eDrawings Pro 2020 now supports choosing your own 360˚ images as your custom environment in VR! This blog post will help walk you through the process of creating a 360˚ equirectangular image in SOLIDWORKS Visualize and adding it to your Virtual Reality scene in eDrawings Pro 2020.

Author information

The post Creating Your Own Sky for VR Mode in eDrawings Professional 2020 using SOLIDWORKS Visualize appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

To me, one of the handiest SOLIDWORKS ease-of-use functions hides in plain view: The Command Search. Found at the top of the application, the SOLIDWORKS Search box can be set to several different types of search, but the one I

Author information

The post Finding New Commands in SOLIDWORKS Command Search appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

Learn how to use Cut Planes to slice and dice your geometry.

Author information

The post SOLIDWORKS Tech Tip – Using Cut Planes appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

This is a SOLIDWORKS tutorial to create a Magnetic Penguin Puzzle. This tutorial focuses on the use of the Split Tool. It also demonstrates how to export the split bodies to parts, and create a simple gravity motion analysis animation with an assembly of the finished puzzle. The decals and DXF file for the design are available to download in the description below.

Author information

The post Magnetic Penguin Puzzle Blog appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

Who wants to work harder, using the same outdated methods, when new tools are available? Not me! There might not always be an “easy button” …. but sometimes there is: 3D Interconnect. Since its introduction in SOLIDWORKS 2017, I have

Author information

The post 3D Interconnect – SOLIDWORKS “Multilingual” CAD Tool appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

DFMXpress is the smaller brother of the full blown version DFMPro by HCL Technologies, LTD and is included in each level of SOLIDWORKS. DFM stands for Design For Manufacturability. This is a tool we can use to improve our designs

Author information

The post SOLIDWORKS Tech Tip – Using DFMXpress appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

Learn how to use a transparent background to add your renders on top of an existing image or background.

Author information

The post SOLIDWORKS Tech Tip – Using a Transparent Background appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

This case study seeks to find the answer to a common question: Which way should you affix hooks to your fence so they can properly handle the load of a hanging flower basket? Javelin’s Application Engineer; Colin Murphy CSWE, takes

Author information

The post Solving “The Hook Debate” with a 3D Scanner and SOLIDWORKS Simulation appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

One of my favorite new things in the SOLIDWORKS 2020 portfolio is Quick Search in SOLIDWORKS PDM. This tool presents the user with a “Google-like” ability to simply type in search terms across multiple metadata fields, using logical operators to

Author information

The post Navigating the New PDM Quick Search in SOLIDWORKS 2020 appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

This helpful #TechTip is brought to you by our Training Manager John Setzer, and covers using the smart dimension tool when sketching arcs and circles. Find more options available to you, when you want to create a dimension and don’t

Author information

The post Using SOLIDWORKS’ Smart Dimension Tool When Sketching Arcs & Circles appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

A Special Purpose Machine, which is intended to perform a specific task, have a wide range of scope in the Industrial Applications like quantity packaging and bottle filling. It includes limit switches, sensors, logic controls where the process can be

Author information

The post Effect of Distributed Coupling on SPM appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

Many designers use golden ratio in their artworks as it can create organic and aesthetically pleasing composition. You can easily find examples in daily life such as shell, flower and logos. We can also use golden ratio in SOLIDWORKS. It

Author information

The post Another way to draw in SOLIDWORKS: Using Golden ratio appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

Working with a higher performance CAD environment is the major criterion these days in the design community within SOLIDWORKS. Now we have a new option for opening the drawing within seconds and make changes in drawings to communicate with our

Author information

The post Detailing Your Large Assembly Drawings Within Seconds in SOLIDWORKS – Detailing Mode appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

In SOLIDWORKS Electrical, we have the capability to create symbols with defined circuits on the fly, or for use with connectors that entail many, many pins. These are traditionally called Black Boxes. See figure 1 & 2.    Figure 1

Author information

The post BLACK BOXES: Not Just For Locating Downed Aircrafts appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

All, As we’ve written before, Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS is committed to helping our customers be the most productive while working from home during this time of social distancing. Right now, it’s not possible to grab a drawing from the plotter or

Author information

The post Marking Up and Red Lining with Social Distancing While Working From Home appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

It’s always interesting to know about some cool tricks that you can use when it comes to modelling within SOLIDWORKS. Well, within this blog we just happen to have one of those tricks for you. They always say a magician never

Author information

The post Modelling – As easy as 1 2 3 appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

SOLIDWORKS Costing is ready to use with both customized and standard templates for our company to accompany the more specific manufacturing needs. SOLIDWORKS Costing Templates Sheet Metal / Weldment Parts Machined Parts Plastic Molded / Cast Parts 3D Printed Parts

Author information

The post Eliminating Over Design Cost Using SOLIDWORKS Costing appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.

