MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ibex (NASDAQ: IBEX), a leading global provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and AI-powered customer engagement technology solutions, is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place to Work® in Nicaragua for the fifth time overall. This prestigious certification recognizes employers who create an outstanding employee experience and is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at ibex.
The past year has been transformative for ibex Nicaragua, with the business experiencing strong growth. ibex Nicaragua has expanded to more than 2,100 seats and is poised to surpass 2,200 employees. This growth is accompanied by strategic vertical diversification, including ongoing client expansion in the technology sector and new client wins in the utilities, gaming, and waste management sectors.
“We are proud to earn the Great Place to Work® Certification™ for the fifth time and continue to grow our amazing team in Nicaragua,” said David Afdahl, Chief Operating Officer at ibex. “ibex’s inclusive and engaging culture is a clear differentiator among BPOs in Nicaragua and around the world. We respect and value diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, which is critical to unlocking the extraordinary potential across our team to deliver the best customer service. By combining the best talent, training, and technology, we are redefining customer experience.”
ibex’s success in Nicaragua is rooted in its comprehensive approach to employee development and workplace culture. The company offers modern facilities featuring dedicated learning centers and open collaboration spaces. ibex is also recognized in the region for its positive and supportive work environment, as well as for its competitive compensation and opportunities for employees to advance their careers through training and development programs.
“This recognition is a powerful affirmation of our incredible team’s passion and unwavering dedication to excellence,” said Henry Bermudez, Senior Vice President of Operations – Nicaragua at ibex. “At ibex, we believe that a better employee experience leads to a better customer experience and we are laser-focused on creating meaningful career opportunities that empower individuals to excel. This certification is a celebration of their hard work and a promise of even greater achievements ahead.”
With successful operations in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Jamaica, ibex continues to demonstrate its position as a global leader in business process outsourcing in the region. The company remains committed to investing in its people, driving innovation, and creating meaningful opportunities for professional growth.
About Great Place To Work®
As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Their proprietary platform and For All™ Model helps companies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work-Certified or receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces™ List. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About ibex ibex delivers innovative business process outsourcing (BPO), smart digital marketing, online acquisition technology, and end-to-end customer engagement solutions to help companies acquire, engage and retain valuable customers. Today, ibex operates a global CX delivery center model consisting of 31 operations facilities around the world, while deploying next generation technology to drive superior customer experiences for many of the world’s leading companies across retail, e-commerce, healthcare, fintech, utilities and logistics.
ibex leverages its diverse global team of approximately 31,000 employees together with industry-leading technology, including the AI-powered ibex Wave iX solutions suite, to manage nearly 175 million critical customer interactions, adding over $2.2B in lifetime customer revenue each year and driving a truly differentiated customer experience. To learn more, visit our website at ibex.co and connect with us on LinkedIn.
The Aurora, Ill.,, Fire Department had help from the IAM this year, delivering toys to deserving children around Aurora, Il. As part of its annual toy drive, firefighters collect toys around the holidays and deliver them to homes, surprising many deserving children.
Every year, firefighters receive donated toys from several individuals and organizations, including the Aurora-based IAM Local 1202 and IAM District 8. In the days before Christmas, Santa makes his deliveries with firefighters in a firetruck.
“This is what the holiday season is all about,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President SamCicinelli. “The true spirit of the holidays is in giving back, and it’s incredible to see so many people come together to make a difference for local families.”
“We’re proud to partner with Local 1202 in Aurora for our annual toy drive,” said IAM District 8 Directing Business Representative Ryan Kelly. “This year, we gathered thousands of dollars worth of toys from 17 of our District 8-affiliated locals across the state, bringing joy to many local families. My sincere thanks go out to all the volunteers, as well as District 8 staff for their help in making this the huge success it was.”
“I’m extremely proud of the efforts of our membership,” said IAM Local 1202 President Dave Dady. “I’m also proud of the efforts of our brothers and sisters from across the IAM Locals in District 8 whose efforts ensured our success.”
This year, IAM Local 1202 was also featured on thefront pageof Labor News for their efforts.
