Roman legion – German scientists conducted a chemical analysis of artifacts found at the site of the probable death of Roman troops during the battle in the Teutoburg Forest in the ninth year of our era. Research has confirmed that the Germans destroyed the XIX Legion in the settlement of Kalkrise, the first archaeological evidence of which was discovered in 1987. This is reported on the website of the Bergbau-Museum in Bochum.
In September of the ninth year of our era, three Roman legions (XVII, XVIII and XIX), three cavalry units and six cohorts of infantry led by Publius Quintilius Varus, accompanied by slaves, servants, artisans and women, moved through Germany from summer to winter you camp During this march, Varus and his troops were persuaded to turn off the wide paved road into the Teutoburg Forest, where they were attacked by Germanic tribes led by the Cherucian leader Arminius.
As a result of this unexpected attack, all three legions, together with the commander, died, and the battle itself led to a long struggle between the Empire and the Germans, who eventually managed to defend their independence. According to historians, about 15-20 thousand Roman soldiers, officers and civilians died in the Teutoburg Forest.
One of the most controversial moments of this battle is where it took place. Until the 1980s, scholars only had data from written sources, from which it was problematic to establish this. At that time, about 750 different hypotheses had been collected. But in 1987, an English amateur archaeologist found material evidence of the battle between the Romans and the Germans not far from the city of Osnabrück (Lower Saxony), in the settlement of Kalkrise, after which professional scientists took up the work.
Although many were initially skeptical of the scientific discovery, today Calcrise is considered by most researchers to be the site of the death of Varus and his legions. At the same time, there are enough critics of this version of the development of events.
Scientists from three German organizations have joined together in a scientific project to study Roman artefacts found in Kalkrise, where, according to the prevailing hypothesis, the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place. With the help of chemical analysis, the researchers decided to establish to which of the Roman subdivisions the discovered items belonged. Each legion had forges where weapons, equipment and personal items were given for repair.
During this work, the products received side micro impurities, the analysis of which makes it possible to distinguish one workshop from another. In total, over two years of research, the scientists examined about 550 bronze and brass objects. They elucidated the distinctive features characteristic of the belongings of different legions by analyzing artifacts whose association with specific legions is known from written sources.
As a result of the study, the scientists came to the conclusion that the artifacts associated with the XIX legion differ significantly from the belongings of other Roman units that were located in Germany. In addition, the finds from Dangstetten, where this part was located before the battle, and the artifacts from Kalkrise turned out to be identical in impurities. At the same time, the artifacts from the camps of the legions that did not die in the battle differ significantly in their composition. Scholars have concluded that this serves as additional evidence in favor of the demise of the XIX Legion at Kalkryse. This casts doubt on the argument of critics of the hypothesis that numerous Roman objects found in this territory may be related to the campaign of the general Germanicus in AD 15.
Photo: German soldiers attack (Otto Albert Koch / Public Domain)
Milk thistle is an ancient plant with a pinkish purple flower that was used historically as medicine. Today, it’s a popular supplement for supporting liver health. The high levels of antioxidants, including the flavonoid silymarin responsible for many of milk thistle’s disease-preventing benefits. You can take milk thistle as a capsule or herbal extract, though you can also brew milk thistle tea. Here are five health benefits of milk thistle proven by research:
1. Supports Liver Health
As detoxifier of your blood, the liver is constantly processing toxins. These toxins can damage the liver if it’s not protected by antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are damage-causing molecules from toxins. Some antioxidants, such as glutathione, are produced naturally by your liver, though this production declines with age. In addition to supplying antioxidants itself, milk thistle has also been found to boost the liver’s own production of glutathione.
The most powerful active substance in milk thistle is silymarin — an antioxidant shown to protect liver cells against mutation and damage. It acts as a toxin blockade by preventing toxins from binding to receptors on liver cell membranes.[1] These findings suggest milk thistle could be a useful agent in helping to prevent liver cirrhosis, liver disease, and potentially liver cancer.
2. Protects the Aging Brain
Amyloid plaque buildup in the brain is the major cause behind the progression of dementia and <span class=”glossaryLink” aria-describedby=”tt” data-cmtooltip=”
Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that attacks the brain, causing a decline in mental ability that worsens over time. It is the most common form of dementia and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. There is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are medications that can help ease the symptoms.
” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>Alzheimer’s disease. As the brain ages, the natural detoxification mechanisms can fail to remove all the amyloid plaque buildup during sleep. Milk thistle may be able to help by reducing amyloid plaque in the brain, as it’s been shown to do in animal studies.[2]
While there are no human studies on milk thistle’s effects on people with neurodegenerative diseases, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of milk thistle could assist in mitigating the effects of aging on the brain.
Traditional milk thistle extract is made from the seeds.
3. Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
The active substance in milk thistle known as silymarin can also help control blood sugar levels. A review published in the Journal of Diabetes Research looked at five clinical trials involving 270 patients. It concluded that silymarin significantly reduces blood sugar levels and could potentially help diabetics and prediabetics with glycemic control.[3] Drinking milk thistle tea with a meal may help prevent blood sugar spikes, and supplementing with milk thistle regularly could lower your risk of developing diabetes.