CNA Staff, Apr 15, 2020 / 03:30 pm (CNA).- The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom has called on the Pakistani government to ensure aid for the COVID-19 pandemic is being justly distributed to religious minorities, after receiving reports that aid organizations were barring Christians and Hindus from receiving food assistance.

“These actions are simply reprehensible,” USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava said in an April 13 statement. “As COVID-19 continues to spread, vulnerable communities within Pakistan are fighting hunger and to keep their families safe and healthy. Food aid must not be denied because of one’s faith. We urge the Pakistani government to ensure that food aid from distributing organizations is shared equally with Hindus, Christians, and other religions minorities,” she said.

According to the commission, recent reports have shown that in Karachi a non-government aid organization, the Saylani Welfare International Trust, has been denying food assistance to Christians and Hindus, telling them that the aid was reserved for Muslims. Pakistan’s state religion is Islam, and around 97 percent of the population is Muslim.

The authorities of Pakistan have consistently failed to implement safeguards on behalf of religious minorities, despite numerous policies in favor of economic and physical protections for members of non-Muslim religions.

For example, the country has promised to provide quotas for employment to ensure that religious minorities are granted equal access to jobs, but so far it has not done so.

Additionally, strict blasphemy laws in the country are reportedly used to settle scores or to persecute religious minorities. While non-Muslims constitute only 3 percent of the Pakistani population, 14 percent of blasphemy cases have been levied against them.

In a recent highly publicized case, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, spent eight years on death row on blasphemy charges after being accused of making disparaging remarks about Muhammad after an argument stemming from a cup of water. Amid strong international pressure, the Pakistan Supreme Court acquitted her in late 2018.

A 2019 report from USCIRF found that Christians and Hindus “face continued threats to their security and are subject to various forms of harassment and social exclusion,” the USCIRF statement said.

The country was also designated by the US Department of State as a “Country of Particular Concern” in December 2018 for its poor religious freedom record.

USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore noted in the April 13 statement that in a recent address to the international community, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that governments in developing countries must work to save people from starvation during the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan’s health ministry has reported nearly 6,000 cases of coronavirus in the country of 212 million people as of April 15.

“This is a monumental task laying before many countries. Prime Minister Khan’s government has the opportunity to lead the way but they must not leave religious minorities behind,” he said. “Otherwise, they may add on top of it all one more crisis, created by religious discrimination and inter-communal strife.”

A March 2020 report from USCIRF noted other countries who have had religious freedom problems in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, including in China, where the virus originated.

According to USCIRF, reports indicated that Chinese authorities forced Uighurs, a Muslim minority that has been forced into concentration camps since 2017, to work in factories to make up for the lack of workers during the country’s coronavirus quarantine. Reports also indicated that some Uighur residents in the city of Ghulja had “limited access to food and local officials have demanded payments in order to bring supplies,” USCIRF noted.

In South Korea, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a fringe Christian group that reported already facing “hostility” from mainline Protestants before the pandemic, faced additional pressures and harassment from the government and citizens after a 61-year-old female member of the church - known as Patient 31 - attended a church service with a fever before being diagnosed with coronavirus, and thus spreading the infection to thousands of others.

“The Shincheonji church has faced considerable criticism and even harassment from the South Korean government and society. Although some government measures appeared to be driven by legitimate public health concerns, others appeared to exaggerate the church’s role in the outbreak,” USCIRF reported, adding that members of the church have faced “discrimination at work and spousal abuse because of their affiliation with the church.”

Other countries in which coronavirus is reportedly impacting religious freedoms include Iran, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Italy and the Vatican (for government-mandated cancellation of religious services), the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, and Tajikistan.

CNA Staff, Apr 21, 2020 / 02:19 pm (CNA).- Indigenous rights groups are warning that many families in Bangladesh who have lost jobs and income because of the coronavirus pandemic are not yet receiving aid, and many are facing starvation.

A joint statement from three Bangladeshi indigenous rights groups warns that the vast majority of those living in rural areas are day laborers, and are now out of work.

Bangladesh, a low lying county situated just east of India, has 3,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and has recorded 110 deaths. Officials say actual numbers are likely higher due to a lack of testing kits.

Romen Kisku, a Catholic father of five and member of the Santal ethnic group, told UCA News that his family has received a small amount of food aid from a charity, but he worries it will not be enough to feed his 10-member family. He and his family live in the northern region of Dinajpur, and he said he hopes to find work in a neighboring region as a paddy farmer.

