The personal life of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, as well as his main ally Putin, is shrouded in great mystery, but it is known that once the scandalous politician had a wife named Galina.
It is known that Lukashenka was married only once to Galina Zhelnerovich. A woman born in 1955 from an ordinary Belarusian family. She met the future politician and friend of the Russian dictator at school, in the village of Ryzhkovichi. Together they entered the Mogilev Institute at the Faculty of History, and after graduating from the institute in 1975, young Lukashenko proposed to Galina on the banks of the Dnieper during a date. In marriage, the couple had two sons – Victor and Dmitry.
Although the divorce was never officially formalized, the couple did not live together for very many years. While the children were small, Galina worked in a kindergarten, from January 1998 she headed the department of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee for the improvement of the population, she organizes sanatorium treatment for residents, but it is not known what she is doing now.
Officially, she almost never appeared with her husband, for all the years of Lukashenko’s presidency, she accompanied him only once on a trip abroad – to Israel in 1994. Allegedly, Lukashenko’s wife has a house in her native Ryzhkovichi with a high fence, which appeared after the newspapers published a photo in which Galina milks a cow, allegedly this made her husband very angry and he ordered to take the cow away from her, and enclose the house with a high brick wall and put on guard.
During the elections in 2020, it became known that Galina is still listed as the wife of the Belarusian dictator – the CEC of Belarus cited the data of her declaration as the wife of a presidential candidate.
Why this marriage ended is also a mystery. But either Galina did not want to lose her quiet life in the village and move to Minsk with her husband after he went into politics, or the constant betrayals of Lukashenko became the reason. Now the odious politician is often seen in public with young girls. Moreover, in 2004, Lukashenko’s third son, Nikolai, was born, but who the mother of the 17-year-old heir is also a mystery.
In total, Kadyrov has 10 children, but so far the Internet star is only 23-year-old Aishat, who loves attention and reverence very much.
During the Russian-Ukrainian war, Ramzan Kadyrov won the fame of Putin’s main “tiktok warrior”, because, together with his associates, he constantly spreads fakes. However, in fact, the whole life of the Chechen dictator is a fake, because no one knows how Kadyrov actually lives, how much money he receives from the Kremlin. The Internet “don” himself wears Prada branded items, lives in several castles in the center of Grozny, has several wives, and appoints his children to the highest positions in the republic.
One of Kadyrov’s favorites is his eldest daughter Aishat. The girl is 23 years old, and she is not only an exemplary Muslim woman, but also a successful business woman.
Aishat in 2016, when she was 17 years old, headed the Firdaws Fashion House, founded by her mother Medni Kadyrova back in 2009. The brand specializes in clothing for Muslim women, so short or open items are not found in the collections. Boutiques operate in Grozny, Moscow, Makhachkala and Dubai.
The prices for the things of the Chechen princess are rather high and vary around 200-500 dollars per item, dresses with embroidery and men’s suits, of course, are much more expensive, some Firdaws prices exceed thousands of dollars. Fashion shows were also always held on a grand scale abroad, and quite famous personalities visited them. In 2020, the young designer, her mother and father, and sister Khadijat were included in the US sanctions list, which bans them from entering the country because they are involved in human rights corruption.
When Aishat turned 21, her father decided that fashion alone was not enough for her, so he appointed his daughter to the post of First Deputy Minister of Culture of Chechnya. He justified his decision by the fact that, despite her young age, Aishat has rich experience in managing complex and large-scale projects, in particular, in the field of culture. In October 2021, the girl became the Minister of Culture, but this time on the recommendation of the head of the government of Chechnya, Muslim Khuchiev.
Despite praise from his father, in 2022, the Firdaws brand accounts were blocked due to non-payment of taxes. The exact amount of Aishat’s debt was not named, but enforcement proceedings were initiated for 1.6 thousand rubles. By the end of January, the company allegedly paid off its debts, but announced that due to technical reasons, it was closing stores for a while.
Little is known about Aishat’s personal life, except that she was born in 1998 in the village of Tsentoroy. She studied at school until the sixth grade, and then switched to home schooling and studied the Koran and Arabic for nine hours a day.
