The UN chief welcomed on Friday afternoon, the unity of the Security Council in support of peace in Ukraine, while also assuring that he would continue to “spare no effort” in saving lives, reducing suffering and finding the path of peace.
“For the first time, the Security Council spoke with one voice for peace in Ukraine”.
Last week the UN chief flew to Europe where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
His diplomacy paved the way for joint UN-Red Cross humanitarian missions, which have so far evacuated about 500 civilians from Mariupol and the beleaguer steel plant in Azovstal.
Today, for the first time, the Security Council spoke with one voice for peace in Ukraine. @antonioguterres welcomes this support and will continue to spare no effort to save lives, reduce suffering and find the path of peace: https://t.co/LLHeGusG4M
He was referring to the presidential statement on Ukraine released minutes earlier by the Security Council.
“The Security Council expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine,” said the Council President for the month of May, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield of the United States, on behalf of the Ambassadors.
“The Security Council recalls that all Member States have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means,” the communication continued.
It went on to express “strong support” for the Secretary-General’s efforts to find a peaceful solution.
“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to brief the Security Council in due course after the adoption of the present statement,” concluded the statement.
The adopted text was drafted by Norway and Mexico.
How we got here
Since Russia launched what it called a “special military operation” on 24 April, a draft Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow’s invasion was never adopted.
However, shortly thereafter, the 193-member General Assembly did adopt two non-binding resolutions, deploring Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine.”
It also condemned Russia for creating a “dire” humanitarian situation and demanded that its troops “immediately, completely and unconditionally” withdraw and that there be aid access and civilian protection.
UK analysis of nearly 400,000 adults suggests overweight and obesity amplifies the harmful effects of alcohol on cancer risk, particularly in those with a high body fat percentage.
According to new research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Maastricht, Netherlands (May 4-7, 2022), being overweight or having obesity can exacerbate the harmful effects of alcohol on the risk of developing alcohol-related cancer, especially in people with a high body fat percentage.
Importantly, regardless of alcohol usage, the data revealed a dose-response association between increased obesity levels and the chance of getting obesity-related cancers.
The research, by Dr. Elif Inan-Eroglu from The University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues, is the first study to look at obesity (body fat percentage, waist circumference and body mass index [BMI]) and alcohol consumption together, in relation to all the cancers that are known to be influenced by alcohol and obesity.
The researchers say that current guidelines do not reflect the degree of cancer risk from the combined effects of alcohol and obesity and underscore the need to increase public awareness.
“Our results suggest that people with obesity, especially those with excess body fat, need to be more aware of the risks around alcohol consumption,” says Dr. Inan-Eroglu. “With around 650 million adults living with obesity worldwide, this is a hugely important issue. When it comes to the lifestyle factors and habits that people can change to reduce their risk of cancer, obesity and alcohol are top of the list.”
Worldwide, 4% (741,300) of new cancer cases in 2020 were linked to alcohol consumption,[1] and overweight and obesity are linked with a higher risk of 13 types of cancer that account for over 40% of all these cancers diagnosed in the USA.[2] However, estimates suggest that more than half of cancers are potentially preventable—with alcohol the third leading preventable cause of cancer behind tobacco and obesity.
For this study, researchers combined data from 399,575 participants (aged 40-69 years; 55% female) from the UK Biobank prospective cohort, who were cancer free when the study began, and followed for an average of 12 years. Cancers were identified from hospital admissions and cancer registry data.
Participants were divided into three groups according to their body fat percentage, waist circumference, and BMI),[3] and classified according to their self-reported alcohol consumption based on UK guidelines (never, previous, within guidelines [14 units or less of alcohol/week] and above guideline drinkers [more than 14 units/week]) to examine the joint association of alcohol consumption and obesity with the risk of 21 different types of cancer (13 obesity-related and eight alcohol-related cancers.[4]
The results were adjusted for factors that might affect the findings including age, sex, diet, education level, physical activity, smoking status, sleep duration, socioeconomic status, and existing cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes.
Over an average follow-up of 12 years, 17,617 participants were diagnosed with alcohol-related cancer and 20,214 developed obesity-related cancer.
The researchers found that across all obesity markers, people with higher body fat percentage levels who drank more than the recommended guidelines, were at greater risk of cancer.