“Three men of our family are day laborers and our income pays for everything. Now we cannot go to work and government aid has not reached us. The minimal aid was too little for our family, so we have to go on starving if things don’t improve,” Kisku told UCA News.

Ethnic-minority Santal people live mostly in northwestern Bangladesh as well as parts of India and Nepal. About eight percent are Christian.

Bangladesh has a low percentage of Catholics— as low as 0.3% in some areas— and the Catholic aid group Caritas is struggling to raise funds for the poor.

“We have made an appeal to people in our parishes and areas, so they come up with whatever they can to assist those having hard times during this crisis. The suffering of people will intensify if the crisis lingers, so we need to help people any way possible,” Bishop Sebastian Tudu of Dinajpur told UCA News.

Though the government and charitable organizations are mobilizing to provide relief, the remoteness of the areas where many indigenous people live mean that in some areas, very few families have yet received government assistance.

Though Catholic Relief Services is active in providing aid in refugee camps in Bangladesh, a CRS spokesperson confirmed to CNA that CRS is not currently active in the Dinajpur region.

The branch of Caritas in the southeastern port city of Chittagong has taken two emergency cash handouts of 2,250 taka (US$27) and 1,547 taka to support 950 families on the hills, UCA News reported.

Bangladesh’s government started food relief and subsidized food sales at the end of March, aiming to support about 50 million poor and needy people across the country, UCA News reports.

Bangladesh imposed a nationwide lockdown March 26, with a restriction of no more than five people allowed to congregate in prayer in a mosque, the New York Post reported. Despite this, on April 18 a crowd of some 100,000 people gathered for a funeral in Brahmanbaria, in the eastern part of the country.

CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2020 / 05:02 pm (CNA).- A Sri Lankan priest criticized the government’s response to last year’s Easter bombings, saying the failure to thoroughly investigate has amounted to a betrayal of the people.

Father Nishantha Cooray spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on the first anniversary of the bombings that targeted numerous sites across the country, including three churches, on April 21, 2019. The Easter attacks claimed over 259 lives and injured at least 500 more.

Police made 135 arrests following the attacks. Former president of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena created a presidential commission to look into the perpetrators behind the bombings. Current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a similar committee.

But Cooray, who ministered at victims’ funerals, argued that the actions undertaken so far are inadequate. He warned that if the government does not take the investigation more seriously, it could lead to more attacks in the future.

“Although we have completed one year [since the bombings], no acceptable step has been taken in arresting the persons involved in the crime,” he said.

The priest argued that politicians made promises of a thorough investigation, and gained votes by doing so, but have not followed through on these promises.

“The newly elected government started the second chapter of the same book with the same writing style… They did not want to hurt the Muslim politicians,” he said.

“Now, we feel as if we are betrayed. Just to arouse the emotions of the people, the representatives of the government say something about the investigations [into the bombings]. It is only a good slogan for the next election.”

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka has appealed to the government to appoint an independent commission to conduct an impartial inquiry.

Commemorating the attacks on their one-year anniversary, parishes in Sri Lanka rang church bells, encouraged people to observe a two-minute period of silence, and lit lamps in memory of the dead victims.

While public Masses have been canceled in Sri Lanka because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo live-streamed Easter Mass on April 12. During the live stream, Ranjith voiced forgiveness for the attackers.

“[W]e meditated on Christ's teachings and loved them, forgave them and had pity on them,” he said, according to Vatican News.

“We did not hate them and return them the violence. Resurrection is the complete rejection of selfishness,” the cardinal said.

 

CNA Staff, Apr 23, 2020 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- Iran has sentenced a 21 year-old Christian woman to prison and lashing for “disturbing public order,” after she protested the destruction of a passenger jet by the military.

Mary (Fatemeh) Mohammadi, a 21 year-old Iranian convert to Christianity, was arrested on Jan. 12 after taking part in anti-government protests that followed the shooting down of a passenger jet, Ukrainian Air Flight 752, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG).  Iran announced several days after the incident that the IRG mistakenly shot the plane down, resulting in the deaths of all 176 people on board the flight.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Mohammadi said her sentence of three months and one day in prison is suspended for one year. She was also sentenced to 10 lashes.

Mohammadi said she has been tortured in prison and suffered “terrible conditions” for “protesting against the slaughter of human beings.” She said she did not appeal her sentence “because the appeal courts have turned into affirmative tribunals.” 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) tweeted a condemnation of Mohammadi’s sentencing on Wednesday, saying that “No peaceful activist should be targeted on the basis of their religious beliefs.”

President Trump highlighted her case in his remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 6, saying that she “was seized and imprisoned in Iran because she converted to Christianity and shared the Gospel with others.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also discussed Mohammadi’s case in a Feb. 12 interview with Tony Perkins on Washington Watch. Perkins is also the chair of USCIRF.