Many of us feel pressure to transform ourselves. Just spend a few minutes scrolling social media, and you’re likely to come across several videos telling you about various challenges and tips to help you have a “glow-up”. Most of these tips are about physical appearance – drinking more water to clear your skin, or spending 75 days doing hardcore workouts.
The Quarter Life Glow-up is a little different. This six-week newsletter course from The Conversation’s UK and Canada editions will suggest ways you might be able to improve your social life, relationships, mental health and career – without breaking a sweat, spending money or revamping your skincare routine.
The course is aimed at readers in their 20s and 30s. This is a period of life where many of us make big decisions that will affect us the rest of our lives – from careers, to relationships, to parenthood. The tips in the course will hopefully help you make some of those decisions, but they’ll remain helpful for many years to come.
When you sign up for the course, you’ll get six weeks of research-backed analysis, expert advice and challenges delivered straight to your inbox. Each week will bring you two new articles, a note from our editors and a bite-size activity to help you try it at home.
how to finally do that thing you’ve been putting off
how to stop comparing yourself to others
how to find joy in new hobbies.
The Glow-up takes what The Conversation does best – accessible, rigorous content – and shows you how to apply it in your own life. You can start your glow-up at any time. And like all our content, it’s free to access and has no ads or subscriptions.
With political support historically from all parties and civil society — including faith organizations and community groups — private sponsorship is an affordable, sustainable and effective way to protect and support people whose lives are at risk.
Safe haven for refugees
For 45 years, Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program has provided safety to refugees from around the world, bringing together Canadian individuals and communities who volunteer their time and raise funds to support refugee newcomers to Canada.
Everyday Canadians have stepped up to provide funds for newcomers’ basic expenses, to help find housing and to connect people to health, education and language services. More than 327,000 refugees have come to Canada through the program, supported by citizen action from coast to coast.
The pause, in place until Dec. 31, 2025, was cited as “preventing further growth of the application inventory” that far exceeds the current spaces allotted for privately sponsored refugees in the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which is 23,000 for 2025.
This pause does not apply to all sponsorship applications, like those submitted by sponsorship agreement holders, the Blended Visa Office-Referred Program or the one-year window provision. However, data from 2022 indicate that the G5 and CS groups represented 60 per cent of private refugee sponsorships, meaning these streams are significant contributors to the program.
The inevitable result of this action will be longer wait times for applicants at risk, and longer periods of separation for refugees who have landed as permanent residents and urgently want to bring family or community members who remain in danger to safety — and have no other pathway to do so.
Between 2017 and 2020, our research team (led by geography professor Jennifer Hyndman) interviewed more than 100 people in five provinces across Canada, with participants from both urban and rural settings. Our focus was on long-term sponsors — people who had participated in sponsorship programs several times over a minimum of five years, often decades. Many of these had been part of the G5 group, which allows private citizens to collectively resettle refugees from abroad.
Our findings revealed that many G5 sponsors are driven by deep commitment to global solidarity with refugees. G5 sponsors are often in diaspora communities and former refugees themselves who want to help family members or close kin in dangerous circumstances to safety.
The program’s ability to facilitate these connections and the protection they afford is vital, driving the sustainability of private refugee sponsorship. The suspension of new applications for G5 will not only prolong family separation but also extend the wait times for refugees trapped in war zones.
Our research shows that a large proportion of former refugees and sponsors knew specific individuals still at risk whom they wished to sponsor. This process of “naming,” which allows sponsors to nominate individuals for resettlement, is a unique and integral feature of the PSR program.
Undermining refugee protection
As government-led initiatives provide only limited resettlement pathways, civil society has relied on the full range of sponsorship categories, including private sponsorship by G5, to ensure equitable refugee protection.
The pause on G5 and CS streams narrow the possibilities for pathways to protection, which in turn threatens to make refugee protection more inequitable. This is especially the case for refugees displaced by conflicts that have historically not aligned with Canadian government priorities but still drive high numbers of displacement, including those in Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
In the United Nations Global Refugee Compact, released in 2018, Canadian sponsorship was cited as a promising practice for expanding refugee protection across the world.