For example, people in the highest body fat percentage tertile who drank within the recommended alcohol guidelines were 53% more likely to develop alcohol-related cancers than those with the lowest body fat percentage who never drank; while those who drank above alcohol guidelines were at 61% greater risk.
Regardless of alcohol intake, the analysis identified a dose-response relationship between larger waist circumference and risk of developing obesity-related cancer. For example, people with bigger waistlines who drank more than the recommended alcohol guidelines had a 17% greater risk of developing obesity-related cancer compared to those with a healthy waistline who never drank; while in people with the largest waistlines who drank above alcohol guidelines the risk was 28% higher.
“Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms behind this joint effect of alcohol intake and obesity on cancer risk”, says Dr Inan-Eroglu. “Alcohol drinking guidelines need to acknowledge that two-thirds of the UK adult population are overweight or obese and consider specific recommendations to increase public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer risk in this group. From a cancer-prevention standpoint, the safest level of alcohol consumption is total avoidance.”
Despite the important findings, the authors acknowledge that this is an observational study and is not based on a representative sample of the UK adult population. In addition, they note that the study relied on self-reported alcohol intake which may lead to underreporting and make affect the conclusions that can be drawn.
References:
“Global burden of cancer in 2020 attributable to alcohol consumption: a population-based study” by Harriet Rumgay, BSc; Kevin Shield, PhD; Hadrien Charvat, PhD; Pietro Ferrari, PhD; Bundit Sornpaisarn, PhD; Prof Isidore Obot, PhD; Farhad Islami, PhD; Prof Valery E P P Lemmens, PhD; Prof Jürgen Rehm, PhD and Isabelle Soerjomataram, PhD, 13 July 2021, The Lancet Oncology. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00279-5
Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 and obesity as a BMI of 30 or more. For waist circumference: normal (<80 cm for women, <94 cm for men), overweight (>80 cm for women, >94 cm for men), and obese (>88 cm for women, >102 cm for men). For body fat percentage (BF%): tertile 1, 27.8% for women, >39.8% for men; tertile 2: 23.1- 27.8% for women, 33.9-39.8 for men; tertile 3: >27.8% for women, >39.8% for men.
Eight alcohol-related cancers (oral cavity, throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectal, stomach, and female breast) and 13 obesity-related cancers (meningioma, multiple myeloma, adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, and cancers of the thyroid, postmenopausal breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus, colorectal.
This work was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant (APP1194510).
Expensive gas and labor shortages hamper rose oil production.
Most of the distilleries in our country use blue fuel in the production of rose oil. Gas is a significant pricing factor in rose oil, Metodi Stefanov, a producer of essential oils, told Bulgarian National Radio. “After the price of color, fuel is the second factor that determines the price of rose oil. The price for the processing of rose oil will jump three times, “he said.
At the same time, the labor problem is getting worse. Farmers whose plantations are in the Brezovo area have complained that they may not be able to find pickers. The workforce has decreased, as picking up rose leafs is labor-intensive, and the gardens are entered at dawn. That is why the workers are trying to twist the hands of the producers and this year they want BGN 1.50 per kilogram. “It’s an unrealistically high price. There is no way we can give it to them “, say the rose growers.
At the moment, they hope that the purchase price will not be less than BGN 3 per kilogram. However, even it is low to cover all costs if they have to give half to the pickers.
The rose picking in Bulgaria is late, it will start after May 20. “Because of the bad weather, roses grow more slowly. We expect the campaign to be shorter this year as well “, explained the owners of pink massifs. According to them, the harvest of an oil-bearing rose will begin after May 20, and the mass picking – at the earliest on May 25.
Author: Priest John Burdin of the Kostroma Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, who became the first Russian priest to be tried under the new law on “spreading false information about the special operation in Ukraine.” A repressive law that legitimizes repression and gossip. Father John was arrested at the behest of his parishioner, who was outraged that his parish priest had declared war on him. More than a month has passed since then, and the priest has been relieved of his parish activity “at the request of the parishioners.” Father John continues to preach, but there is no insult or condemnation in his words. This is his advice to Christians who are deeply saddened by what is happening in the ROC and feel it as a betrayal of Christ.
