A play about Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria to be performed at the Edinburgh International Festival

YourArt has ambitions to exhibit and sell works of amateur and professional artists

A new digital platform dedicated to art was launched today by the head of the French Publicis group, Maurice Levy, AFP reported.

The idea is that in the future it will become a “social network for art”. The project, called YourArt, has ambitions to exhibit and sell works by amateur and professional artists.

We want it to “become the world’s leading platform for art and technology, with the largest number of artists, galleries, collectors and enthusiasts,” said Levy, who is chairman of the company’s communications supervisory board.

The Frenchman, who is 81 years old, combines in this project two of his passions – art and technology. This is a family adventure that Maurice Levy started with his son Stefan, Vice President of YourArt.

The head of “Publicis” initially invested nine million euros “with his family and friends”. Among the partners in the project is Henry Kravis, billionaire and founder of the American fund KKR.

Any artist can subscribe (for between 10 and 30 euros per month) to display their works – from a simple portfolio to a virtual 3D gallery.

The project is aimed at both established creators and amateurs, without making a special selection – a model reminiscent of the YouTube platform, notes AFP.

Artists and galleries can also offer artwork, and the site will take between five and ten percent commission.

“I love art,” says Levy, a collector of French artists Pierre Soulages and Jean Dubuffet, and also a former president of the Palais de Tokyo, a center for modern and contemporary art in Paris.

“Around 2008, I came across a study that struck me: it showed an incredible number of amateur artists and their frustration at not being able to show their work. That’s how I came up with the idea of offering the largest gallery in the world,” he says.

“We are creating a French platform, with European ambitions in 2024, and then global ambitions,” emphasized Maurice Levy.

YourArt already has 22 employees. The platform is set to be enriched with new features such as irreplaceable tokens and a messaging system to create a “social network for art”.

It is not planned to receive public assistance “so that we can work freely”, emphasized Levy, quoted by AFP.

Illustrative Photo by picjumbo.com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-using-laptop-computer-during-daytime-196655/

Cristal Logothetis, a Spaniard based in the USA boomed a “Carry the future” movement to help refugee mothers and newborns

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25 May 2023

Cristal Logothetis with "Carry the future" team

Cristal Logothetis (Cristal Munoz-Logothetis) at Scientology Network’s MEET A SCIENTOLOGIST, the weekly series spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists from around the world and all walks of life, announces an episode featuring humanitarian Cristal Logothetis on May 23, 2023.

MEET A SCIENTOLOGIST airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Scientology Network.

Cristal Logothetis started the nonprofit organization Carry the Future to send baby carriers to Syrian refugees after seeing news reports of the harrowing journeys that families fleeing with babies faced. What started as her simple act of kindness has grown into a movement of thousands joining in to help save the lives of children.

ABOUT CRISTAL LOGOTHETIS

Born in Madrid, Spain, Cristal Logothetis moved to the United States at only eight years old and remained keenly aware of the hardships she endured emigrating and trying to assimilate into a foreign culture. One day while scrolling through her newsfeed, she saw the image of a three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned off the coast of a Greek island as his family was fleeing the violence in their homeland. The experience left an indelible impression upon her and ignited a sense of “radical compassion.” Wanting to assist the refugee families in any way she could, she decided to collect 100 baby carriers through a crowdfunding website. Within days, she hadn’t merely surpassed her goal, she filled storage lockers with over 900 carriers—which she then personally helped distribute to refugee families.

Today, Cristal’s nonprofit, Carry the Future, counts over 50 volunteer staff members with 6,000 global volunteers and has distributed more than 30,000 carriers in refugee crisis zones around the world.

The Scientology Network debuted on March 12, 2018. Since launching, the Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about Scientology, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists; showing the Church as a global organization; and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions worldwide. The network also showcases documentaries by Independent filmmakers who represent a cross section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities.

Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church’s global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

Are you getting enough vitamin D?

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Newsdesk

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25 May 2023

A person’s vitamin D levels are related to their sex drive. This is explained by Dr. Sarah Gottfried, a specialist in functional and integrative medicine who graduated from Harvard University.

Vitamin D deficiency leads to a decrease in estrogen in women, which in turn results in low sexual desire. Lack of the vitamin also causes low testosterone in men.