4. May Help Fight Cancer
The silymarin in milk thistle may help in preventing the development of cancer. It works by supporting the body’s natural immune response against cancer cells and by directly inhibiting tumor growth. In test tube studies, silymarin has been shown to protect against breast, prostate, bladder, skin, colon, kidney, and lung cancers.[4] Human trials are lacking, but antioxidants like silymarin found in milk thistle show promise in research done outside the body.
5. Increases Breast Milk Production
Silymarin in milk thistle is a galactagogue, which means it increases the production and flow of breast milk in lactating mothers. In a 2-month study, mothers taking 420 mg of silymarin daily increased their breast milk production by 86% compared to mothers taking a placebo. The study also confirmed silymarin supplementation did not affect the quality of the milk supply, which means it’s a great remedy for lactating mothers struggling with low milk supply.[5]
6. Improves Acne
Acne treatments are typically topical products applied to the face. Interestingly, oral supplementation with milk thistle has been linked to improved acne symptoms. In one study on 56 patients, just eight weeks of milk thistle intervention reduced acne lesion count by 53%. The researchers attributed these results to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of milk thistle.[6]
7. Supports Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women
Supplementing consistently with milk thistle could help menopausal and postmenopausal women prevent osteoporosis — the thinning of bone density that puts your bones at high risk of fracturing and breaking. Postmenopausal women are at the highest risk of osteoporosis because the loss of estrogen is linked to a loss of bone density.
The silymarin in milk thistle makes it a phytoestrogen, which means it acts on estrogen receptors and has estrogen-like effects when estrogen levels are deficient. In a mouse model of osteoporosis caused by estrogen deficiency, oral administration of milk thistle was found to reduce bone loss.[7]
Milk Thistle for Liver Health and Beyond
While milk thistle is best known for its liver health benefits, it’s also a natural remedy that can help with acne, low breast milk supply, high blood sugar, and potentially even age-related cognitive decline. Milk thistle also helps prevent cancer, osteoporosis in women, and illnesses of the liver. Some milk thistle supplements are concentrated in silymarin, while other capsules contain the whole powder ground. As with any herb, it’s important to stay within the recommended daily dose written on the product label.
References:
“Milk thistle in liver diseases: past, present, future” by Ludovico Abenavoli, Raffaele Capasso, Natasa Milic and Francesco Capasso, 7 June 2010, Phytotherapy Research. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3207
“Silymarin Attenuated the Amyloid β Plaque Burden and Improved Behavioral Abnormalities in an Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model” by Nakaba Murata, Kazuma Murakami, Yusuke Ozawa, Noriaki Kinoshita, Kazuhiro Irie, Takuji Shirasawa and Takahiko Shimizu, 23 November 2010, Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry. DOI: 10.1271/bbb.100524
“Silymarin in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials” by Luminita Voroneanu, Ionut Nistor, Raluca Dumea, Mugurel Apetrii and Adrian Covic, 1 June 2016, Journal of Diabetes Research. DOI: 10.1155/2016/5147468
“Silibinin – A Promising New Treatment for Cancer” by Catherine Wing Ying Cheung, Norma Gibbons, David Wayne Johnson and David Lawrence, 2010, Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry. DOI: 10.2174/1871520611009030186
“Clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of BIO-C (micronized Silymarin) as a galactagogue” by Francesco Di Pierro, Alberto Callegari, Domenico Carotenuto and Marco Mollo Tapia, December 2008, Acta Biomedica Atenei Parmensis. PMID: 19260380
“Effects of Oral Antioxidants on Lesion Counts Associated with Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Patients with Papulopustular Acne” by Ahmed Salih Sahib, Haidar Hamid Al-Anbari, Mohammed Salih and Fatima Abdullah, 2012, Journal of Clinical & ExperimentalDermatology Research. DOI: 10.4172/2155-9554.1000163
“Antiosteoclastic Activity of Milk Thistle Extract after Ovariectomy to Suppress Estrogen Deficiency-Induced Osteoporosis” by Jung-Lye Kim, Yun-Ho Kim, Min-Kyung Kang, Ju-Hyun Gong, Seoung-Jun Han and Young-Hee Kang, 28 May 2013, BioMed Research International. DOI: 10.1155/2013/919374
Miviludes had some troubles due to its long-term association with anti-Ukrainian Russian extremists, and recently Miviludes has seen its operational chief resigning,
For more than two decades, the French governmental “anti-cult” agency Miviludes (acronym for French Inter-ministerial mission for monitoring and combating cultic deviances) has been making money hand over fist by calling some religious minorities “cults”, “cultic movements”, “sectarian aberrations’ type movements” and other sorts of names.
We already covered the fact that Miviludes had some troubles due to its long-term association with anti-Ukrainian Russian extremists, and more recently Miviludes has seen its operational chief (Hanene Romdhane) resigning, amid internal disagreements quite not precisely identified.
But besides all scandals that may touch the anti-cult French institution, largely criticized internally and externally, the fatal blow may come from the European Court of Human Rights. Indeed, in a decision rendered on December 12, 2022, the ECHR convicted Bulgaria for violation of article 9 (freedom of religion or belief), after 3 evangelical Churches had been stigmatized by a circular letter as “cults” (“Tonchev and Others v. Bulgaria.”)