The text is from the author’s telegram channel
The unworthy conduct of pastors poses the question to many members of the Church: is it possible to go to church, to receive the sacraments, if the priesthood does not keep the commandments of the gospel?
Particularly serious doubts arise when the clergy utter words filled with hatred and malice, claiming to be in sync with the teachings of the gospel. What is this but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:31)?
We know where the blind lead the blind. Increasingly, however, people who have not lost the ability to distinguish good from evil, who have not lost their mercy and conscience, ask: will I not fall into the same pit if I remain a member of this deluded flock? Is it enough that I do not accept with my heart someone’s blasphemous words and deeds? Moreover, the Scripture also says: “Therefore come out from among them and separate yourselves, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean, and I will receive you, and I will be your Father, and you will be My sons and daughters.” says the Lord Almighty ”(2 Cor. 6: 17-18).
This is a complex and ambiguous question. During the two millennia of the Church’s existence, it was decided in different ways, as the circumstances in which it arose were different.
The closest analogue to us (in time and in essence) is the movement of the “non-mentions” and the “catacomb” church of the 20th century.
They arise in the conditions when the official church in the person of Mitr. Sergius states that he shares the “pain and joys” of the Soviet government and the Soviet people, thus sharing with them the responsibility for the persecution of believers, the executions, the killings, the mass executions, the repression, the torture.
The non-men (catamobniks) cut off communion with the “Sergians” and did not maintain Eucharistic communion with them until the early 1950s. Almost all of them were destroyed. By the way, like most members of the “official” church.
It is difficult for us to judge whether they were right. However, seeing their experience, we cannot fail to note that those who did not mention the survivors for the most part returned to the bosom of the official church, sometimes even repenting of the schism.
One illustrative case in this regard is the repentance of a candle. Valentin Swieczycki in 1930. He not only repented of “falling away from the unity of the council” and called on his spiritual children to do the same, but also wrote that the Church does not accidentally canonically allow only one possibility to break communion: in the fall in heresy. There can be no reason for this for any political or moral reasons.
The most authoritative figure among the “catacombs” who called for union with the official church was Ep. Athanasius (Sakharov), who was persecuted for decades. After the election of Patr. Alexius I, he stated that there were no grounds for a split: “Patr. Alexius and his associates do not preach the heresies condemned by the fathers тр Patr. Alexius has not been condemned by any legitimate supreme hierarchical authority, and I cannot, I have no right, say that he is ungrateful and that the sacraments performed by him and his clergy are not valid.
However, still in the late 1960s, several million people in the USSR remained members of the “catacomb” communities.
However, brutal repression has gradually led to the complete degradation of these communities. The catacomb Christians died without confession and communion, the funerals were performed without a service, the newlyweds were left without anointing, the newlyweds – without the sacrament of Marriage. Gradually, in the absence of priests, their role was taken over by itinerant preachers, elderly women…” They hold memorial services, baptize, marry, and some even confess and receive communion. Thus, the Catacomb Church, originally defined as a conservative movement, marked the beginning of the so-called new Russian sectarianism. And this, after all, is the fate of every schism that has arisen for any reason other than heresy.
However, how do we deal with the sins of shepherds, especially when they clearly violate God’s commandments?
He most accurately formulated his position on this issue candle. Valentin Sventsitsky: “Can the grave sins of individual representatives of the Church, even of the hierarchy, be called sins of the Church? These are not the sins of the Church, but their sins before the Church.
We know that sin throws man out of the Church: evil has no place in the Body of Christ. And return to the Church is possible only through repentance. This is what the permissive prayers that the priest reads during confession speak about.
From here arises a kind of theological paradox: a man dressed in the rank of patriarch, bishop or priest, can physically stand before the throne, offer the Sacrifice, but at the same time spiritually be outside the Church. Until the moment of personal repentance. Are the sacraments performed by such a person valid?
Church teaching answers this question in the affirmative.
Because the Sacrament is performed not by man, but by God. In the prayer of St. Ambrose of Milan, which every priest reads before the Liturgy, the same thought is repeated several times in different versions: “You who offer yourself are in a wonderful and unspoken way both a priest and a victim.” The Church believes that Christ Himself sacrificed Himself, and the priest is only the unworthy hands with which He does this.
