Worship will be a significant element at the 2023 CEC General Assembly. A moment of prayer, reflection and fellowship for the European churches. To prepare for worship services at the assembly, members of the CEC Assembly Worship Committee met in Tallinn.
The General Assembly of CEC will be held from 14 – 20 June 2023 in Tallinn, Estonia, exploring the theme “Under God’s blessing – shaping the future”.
At their meeting, the CEC Assembly Worship Committee developed creative proposals and ideas for worship experience for the assembly as well as for Tallinn’s local churches.
“Worship life at ecumenical assemblies is the cornerstone of shared fellowship,” said CEC General Secretary Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen. “I have no doubt the committee will lay the foundation for a spiritually rich and visually magnificent worship life at the CEC Assembly. I thank them for their commitment.”
The committee members are Rev. Sabine Udodesku of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Irene Grassi of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Italy, Fr Mattias Madis Palli of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Sigrid Põld of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Stefan Zeljkovic of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Samuel Williams of the Church of England.
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Secretary-General Bishop Dr Thomas Schirrmacher led a delegation of WEA leaders in a recent meeting with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York. They discussed some of the ongoing and newly emerging crises in the world, including the war in Ukraine and the ensuing refugee crisis, issues surrounding freedom of religion and belief as well as the environment.
Guterres thanked the WEA for its long-term engagement in a wide area of topics and fields and shared that he had gotten to know the WEA more during his tenure as UN High Commissioner for Refugees. As a person of faith himself, he urged the WEA to increase its engagement and encourage other like-minded faith actors to join the collaborative efforts at the grassroots.
Schirrmacher applauded the UN for elevating the cooperation with faith-based organizations in various branches and entities. He highlighted the UN Environment Program (UNEP) as the first branch that did not subsume religions under “non-state actors” but included them as important partners in identifying and implementing global solutions.
“The hundreds of millions of Christians belonging to the many national Evangelical Alliances around the world are not always “easy-going” actors when it comes to collaboration with others, as they are highly critical of issues such as corruption, racism, economic inequalities, or the suppression of freedom of religion or belief,” Schirrmacher noted. But he also emphasized that “they are not critical simply for the sake of criticizing. Instead, they seek to cooperate and engage meaningfully for a peaceful, just, and livable world, which is in accordance with the will of Jesus Christ.”
He added that they are aware that global issues require engagement through global bodies and that the UN has opened many doors for faith-based organizations to participate and contribute.
The meeting was the first in-person encounter between the two Secretaries-General since Schirrmacher’s appointment just over a year ago. The delegation also included Mr. John Girgis, Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Matthias Boehning, Director of WEA’s Sustainability Center at the UN in Bonn, and Rev. Dr Rebecca Goropevsek, Coordinator of WEA’s Children Network.
The WEA has held special consultative status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 1997 and has continuously increased its engagement with various UN bodies, opening offices in New York, Geneva and Bonn. Earlier this year, the WEA opened an additional office at the Church Center opposite of the UN headquarters and added Richard Kirenga from Rwanda as a staff who helps coordinate events and meetings in New York.
In his conversation with Mr Guterres, Schirrmacher also promised to further level up WEA’s work with the UN, with the appointment of a Permanent Representative to the UN in Nairobi planned as a next step.
EU President Charles Michel accuses Russia of causing global food crisis with invasion of Ukraine
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia has left a meeting of the World Security Council for Ukraine over a statement by European Council President Charles Michel, who accused Russia of causing a global food crisis with its invasion of the neighboring country, Reuters reported.
Russian soldiers are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, Michel said, citing specific reports of sexual assault – the main topic of the meeting. “This is a tactic of torture, terror and repression,” he said.
Earlier, Nebenzya flatly denied all allegations of sexual violence against the Russian military.
When the President of the European Council began speaking, the Russian Permanent Representative to the UN left the meeting, visibly irritated.
