Athena40 IWD2025

Dear Friends,

As International Women’s Month 2025 is coming to a close, we reflect on how women continue to reshape our world with resilience, creativity, and compassion. This month, we not only honoured the progress made, but also celebrated to the bright future that women are helping create in every aspect of life.

We know that the road ahead is long. We don’t have the luxury to take a step back from our efforts to create more equal societies. It is thanks to these shared efforts that in recent...

https://allaboutshipping.co.uk/2025/03/31/athena40-iwd2025/

NATO-Ukraine Council to Discuss Russian Withdrawal From Grain Deal, Ongoing Port Strikes

Ukrainian port facility on the Danube River after an attack on July 24, 2023. Ukrainian MoD Photo

The NATO-Ukraine Council is set to discuss Russia’s withdrawal from a Turkey-U.N. brokered grain deal that allowed Ukraine to safely export grain from its ports.

The council will discuss the withdrawal Wednesday, Reuters reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy requested the meeting.

The United Nations Security Council also met on Friday to discuss the grain deal. Russia continues to bombard...

https://news.usni.org/2023/07/24/nato-ukraine-council-to-discuss-russian-withdrawal-from-grain-deal-ongoing-port-strikes

German Navy Chief: Frigate Deployment to Indo-Pacific First of Biannual Deployments to Region

FGS Bayern at Changi Naval Base, Singapore. German Embassy, Singapore Photo

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – The current six-month-plus deployment of German frigate FGS Bayern (F217) to the Indo-Pacific is the initial step toward a regular biannual naval deployment to the region, German Navy Chief Vice Adm. Kay-Achim Schönbach said today.

During his speech at the International Institute of Strategic Studies’ 42nd Fullerton Lecture series in Singapore, Schönbach said Bayern’s deployment was to enable the...

https://news.usni.org/2021/12/21/germany-navy-chief-frigate-deployment-to-indo-pacific-first-of-biannual-deployments-to-region