Pompeo said the U.S. was “deeply concerned” of reports of Mohammadi’s arrest, and said she was “targeted by the regime because she made the choice to convert to Christianity.”

According to the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, Mohammadi was “physically and emotionally abused during her arrest and transfer to Qarchak prison,” and was questioned about her faith at her hearing.

Correction: This article originally stated that Mohammadi was one of a group of survivors of religious persecution who met with President Trump last July at the White House, as reported in the Christian Post. It was a different Iranian Christian, Dabrina Bet Tamraz, who met with Trump, not Mohammadi.

CNA Staff, Apr 23, 2020 / 05:13 pm (CNA).- A Catholic youth organization in Indonesia has instituted a movement to provide assistance to families struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Orang Muda Katolik, or Catholic Young People, recently began the initiative “Adopt One Brother,” which encourages youth to volunteer time and money to support poorer families, many of whom are now unemployed.

Indonesia has over 7,500 cases of COVID-19, and 647 deaths. According to data from the country’s Ministry of Labour, Aljazeera reported, 2.8 million Indonesians have lost their jobs because of the pandemic.

Stefanus Gusma, who leads OMK’s COVID-19 task force, said the initiative has spread to 26 of the country’s 34 provinces and involved thousands of OMK members. He said volunteers are encouraged to donate 200,000 to 500,000 rupiah ($12-32) per week.

"First, we mobilized our own members to help our fellow brothers and sisters who are experiencing difficulties. Then we extended our reach to anyone who was willing to help others,” Gusma told UCA News.

"After we receive their data, we contact them about where they would like their donations to go,” he said. “If a donor wants to donate to a family in East Nusa Tenggara province, we will coordinate with our members there to seek a family in need.”

With help from the local dioceses and governments, the organization has also distributed about 2,000 aid packages, electricity vouchers, and hygienic products.

According to UCA News, other OMK members said the organization has not only provided aid to families but to hospitals and orphanages as well. Maskendari, an OMK member in Pontianak, said the organization has distributed “hundreds of aid packages and thousands of personal protection items such as masks and bottles of hand sanitizer.”

“We want others to act, not only through our organization but also individually or with other groups,” Gusma told UCA News. "We want to show the importance of showing human solidarity in the midst of this current crisis," he added.

Orang Muda Katolik seeks to mentor young Catholics, aged between 15 and 35, by providing educational resources, coaching, and volunteer opportunities.

Bishop Pius Prapdi of Ketapang issued a letter to OMK at the end of March. He encouraged young Catholics to follow social distancing rules and other safety precautions. However, he also challenged the youth to find creative ways to help the community, like investigating free food assistance for those in need and checking-in on neighbors through social media.

“Catholic Young People can also help others in a safe way,” he wrote. “With creativity, young people can become leaders in this situation and go through critical times together.”

“Pope Francis invites young people to become the main actors (protagonists) in renewing the world, let us in this crisis period stop for a moment to reflect back on what we have made for ourselves, the environment, the Church and the citizens of the world.”

Denver Newsroom, Apr 24, 2020 / 03:32 pm (CNA).- A Catholic lawyer says his arrest last Saturday is part of mainland China’s wide-ranging efforts to tighten control over Hong Kong.

His ordeal follows his participation in months of pro-democracy protests on the island, which have been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Hong Kong police arrested 81-year-old Martin Lee, along with 14 other pro-democracy protestors, on April 18. Lee has been demonstrating for universal suffrage in Hong Kong for nearly 40 years, and this is his first arrest, the Washington Post reports.

CNA spoke with one of Lee’s close friends, who said Lee and those arrested with him are currently bailed out of prison, and are safe.

Lee, the founder of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, wrote in an April 21 column in the Washington Post that he was arrested for taking part in protests last year against an extradition bill— now withdrawn— which would have allowed the Chinese government to extradite alleged criminals from Hong Kong to the mainland to stand trial.

Hong Kong is currently facing two plagues from China, Lee wrote: the coronavirus (COVID-19) and “attacks on our most basic human rights.”

“We can all hope a vaccine is soon developed for the coronavirus. But once Hong Kong’s human rights and rule of law are rolled back, the fatal virus of authoritarian rule will be here to stay,” Lee wrote.

He said that the free press in Hong Kong was vital for alerting the world to the dangers of the coronavirus, even as Chinese state media sought to repress information about the outbreak.

Now, Chinese authorities are attempting to pass legislation to increase their influence over Hong Kong, Lee said.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Hong Kongers enjoy freedom of worship and evangelization, while in mainland China, there is a long history of persecution for Christians who run afoul of the government.