“I can’t stay (because of) the lies that Charles Michel came here to spread,” Nebenzia told Reuters.
Addressing the Russian diplomat directly, the President of the European Council said at the meeting: “You can leave the hall, maybe it is easier not to listen to the truth.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 sparked a global food crisis, with prices for grain, oil, fertilizers and fuels rising sharply. The two countries account for a third of global wheat exports, with Russia exporting fertilizers and Ukraine corn and sunflower oil, Reuters reported.
“Mr. Ambassador of the Russian Federation, let’s be honest, the Kremlin is using food supplies as an invisible missile against developing countries,” said Charles Michel. He stressed that “only Russia is responsible for this food crisis.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is trying to mediate a “package deal” to resume food exports from Ukraine and exports of food and fertilizers from Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Turkey tomorrow to discuss unblocking Ukraine’s wheat exports, Reuters reported.
He has been arrested for arson at the front door of the Ivan Mihailov Cultural Center in Bitola. This was announced by the Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski on his Facebook account.
According to BGNES, the detainee is Lambe Alabakovski, a famous pop singer from northern Macedonia. He recently returned with his family from the United States to his homeland, saying he prefers to live here.
Earlier it was announced that he will perform at the mega-concert “Memory” on Saturday as a special guest.
Lambe Alabakovski became popular after winning the Star Trek TV competition in 2004. He is very popular in his country, and his songs are among the favorites of Macedonians and top the music charts.
“I am pleased to announce a quick and effective resolution of the case from three days ago (June 4, 2022) with the criminal event – a fire in the center” Ivan Mihailov “in Bitola, in which we have a detainee who confessed to the crime. We worked around the clock to find the perpetrator, all the evidence was taken into account, and after the official conversations in the past days, last night, by court order, a search was conducted of two used by L.A. (34 years old) locations in Bitola, where items related to the crime were found and seized, after which the person was detained. Once again, we have shown that the only power that every rule of law has is the power to eradicate crime. And in this segment there are no “sorry”, no protected persons – all are equal before the law and everyone who has made a mistake – must be held accountable! “, Wrote in his profile Minister Spasovski.
The description of the arsonist from Bitola was given by the Bulgarian Minister Teodora Genchovska, who immediately after the event went from Skopje to Bitola, where she was informed about the perpetrator in the police department.
“In the footage of one of the cameras, I saw a man arriving calmly by bicycle, taking out a tube of flammable liquid and calmly pouring the liquid in front of the building door. The fire that broke out was large, and I suspect that the person has suffered some injuries from this fire and may seek medical attention. The man is wearing a mask, “Genchovska said, adding that she personally believes that this” act was committed in cold blood, intentionally and maliciously. “
The burning of the front door of the Ivan Mihailov Club provoked sharp reactions from Bulgarian politicians, who described the incident as a barbaric act and provocation.
After the official opening of the Cultural Center two months ago in RS Macedonia, a massive anti-Bulgarian campaign was launched, attended by government officials as well as a representative of state institutions in Skopje.
The holiday season is approaching. And now many choose Greece for a sunny weekend by the sea. Thousands travel every week to Greece, tour operators have stepped up and vacations have begun.