This to some extent explains the greater sexual desire among people in the summer. Elevated levels of vitamin D cause human hormones, and therefore libido, to peak during the summer months. Studies show that men with sufficient vitamin D—30.0 mcg/L or more—have significantly more testosterone than men whose vitamin D levels fall below 20.0-29.9 mcg/L.

In addition to libido, testosterone and estrogen levels also affect mood. Low testosterone can be associated with depression, anxiety and irritability. Likewise, estrogen helps increase serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid, which are key neurotransmitters that contribute to feelings of calmness and happiness.

Vitamin D activates the genes that release dopamine and serotonin. A lack of these neurotransmitters is commonly associated with depression. This link may help explain seasonal affective disorder, which refers to depressed mood during the winter months.

Therefore, experts recommend that in winter, when a person covers his skin with thick, dense clothing, he should take additional amounts of vitamin D through supplements.

The only difference is that UV-B rays must react with cholesterol in the skin to convert to vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol), whereas with supplementation the vitamin is already formed, so the body can skip this step. In both methods, D-3 then goes to the liver, where it is converted to 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

One does not need to live on the Equator to get enough vitamin D. One needs to take an additional amount by consulting with one’s personal physician in advance about the appropriate dosage of the vitamin.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/different-medicines-placed-on-white-surface-5998499/

Sudan: UN and partners scramble to supply aid as fragile ceasefire holds

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25 May 2023

Sudan: UN and partners scramble to supply aid as fragile ceasefire holds

Stéphane Dujarric told correspondents at the regular noon briefing that the opportunity to provide services and support to the millions of Sudanese who are suffering due to the six weeks of fighting between national army forces and their powerful rival militia, the RSF, was only feasible in areas where the ceasefire holds.

Relative calm has prevailed since the truce was reached between the feuding generals, in Jeddah, a week ago, but news reports suggest that flare ups in recent days are threating the continuation of the United States and Saudi-monitored ceasefire.

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Aid trucks en route

“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that some 20 trucks carrying supplies from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are now on their way to different parts of Sudan today”, he said.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has reached more than 500,000 people in nine states with food and nutrition support since restarting distributions about three weeks ago.

“WFP is also planning distributions in Central Darfur and Northern State. Yesterday, trucks loaded with food aid arrived in Wadi Halfa, and today in Port Sudan, WFP started providing food to some 4,000 new arrivals”, Mr. Dujarric continued.

According to UN agencies, six newborn babies died at a hospital in the city of Eld’aeen in East Darfur in just one week, due to problems including lack of oxygen amid electricity blackouts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than 30 newborns have died at the hospital since the start of the fighting, Mr. Dujarric continued. WHO is in touch with healthcare providers to see what it can do to support, he said.

Half the population needs aid

An estimated 24.7 million people, or half the population, require urgent humanitarian assistance and protection, according to the UN’s top humanitarian official in the country, Abdou Dieng.

Mr. Dieng noted in a statement published late on Wednesday that this number had risen by 57 per cent since the beginning of the year.

He said that aid partners have provided food for over 500,000 people in the country since the beginning of May, in addition to supplying water, healthcare and hygiene support to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, whenever access was possible.

Mr. Dieng reiterated humanitarians are ready to deliver assistance to over four million in need and called on the relevant authorities to allow aid workers to move supplies “swiftly and safely”.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than two-thirds of hospitals are out of service because of fighting in Sudan, while in areas that did not see fighting, medical facilities are running low on supplies and staff, fuel, oxygen and blood bank services.

Rape, sexual violence

The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, also highlighted her grave concern on Wednesday over multiple reports of sexual violence against women and girls, including allegations of rape, by combatants on both sides.

“I am very alarmed by emerging reports of sexual violence in different parts of Sudan and urge all parties to the conflict to comply with international human rights and humanitarian law, and in particular, to guarantee immediate and complete cessation of all violence against civilians, including sexual violence, as per their respective commitments” made in ceasefire terms.

She said it was “imperative that unfettered access to services is guaranteed by all parties”, calling on them to instantly “issue strict command orders that prohibit sexual violence, directed at their own forces as well as groups and individuals fighting on their side or under their command, and put in place mechanisms to adequately monitor the conduct of all armed elements they control”, she added.