The circular letter had been sent to all public schools by the City of Burgas. It asked the schools to explain to all pupils that the groups mentioned in the text were “cults, should not be confused with the legitimate Bulgarian Orthodox Church, were “dangerous,” and exposed their members to “mental health problems.” And mentioned, inter alia, the three Evangelical Churches who complained to the ECHR.
While the Bulgarian State tried to defend itself by saying that this was an isolated act, that it was justified because they received “reports” that some evangelical Churches were acting wrongly, that no negative consequences had affected the three Evangelical churches because of the letter, and that “sekti” (cults) in Bulgarian had no negative connotations, the Court considered, in alignment with its precedent decision “Centre of Societies for Krishna Consciousness In Russia and Frolov v. Russia” (2021), that the use of such derogatory and hostile terms by governments “can be analysed as an infringement of the rights guaranteed by Article 9 of the Convention”.
The ECHR decision
The decision adds: “the Court considers that the terms used in the circular letter and the information note of 9 April 2008, which described certain religious currents, including Evangelicalism to which the applicant associations belonged, as ‘dangerous religious cults’ that ‘contravene Bulgarian legislation, citizens’ rights and public order’ and whose meetings expose their participants to ‘psychological disorders,’ may indeed be perceived as pejorative and hostile. It notes that the documents in question were distributed by the town hall of Burgas, the town in which the applicant associations and pastors were operating, to all the schools in the town, which were invited to bring them to the attention of the pupils and to report on the way in which the information was presented and the way in which the children reacted. In these circumstances, and even if the measures complained of did not directly restrict the right of the applicant pastors or their co-religionists to manifest their religion through worship and practice, the Court considers, in the light of its case law, that these measures may have had negative repercussions on the exercise of religious freedom by the members of the churches in question.”
It’s interesting nevertheless to make a comparison between the attitude of the Bulgarian authorities and France. While the circular letter in question was, per the Bulgarian state, an isolated and local incident, and that the Parliament and the Ministry of Interior had expressed their disagreement with the letter, in France the stigmatisation and discrimination against minority religions is utterly endorsed by the State. Miviludes is a government agency belonging to the Ministry of Interior, and its mandate is national, not local.
Maybe it’s time for France to reconsider its anti-minority religions policy and to align with ECHR standards, once for all.
The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, during a direct line broadcast for the first time in English and Arabic, addressed the Arab world and all Muslims with an offer to participate in the war in Ukraine “against the Satanists”, reports EA Daily.
“Whoever does not want to live under the LGBT flag, we will give the opportunity to participate in the ‘special military operation,’” suggested Ramzan Kadyrov.
He noted that now Muslims have an opportunity to protect their spiritual values.
“Today, we are fighting on the territory of Ukraine against fascism, Nazism, Satanism, which impose non-traditional values on us. And we will never accept this,” emphasized the head of Chechnya.
A recent study of mice conducted by researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas found that short-term consumption of a high-fat diet may be linked to pain sensations, even without a preexisting injury or condition such as obesity or diabetes.
The study, published in <span class=”glossaryLink” aria-describedby=”tt” data-cmtooltip=”
Scientific Reports
Established in 2011, <em>Scientific Report</em>s is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific mega journal published by Nature Portfolio, covering all areas of the natural sciences. In September 2016, it became the largest journal in the world by number of articles, overtaking <em>PLOS ON</em>E.
” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>Scientific Reports, compared the effects of different diets on two groups of mice. One group was fed normal chow, while the other was given a high-fat diet that did not cause obesity or high blood sugar, both of which can lead to diabetic neuropathy and other types of pain.
The researchers found that the high-fat diet induced hyperalgesic priming — a neurological change that represents the transition from acute to chronic pain — and allodynia, which is pain resulting from stimuli that do not normally provoke pain.
“This study indicates you don’t need obesity to trigger pain; you don’t need diabetes; you don’t need a pathology or injury at all,” said Dr. Michael Burton, assistant professor of neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and corresponding author of the article. “Eating a high-fat diet for a short period of time is enough — a diet similar to what almost all of us in the U.S. eat at some point.”
Dr. Michael Burton (from left), Calvin D. Uong, and Melissa E. Lenert found that a type of fatty acid called palmitic acid binds to a particular receptor on nerve cells, a process that results in inflammation and mimics injury to the neurons. Credit: University of Texas at Dallas
The study also compared obese, diabetic mice with those that just experienced dietary changes.
“It became clear, surprisingly, that you don’t need an underlying pathology or obesity. You just needed the diet,” Burton said. “This is the first study to demonstrate the influential role of a short exposure to a high-fat diet to allodynia or chronic pain.”
Western diets are rich in fats — in particular, saturated fats, which have proved to be responsible for an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and associated conditions. Individuals who consume high amounts of saturated fats — like butter, cheese, and red meat — have high amounts of free fatty acids circulating in their bloodstream that in turn induce systemic inflammation.