However, all these theological reflections leave one question open: what to do if only moral violence against yourself allows you to continue going to church?
I think it is spiritually safer for a Christian to continue to be a member of the Church, even if he or she thinks he or she is mistaken. To some extent, this can help a person to break away from pleasant fellowship with people and to seek Christ in the Church, but moral violence against oneself can also cause severe depression.
Freedom of choice is given to man by God, and no one has the right to deprive him of this freedom, including manipulating his consciousness by threatening him with destruction and hell. I believe that every person, aware of his weakness, offers it before God as his personal sin, can withdraw from the earthly church for a certain time, without losing irretrievably the opportunity for personal communion with Christ. One must only be aware that this is a path for saints, and in this way only a few will be able to avoid complete apostasy from Christ.
Why should you take off your shoes, take your laptop out of your hand luggage and not carry more than 100 ml of liquids?
Anyone who has traveled by plane at least once knows that when passing the security check he must carry liquids up to 100 ml, placed in a separate transparent envelope, remove all electronic devices from hand luggage, do not carry knives. and axes, go through a scanner and take off your shoes …
There are many procedures and they get used to them over time, but few know why they were introduced.
There is a reason for each of the rules you must follow before boarding a plane.
See what are the specific reasons for their introduction.
Why do you have to take off your shoes at the airport?
One particular person is responsible for this – his name is Richard Colvin Reid, but he is better known as the Shoemaker. In 2001, he underwent a security check with shoes whose hollow soles were stuffed with explosives. A miracle saved the plane en route from Paris to Miami from an explosion in the air, and after the plan for a terrorist act became known, all American airports introduced a requirement for passengers to undress during the check-in. This measure is gradually becoming part of the procedure at many other airports around the world.
Why can’t you carry more than 100 ml of liquids in your hand luggage?
In 2006, British police uncovered a plan to detonate ten flights from London to the United States and Canada, with explosives disguised as soft drinks.
After this case, for a short time all types of liquids, gels and aerosols are prohibited in the cabin of the aircraft. After a few months it became clear that liquids up to 100 ml would not be enough to cause serious damage to the aircraft in the air and so the restriction is as we know it today – no more than 1 liter of liquid, but divided into packages of no more than 100 Jr.
With the introduction of new technologies at airports, this rule may soon go down in history. An airport in Ireland has already become the first in the world to cancel it.
Why do you need to take your laptop and other large electronic devices out of your luggage?
In 1988, a Pan Am flight exploded, killing 270 passengers and 16 crew members after terrorists managed to hide a bomb in a tape recorder. After this case, the authorities began to place X-rays at airports, but the rule to remove laptops from hand luggage comes after September 11. Security officials worry that explosive devices could be hidden in solid laptops that machines can’t scan well.
Why is it forbidden to carry knives and sharp objects inside?
The ban on carrying knives on board sounds somewhat logical, but depending on the specific airport, you can even take a nail file from your hand luggage (if it is considered a sharp object).
In fact, this rule was introduced immediately after the 9/11 attacks. As they pass through the scanner, some of the assailants carrying knives set off their alarm, but after a manual search with a metal detector, they are released. At that time, even if the security officers found the knives, they had no right to seize them, because according to the rules of the time, it was allowed to import knives up to 10 cm.
Today you can fly with knives, but they must be in your checked baggage.
Why is the departure area only accessible to people with a ticket?
This is another rule that is the result of the 9/11 attacks. Its goal is to keep as few people as possible close to the plane, especially those who could be a threat.
Thousands of Turks, as well as tourists from Bulgaria and Greece, gathered in the border town of Edirne to take part in the spring holiday Kakawa Hadrelles, BTA reports. This is one of the most picturesque and colorful holidays, dedicated to spring in the western districts of Turkey – Edirne and Kirklareli.
In 2017, the holiday was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Turkey and in the Republic of Northern Macedonia. It coincides with the Christian St. George’s Day, which in Bulgaria is celebrated on May 6 as the Day of Courage.
A record number, about 100,000 people, took part in the celebrations yesterday and today in Edirne, which have resumed after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic and are therefore more crowded and more lively than before.