In 2016, the girl entered the Faculty of Economics of the Chechen State University, and in 2017 she married the son of a close friend of Kadyrov, whom she met two weeks before the wedding. Who is Kadyrova’s husband is unknown, and she does not share the details of her personal life.
Every day, in the places we live, and around the world, we hear stories of heartache, loss and human cruelty. And every day, across the URI Network, Cooperation Circles are living stories of peace, justice and healing – Rev. Lauren Van Ham • Climate Action Coordinator of United Religions Initiative invites all interested URI Cooperation Circles (CCs) and Friends to join the URI Climate Action.
In more and more countries, people are rallying for laws that protect the rights of nature. “Ecocide” is a term to describe the massive destruction being done to eco-systems everywhere. It is the result of the harmful and polluting practices of multi-national corporations and horribly short-sighted political decisions. Just as Soil, Birds and Trees work together to create a healthy eco-system, Peace, Justice and Healing work together to create healthy communities. We need both — healthy communities protecting healthy eco-systems AND thriving eco-systems supporting thriving communities.
Do you remember, the “Drawdown Solutions”? Sometimes, caring for Earth doesn’t look like planting a garden. It can also mean helping girls stay in school or working for gender equity. Working to restore Earth and taking good care of one other are almost always related.
In a few weeks, just before World Environment Day, the Stockholm+50 conference will happen in Sweden. This UNEP gathering honors its 50 years of existence and will be two days of important meetings about the health of our planet’s eco-systems as well as global greenhouse gas emission targets.
Has your CC made plans for honoring June 5th, World Environment Day? How is your community creating Peace, Justice and Healing by also tending the Soil, Trees or other Earth restoration activity? When we think globally and act locally, we become the change and embody the prayer.
If your CC is doing a project to restore or protect an eco-system, or if you are actively working to reach one of the environmentally-focused Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), please check out the WEBSITE that helps track the great work environmental action happening, thanks to faith groups, interfaith collaboration and indigenous practices. You can share your project by completing the SUBMISSION FORM.
I love hearing from you and our efforts are stronger when we share them and learn together. Please send your stories if you are looking for a resource or want to be in communication with other CCs working to restore Earth.
In Europe, a complete end to any covid restrictions has come. Since May 16, the Austrian authorities, previously distinguished by their particularly zealous fight against Covid-19 and unvaccinated citizens, removed the last covid barriers: travelers from all over the world are allowed entry without restrictions, which put an end to the difficult conditions for the movement of tourists between European countries. The news about the cancellation of measures to combat coronavirus at the entrance was announced by the official tourism portal of Austria.
“Traveling to Austria is possible for tourism purposes. From May 16, confirmation of vaccination / recovery or a test is no longer needed, ”the portal said in a message.
In other words, tourists, regardless of their country of origin, can now travel to Austria for any purpose without presenting a valid certificate of vaccination, recovery or testing upon arrival. In addition, travelers are no longer required to fill out a pre-trip form. Recall that earlier this requirement applied to those who did not have any of the medical certificates.
In addition to lifting its entry rules, Austria has already lifted internal restrictions: tourists are no longer required to wear a protective mask or present a single 3G pass when visiting various public places and events, such as cafes, restaurants and hotels.
The Austrian authorities are believed to have decided to lift entry rules and have now opened the border to all travelers due to the country’s low infection rate. Thus, according to WHO information, 29,576 new cases of COVID-19 infection have been registered in Austria over the past seven days.
In addition, the portal indicates that Austria has a high percentage of vaccinations. As of May 12, 83.1% of the total adult population in the country received the first component of the vaccine, and 68.7% received an additional dose of the vaccine.
With the exception of Austria, another 15 EU/EEA countries have also already waived all of their COVID-19 entry rules. Among them: Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland. All travelers can enter the above countries without restrictions, even if they do not have a valid vaccination certificate, as well as a certificate of illness or a negative PCR test result. However, some popular European destinations, primarily Germany and Portugal, have retained the covid entry conditions.
During a ministerial meeting on global hunger taking pace at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres said the number of severely food insecure people had doubled in just two years – from 135 million pre-pandemic to 276 million today, with more than half a million experiencing famine conditions – an increase of more than 500 per cent since 2016.
“These frightening figures are inextricably linked with conflict, as both cause, and effect,” he said. “If we do not feed people, we feed conflict”.