Here are the rules to watch out for on the roads there:
Overspeed
– exceeding the speed limit by up to 20 km / h – 40 euros
– Exceeding by up to 30 km / h – 100 euros
– Exceeding over 30 km / h – 350 euros and revocation of the license for 60 days
– driving under the influence of alcohol (between 0.5 and 0.8 per mille in a blood test) – 200 euros
Alcohol
– driving under the influence of alcohol (0. 8 – 1. 1 per mille in a blood test) – 700 euros and withdrawal of the book for 90 days
– driving under the influence of alcohol over 1.1 ppm – a fine of 1,200 euros, confiscation of the license for 180 days and imprisonment for up to 3 years (now according to the new Penal Code)
– driving under the influence of drugs or narcotics – a minimum fine of 200 euros, revocation of the license between 90 and 180 days, and imprisonment for up to 3 years
Belts and helmets
– driving without a seat belt – 350 euros, revocation of the book for 10 days
– passenger without seat belt – 350 euros
– motorcyclist without safety helmet – 350 euros and withdrawal of the book for 10 days
Overtaking and crossing
– Unauthorized overtaking – 700 euros, confiscation of the book and confiscation of registration numbers for 20 days
– passing a red traffic light – 700 euros, confiscation of the book and numbers for 20 days
– non-stopping of the Stop sign – 700 euros, confiscation of the booklet and numbers for 20 days
– incorrect crossing of the railway crossing – 700 euros, confiscation of the book for 60 days and the numbers for 20 days
Parking
– Parking in a disabled place – 150 euros and removal of the book and numbers for 10 days
– Improper parking – 80 euros, revocation of the book for 10 days, revocation of numbers for 20 days
Phones and radars
– motorcyclist talking on the phone – 150 euros and withdrawal of the book for 30 days
– driver talking on the phone without hands-free – 100 euros, withdrawal of the book for 30 days
– use of anti-radar or radar detector – 2000 euros, revocation of the license for 30 days and confiscation of numbers for 60 days
Permissible concentration of alcohol
It is good for tourists traveling to Greece to know that the permissible alcohol concentration is 0.5 per mille. For young drivers with less than two years of experience, professional drivers and motorcyclists the limit is 0.2 ppm. Driving with more than 1.1 ppm of alcohol in the blood is considered a serious offense and is punishable by imprisonment.
Russia should not close the US embassy despite the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, because the two largest nuclear powers in the world must continue to talk, said the US ambassador to Moscow. President Vladimir Putin has described the invasion of Ukraine as a turning point in Russian history: a revolt against the hegemony of the United States, which the Kremlin leader said humiliated Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Ukraine and its Western supporters say it is fighting for survival against the reckless seizure of land in the imperial style, which killed thousands of people, displaced more than 10 million people and turned vast parts of the country into a wasteland. In a clear attempt to send a message to the Kremlin, John J. Sullivan, the US ambassador appointed by President Donald Trump, told Russia’s state news agency TASS that Washington and Moscow should not simply sever diplomatic relations. “We must keep the opportunity to talk to each other,” Sullivan told TASS. He warned that Leo Tolstoy’s works should not be removed from Western bookstores or Tchaikovsky’s music should not be released. Despite crises, spy scandals and Cold War strife and relations between Moscow and Washington have not broken down since the United States established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1933, according to Reuters.
But now Russia says its post-Soviet relationship with the West is over and will turn east. Last month, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken joked that he would like to dedicate Taylor Swift’s song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” to Putin. Asked about this remark, Sullivan said: “We will also never part forever.” Asked by TASS if the analogy meant the embassies could be closed, Sullivan said: “Maybe – there is such a possibility, although I think it would be a big mistake.” “I understand that the Russian government has mentioned the option of severing diplomatic relations,” he said. The refusal of Empress Catherine the Great to support the British Empire when America declared independence laid the groundwork for the first diplomatic contacts between the United States and St. Petersburg, then Russia’s imperial capital.
After the Bolshevik Revolution in October 1917, President Woodrow Wilson refused to recognize the revolutionary government of Vladimir Lenin and the US Embassy was closed in 1919. Relations were not restored until 1933. “The only reason I remember the United States can to be forced to close their embassy is if it becomes dangerous to continue its work, “Sullivan said. Asked how the relationship would develop, Sullivan, a 62-year-old lawyer, said he did not know, but added that he hoped for a rapprochement one day. “If I have to bet, I’d say maybe not in my life.”