In January, China appointed Luo Huining as the head of the powerful Central Liaison Office in Hong Kong. Luo last week intensified calls for Communist China to exercise more control in Hong Kong by passing “national security legislation.”

The legislation would outlaw “sedition, subversion and the theft of state secrets,” Lee wrote.

This is not the first time the legislation has been introduced— in 2003, widespread protests against the measure led China to withdraw it.

The passing of such a “subversion” law would give China even more power to quash Hong Kongers’ freedoms, Lee warned.

“These vague standards are designed to protect the Chinese Communist Party and undermine core freedoms of Hong Kong, such as freedoms of religion, assembly and the press — including the reporting of pandemics that embarrass Beijing,” he wrote.

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Hong Kong released a statement condemning the arrests April 18, calling for an end to all arrests until an independent commission can be established, and for the police to return the mobile phones of all arrested persons in order to ensure their privacy.

The diocese also reiterated that the government must respond to the demands for which the pro-democracy demonstrators have been calling for months, which include an independent inquiry into police tactics.

A Hong Kong friend of Lee, who declined to be identified for safety, said they believe Sun Li Jun— the deputy public security minister for Hong Kong who oversees the Chinese secret police— wanted to send a message of power ahead of Chinese Workers’ Day celebration on May 1.

The friend believes Sun— who is reportedly under investigation by China for corruption— ordered the arrests to show that the authorities have control of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

“As the followers of God, we will keep praying for [Hong Kong] and let our Lord lead the way,” Lee’s friend told CNA.

“In HK we all love China and Chinese people but we are against CCP [Chinese Communist Party] for what they did to all of us now and before.”

An estimated 1 million protesters turned out at the first major pro-democracy demonstration in Hong Kong on June 6, 2019.

Catholics have played a major role in the protests, which continued after the extradition bill was revoked. Protestors largely called for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam— herself a Catholic— more open elections in the region, and an investigation into police brutality allegations.

In October, the legislature of Hong Kong completed the process of officially withdrawing the controversial extradition bill.

“Had the extradition bill been passed, we could have faced trial already in China instead of Hong Kong,” Lee noted in his column.

The impetus for the bill was a case involving a young Hong Kong man whom Taiwan requested be extradited for an alleged murder. Hong Kong previously has no formal extradition agreements with mainland China or Taiwan.

Christians and advocates widely opposed the bill, fearing that the Chinese government, which already seeks to control and suppress Christianity on the mainland, would use it to further tighten its grip on free exercise of religion in Hong Kong.

 

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- The number of Catholics in South Korea increased by less than 50,000 in 2019, continuing a trend of slowing growth after a peak following the 2014 apostolic visit by Pope Francis to the country. 

According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, there are 5.91 million Catholics in South Korea’s 16 dioceses; an increase of 48,000 over to 2018’s total. Catholics make up 11% of the national population. 

Overall, the number of Catholics in the country increased by 0.8%, which is slightly lower than last year’s increase of 0.9%. In recent years, the Catholic population in South Korea has grown by an average of 1% each year. 

Like many countries, South Korea’s Catholic population is aging. About one in five South Korean Catholics are over the age of 65, and only 8.5% of Catholics are age 19 or under. A total of 14% of priests are over the age of 65.

South Korea’s flock saw the largest overall percentage increase in 2014, when it increased by 2.2%. Pope Francis visited the country in August of that year, the third visit by a pope to the country. Pope John Paul II visited South Korea in 1984 and again in 1989, when the country hosted the 44th International Eucharistic Congress.

These numbers come as South Korea is grappling with an outbreak of COVID-19, a disease which has seen much of its spread in the nation come from a single member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. About half of South Korea’s nearly 11,000 confirmed coronavirus infections stem from “Patient 31,” a member of that church who did not abide by isolation rules after coming down with COVID-19. 

The Catholic Bishops’ Association of Korea refers to Shincheonji Church of Jesus as a “pseudo-religious organization” and a “cult.” The church was founded in 1980 by a man who believes that he is the second coming of Jesus. 

In 2017, the conference created the "Korean Catholic Task Force on Newly-risen Religions” specifically to combat the growing popularity of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. 

Another source of outbreak were 30 Catholic pilgrims who tested positive for the illness after returning to South Korea from a trip to the Holy Land. Korean Air Lines restricted travel to Israel after these infections were discovered.  

South Korea suspended the public celebration of Mass in late February, and re-opened churches--albeit with strict social distancing requirements--on April 26.

CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- As the Chinese government makes progress containing the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities have resumed action to remove crosses from buildings and crackdown on religious practice.