The climate emergency is another driver of global hunger he added, pointing out that 1.7 billion people have been affected by extreme weather and climate-related disasters over the past decade.
Moreover, the COVID-induced economic shock has compounded food insecurity by reducing incomes and disrupting supply chains, leading to an uneven economic recovery. Access to financial markets has been restricted, with some developing States now on the brink of debt default.
“Now the war in Ukraine is amplifying and accelerating all these factors: climate change, COVID-19, and inequality,” Mr. Guterres said.
Ukraine war’s repercussions
Between them, Ukraine and Russia produce almost a third of the world’s wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil. Russia and Belarus are the world’s number two and three producers of potash, a key ingredient of fertilizer.
The war threatens to tip “tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity, followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine, in a crisis that could last for years,” warned the UN chief.
“In the past year, global food prices have risen by nearly one-third, fertilizer by more than half, and oil prices by almost two-thirds”.
Devastating societies
Meanwhile, most developing countries lack the fiscal space to cushion the blow of these huge increases with many unable to borrow because markets are closed to them.
“If high fertilizer prices continue, today’s crisis in grain and cooking oil could affect many other foods including rice, impacting billions of people in Asia and the Americas,” he detailed.
Additionally, children are threatened by a lifetime of stunting; millions of women and children will become malnourished; girls will be pulled from school and forced to work or get married; and families will embark on dangerous journeys across continents, just to survive.
“High rates of hunger have a devastating impact on individuals, families, and societies,” spelled out the UN chief.
‘Five urgent steps’
However, if we act together, there is enough food for everyone, he said adding that “ending hunger is within our reach”.
The Secretary-General then outlined five urgent steps to solve the short-term crisis and prevent long-term damage, beginning with reducing market pressure by increasing food supplies – with no restrictions on exports and surpluses available to those most in need.
“But let’s be clear: there is no effective solution to the food crisis without reintegrating Ukraine’s food production, as well as the food and fertilizer produced by Russia and Belarus, into world markets, despite the war”.
Secondly, social protection systems must cover all in need with food, cash; and water, sanitation, nutrition, and livelihood support must be provided.
Fourth, governments must bolster agricultural production and invest in resilient food systems that protect smallholder food producers.
And finally, humanitarian operations must be fully funded to prevent famine and reduce hunger.
Act in solidarity
In closing, the UN chief said that the Global Crisis Response Group on food, energy and finance is tracking the impact of the crisis on vulnerable people, identifying and pushing for solutions.
“The food crisis has no respect for borders, and no country can overcome it alone,” he said.
“Our only chance of lifting millions of people out of hunger is to act together, urgently and with solidarity”.
‘Goodwill’ needed
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken chaired the meeting in which foreign ministers from approximately 30 regionally diverse countries discussed steps to address global food security, nutrition, and resilience.
Describing the current situation as the “greatest global food insecurity crisis of our time,” Mr. Blinken attributed the emergency to conflict, drought and natural disasters – made worse by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Although hopeful, he said that “there is still a way to go” and that “the complex security, economic and financial implications require goodwill on all sides”.
To address the global crisis, US Secretary announced $215 million in humanitarian aid.
Urgent to open ports
World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley drew attention to a world “too fragile” from years of conflict, pandemic and climate threats.
He also noted that current funding deficits could impede food access by as many as four million people.
Additionally, the top WFP official pointed out that a “failure to open the ports” in and beyond Ukraine will force people to the brink of starvation.
Although the “silos are full,” blockades and other impediments are rendering them inaccessible, Mr. Beasley said, urging governments to “step up” now”.
COVID-19 rates are on the rise in the Americas, where new infections and fatalities have been steadily increasing over the past four weeks, the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
More than 918,000 cases were recorded last week, a 27.2 per cent increase over the previous week, and over 3,500 deaths, latest information from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has revealed.
Eighteen nations saw spikes in hospitalizations, while admissions to intensive care rose in 13 countries and territories.
“The rise in cases should serve as a wake-up call. When people get sick, hospitals get overwhelmed, health systems are challenged, and the number of deaths rise,” said Dr. Carissa Etienne, the PAHO Director, speaking during her weekly media briefing.