A recent Senate report, Ripped From Home: The Global Crisis of Forced Displacement, praises the PSR program for providing individuals and organizations with the opportunity to sponsor refugees. It also recommends the federal government increase private sponsorship.
The recent announcement to cut this program is at odds with these recommendations and undercuts Canada’s reputation as a leader in the protection of refugees internationally.
Call to action
The pause on new intake of G5 and CS applications for sponsorship disrupts a system that has successfully empowered communities in Canada and across the world to come together and save lives.
We urge the government to reconsider its decision and explore alternative solutions, such as allocating additional resources to clear backlogs, rather than halting applications.
Anna Lise Purkey is affiliated with the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies.
Biftu Yousuf and Dawit Demoz do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gabrielle Clark, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Law, California State University, Los Angeles
Jimmy Carter shakes riders’ hands in a Mexican American parade while campaigning in Southern California in 1976.AP Photo
President Donald Trump promised during his three presidential campaigns to deport as many immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization as possible.
His second administration got underway less than one month after former President Jimmy Carter died in December 2024. This sequence of events brings to mind, for me – a public law scholar who studies the historical role of foreign workers in the U.S. – the legacy of Carter’s immigration policy and its stark contrast with Trump’s agenda.
Carter left several lasting markers on immigration policy. Among them was that he reformed the H-2 visa, a permit that allows foreigners to legally and temporarily work in the United States for one employer for one year. He did so by striking a new balance between satisfying the needs of employers and protecting American workers from foreign labor competition.
Trump, by contrast, intends to undertake mass deportations. He has stated that his administration will remove millions of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization.
I’m writing a book about the long-standing conflict between employers and workers over allowing foreigners to legally work in the U.S. Despite Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, I won’t be surprised if Republicans follow in Carter’s footsteps by making it easier for more low-wage migrants to get short-term authorization to hold U.S. jobs.
Replacing the Bracero Program
When Carter became president in January 1977, 13 years had passed since the end of the Bracero Program, which let Mexican men legally get short-term jobs on U.S. farms. Demand for that labor persisted after the Bracero program ended, so large farms hired Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. illegally instead.
The AFL-CIO, an umbrella group that most U.S. unions belong to, and the United Farm Workers, a labor union, pressured the Carter administration for immigration enforcement. They were engaged in heated organization campaigns in the fields and wanted to reduce competition from foreign workers.
Carter, a former peanut farmer and a pragmatist, had the Immigration Naturalization Service authorize 5,000 new H-2 foreign labor visas in June 1977. Over 800 of the visas went to onion, melon, pepper and cotton farms in south Texas.
Congress had created the H-2 guest worker visa in 1952 on behalf of owners of large farms and other employers who wanted a path around immigration restrictions and access to a seasonal labor force. In 1965, however, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s secretary of labor, W. Willard Wirtz, had limited H-2 certifications to Florida sugar farms and East Coast fruit orchards.
Carter saw things differently than Johnson and Wirtz.
“I believe it is possible to structure this program so that it responds to the legitimate needs of both employees, by protecting domestic employment opportunities, and of employers, by providing a needed workforce,” he told Congress on Aug. 4, 1977.
Mexican migrant workers, employed under the Bracero Program to harvest crops on California farms, are shown working in a field in 1964. AP Photo
For employers, they were a boon: For the first time, agricultural employers were entitled to hire foreign workers under the law.
The secretary of labor could no longer eliminate whole crop areas from the program, as Wirtz had done. The reasoning behind the change was simple: The Carter administration wanted to help farms switch from workers living in the U.S. without legal authorization to migrants holding H-2 visas.
Yet, the Carter administration also expanded protections for migrant farmworkers. Their employers now needed to offer them higher wages and better working conditions. The regulations also mandated that employers seeking authority to use the H-2 program try harder to recruit Americans.
United Farm Workers President Cesar Chavez, seen here at a rally in 1985, played a key role in immigration reform efforts over several decades. Bettmann/Getty Images
Carter and the immigration Reform and Control Act
In 1986, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act. While that immigration reform law is best known for providing immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization a path to citizenship, it also split the H-2 visa program into two parts. From then on, foreign workers could obtain an H-2A visa for agriculture work or an H-2B visa for other kinds of jobs.