Recently, scientists have shown that these high-fat diets also increase existing mechanical pain sensitivity in the absence of obesity and that they can aggravate preexisting conditions or hinder recovery from injury. No studies, however, have clarified how high-fat diets alone can be a sensitizing factor in inducing pain from nonpainful stimuli, such as a light touch on the skin, Burton said.
“We’ve seen in the past that, in models of diabetes or obesity, only a subsection of the people or animals experience allodynia, and if they do, it varies across a spectrum, and it isn’t clear why,” Burton said. “We hypothesized that there had to be other precipitating factors.”
Burton and his team looked for saturated fatty acids in the blood of the mice fed the high-fat diet. They found that a type of fatty <span class=”glossaryLink” aria-describedby=”tt” data-cmtooltip=”
acid
Any substance that when dissolved in water, gives a pH less than 7.0, or donates a hydrogen ion.
” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>acid called palmitic acid — the most common saturated fatty acid in animals — binds to a particular receptor on nerve cells, a process that results in inflammation and mimics injury to the neurons.
“The metabolites from the diet are causing inflammation before we see pathology develop,” Burton said. “Diet itself caused markers of neuronal injury.
“Now that we see that it’s the sensory neurons that are affected, how is it happening? We discovered that if you take away the receptor that the palmitic acid binds to, you don’t see that sensitizing effect on those neurons. That suggests there’s a way to block it pharmacologically.”
Burton said the next step will be to focus on the neurons themselves — how they are activated and how injuries to them can be reversed. It is part of a larger effort to understand better the transition from acute to chronic pain.
“The mechanism behind this transition is important because it is the presence of chronic pain — from whatever source — that is fueling the opioid epidemic,” he said. “If we figure out a way to prevent that transition from acute to chronic, it could do a lot of good.”
Burton said he hopes his research encourages healthcare professionals to consider the role diet plays in influencing pain.
“The biggest reason we do research like this is because we want to understand our physiology completely,” he said. “Now, when a patient goes to a clinician, they treat a symptom, based on an underlying disease or condition. Maybe we need to pay more attention to how the patient got there: Does the patient have diabetes-induced or obesity-induced inflammation; has a terrible diet sensitized them to pain more than they realized? That would be a paradigm shift.”
Reference: “High-fat diet causes mechanical allodynia in the absence of injury or diabetic pathology” by Jessica A. Tierney, Calvin D. Uong, Melissa E. Lenert, Marisa Williams and Michael D. Burton, 1 September 2022, Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18281-x
The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the UT System STARS (Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention) program, the American Pain Society, and the Rita Allen Foundation.
The Kosovo authorities have banned Serbian Patriarch Porfiry from visiting Kosovo for Christmas, Tanjug news agency reported, citing the press office of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC).
“Serbian Patriarch Porfiry was surprised to learn that the authorities in Pristina forbid him to visit the Pečka Patriarchate before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ,” the announcement states, BTA reported.
The SOC celebrates Christmas according to the Julian calendar on January 7. The Pečka Patriarchate is the official residence of the Serbian Patriarch.
In the announcement of the SOC, it is added that Patriarch Porfiry does not give up his intention to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Pečka Patriarchate and expects this decision to be reversed, the announcement says.
The Patriarch also called on Pristina to stop violating the human rights and freedoms of the Orthodox Serb believers living in Kosovo.
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have been particularly high in recent months. The crisis began with the decision of the government in Pristina to change the Serbian license plates on the cars of Kosovo Serbs to Kosovo ones. Although, after negotiations and compromise, Pristina gave up on this for the time being, Serbian representatives left the Kosovo institutions and police forces, and units of the Kosovo police moved into predominantly Serb areas. Kosovo Serbs are at the barricades in northern Kosovo for the sixteenth day in a row. The demands of the Serbs are the release of the arrested Kosovo Serbs – former policemen Dejan Pantic and Sladjan Trajkovic, as well as the withdrawal of the Kosovo special forces from the area.
Some of the over 360 brothers and sisters in Russia and Crimea who have spent time in prison since the 2017 Russian Supreme Court ruling ( link to more info) | Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s Witnesses
JW. The campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses continues, this year, Russian courts sentenced over 40% more Jehovah’s Witnesses (45) to prison than last year (32). This resulted in a peak of 115 men and women in prison at one time—the most since the 2017 Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned the Witnesses’ activities.
“ Russia is now marking a new milestone of disgrace,” states Rachel Denber, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division. “No one should spend a second being prosecuted, let alone in prison, for the peaceful expression of their religious beliefs. It is never too late to stop these repressive and unlawful practices, to free all people imprisoned for their peaceful religious activity, and to quash the notorious Supreme Court ruling banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses.” (for comments by 11 additional experts from Europe, Russia, and the U.S., see subhead below: What do experts think?)
Persecution has intensified, despite a landmark ruling in June 2022 by the European Court of Human Rights declaring the 2017 ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses as baseless violation of international human rights covenants that should be reversed. The Court directed Russia to halt all pending criminal proceedings against Jehovah’s Witnesses and release those imprisoned. [See p. 85, §11 of judgment (link).] Just weeks ago, the Council of Europe’s Secretary General urged Russia to comply with the ECHR’s judgement, as it is obligated to do, and reverse the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. [See p. 2 of letter (link).]