North America accounted for more than half of all infections in the region. Cases there have been climbing for the past seven weeks, driven by new infections in the United States, which recorded more than 605,000 new cases, a 33 per cent increase.
The largest rise in cases occurred in Central America, where infections soared by 80 per cent, while in South America, Brazil recorded more than 120,000 cases – a nine per cent increase.
Meanwhile, Argentina saw almost 34,000 cases, which is a staggering 92 per cent rise over the previous week. Other countries in the subregion also experienced surges, while Venezuela, Paraguay and Brazil recorded an increase in deaths.
Cases in the Caribbean have been increasing for five consecutive weeks. Infections rose 9.3 per cent, and deaths 49 per cent, when compared with the previous week. Fourteen countries and territories also reported increases in hospitalizations.
Dr. Etienne urged governments to take stock and act on these numbers. “The truth is this virus is not going away anytime soon,” she said.
Healthcare workers in Burzaco, Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina (file photo).
Following a period of lower coronavirus transmission, many national and local authorities are abandoning mask mandates and physical distancing requirements, and have reopened borders. However, many people in the Americas are still at risk.
Only 14 of the 51 PAHO countries and territories have reached the WHO target of vaccinating 70 per cent of their populations. Discrepancies still exist in coverage for at-risk and vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, people with pre-existing conditions, and indigenous and afro-descendant communities
Dr. Etienne underlined that wearing masks and practicing physical distancing are still valid measures to lower virus transmission.
“Governments should continue to monitor the COVID-19 trends closely, adapt their guidance to protect the most vulnerable, and always be ready to scale up these social measures whenever there is an increase in cases or deaths,” she said.
The public can also play a part by embracing vaccines, masks and other protective measures, she added.
Learning from the pandemic
Dr. Etienne has recommended that countries should not forget lessons learned over the past two years of living with the new disease.
They must keep focus on the virus, amid a steady decline in testing. Even in places where self-tests are available, results are not always reported to health authorities.
“Testing and surveillance are our eyes and ears for this pandemic and can help governments make informed decisions,” the PAHO chief said, underscoring the importance of maintaining and strengthening related infrastructure.
At the same time, governments must also keep investing in their health systems to react quickly to any new developments, and to address health needs beyond COVID-19.
Dr. Etienne recalled that when COVID-19 vaccines were first rolled out over a year ago, the concern was over equity and ensuring enough doses to cover the most vulnerable people.
“Supply was the most significant barrier throughout 2021. That is no longer the case,” she said. “We have sufficient doses to cover those most at risk, and we have an obligation to do so.”
A publishing house known for supporting local creative works and not shying away from tomes on political issues has said that the organizers of the Hong Kong Book Fair have rejected its application to exhibit.
In response, Hillway Culture said it would set up another book show that “truly belongs to Hongkongers” instead.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the publisher said it was notified by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) that its application to participate in the Hong Kong Book Fair 2022 was not accepted.
Hillway Culture said it had participated in the book fair twice in the past. In January this year, it applied to take part in the book show according to the standard procedure.
“The application process and communication have been smooth as usual. HKTDC also sent an email earlier to inform us about participating in a booth selection meeting on May 6 at 10am,” the post read.
“However, HKDTC suddenly called us at 7pm on May 5, claiming that there was a ‘technical problem’ and that the booth selection meeting had to be temporarily canceled.”
Hillway Culture added that the organizers sent another email at 11pm, reiterating that “due to unforeseen technical problems”, the selection would be delayed, and new arrangements would be announced as soon as possible.
However, the publisher said it received an email from HKDTC on Monday, notifying it that its application was not accepted and its deposit would be refunded.
Hillway Culture added that, since there was no explanation, it called the organizers on Tuesday to find out why, but was just told that “no more information could be provided.”
The publishing house said it did not see any reason for its application to be rejected given that it had been an exhibitor in the past and has no record of violating any rules. Moreover, it applied for a bigger booth area and would have been paying more participation fees this year, it added.
It said the organizers’ handling led it to suspect there is an inside story to the rejection.
The annual Hong Kong Book Fair is one of the largest book shows in Asia.
For many years, it was regarded as a bastion of publishing freedom, with the event drawing many mainland Chinese who would buy books banned on the mainland.