UN representative alarmed by sexual violence against women and girls in DRC

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25 May 2023

UN representative alarmed by sexual violence against women and girls in DRC

“Allegations of grave cases of sexual violence against civilians, including children, in particular affecting IDPs fleeing conflict in the eastern DRC, is a matter of profound concern which requires immediate action,” said the top UN official who advocates for women and girls impacted by sexual violence.

The representative spoke of how she was “deeply troubled” by some attacks which have been taking place in broad daylight, affecting the daily lives and livelihoods of women and girls in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

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Protecting women and girls

She noted that the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has reported an alarming number of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases in 2022, and that IDP camps represent a ‘volatile security environment’ , especially for displaced women and girls.

“More than 38,000 cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) were reported by UNICEF for all of 2022 in North Kivu alone. Humanitarian actors report they have provided assistance to over 600 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in six IDP camps over the course of two weeks in a volatile security environment. In most cases, survivors reported being attacked by armed men and displaced men in and around the camps,” she pointed out.

No immediate ‘life-saving’ aid

Ms. Patten also called attention to how women and girls are disproportionally affected by sexual violence in thousands of cases reported by humanitarian partners, with some unable to “access life-saving services, including Post-Exposure Prophylaxis kits, during the crucial 72-hour window after an attack”.

She said the best way to protect women and girls in such conditions was to provide medical assistance, but also offer routes for escaping violence and other insecurities in the first place.

“Immediate medical and psychosocial assistance must be accompanied by protection measures, to ensure that those who have been forced from their homes due to violence and insecurity, including women and girls fleeing conflict in Masisi and Rutshuru territories in North Kivu province, are able to access services and are not placed at further risk of sexual violence.”

She said the UN rights office in DRC (OHCHR) was liaising with humanitarian partners and other UN agencies in the country to document allegations and provide needed support.

Justice for victims of sexual violence

Ms. Patten also called on authorities to fulfill their human rights obligations by working with the UN to provide protection to civilians fleeing conflict violence, in addition to investigating and prosecuting perpetrators.

“I urge the Government to ensure its national police secures all IDP camps in accordance with their primary obligation to protect civilians under international humanitarian law and their responsibilities to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights obligations.

Ms. Patten called on donors to help ensure protection for victims of sexual violence in DRC and said her office was available to assist partners in providing support.

Security Council urged to step up on financing for AU peace operations

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25 May 2023

Security Council urged to step up on financing for AU peace operations

Briefing ambassadors on Africa Day, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo presented the latest UN report on securing predictable, sustainable and flexible resources for AU-led peace support operations mandated by the Council.

The changing nature of conflict in Africa has forced the partners to adapt their operations in response to new and evolving challenges.

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Secure funding stream

“The case for adequately financing AU-led peace support operations is beyond solid. We are therefore hopeful that the Security Council will agree to provide its backing, including allowing access to UN assessed contributions,” she said.

The report lists the joint mission model and support packages delivered by the UN as the two most practical financing options, which would be authorized on a case-by-case basis.

It also outlines a standardized consultative planning and mandating process, through which the UN, the AU and subregional configurations can assess the required response to an emerging crisis.

“This process would reassure the Council that a given situation has been systematically reviewed by all the relevant entities. It would thus help the Council decide whether assessed contributions can be mandated,” she said.

Rising insecurity, funding shortfalls

Ms. DiCarlo gave an overview of AU and UN cooperation, noting that it has grown significantly since the signing of a 2017 joint framework on enhanced partnership in peace and security.

She said over the past 20 years, the AU has shown readiness to speedily deploy peace support operations in response to conflicts, including in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Comoros, Mali, Somalia and Sudan.

These missions faced recurrent problems such as funding shortfalls, and although support provided by the UN and partners has been useful, it has also been unpredictable.

“As we look at different parts of the continent, it is obvious that the need to put AU peace operations on a solid footing is increasingly pressing,” she said, referring to situations in places such as the Sahel, Somalia, Mozambique, and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“In Africa and elsewhere, rising insecurity is characterized by an increasing use of asymmetric tactics and sophistication of armed extremist groups and expanding influence of transnational organized crime,” she continued. “These connected phenomena require commensurate global approaches and responses.”

