military glory, take part in citywide memorial and patronage events.
Other areas of volunteer work include social, environmental, sports, cultural, media volunteering, professional and cyber volunteering.
On the basis of schools and colleges, 22 support sites have been created, which are operators of volunteer projects and actions. More than 100 thousand students actively participate in volunteer squads;
An important area of patriotic education is preparing young people for military service. Every year, 10th graders and second-year college students attend five-day training camps as part of the study of the program “Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Homeland.”
This year, the training camp is being held at the Patriot Health and Educational Center, the Avangard Educational and Methodological Center, the Preobrazhensky Defense and Sports Center, and military units. More than 40,000 people will take part in the training camp. The children will learn the basics of military topography and military regulations, and acquire military medical, drill, tactical, fire, and technical training skills;
In addition, more than 55 thousand Moscow schoolchildren participate in the All-Russian military-patriotic public movement “Yunarmiya”. The capital’s Yunarmiya members take part in events held by the main headquarters of the movement. The largest of them are ceremonial events dedicated to memorable dates and days of military glory of Russia (more than 25 thousand participants), the All-Russian military-patriotic game “Zarnitsa 2.0” (more than 17 thousand participants) and the All-Russian children’s and youth festival “Voroshilov shooter” (more than five thousand participants);
The work of directors’ education advisers is of great importance in the patriotic education of young people. This position was introduced in Moscow schools and colleges in September 2023 as part of the federal project “Patriotic Education of Citizens of the Russian Federation” of the national project “Education”. Currently, more than 1.2 thousand such specialists work in educational institutions.
Directors’ advisors play an important role in the implementation of key federal and city projects in the field of education, as well as the development of children’s initiatives. They involve children in children’s public associations, school and student theaters, volunteer units, patriotic, sports and tourist clubs. Specialists also conduct various patronage events and courage lessons. This helps preserve the memory of the participants of the Great Patriotic War, heroes and veterans.
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A rider has been taken to hospital in a serious condition following a crash at Gawler Belt this afternoon.
Just before 2.30pm on Wednesday 28 May, police were called to the intersection of Horrocks Highway and Thiele Highway at Gawler Belt after reports a Holden station wagon and Husqvarna motorbike collided.
The rider, a 66-year-old man from Evanston Park was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the car, a 53-year-old woman from Morgan was taken to hospital for minor injuries and mandatory blood analysis.
Major Crash Investigators have attended the scene and investigations are ongoing.
The road was closed for several hours but has since reopened.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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