However, at last year’s fair – the first to be held after Beijing imposed the national security law in Hong Kong – many booksellers and publishers steered clear of books that could be seen as violating the law by some, especially politically sensitive tomes.
Hillway Culture was one of the few booths that still exhibited such books, with some groups reporting it for selling three titles that they claimed violated the security law.
The publisher said police officers later inspected its booth and told it that there were no problems with its books.
It added that HKTDC did not give it any warnings or mention anything about violations.
Hillway Culture reiterated that it has always indicated its willingness to follow the procedures of HKTDC and law enforcement agencies in its interviews with the media.
“We are well aware that we are not a publishing organization that is close to the official position, but allowing the general public to express dissent and recognize voices from across the spectrum is what it should be like to respect Hong Kong’s core values such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” said Hillway Culture in its statement.
It also expressed great regret over HKTDC’s decision.
Responding to queries from Coconuts, an HKTDC spokesman said: “In organizing any event, it is not uncommon that some applications may not be successful. We do not comment on individual cases.”
In its Facebook post, Hillway Culture also announced an alternative book fair it is organizing, which roughly translates as the “Hongkonger Book Fair”.
“As the name suggests, we hope to hold a book fair that truly belongs to Hongkongers and one that Hongkongers deserve to own,” said the publisher.
According to its event page, the tentative date of the book show will be somewhere in July or August for five to seven days.
It will be held online and in person in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok or other accessible spots.
The Moldovan President addressed the Parliament on 18 May. Discover how the EU is supporting Moldova, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu was in the Parliament to discuss the war in Ukraine and its impact on her country, which has played a major role caring for Ukrainian refugees.
Welcoming the Moldovan President to the Parliament, Parliament President Roberta Metsola praised the country for taking in Ukrainian refugees and said the Parliament supports Moldova’s EU application: “We know that Moldova is looking at us with a sense of purpose. Every country must follow its own path, its own timeline, but we must not be afraid to use the power of Europe to improve people’s lives, to change generations. And this is why the European Union needs to send a clear and firm political message that we recognise the European aspirations of Moldova and your efforts in implementing key reforms that bring your country closer to us. Moldova belongs in the European family.”
“Almost half a million Ukrainians crossed our border, and around 90,000 are still with us, hosted by my big-hearted fellow citizens,” Sandu told MEPs. “Half of the refugees today are children. And this constitutes 10% of the total number of children in the country.”
She called for support for Moldova’s bid to join the EU: “I ask you to increase the EU’s support for Moldova – for the sake of Moldovans who want to preserve their democracy and freedom, but also for the sake of Europe – to have a stable, predictable and reliable partner and contributor to peace in its eastern neighbourhood.
“Our independence, peaceful development, economic and political reforms must have an anchor and this anchor is a clear perspective of EU accession, the status of a candidate country.”
Existing cooperation
The EU and Moldova enjoy close ties. In 2014 they concluded an association agreement as well as a deep and comprehensive trade agreement, which entered into force in 2016. The EU is Moldova’s largest trading partner.
Application for EU membership
On 3 March 2022, Moldova submitted a formal application for European Union membership, a decision that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a resolution adopted on 5 May, Parliament welcomed Moldova’s formal EU membership application and said the EU should grant it candidate status.
Old Orhei Monastery at sunrise in Moldova Republic
War in Ukraine
Moldova has been significantly affected by the Russian war against Ukraine. Since the start of the invasion nearly half a million Ukrainian refugees have arrived, of which about 90,000 remain. On 24 March, Parliament consented to Frontex operational support for Moldova, including at its borders with Ukraine. On the same day, MEPs also agreed to provide Moldova with €150 million in macro-financial aid to cover part of its external financing needs. Shortly afterwards, a European Parliament delegation travelled to Moldova to assess the situation there.
The war in Ukraine has led to lost trade and higher energy and transport prices in Moldova.
In the resolution adopted on 5 May, MEPs called on the EU to provide more support to Moldova, for example through new macro-financial assistance, further transport and trade liberalisation measures and continued support for refugee management and humanitarian efforts.
Transnistria
There are also concerns about the security situation in Transnistria, the Russian-backed breakaway region on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, where several “security incidents” were reported in April. Moldovan authorities called these a provocation with the aim of destabilising the region.