In 1973, Volkswagen acquired 140,000 hectares of land in Brazil, where it set up a livestock farm. According to some reports, slave labor was widely used there and human rights violations were reported everywhere, as evidenced by dozens of testimonies cited by the German publications NDR, SWR and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
On June 14, 2022, a hearing will begin in the court of the Brazilian capital in the case of the subsidiary of the Volkswagen concern – VW do Brasil. According to a former employee of the company, the guards on the farm were armed, and those who tried to escape were tied up and beaten. A fleeing man was shot in the leg, and as punishment for the attempted escape, his wife was raped.
“Workers had to work 7 days a week, more than 10 hours a day, and that’s without pay. They were abused and strictly forbidden to leave the farm, “said Rafael Garcia, a senior prosecutor. According to a 2017 investigation by the historian of the University of Bielefeld – Christopher Koper, commissioned by Volkswagen, VW do Brasil has made no effort to improve the situation of workers. It is alleged that the then board of directors of the Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg was aware of these incidents. The current charges against Volkswagen cover the period from 1974 to 1986.
Between 1964 and 1985, Brazil was under a military dictatorship, and Volkswagen’s farm received support from rulers who wanted to promote the development of the Amazon region. It should be noted that this is not the first time that Volkswagen has been held responsible for cooperating with the Brazilian military dictatorship. As early as 2017, studies by the same publications NRD, SWR and Süddeutsche Zeitung showed that the largest European car giant is actively involved in political repression and persecution of opponents of the military dictatorship at the Sao Paulo plant.
It came to the point that in 2020, Volkswagen paid 36 million reais (about 5.5 million euros) in compensation to family members of employees who were tortured and killed during the military dictatorship. Prior to the criminal case, investigators had been gathering evidence for three years. According to senior prosecutor Rafael Garcia, it is possible to reach an agreement on monetary compensation for the victims. Otherwise, Volkswagen could be prosecuted.
The German carmaker plans to discontinue the production of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in Europe by 2035. In addition, by 2030 in Europe, the company intends to increase the share of electric vehicles with total sales to 70%. “Volkswagen announced in March that it plans to set up a network of six battery factories for electric vehicles in Europe by 2030. The companies are expected to produce batteries with a total capacity of 240 GWh per year. The first two plants will operate in Sweden and Germany, using renewable energy sources. Production at the plant in Sweden should start in 2023, and in Germany in 2025.
The manager of the music institution Dominique Mayer also defended the decision to continue working with Russian performers such as soprano Anna Netrebko
Milan’s La Scala Opera House will open next season with Russian opera Boris Godunov, ANSA reported, citing opera manager Dominique Mayer. He said he was against the “witch hunt” linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Modest Mussorgsky’s masterpiece will open the season on December 7, he announced.
Mayer also defended the theater’s decision to continue working with Russian performers such as soprano Anna Netrebko. “I’m not for witch hunts,” Mayer told a news conference. “I do not support the rejection of Russian works, and when I read Pushkin, I do not hide,” he said.
The choice of the opera for the opening of the season was made several years ago, added Meyer, quoted by Reuters. The main roles in the production are entrusted to the Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov and the soprano Anna Denisova.
Immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, the Milan Opera House refused to work with Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, who refused to condemn the war. Asked by a journalist what the difference was with the Gergiev case, Mayer said La Scala saw the Russian conductor almost as a politician. “He is something like a Russian culture minister. The other artists are in a different position – they receive awards, but that does not make them supporters of the war,” he added.
The Scala in Milan has planned over 200 performances for the 2022-2023 season.
As early as mid-March, a petition against Russia’s cultural isolation began in Italy – a petition calling for cooperation with Russia’s cultural and scientific representatives should not be refused, launched in Italy. According to the website change.org, as of Monday, nearly 20,000 people had signed the appeal, the TASS news agency reported at the time.
The authors of the petition note that after Russia launched the “operation” in Ukraine, in Italy “there are a number of dismissals of scholars and representatives of Russian culture.”
“Our concern is that discrimination against Russians, especially the most prominent members of this country, could have irreversible consequences in the long run. uncontrolled violence, “the text reads.