The new law kept Carter’s employer obligations in place for H-2As. The AFL-CIO and several civil rights organizations had objected to guest workers having to depend on their employer for their immigration status, which could make them more vulnerable to exploitation.
President Ronald Reagan prepares to sign a landmark immigration reform bill in 1986. Behind him were members of Congress and Vice President George H.W. Bush. Bettmann/Getty Images
Reforming immigration policies vs. mass deportations
The population of foreign laborers working on U.S. farms with H-2A visas soared from around 26,000 in 1989 to more than 340,000 in 2023. Because the number of H-2A visas the government can issue is unlimited, this arrangement has become an alternative to employing workers living in the U.S. without legal authorization.
The number of foreign workers with H-2B visas is much smaller.
This is because Congress limited the number of people who could get them to 66,000 per year in 1990 as a way to limit competition for American workers seeking or holding down low-wage jobs. In 2017, Congress gave the president the authority to double the maximum number of H-2B visas.
As Trump’s deportations get underway in 2025, I believe that the maximum number of H-2B visas available is likely to become a point of contention among Republicans as Trump and many GOP members of Congress face Carter’s dilemma.
Many Americans, perhaps a majority, want immigration laws enforced. But employers will continue to demand low-wage labor for jobs that U.S. citizens may be reluctant or unwilling to do.
Maintaining a compromise
This time, the mismatch between the government’s efforts to deport foreigners living in the U.S. without authorization and employers’ desires for low-cost labor will be greatest outside of agriculture: 69% of those workers without papers today are employed in construction, food services and other parts of the hospitality industry.
In my view, guest worker visas, like the H-2A and H-2B, are never ideal. They can displace American workers and make migrants vulnerable to exploitation by their employers.
However, the U.S. is likely to continue to expand employer access to the visas because they provide an alternative to foreign workers seeking to get jobs in the U.S. without authorization. In this way, Trump’s presidency may end up having something in common with Carter’s time in the White House.
Gabrielle Clark receives funding from the National Endowment of Humanities for her immigration research.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Timothy Gabrielli, Gudorf Chair in Catholic Intellectual Traditions, University of Dayton
A cardinal opens the Holy Door of the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome on Jan. 1, 2025, one of the events starting the Jubilee year.AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Pope Francis has proclaimed a Jubilee year in the Catholic Church, which began on Dec. 24, 2024, and will continue through Jan. 6, 2026. But what is a Jubilee, and what is this year’s about?
Biblical roots
The Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament, offers instructions about celebrating a Jubilee every 50 years. The Jubilee has roots in the Jewish practice of Sabbath rest every seven days, connected to the creation story in which God created the world in six days and rested on the next.
This rest is not merely about “taking a break,” but orienting life to what is most important. The prohibition of work on the Sabbath prompts people to look beyond productive work, helping them to see all activity in light of the eternal.
The biblical books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy outline what’s called a “sabbatical year,” extending that practice of periodic rest to every seventh year. During that sabbatical, the texts call for forgiving debts and freeing enslaved people. Even the land is supposed to get rest, since farmers are told to let their fields lie fallow – a check against unfettered, and destructive, desires for productivity.
The Jubilee extends this logic. Held every 50 years, the Holy Year follows a Sabbath of Sabbaths, “seven times seven years.” During the Jubilee, the Book of Leviticus instructs, “you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.” Again, even the land must be freed. Each plot bought and sold over the previous 49 years must be returned to the tribe with which it was originally associated.
Like all the other forms of Sabbath rest, the overriding emphasis is that everyone and everything belongs to God: that the Earth is not simply for humans to do with as they please, especially if it creates injustice. People inhabit the Earth like wayfarers. Indeed, the Bible regularly reminds the Israelites that they were once enslaved in Egypt and, once freed, were wanderers.