On 5 May, MEPs said they considered these incidents dangerous acts of provocation in a highly volatile security situation. The also reiterated Parliament’s support for a “comprehensive, peaceful and lasting political settlement of the Transnistrian conflict,” i.e. based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders, and with the removal of Russian forces based there.
The importance of mass casualty training in the context of the war in Ukraine: an interview with Professor Johan von Schreeb
Johan von Schreeb is Professor of Global Disaster Medicine in the Department of Global Public Health at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and leads the Centre for Research on Health Care in Disasters, a WHO collaborating centre that runs courses in global disaster medicine. Most recently, he has been rolling out mass casualty training in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
What is your background and your experience of dealing with mass casualty situations?
I am a medical doctor trained in general surgery. I’ve done several missions around the world over the last 35 years, starting with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Afghanistan, dealing with natural disasters as well as conflicts.
From 2014, I was WHO’s Emergency Medical Team Coordinator, which included providing trauma-care support in Mosul, Iraq, in 2016–2017, and conducting trauma-care trainings in the active conflict zones of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, in 2017 and Yemen in 2018. In 2021, I continued to support WHO in Lebanon following the explosion in Beirut, and conducted trainings on mass casualty management in Iraq.
My role started as a trauma surgeon, but as time has gone on, I have taken on more of a coordinating position, trying to get all the different emergency actors together, working with ministries of health in affected countries, ensuring that standards are applied and making sure staff on the ground get appropriate training.
What has your role been during the Ukraine war?
WHO asked me to coordinate international assistance to Ukraine, focusing on trauma and rehabilitation. The context has been quite complex. On the one hand, you have a well functioning health system, with something like 1600 hospitals spread around the country, employing thousands of skilled surgeons. But on the other hand, these surgeons are not really used to dealing with the types of injuries that we are now seeing in this conflict, which creates a real challenge for the health system.
So, my role is to try to support the Ministry of Health, the surgeons and the hospitals with our team of international experts, but to do that in a respectful way. We try to cover the gaps, to add additional knowledge and to put into practice our expertise in managing casualty surges.
Why is training local staff so important?
As I mentioned, health staff are not used to dealing with the types and numbers of injuries that you get in war situations. Many conflict-related injuries can lead to heavy bleeding, so time is the crucial factor. Everyone involved in what we call the trauma pathway needs to know what they are doing to get the patient stabilized as quickly as possible. Those on the spot, close to the injured person, need to immediately try to stop the bleeding by applying pressure, or by using a tourniquet if it’s an injured limb. Then, the most important thing is to transport the patient as fast as possible to a hospital where they can surgically stop the bleeding; otherwise, the patient is likely to die.
What does the mass casualty management training consist of?
We simulate a range of injuries on around 60 artificial patients and then take our trainees through how to effectively manage the patient flow. This starts with initial patient assessments – checking airways, breathing, circulation, disability and exposure – which most emergency physicians already know. However, doing this in a trauma setting and with many patients at once can be a real challenge.
We also consider how the emergency room needs to be prepared to receive large numbers of patients and teach the trainees how to triage, or sort the patients with a colour-coding system, depending on the severity of their injuries and their priority for surgery. Obviously, those requiring resuscitation or with critical injuries are considered code red and taken into the emergency room as soon as possible, so they can rapidly get the care they need to hopefully save their lives.
What value does WHO bring to the training and to mass casualty situations?
WHO’s Emergency Medical Teams have been in existence for over 10 years, so we have a lot of accumulated knowledge and experience from a range of emergency situations. We also have academic experts who work with WHO to publish papers and update protocols, to make sure that what we teach is really up to date. It’s thanks to all this combined experience and expertise that WHO is able to develop good guidelines and good minimum standards, and to implement everything in a systematic way while involving staff in the affected countries.
What is the context in Ukraine, and what impact has this had on what you deliver in the training?
It’s important to stress that what we teach has to be adapted to the particular context – you cannot do the same type of training in Ukraine as you would in Somalia, South Sudan, or Afghanistan, for instance. Prior to the conflict, Ukraine had a strong health system, with many skilled doctors and nurses and a lot of hospitals. Sadly, several facilities have since been subject to bombing and are destroyed.