It is a holiday not only for Turkey, but for all humanity, said the city’s governor Ekrem Janalp.
The culmination of the holiday is the lighting of the Kakawa fire, around which various entertainments take place. A jumping fire is also organized.
Many Turks, Bulgarians, Greeks took part in the entertainment, danced to the rhythms of Roma music, had a great time, according to Edirne media.
The name of the traditional holiday, which is rooted in antiquity, comes from the legend of the two brothers – Hudder and Elijah, who were patrons of humans, animals and fertility. The two brothers traveled to different places and only once a year – on May 6 – gathered at a rich table, where they told what good deeds they have done for people, animals, nature. Therefore, it is considered a holiday of spring, after which the fertile summer begins. In a number of countries are says Hudrelles, Kakawa, Haftamal, Egridje, Edirlez and others.
Three brutal killings of women have rocked Turkey during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, Turkish media reported.
The killings took place on May 1st, 2nd and 4th in Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul.
Dilek Ceylan, 32, who wanted to break up with her fiancé, was killed in Ankara on May 1st. Ceylan was brutally killed by her partner, who did not agree to the two to separate, informs NTV television.
A Syrian citizen shot dead his (Syrian) wife in Izmir on May 2 after a scandal broke out between them, CNN-Turk reported.
Another brutal murder of a woman in Istanbul was reported today. According to CNN-Turk, 19-year-old Asie Atalay was killed yesterday on a street in the Esenler district. The brutal crime was filmed on security video cameras. Police managed to catch the killer, who escaped after the murder.
Violence against women in Turkey continues to be a huge problem in the country. In March last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the country was withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention, an important tool in combating violence against women.
According to the Federation of Women’s Associations in Turkey, 367 women were killed in the country in 2021, compared to 409 in 2020. However, the number killed last year shows that the country commits a similar crime every day. .
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the UN Security Council that food and fertilizers from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine must be returned to world markets despite the conflict.
“Let me be clear – a serious solution to the threats to global food security requires the reintegration of agricultural production in Ukraine and food and fertilizer production in Russia and Belarus on world markets,” he said.
Gutierrez added that this should be done despite military action.
“I will do my best to ensure dialogue and implement these measures,” Guterres added.
After world food prices rose to a historic record in March due to the war in Ukraine, which caused shocks in the grain and vegetable oils markets, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), quoted by AFP.
The FAO’s Food Price Index, which reflects monthly changes in the price of a basket of staple foods, set a record in February, reaching its highest level since its inception. In March, the indicator increased by another 12.6 percent to an average of 159.3 points.
The increase comes in much of the cereals sub-index, which jumped 17.1 percent from February, mainly because of the war in Ukraine.
The overall increase was also contributed by vegetable oils, which rose by as much as 23.2 percent against the background of rising sunflower oil, for which the world’s largest exporter is Ukraine.
At the same time, the prices of palm, soybean and rapeseed oil are rising sharply due to the increase in global demand for imports due to disruptions in the supply of sunflower oil.
Astronaut Matthias Maurer will miss such antics on Earth
SpaceX Crew-3 crew members had some fun on the International Space Station before returning home.
Astronaut Matthias Maurer tweeted a video of himself and his partners dancing in zero gravity to Johann Strauss’ “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” waltz.
Maurer admitted that this is how astronauts test their space suits and call it “the waltz of suit fitting.” He added that he would miss microgravity and these antics.
NASA’s Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, along with the European Space Agency’s Maurer, are scheduled to leave the International Space Station on Wednesday and land in the sea off Florida the next day.
Cruise companies are changing routes due to the war in Ukraine and excluding St. Petersburg from possible ports of call, the Spanish newspaper ABS reported, quoted by TASS.
Among the companies changing their programs is MSC Cruises, which organizes many trips to Northern Europe. Instead of going to St. Petersburg, we will take our clients through the fjords, which are of great interest, says the company’s CEO Fernando Pacheco.
Royal Caribbean also canceled all stops of its cruise ships in Russian ports during the year. “The safety of our passengers and crews is a top priority. We are constantly monitoring the situation around the world, especially in Ukraine,” the company said.
Norwegian Cruise Line liners will not dock in St. Petersburg this year. The company’s website offers walks to the city only next year.