Progress on compliance

The funding of AU-led operations has been a longstanding issue in the Security Council, particularly over establishing a mechanism to allow partial financing through UN assessed contributions.

Ms. DiCarlo reported that in line with two Council resolutions, the AU has made significant progress to address the financial challenge of its peace operations, and on ensuring compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as UN conduct and discipline standards.

Noting that AU peace operations should be considered as part of the range of responses to crises in Africa, alongside established UN mechanisms, she appealed for the Council’s support.

“As the Secretary-General has stated, concrete action on this longstanding issue will address a critical gap in the international peace and security architecture and bolster the efforts of the African Union to tackle peace and security challenges on the continent.”

Stand with Africa: Guterres

Meanwhile, UN chief António Guterres noted that cooperation and solidarity to advance the continent’s future is more needed than ever.

“I look forward to African governments continuing to seize the opportunities presented by the continent’s natural, human, and entrepreneurial richness, by working to increase private investment and raise resources at home,” he said in his message for Africa Day.

The annual commemoration May celebrates the founding of the Organization of African Union, the African Union precursor, on 25 May 1963.

The Secretary-General urged the international community to stand with Africa as multiple rises – from COVID-19 to climate and conflict – continue to cause great suffering there.

He further stated that African countries are underrepresented in global governance institutions, such as the UN Security Council, and denied the debt relief and concessional funding they need.

“Africa deserves peace, justice and international solidarity,” he said. “With international cooperation and solidarity, this can be Africa’s century.”

UN peacekeepers ‘a beacon of hope and protection’: Guterres

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25 May 2023

UN peacekeepers ‘a beacon of hope and protection’: Guterres

He said the men and women that serve, from 125 countries, across 12 operations, were working to support security, stability and the rule of law.

“They represent the beating heart of the United Nations’ commitment to peace”, said Secretary-General António Guterres.

“By bringing peacekeepers together from around the world, peacekeeping has also become an inspiring symbol of multilateralism in action”, he added, just ahead of presenting the prestigious UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year award to a Ghanian peacekeeper, inside the gilded General Assembly Hall in New York.

But thanks to the increasing complexity of conflict, stagnating peace processes, the constant beat of terrorist activity, armed militia, gang violence and transnational crime, communities, countries and entire regions, are being increasingly poisoned, he said.

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Increasingly ‘no peace to keep’

“And the digital world has become a frightening frontier of tension, division, hate and mis and disinformation.

Sadly, our peacekeepers are increasingly working in places where there is no peace to keep.”

He called for governments represented in the hall to “seriously reflect on the need for a new generation of peace-enforcement missions and counter-terrorism operations”, led by Security Council mandate under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, that could rely on a guaranteed funding stream.

Before the solemn but moving ceremony, the UN chief laid a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial, honouring the sacrifice made by all those serving under te UN flag.

“We mourn their loss and share our deepest sympathies with their families, friends and colleagues. We will never forget their contributions”, he said, before leading a moment of silence.

The roll of those who died in service last year was read, on this 75 anniversary of UN Peacekeeping operations, with more than 4,200 killed in total, in the cause of peace.

Embodying ‘duty to peace’

“Our fallen military, police and civilian personnel came from 39 different countries, with diverse backgrounds. But all embodied our duty to peace”, said Mr. Guterres. “I extend my deepest condolences and gratitude to their families, friends, colleagues and home countries represented here.

“I pay tribute to their service and sacrifice, which inspire our work every day. And I commit to doing everything we can to support our peacekeepers in their mission, including improving their safety and security and the effectiveness of peacekeeping through the Action for Peacekeeping Plus strategy.”

Women ‘leading the way’

Paying tribute to the landmark Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the UN chief said it reminds “that our women peacekeepers are not only supporting global peace and security.

“They are leading the way.”

The winner of this year’s Military Gender Advocate award, Captain Cecilia Erzuah of Ghana, embodies leadership in every way, and the principles behind resolution 1325, he said, for her work in Abyei as the Commander of the Ghana Engagement Platoon since March last year.