At the moment, it’s often a real challenge to get close to where the wounded patients are, as they are usually in insecure areas of active conflict that are hard to access. Despite this, the Ukrainian health system is managing well to deal with injured patients, either at the site of injury or by transporting them for surgery elsewhere.
Even so, there are gaps in knowledge and resources which we are trying to fill. For instance, we are seeing very complicated injuries, such as open fractures and nasty wounds from flying shrapnel that are really difficult to manage, so we’ve brought in orthoplastic surgery specialists to work alongside local surgeons. We’re also seeing many children with fractured limbs, so have introduced a type of metal system that allows surgeons to stabilize fractures from the outside.
A particularly important part of this gap-filling has been to ensure there is a functioning blood bank, because with heavily bleeding patients you need around 10 times more blood than you would expect for a normal trauma patient.
So, while there are some gaps to be filled, training Ukrainian surgeons and health-care staff to continue this work will help them develop their skills in areas that you only get in mass casualty situations.
How many people have participated in the training in Ukraine?
In addition to the hands-on training, which has so far involved 200 participants, we’ve been doing a twice-weekly webinar on damage control surgery, which has been attended by over 450 participants each time from all over Ukraine.
Students on all our courses have been very attentive and keen to learn, because they know the mass casualty situations we simulate are something they could very easily have to deal with in real life. Indeed, yesterday, we ran a workshop on mass casualty management in a hospital which 3 weeks ago had to deal with 100 injured patients because of a bombing. So, for many, dealing with mass casualties is already a sad and stark reality.
How could this training be of long-term benefit?
Surgeons nowadays tend to be specialized in 1 area of expertise. This training means they broaden their skills and knowledge to manage a range of different types of injuries, which is beneficial to the national health system when surge capacity is needed. It also means they could consider joining international emergency medical teams to be deployed to other mass casualty situations around the world as needed, and train up the next generation of surgeons in the process.
Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology Nashville and new president of the Religion Communicators Council national Board of Governors.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, May 18, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — At its 2022 national convention, Religion Communicators Council (RCC) elected Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology Nashville, as president of its board of governors.
“I am excited and honored to serve with the distinguished members of the executive committee,” said Fesler. “These people have dedicated their careers to forwarding religious and spiritual values with excellence. Supporting that work is what RCC is all about.”
Religion Communicators Council was founded in 1929 as an organization for communications and public relations professionals, with membership open to those associated with Protestant denominations. In 1972, RCC opened membership to all religious faiths, which now includes more than 60 different faith-based institutions in the United States and abroad.
Past RCC president Nadine Monn said Rev. Fesler’s “leadership on interfaith partnerships and dedication to communications excellence will be a benefit to our professional association as we continue envisioning what RCC looks like in the coming years.”
In addition to his role on the board, Rev. Fesler served this year as coordinator of the DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards, honoring excellence in religion communication. This is the second consecutive year of his organizing 50 communications professionals to judge nearly 200 submissions from RCC members for awards involving periodicals, audiovisual publications, writing, artwork and design.
Rev. Fesler has served as senior pastor of the Church of Scientology Nashville since 2009. Long known in the Nashville community for his work to bring people together in celebration of diversity, Rev. Fesler was treasurer on the Nashville Board of the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship in 2014 and 2015 under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Judy Cummings, then pastor of New Covenant Christian Church (DOC). He is a fixture on the steering committee that plans Nashville’s annual Martin Luther King Day march and convocation. He is active in interfaith work and community outreach programs including drug prevention and chairs the annual Tennessee celebration of International Human Rights Day.
“In this time of confusion, worry, and lack of social interaction, it is more important than ever for the religious community to reach its members and counsel those in need,” said Fesler, “The RCC is vital to our world today. I look forward to working with the executive committee and board to further the RCC mission.”
From its beginnings, the Church of Scientology has recognized that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. In a world where conflicts are often traceable to intolerance of others’ religious beliefs and practices, the Church has, for more than 50 years, made the preservation of religious liberty an overriding concern.
The Church publishes a religious freedom blog to help create a better understanding of the freedom of religion and belief and provide news on religious freedom and issues affecting this freedom around the world.
The Founder of the Scientology religion is L. Ron Hubbard and Mr. David Miscavige is the religion’s ecclesiastical leader.
For more information visit the Scientology website or Scientology Network.