Jarrod Lopes, a spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses, states:
“ Since 2017, Russian authorities have placed over 500 Witnesses on the federal list of extremists and terrorists.* Russia is misemploying its anti-extremist legislation to ban, imprison, and at times beat and torture Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s hard to believe this poorly veiled crackdown has continued for over five years. Numerous international experts, officials, and courts at the highest level have acknowledged that Jehovah’s Witnesses are peaceful, law-abiding citizens—anything but extremists—and thus have repeatedly condemned Russia for its unmistakable discrimination-based ban. Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world are eager to see their fellow believers in Russia released from prison so they can be free to raise their children, free to support their communities, and free to worship as they are in over 230 other lands across the globe.”
* Being on the list—which is publicly accessible—stigmatizes them and has prevented many from getting jobs. Other burdensome consequences include having their bank accounts blocked and having difficulty obtaining or renewing insurance policies, selling property, managing investments, receiving inheritances, or even purchasing mobile phone SIM cards.
121 convicted for so-called extremist activity and sentenced to various penalties. This figure has steadily increased—18 in 2019; 39 in 2020; and 111 in 2021
45 sentenced to prison to a total of 250 years in prison. This is more than a 40% increase to the 32 sentenced to prison in 2021
35 out of the 45 were sent to prison for six years
In September 2022, the number of Witnesses in prison at one time exceeded 100 for the first time since the 2017 Supreme Court ruling. As of Dec. 23, 2022, there was a peak of 115 behind bars
19 in prison are over the age of 60
Oldest is Boris Andreev, 71, from Primorye Territory. He was 70 when ordered to pretrial detention in October 2022 (link)
The most inhumane sentence in 2022 is 7 years for Andrey Vlasov, who is disabled and struggles to manage daily activities without assistance (linkto video)
A total of 367 believers have spent some time behind bars since May 2017
200 searches of JW homes conducted this year in 39 localities of Russia
Over 1,800 homes have been searched since 2017 ban, leading to criminal investigations or charges filed against more than 670 Witnesses
Criminal cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses have been filed in 72 regions of Russia by the end of 2022—this is two more than in 2021
Boris Andreev, 71, currently held in Detention Center No. 2 in Primorye Territory | Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s Witnesses
After being sentenced to 6 years in prison, Alexander Seredkin hugs his son goodbye, Novosibirsk, November 2022 ruling |Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s Witnesses)Jehovah’s Witnesses from Astrakhan during a court hearing held via video conference in 2022 | Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s WitnessesRussian authorities raiding an apartment in Tolyatti, Samara Region, September 2022 | Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s WitnessesYevgeniy Korotun in a courtroom holding cell. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison, leaving behind a preteen son, Aleksandr | Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s WitnessesYevgeniy Korotun with his wife, Yevgeniya, and son, Aleksandr | Photo: Courtesy of Jehovah’s Witnesses
What do experts think?
Alexander Verkhovsky, director of Moscow-based SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, former member of Russia’s Human Rights Council (bio)
” The scale and cruelty of pressure is growing. Last year we had some hopes, that the repressive campaign could slow down at least, but we were wrong. That fight against JWs is so weird. I’d say this year’s developments makes us believe that the fight is really very important to our authorities, if they spend a lot of law enforcement system resources—even in time of war.”
Willy Fautré, founder and director of Brussels-based Human Rights Without Frontiers (bio)
” Jehovah’s Witnesses are the religious group that has been the most persecuted in Russia since it was banned in 2017 and hereby deprived of their freedoms of association, assembly, worship and expression. Statistics about the magnitude of the repression are disturbing.
Freedom of religion or belief is the cornerstone of all freedoms. The persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses was a harbinger that Russian society aspiring to democracy and freedom of expression would inevitably be crushed by the repression of President Putin’s regime and eventually dragged into a senseless war.
In Russia, only a number of human rights activists and organizations dared speak out for the respect of their rights but almost all those voices have been silenced. Their defenders have been arrested and imprisoned or had no other choice than to flee abroad. Their organizations have been banned or forcibly closed. They have been labelled “foreign agents” and they have had to post this Russian version of the infamous “yellow star” on their websites and all their publications.”
Sharon Kleinbaum, commissioner at United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (bio)
” This year, Russia has continued its inexplicable and expanding persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with more Witnesses than ever behind bars and facing long prison sentences for the mere practice of their beliefs. There is no possible justification for Russia’s ruthless crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious minorities as supposedly ‘extremist’. The Russian government must end its practice of falsely labeling religious groups ‘extremist’ and permit freedom of religion or belief for all.”
Doug Bandow, senior fellow at Cato Institute, foreign policy and civil liberties specialist (bio)
” Unaccountable persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses continues in Russia. The government of Vladimir Putin is threatened, but by his own misconduct, not the religious beliefs of a small religious minority that has become the latest scapegoat for his criminal regime. Moscow should stop punishing those who are only seeking to serve God in their own way. Supporters of religious liberty around the world should come to the defense of those imprisoned for their faith.”