“In Abyei, she saw first-hand the enormous toll of armed conflict on entire communities — especially women — and she spared no effort to ensure that their voices were heard and reflected”, he added.

Her work reaching out to local communities to hear their concerns, explain the work of peacekeepers, and build trust, as well as engaging with local leadership, women and youth, “has been critical to the mission’s success.”

He said it was “high time” to significantly increase the number of women working in UN peacekeeping missions everywhere.

‘Long live the United Nations’

In her remarks to the ceremony, Cpt. Erzuah, said she was honoured to receive the award, saying it “underscores the tireless efforts and dedication” of her whole platoon, towards gender equality and inclusiveness.

The disputed region of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan, has seen a UN peacekeeping presence since 2011, where the UNIFSA security force works to strengthen police capacity, protect civilians under threat, and help with humanitarian aid and the free movement of aid workers.

She said her platoon’s work had led to an increase in the number of women joining local, male-dominated community protection committees.

Cpt. Erzuah dedicated her award to “the beautiful people of Abyei” whose memory she would always treasure, and “to all peacekeeping personnel, particularly we women in uniform.

“May our dedication, commitment and love for humanity, never go unrewarded. Long live the United Nations.”

Civilian fallen

The head of Operational Support, Atul Khare, accepted a medal on behalf of the families of 42 civilian peacekeepers, who have “paid the ultimate sacrifice”, from 20 Member States.

He said the best way to honour their memories, was to “rededicate ourselves, and our efforts, to the cause of peace.”

Arrest of top Rwandan genocide fugitive shows ‘justice will be done’

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25 May 2023

Arrest of top Rwandan genocide fugitive shows ‘justice will be done’

Fulgence Kayishema is alleged to have orchestrated the killing of approximately 2,000 Tutsi refugees at Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) said in a statement.

He was arrested in South Africa on Wednesday in a joint operation between the IRMCT Office of the Prosecutor and the authorities.

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Finally facing justice

Kayishema has been at large since 2001 and was among four remaining fugitives from the genocide, during which an estimated one million people were killed, and roughly 150,000 to 250,000 women raped, over a period of some 100 days.

IRMCT Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said his arrest ensures the long-standing fugitive will finally face justice for his alleged crimes.

“Genocide is the most serious crime known to humankind. The international community has committed to ensure that its perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished. This arrest is a tangible demonstration that this commitment does not fade and that justice will be done, no matter how long it takes,” he added.

International partners for justice

Mr. Brammertz said the thorough investigation that led to the arrest was made possible through the support and cooperation of South Africa and the Operational Task Team established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to assist the ICMRT Fugitive Tracking Team.

They also received “vital support” from similar Task Forces in other African countries, notably Eswatini and Mozambique.

“Rwandan authorities under the leadership of Prosecutor General Aimable Havugiyaremye continued to be our strongest partners and provided essential assistance,” he said.

The Chief Prosecutor also cited support from other countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, saying “Kayishema’s arrest demonstrates yet again that justice can be secured, no matter the challenges, through direct cooperation between international and national law enforcement agencies.”

The IRMCT performs essential functions previously carried out by the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which closed in December 2015, and another for the former Yugoslavia, which concluded two years later.

Kayishema was indicted by the Rwanda tribunal in 2001.

He was charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity for killings and other crimes committed in Kivumu Commune, Kibuye Prefecture, during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

According to the indictment, he and other co-perpetrators murdered more than 2,000 refugees – men, women, elderly persons, and children – at the Nyange Church in Kivumu commune, on 15 April 1994.

He “directly participated in the planning an execution” of the massacre, working methodically over two days following, to transfer the corpses to mass graves.

‘Further step forward’

The arrest marks “a further step forward” in the effort to account for all those fugitives still at large who have been indicted by the ICTR.

Since 2020, the OTP Fugitive Tracking Team has accounted for five of the fugitives at large, including another of the architects of the genocide which was orchestrated by the extremist Hutu regime at the time, Félicien Kabuga, as well as Augustin Bizimana, Protais Mpiranya, and Phéneas Munyarugarama. There are now only three outstanding fugitives.

Robot-led planes, tanks and submarines warn against using AI in war

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25 May 2023