The latest round of enforcement actions have included the removal of crosses from buildings belonging to the state-run churches. According to a report from UCA News, priests say they are cooperating in the removal of exterior crosses in hopes that entire church buildings will not be demolished or converted into a building for secular use.  

According to a parishioner in the Chinese province of Anhui named John, Chinese officials cut down the cross from the top of Our Lady of the Rosary Church on April 18. Our Lady of the Rosary belongs to the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA, the Catholic Church officially sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party and operating both in communion with Rome and under state control. 

The bishops of the CPCA, who were in many cases illicitly consecrated and under official excommunication, were received into full communion with Rome as part of the Vatican’s 2018 provisional agreement with China. The full terms of the China deal were not released to the public but have been reported to include the right of state authorities to propose and veto candidates for the episcopacy in China. 

John, speaking to UCA News, explained that on April 13, the leaders of Our Lady of the Rosary--which does not have a member of the clergy assigned to it, and all religious activities are organized by the laity--asked the city authorities about making repairs to the church building. Three days later, the community director of the city requested keys and access to the church, in order to remove its cross. 

Concerned parishioners went to Bishop Joseph Liux Xinhong of the Diocese of Anhui, who told them to request more information from the local CPCA office. The local CPCA office said they did not know of any plan to remove the cross from the building. 

Xinhong was one of the bishops who had his excommunication lifted and his position recognized by the Vatican following the 2018 provisional deal. 

On April 17, the parish community leader said that he had been given “directions from superiors” regarding removing the cross. The following day, said John, the cross was removed by a “team of young people.”

Elsewhere in the province of Anhui, on April 19 a cross was removed from a church in Suzhou City during pre-dawn hours, presumably to avoid the chance of a crowd protesting its removal. A man from the diocese named Paul told UCA News that the removal had previously been scheduled for the afternoon. 

Paul said that police officers blocked people from entering the church or taking pictures of the removal, and that a cell phone had been confiscated after it captured a picture of the cross coming down. 

In Hefei City, which is also located in the Anhui province, authorities on April 27 took a cross off a building for a Protestant church. 

A priest from the Diocese of Anhui, identified only as “Father Chen,” told UCA News that these sorts of activities are “happening all over the mainland” and are not limited to one diocese or province. 

 “If the churches don’t unite to resist, many more crosses will be removed,” he said.

In September 2017, China enacted strict new regulations concerning religion. Since then, authorities have been vigilant in enforcing permitting requirements. Churches that are not found to be in compliance are destroyed. 

CNA Staff, May 7, 2020 / 11:00 am (CNA).- Cardinal George Pell has expressed his “surprise” at newly released findings of an Australian investigation, which concluded that the cardinal was aware of sexual abuse by clerics in the 1970s and 80s, and failed to act.

In 2017, Australia’s Royal Commission released a report on sexual abuse of minors in the country, the result of a five-year enquiry into the behavior and responsibility of institutions including the Church. Sections of the report relating to Cardinal Pell were redacted until the conclusion of criminal legal proceedings against the cardinal. 

The redacted portions were released May 6.

In the newly available material, the commission found that Pell knew about the abusive activities of two priests during his own years as a priest, and that he failed to act to stop them. 

On Thursday, Pell said through a spokesperson that the commission’s conclusions about him were “not supported by evidence.”

Pell gave evidence to the commission in 2016 via video link from Rome. During his testimony, he denied failing to act against known sexual abusers in the clergy. Pell specifically denied that while he was a priest in Ballarat in the 1970s and 80s, he had any awareness of the actions of then-Father Gerald Ridsdale, a serial abuser from the same diocese.

The Royal Commission concluded that, as a member of Bishop Ronald Mulkearns’ college of priest consulters in the diocese, Pell would have been made aware of allegations of abuse against Ridsdale during discussions about the priest’s transfers between assignments in 1977 and 1982.

But Pell told the commission that he and the other consulters had been deceived by Mulkearns and were unaware of Ridsdale’s crimes until years later.

“The Consultors who gave evidence on the meetings in 1977 and 1982 either said they did not learn of Ridsdale’s offending against children until much later or they had no recollection of what was discussed. None said they were made aware of Ridsdale’s offending at these meetings,” Pell said in a statement released through a spokesperson late Wednesday evening.

In a 2017 statement, Pell said “I would never have condoned or participated in a decision to transfer Ridsdale in the knowledge that he had abused children, and I did not do so.” 

The commission rejected Pell’s testimony, and found that it “ought to have been obvious” why Ridsdale was being transferred from one assignment to another.