Emily Baran, chair of history department at Middle Tennessee State University, Russia and church-state relations expert, author of Dissent on the Margins: How Soviet Jehovah’s Witnesses Defied Communism and Lived to Preach About It (bio)
” Russia continues to treat this religious community as dangerous extremists despite a total lack of evidence to back up this claim. And Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to face criminal prosecution and lengthy prison sentences for actions that amount to little more than speaking about their faith with one another and their communities. The level of persecution harkens back to Soviet-era mistreatment of Witnesses, and puts Russia well out of step with democratic states. Witnesses are a known and recognized religious community in Europe. Russia’s treatment of them is a clear violation of their human rights, a fact affirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in its ruling on the Russian ban.
2023 is likely to bring much more of the same: surveillance, harassment, prosecution, and imprisonment. If history is any guide, all these efforts are highly unlikely to accomplish Russia’s goal of eliminating Witnesses from its territory.”
Natalia Arno, founder and president of Free Russia Foundation (bio)
” The God-seeking Russians who follow the Jehovah’s Witnesses teachings are facing an increased brutality and oppression under Putin’s government today. In 2022 alone, 45 believers have been sentenced to prison for a total of 250 years; and 121 convicted on various charges. This is a 40% increase from the political persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2021.
All of these charges are unjust and unconstitutional, and their cases are fabricated. The Witnesses’ only crime is staying true to their beliefs and privately and peacefully practicing their religion.”
Sir Andrew Wood, British ambassador to Russia 1995-2000 (bio)
” Russia’s present rulers now rely on fear and force exercised by security organs answerable to them, not to independent legal bodies. Their protection against public protest has been held in check by insistent propaganda, the silencing of all views not vouched for by the Kremlin, and the persecution of dissidents. The results have been both a deadening of the nation and a steady buildup of the repression of its citizens.
President Putin’s despicable ‘special operation’ against Ukraine has fed into his regime’s attacks on all Russians seen as potentially disloyal, however unproven or unlikely. Jehovah’s Witnesses were already at risk of punishment before Russia took the path in 2022 of turning into a power centered on military purposes, and brutal means of exercising them. Its rulers have shown scant care for the interests or even lives of those in their service, let alone those of what they say are their Ukrainian “brothers” resisting Russia’s onslaught. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not fight but they are now heightened victims of malice in a nation at war with itself and fearful for its future.”
Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former National Security Council director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs (bio)
” At a time when the war in Ukraine dominates Western policymakers’ attention for (easily understandable and justified reasons), it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the deteriorating human rights situation inside Russia is unfolding on several fronts. The collapse in respect for religious freedom by the Russian authorities as an important example. The wave of unjustified arrests and harsh prison sentences for Jehovah’s Witnesses is simply dismaying.”
Dawid Bunikowski, visiting scholar at University of Eastern Finland’s School of Theology, academic associate at Cardiff School of Law and Politics’ Centre for Law and Religion (bio)
” The persecution of the Jehovah Witnesses in Russia is escalating and terrifying. The JWs have been treated as “extremists” since 2017 (according to the 2002 law on countering extremism). The Supreme Court banned their activities. Now many of them are remanded in custody, arrested, and sentenced to prison. Their homes are raided. This is all inhumane, against human dignity, and shall be condemned with all means. It is not only against international law (article 18 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights) and the Constitution of the Russian Federation (art. 28) as both guarantee religious freedom, but this is also against the common sense. Even older people are jailed. For what? For singing songs, studying the Bible and offering prayers collectively at private homes. This is ridiculous that people are punished for worshipping in private. This leads to the question: why? There is no one clear reason why Russia is doing towards the JWs what is doing. During my classes on challenges and controversies of religion and law in Europe (at the University of Eastern Finland), we study this persecution case. Having read relevant materials about the persecution, my students coming from different countries and religious traditions are not still able to answer why this is happening what is happening. However, some intuitions of ours are correct: the JWs in Russia might be perceived as a Western, American agent (it means being a “suspect” or, in fact, a spy) in a traditionally Orthodox and post-Soviet circle (with a lot of “culturally Orthodox”, white Russian nationalism). The question is whether Putin ordered this persecution or not. Few years ago, he was surprised about the scope of the persecution. But he might have lied about his lack of knowledge. The persecution might be a part of a “civilizational” war by Russia against the US/the West. Since there is the war in Ukraine, then it seems difficult to speak about some international pressure in the field. But the ideal would be: First, Russia should change the 2017 judgement. The Supreme Court may “cancel” it. Also, Russia may clearly amend the 2016 Yarovaya law (a bill amending the 2002 law) in order to avoid such verdicts. The JWs should not be treated as extremists. They are not terrorists but only peaceful people who worship the God. This all would be an important legal step. It would lead to taking other actions. Second, the arrested or sentenced people should be released. They should be made free. Even compensations for unlawful deprivation of liberty should be paid later (but this seems more complicated in Russia). Third, Russia should officially apologize the JWs for the persecution and should allow the JWs to register as a religious entity according to the 1997 law on religious associations. Fourth, Russia should return all the confiscated buildings and property of the JWs. Compensations for losses should be paid as well. Fifth, the JWs should act freely as an organization. Their religious freedom should be protected as it is regulated in the Russian constitution. They should not be arrested because of their prayers. Their homes should not be raided in a search of “extremist” activity anymore. Let Russia leave them in peace and they will pray freely. But there is not any hope for now. This plan would require a more democratic ruler or a serious change in the Kremlin.”