Medieval traditions
Scholars are not quite sure if and how Jubilees were actually put into practice in the ancient world, though they are referred to in the New Testament. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus sums up his mission with verses about the Jubilee from the Book of Isaiah: “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Some of the practices of the church’s modern Jubilees, however, come from the late Middle Ages, a time when Christian grassroots efforts promoted pilgrimages to Rome. As much political as religious and recreational, these pilgrimages demonstrated to power-hungry monarchs that the eternal city was beyond royal control and, by implication, that pilgrims’ identity was more than subjects of a crown.
In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII endorsed these initiatives by instituting a 13th centennial celebration of Christ’s birth. Central to the celebration were pilgrimages to Roman basilicas. Boniface promised that pilgrims could receive an “indulgence”: reparation for their sins.
A fresco in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, depicting Pope Boniface VIII proclaiming the Jubilee in 1300. Sailko/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY
Often misunderstood, an indulgence is distinct from forgiveness. The Catholic tradition teaches that people who sincerely repent of their sins are forgiven and reconciled to God. Ordinarily, this happens through rites such as the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which involves confession to a priest.
Once a sin is forgiven, however, reparation remains. Suppose you’ve thrown a ball through a neighbor’s window. Even if they forgive you, you’re still responsible for the window’s repair. In other words, there’s still a consequence for your action.
Catholics believe that indulgences remit the repair, removing the temporal punishment. In the analogy, you might not have fixed the window, but instead you completed another holy and satisfactory act in its place. Indulgences can be granted to Catholics for actions like completing specific prayers, making a pilgrimage or performing acts of charity.
Boniface’s decree included no reference to the biblical Jubilee. Over time, however, the link between the biblical Jubilee and these Roman celebrations was articulated and strengthened. The intervening time between Jubilees was reduced to 50 years to resonate with the ancient text. Eventually, Jubilees came to be inaugurated every 25 years to increase the opportunity for participation.
As they developed, Jubilee celebrations kept their link to pilgrimages and reparation. Both are meant to be reminders that human beings are made for the eternal, not merely the productive.
The Catholic Church’s last ordinary Jubilee celebration, which took place in 2000, was deemed a “Great Jubilee” by then-Pope John Paul II, commemorating two millennia since the birth of Christ. Famously, during a Mass that year, he sought forgiveness of the church for atrocities committed across its history, including injustice toward Jews, Indigenous peoples and women, among others.
The 2000 Jubilee continued the practice of indulgences for making a pilgrimage, emphasizing that “a pilgrimage evokes the believer’s personal journey” of faith, following in Christ’s footsteps.
Catholics in Mexico City take part in a ceremony marking the beginning of the Jubilee year at the Metropolitan Cathedral on Dec. 29, 2024. AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme
In addition to the typical emphases on pilgrimage and indulgences, Francis has identified hope as a particular focus for this Jubilee year. In Christian theology, hope is not optimism. It is an insistence to seek the good, anchored in God: to see difficulties clearly, yet to pursue action rather than despair.
Thus, Francis has called for several specific acts of hope throughout the Jubilee year. The papal bull proclaiming the Jubilee urges peacemaking, a spirit of welcome toward migrants, and openness toward having children. Francis also issues a call for affluent nations to forgive debts, and a general call for both repentance and mercy.
Jubilees ask people to reorient life toward the eternal – a theme that might seem to minimize attention to the specific social ills of our moment. In tune with the long tradition of Jubilees, however, Francis emphasizes that the more people see the world as God sees it, the more people will act against injustice.
Timothy Gabrielli does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Michigan has one of the highest eviction filing rates in the country, tied with Mississippi. Fourteen percent of all Michiganders who rent homes were threatened with eviction between 2006 and 2016.
Social epidemiologists like me are interested in naming specifically who and what is accountable for inequities in the health of different population groups. I’m interested in documenting root causes of community ill health to provide data-driven analysis to inform policy change, interventions and social activism.
My project on evictions in metro Detroit is called the SECURE Study. Contributing to the study is a team of trainees, early-career researchers and a multigenerational community advisory board of Black women. Members of the board are local and international leaders from multiple sectors, including some who have lived experience with evictions.