“We are satisfied Bishop Mulkearns gave reasons for it being necessary to move Ridsdale. We are satisfied that he referred to homosexuality at the meeting, in the context of giving reasons for Ridsdale’s move,” the report found. “However, we are not satisfied that Bishop Mulkearns left the explanation there, as Cardinal Pell said there would have been a discussion."

“We do not accept that Bishop Mulkearns lied to his consultors.”

The commission did not delineate specific proofs for its conclusion.

The commission also said that Pell would have known about allegations of abuse made against Fr. Peter Searson, who was active as a Melbourne priest during Pell’s time as an auxiliary bishop in the Melbourne archdiocese.

In 1989, Pell held a meeting with representatives from the parish and school in Doveton, where Searson was assigned. During that meeting a number of complaints were made against Searson but, according to Pell, sexual misconduct with children was not raised, and Searson’s removal was not requested.

Following Pell’s installation as Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996, Pell placed Searson on administrative leave and removed him from parish ministry in 1997. Searson died in 2009 and was never charged by police.

A spokesman for Victoria Police, which brought charges against Pell leading to his imprisonment for more than a year before the High Court freed him last month, told the Guardian that the newly released sections of the report would be studied and police would “undertake an assessment of those findings.”

“At this time it would not be appropriate to comment further about any possible action,” The spokesman said.

Current Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli released his own statement in response to the new material from the commission, in which he repeated his previous apologies “for the failure of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne to responsibly care for and protect our young people and vulnerable adults.”

“Child safety and care is not a project with an end date”, Comensoli said, but a project that “requires life-long vigilance.”

In December 2018, Pell was convicted of five counts of sexual abuse, but was acquitted by the Australian High Court last monthl. Following that decision, the redacted portions of the commission’s findings were released.

Pursuant to Clearing Advisory 20-152 that was published on April 8th, the clearing house will switch the options pricing and valuation model to Bachelier to accommodate negative prices in the underlying futures and allow for listing of option contracts with negative strikes for the set of products specified in the link below. The switch will be effective for the margin cycle run at the end of trading tomorrow April 22, 2020 and will remain in place until further notice.

Click here for the full text of the advisory

20-170

CME will be updating liquidity parameters for Interest Rate Swap contracts denominated in BRL and MXN. These changes only impact portfolios with larger BRL or MXN exposures. For MXN, the impact to liquidity add-on is approx. 5-10% for portfolios with aggregated DV01 above 100M+ DV01 in local currency. For BRL, the impact to liquidity add-on is 30%+ for portfolios with aggregated DV01 above 10M+ in local currency. Based on current exposures, CME Clearing expects that there will be no impact to existing portfolios at this time. These changes will be available for testing in our New Release environment April 29, 2020, with a production date of May 4, 2020.

Click here for the full text of the advisory

20-181

A Malagasy girl exemplifies dedication to spreading the gospel.

Caitlin (USA) is humbled that joining the OM team in Madagascar has encouraged them in their work to carry the name of Jesus to others.

The king of a small village in Madagascar welcomes the OM team to plant a church amongst his people.

OM Madagascar uses sport as tool for reaching youth with the gospel and relationship building.

Starting a Christian micro-finance programme has been a long-time dream for OM Madagascar. In partnership with OM Hong Kong, this will soon become a reality.

OM Madagascar responded to the declining literacy rate in the Androy region by starting a literacy course in Ambovombe. Last month the first class graduated, and the second class began.

Perle, meaning 'pearl' in Malagasy, is a Freedom Climb project in Madagascar that teaches women skills to provide for themselves and their families.

Perla, meaning “pearl” in Malagasy, raises awareness about human trafficking and provides skills training, coupled with discipleship, to at-risk women and girls.

In a university Discovery Bible Study run by OM Madagascar, a student finds the answers he is looking for in the Bible.

Despite knowing very little about the Androy region, OMers Fara and Herimanina went willingly and have seen God at work.

Siniore desires for her family and friends to know Christ’s love as she does. After a training, she took what she learnt and put it into practice.

Fourteen young people participated in a month-long outreach within in their country. The result: unity.

Please be advised that effective Sunday, August 25, 2013 (for the August 26th business date) there will be changes to CME ClearPort API Entity Reference Data that will impact Party Detail List Reports and Party Entitlement Reports for CME ClearPort API Brokers and CME ClearPort API Platforms who request Entity Reference Data on behalf of Brokers.

These changes will be available for testing in the New Release environment on August 14th.

Changes to Existing Reponses

When a Broker (or Platform on behalf of Broker) submits a request for all related accounts using the Party Details List Request message or a request for all related accounts which trade a particular product using the Party Entitlement Request message, the following information is provided for each account in Related Party Detail blocks:  The Clearing ID of the Account’s Clearing Firm (Party Role 1), the Trading Firm / Account Owner’s firm identifier (Party Role 7),  and the Broker Firm’s firm identifier (Party Role 30).