Elizabeth Clark, associate director for Brigham Young University’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies, international human rights and European Union law expert (bio)
” The Jehovah’s Witnesses, a pacifist group, has been facing increasing persecution of its members in Russia for exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief. This violates Russia’s commitments to international law and its own constitution.”
Eric Patterson, executive vice president of Religious Freedom Institute, former dean of Regent University’s Robertson School of Government (bio)
” Russia’s continuing persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses as ‘extremists’ who threaten Russia’s national security is unfair and unwise. It contributes to an atmosphere of fear and social stagnation.”
A flipping action in a porous material facilitates the passage of normal water to separate it out from heavy water.
A research group led by Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University’s Institute for Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Japan and Cheng Gu of South China University of Technology, China have made a material that can effectively separate heavy water from normal water at room temperature. Until now, this process has been very difficult and energy intensive. The findings have implications for industrial – and even biological – processes that involve using different forms of the same molecule. The scientists reported their results in the journal Nature.
Isotopologues are molecules that have the same chemical formula and whose atoms bond in similar arrangements, but at least one of their atoms has a different number of neutrons than the parent molecule. For example, a water molecule (H2O) is formed of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. The nucleus of each of the hydrogen atoms contains one proton and no neutrons. In heavy water (D2O), on the other hand, the deuterium (D) atoms are hydrogen isotopes with nuclei containing one proton and one neutron. Heavy water has applications in nuclear reactors, medical imaging, and in biological investigations.
“Water isotopologues are among the most difficult to separate because their properties are so similar,” explains materials scientist Cheng Gu. “Our work provided an unprecedented mechanism for separating water isotopologues using an adsorption-separation method.”
Gu and chemist Susumu Kitagawa, together with colleagues, based their separation technique on a copper-based porous coordination polymer (PCP). PCPs are porous crystalline materials formed of metal nodes connected by organic linkers. The team tested two PCPs made with different types of linkers.
What makes their PCPs especially important for isotopologue separation is that the linkers flip when moderately heated. This flipping action acts like a gate, allowing molecules to pass from one ‘cage’ in the PCP to another. Movement is blocked when the material is cooled.
When the scientists exposed their ‘flip-flop dynamic crystals’ to vapour containing a mixture of normal, heavy and semi-heavy water and then slightly warmed it, they adsorbed normal water much faster than they did the other two isotopologues. Crucially, this process happened within room temperature ranges.
“The adsorptive separation of water isotopologues in our work is substantially superior to conventional methods due to very high selectivity at room temperature operation,” says Kitagawa. “We are optimistic that new materials guided by our work will be developed to separate other isotopologues.”
Reference: “Separating water isotopologues using diffusion-regulatory porous materials” by Yan Su, Ken-ichi Otake, Jia-Jia Zheng, Satoshi Horike, Susumu Kitagawa and Cheng Gu, 9 November, Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05310-y
QatarGate – The major corruption scandal involving Members of the European Parliament has entered a new phase since its outbreak, after Greek MEP Eva Kaili admitted to some of the facts, while allegations against Morocco for playing a role similar to Qatar’s alleged role in bribing MEPs has started to become more and more evident. And indeed, the Brussels council chamber extended the pre-trial detention of the former vice-president of the European Parliament, accused of corruption, by one month on Thursday 22 December.
Eva Kaili, the former vice-president of the European Parliament, had partially confessed, in the framework of the investigation, to the accusations of corruption by the Emirate of Qatar towards some members of the European Parliament. Francesco Giorgi, a parliamentary assistant and friend of Kaili’s, also admitted that he and others influenced the work of his parliamentary group to project Qatar’s influence as well as Morocco’s in the parliament.
Eva Kaili, a member of the Greek centre-left PASOK-KIBNAL party, was arrested on 9 December and remanded in a Belgian prison.
She recently made a partial confession to police that she was involved in corruption and kept a bag full of cash at home, which authorities estimated at 1.5 million euros, and admitted that she had asked her father to hide much of the money before police searched her flat and arrested her in Brussels and seized a bag full of cash.
The accusations against Kaili became clearer and more credible when the European Parliament voted to suspend privileged access to the institution for Qatari lobbyists.
She denounced Qatar for refusing to accuse her of offering “gifts” to represent its interests, stressing that this will have a “negative effect on regional and global security cooperation”, without forgetting to mention the sensitive energy dossier. As for Morocco, the authorities are still silent and have not commented on the allegations. In addition, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has filed a defamation complaint against former French EU representative José Buffet, who claimed that the Moroccan prime minister had tried to bribe him on the sidelines of negotiations for a trade agreement.