The authors of the document call on the Italian government to “not allow any acts of ostracism.”
“We hope that broader academic and cultural dialogue will help avoid isolating Russia,” the petition said.
Earlier, 200 Italian officials, including journalists, writers, musicians, students and teachers, as well as cultural figures, called on President Sergio Matarella and Culture Minister Dario Francescini not to discriminate against Russian culture.
Such calls were prompted by a number of events, including the cancellation of a lecture at the University of Milan on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s work by Italian Slavist, writer and translator Paolo Nori, and social media attacks on Italian-born Russian writer Nikolai Lilin, author of the novel Siberian upbringing “, on which the Italian director Gabriele Salvatores made the film of the same name (2013). In addition, La Scala removed the world-famous conductor Valery Gergiev, and Anna Netrebko canceled her participation in an opera production at the Milan Theater. Dancer Sergei Polunin also said he would not be able to present his Rasputin in Milan at the Archimboldi Theater in April due to injury. The show has been postponed to next year, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.
We know that some foods are natural aphrodisiacs, but there are some that kill sexual desire, so they should not be consumed often.
Improper nutrition can kill libido as it not only causes drowsiness but also lowers testosterone levels.
Too much red meat, which is rich in hormones, can create an imbalance in the level of natural hormones, so it will be difficult for men to “get aroused” in bed.
Bean foods
Beans contain oligosaccharides (indigestible sugar molecules that the body cannot break down completely), which more often lead to abdominal cramps and excessive gas – this is definitely not romantic.
Cruciferous vegetables
Cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli – they all contain raffinose, and people do not have the enzyme to break it down. When these vegetables reach the lower intestines, they ferment and produce methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, leading to the formation of gases.
Garlic and onions
There is no way onions or garlic can make you irresistible to your partner. These spicy vegetables, as well as coffee and spicy foods have the ability to stir your body odors and not in the most pleasant way.
Inorganic soy products
Because soy contains isoflavones that mimic estrogen, called phytoestrogens, consuming too much can upset the hormonal balance of both men and women – leading to low libido. Do not eat excessive amounts of soy milk, edamame, tofu and soy-based meat alternatives.
Beer
You may want to drink a glass or two of beer before jumping between the sheets, but this can affect your libido. This is because hops used to make beer contain phytoestrogens that disrupt hormones.
Pastries from the store
There are two great sexual saboteurs in your favorite pastries from the store or the nearby bakery: trans fats and sugar. In both men and women, this leads to decreased libido. And rest assured, sex is better than dessert.
Cheese
Apart from the fact that many commercially produced dairy products are full of hormone-disrupting antibiotics, many people are also lactose intolerant. Remember stomach discomfort is not the best motivation to make you have fun in bed.
“Red meat is a great source of protein and zinc, which help build muscle, but eat it in smaller amounts and not every day,” advises male nutritionist Frieda Harvey.
If you thought that soy is a good substitute for meat, you are wrong because it reduces the level of testosterone in the body, which also has a bad effect on libido.
Mint is also on the list of non-recommended foods, and alcohol consumption can directly lead to sexual problems.
Its goal is for the two countries to conclude a bilateral agreement that would allow the start of negotiations for the accession of RS Macedonia to the EU.
French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed readiness to bring together in Paris, “when the time comes”, representatives of the authorities in Sofia and Skopje to conclude a bilateral agreement that would allow negotiations to begin on the accession of the Republic of Northern Macedonia (PCM) to the European Union. , reported AFP.
France, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council until the end of this month, has been supporting “for several weeks” efforts to find a solution to the dispute between the two countries, the Elysee Palace said last night after Macron’s telephone conversations with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister RSM Dimitar Kovachevski.
The French president expressed his “full support for an agreement between the two countries that would contribute to good neighborly relations and specify the European perspective of Northern Macedonia”.
Since November 2020, Sofia has blocked the start of EU membership talks with Skopje over bilateral disputes over language and history.