Going forward, when the same requests are submitted, an additional Related Party Detail block will appear on the response if there is an Asset Manager Firm assigned to the account:  the Asset Manager Firm’s identifier (Party Role 49).

In the following examples, ACCT1 has been assigned an Asset Manager by the Clearing Firm, while ACCT2 has not.

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyDetlListRpt ReqID="123437" RptID="1376864472358" ReqRslt="0" Txt="Valid request">

<Hdr SID="CME" SSub="CPAPI" TID="PLTFM" TSub="username"/>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT1" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-12345" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="123" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm1" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_firm1" Src="C" R="49">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="32"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT2" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-67890" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="456" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm2" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

</PtyDetlListRpt>

</FIXML>

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyEntlmntRpt ReqID="123412" RptID="1376865078371" ReqRslt="0" Txt="Valid request">

<Hdr SID="CME" SSub="CPAPI" TID="PLTFM" TSub="username"/>

<PtyEntlmnt>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT1" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-12345" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm1" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_firm1" Src="C" R="49">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="32"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="123" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT2" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-67890" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm2" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="456" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

<Entlmnt Typ="0" Ind="Y">

<InstrmtScope Oper="1" ID="NN" Src="H" SecTyp="FUT"

Exch="NYMEX"/>

</Entlmnt>

</PtyEntlmnt>

</PtyEntlmntRpt>

</FIXML>

NEW- Broker Requests Asset Manager Users at an Asset Manager Firm

In a previous CME ClearPort API release a change was made to allow Brokers (or Platforms on behalf of Brokers) to specify asset manager users in party role 36 (instead of a trader at the account owner firm) to satisfy the trader individual requirements for applicable market types like energy and metals.  Now Brokers can use ClearPort API reference data to obtain a list of asset manager users for their related accounts.  Once the above responses are received, the Broker or Platform can use each related Asset

Manager Firm (Party Role 49) to request a list of users at the firm:

Request

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyDetlListReq ReqID="123437">

<Hdr SID="PLTFM" SSub="username" TID="CME" TSub="CPAPI"/>

<ReqPty ID="broker_firm1" R="30"/>

<Pty ID="asset_mgr_firm1" R="49"/>

<ReqR R="36"/>

</PtyDetlListReq>

</FIXML>

Response

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyDetlListRpt ReqID="123437" RptID="1376866782295" ReqRslt="0" Txt="Valid request">

<Hdr SID="CME" SSub="CPAPI" TID="PLTFM" TSub="username"/>

<PtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_user1" Src="C" R="36">

<Sub ID="First Last" Typ="9"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_firm1" Src="C" R="49">

<Sub ID="Company Name" Typ="5"/>

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="6"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="CMD" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="CME" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="DME" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="NYMEX" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="COMEX" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="CBT" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

</PtyDetlListRpt>

</FIXML>

For more detailed information regarding entity reference data retrieval through CME ClearPort API, please see the CME ClearPort API Reference Data Guide:

http://www.cmegroup.com/clearing/files/Clearport_Reference_Data_API_FIXML_Message_Specification_

and_Samples.pdf

If you have questions or need help facilitating your tests in the New Release environment, please contact:

Market Operations Technical Support

24 Hour 6 Days a Week Support available from Sundays at 5PM ET to Fridays at 5PM ET

Phone: 800-275-6215 / 212-301-4720

Email:  thirdpartyservices@cmegroup.com

German translation of the speech delivered by Mr Jaime Caruana, General Manager of the BIS, on the occasion of the Bank's Annual General Meeting, Basel, 25 June 2017.

German translation of the BIS press release about the BIS Quarterly Review, December 2017

German translation of Press Release about BIS General Manager Agustín Carstens giving a speech on "Money in the digital age: what role for central banks?" (6 February 2018)

German translation of Press Release on the pre-release of two special chapters of the Annual Economic Report of the BIS, 17 June 2018. Trust is the missing link in today's cryptocurrencies - Cryptocurrencies' model of generating trust limits their potential to replace conventional money, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) writes in its Annual Economic Report (AER), a new title launched this year.

German translation of the BIS press release about the BIS Quarterly Review, March 2019

OM Europe's Bus4Life assisted the local Baptist Church in the small village of Torda reach out to their local community.

With the help of puppets, Corrie, a short-term worker from the UK was able to share the message of Christ in schools and kindergartens across Hungary this Easter.

OM Hungary team members put on a special Christmas programme a local refugee camp.

OM Hungary's Sports Team brings baseball and the Gospel to local schools in their now-annual visit to sports classes.