In addition to Kaili and Giorgi, there is the former Italian MP Pier Antonio Panzeri who is suspected of being the head of the corrupt organisation. According to Giorgi’s confession, Panziri is a “pawn” in the hands of Morocco, which, like Qatar, has tried to interfere in European affairs. After its defeat in the 2019 European elections, Panziri continued its lobbying work via the NGO “Fighting Impunity” founded in 2019 and suspected of being a front for a corruption organisation serving the kingdom.
Belgian authorities
The Belgian authorities, in particular, are seeking to clarify the role of the organisation in the negotiations on the Sahara conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which Algeria has always supported.
Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, a member of the delegation for relations with the Arab Gulf States, is also accused of having received bribes from Doha. On 10 December, the police searched his house and confiscated his electronic devices, but they have not yet investigated him.
Finally, another name of an elected official targeted by the investigation has been announced, namely Andrea Cozzolino, member of the parliamentary delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries.
The judicial investigations are still ongoing and other names involved will be disclosed in the coming days.
Newsroom/EINPRESSWIRE. At a time when human rights are under threat all over the world, both in so-called developing countries and in countries whose motto is related to human rights, unity among people of faith is more than necessary and desirable.
“On the day when we can trust each other completely, there will be peace on Earth,” wrote L. Ron Hubbard, and it is on this road that last December 9, representatives of 6 religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism), representing the old and the new with about 2.95 billion parishioners, gathered at the United Nations to talk about Faith and Human Rights, in celebration of the 74th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This rich panel was moderated by Rev. Eric Roux, Global Trustee for Europe of the United Religions Initiative (URI), arguably the largest interfaith network in existence today.
Among the speakers were Wissam al-Saliby, director of the Human Rights Geneva Office for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the world’s largest evangelical organization, which stated that “biblical justice is rooted in the very character of God. Our mandate to work for justice and to love our neighbour is the fulfilment of that character. As we celebrate 74 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I am reminded of the Christian teaching that every human being bears the image of God. For this reason, human beings have worth and value above anything else in creation. And for this reason, I believe we have Article 1 of the UDHR: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
The panel discussion was followed by Thinlay Chukki, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Tibet Bureau, and therefore Tibetan Buddhism, who reiterated the importance of “respecting people of all faiths and people without faith”. Chukki highlighted the “age-old Tibetan Buddhist practice and teaching” and emphasized the philosophy that “the life of every sentient being, including animals, is precious.” Representative Thinlay noted that “His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings and messages have always stressed the need to look at the world as one big family that aspires to happiness and does not want suffering” and finally acknowledged the presence of the Tibetan member of parliament – in-Exile for Europe, Thupten Gyatso, among the participants.
Gursharan Singh, general secretary of the Sikhi Sewa Society, continued the panel discussion by saying: “How can we bring about a culture of peace? If we only preach about living in harmony, we will never reach our goal. A flower drawn on a sheet of paper can be beautiful but we will never be able to smell it.[…] Every religion has foundations that could be universally accepted. As advised by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founder of Sikhism, if we can bring together all these foundations from the major world religions we may be able to construct principles that could become one of the fundamental approaches to maintaining peace on this planet.”
On behalf of Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion, Dr Lakshmi Vyas, PhD and President of the Hindu Forum of Europe said in her recorded presentation “Human rights are natural rights and are presumed to be directly God-given. As a result, no power in the world can get him out. Individuals are created to live in this world with others and have a duty to love others. The Hindu tradition focuses on the parallel of duties and rights… The appreciation of human rights in Hinduism does not simply come from Hindu theological thoughts but it is also written in the Hindu scriptures which existed for centuries before the birth of the concept of human rights.
The next speaker was Iván Arjona, President of the Church of Scientology European Office for Public Affairs and Human Rights, who also chairs the United Nations ECOSOC-recognized foundation Mejora (Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society Arjona explained:
“For more than 40 years Scientologists have promoted and taught the UDHR.) It was in 1969 when L. Ron Hubbard reprinted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Church’s Freedom magazine and wrote that ‘The United Nations has found the answer. The absence of human rights has stained the hands of governments and threatened their rules. Very few governments have implemented any part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These governments have failed to understand that their very survival depends wholly on adopting such reforms and thus giving their people a cause, a civilization worthy of being supported, worthy of their patriotism.’
And finally, to cover the topic from the point of view of Islam, was Boumediène Benyahia, Islamologist – Secretary General and scientific referent of the Coordination of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland (COIS) and Director of the Institute of the Word (Kalima), he said “I must begin by simply saying the following: the culture of peace is not negotiable. We are not here to negotiate. How to make peace? It is not negotiable. It is a sacredness that is imposed on everyone, whether we like it or not… The word Islam is at the basis of this perennial cornerstone of humanity which is peace. It is cultivated. How is this peace cultivated? It is cultivated from the seeds of the wisdom of all religions, related spiritualities and all seed societies and individuals. From the seed to the fruit tree which, in turn, will nourish, we hope, all souls in a perennial way».
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism have joined the United Nations to protect Human Rights 24Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism have joined the United Nations to protect Human Rights 25Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism have joined the United Nations to protect Human Rights 26Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism have joined the United Nations to protect Human Rights 27Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Scientology and Sikhism have joined the United Nations to protect Human Rights 28