Reproductive justice is focused on a set of interconnected human rights. It includes the ability to choose whether to have children. And for parents it protects the right to raise your children in safe and sustainable communities. Evictions can undermine reproductive justice.
My research uses numbers and stories to document, for the first time, the scope and impact of court-ordered and illegal residential evictions among Black women, families and communities in metro Detroit.
The available court-ordered eviction data, while alarming, underestimates the true extent of the housing crisis caused by eviction. In fact, my study shows only 55% of the evictions experienced by Black women in metro Detroit were court-ordered, which means the other 45% were illegal.
How the process works legally
Residential evictions are not events that unfold in easily predictable ways. Rather, they are complicated processes that often drag out.
Eviction policy varies by jurisdiction, but in Michigan it is illegal for a landlord to take any action to force the removal from or prevent the entry into or the use of a rental property by a tenant without a court order.
Even legal evictions can involve some illegal activity by landlords or property managers. For example, landlords may repeatedly threaten to evict tenants through the courts and force residents out of their home before a formal eviction judgment occurs.
Court-ordered evictions usually start with a landlord notifying a tenant of a lease violation – but this can happen only if a formal lease exists. As part of our work, we collected data about how prevalent renting without a lease or formal agreement is for our participants, and we plan to release this data in the coming months.
Illegal evictions are forced residential moves and can include – but are not limited to – a landlord’s use of strong-arm lockouts or threats to force a tenant to leave a rental property.
Focusing on those most impacted
Here’s how my study worked. My team and I recruited 1,470 reproductive-age Black women, most of whom have biological children, from July 2021 to July 2024 and asked them to share their experiences. Women completed surveys, participated in focus groups and in-depth interviews, and answered questions about both individual and neighborhood-level impacts of court-ordered and illegal evictions.
After the surveys were complete, I conducted 55 in-depth interviews in 21 days with survey participants who experienced an illegal eviction.
We focused on Black women between the ages of 18 and 45 because this group is disproportionately impacted by eviction, yet their unique experiences are understudied and therefore insufficiently understood.
More than 50% of our survey participants reported being evicted in their lifetime.
What’s missing from this stat and much of the official data are recent numbers and in-depth accounts of how people experience illegal evictions.
I know of only one other quantitative study examining illegal evictions, and it is over a decade old. It was based on limited evidence collected in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, between 2009 and 2011. The researchers looked at a group of 1,086 low-income adults of all racial, ethnic or age groups and found that 48% of all evictions in their study were illegal. The study concluded that illegal evictions are significantly less expensive and more efficient than court-ordered evictions for landlords.
Preliminary data from our own study, which included women from all socioeconomic groups – unlike the work done in Wisconsin – found that 45% of all evictions experienced by SECURE Study participants were illegal.
Problem bigger than it seems
While the data tells part of the story, the stories of those who have experienced an illegal eviction tell a much richer tale.
One woman I interviewed told me how it felt to lose her home after an illegal eviction. “My God, a whole house worth of stuff: kids’ beds, clothes, toys, my stuff,” she said. “It’s material, yes, but when you have to literally walk away and like, close the door and leave everything you own … you leave a piece of yourself.”
Research ethics do not allow me to name the SECURE Study participants.
Some of the most frequently reported ways Black women told us they experienced illegal evictions were having their belongings removed from the property, being illegally locked out or having utilities shut off, and being forced to relocate because their landlord failed to provide a habitable residence.
Female renters face sexual harassment
Many of the women who participated in our study experienced threats or actual violence and sexual harassment.
“Me being a single female, they go to the threatening tactics,” one study participant told me. “I think they know … I can’t fight against … a man, I can’t beat you.”
“Me and my children got to pack up and move out of the house to avoid my house being shot up or somebody tells me they gonna drag me and my children out of the house by gunpoint,” one participant said. “Now I gotta stress. I’ll move my children.”
“He would ask me personal questions,” another said. “Am I dating, or, where’s my kid’s father? And then, that kind of escalated into him, OK, well, if we do this, then you don’t have to give me the money for the rent.”
“I feel like they’re preying on people like, they know you’re a single mom,” another woman said. “Oh, yeah. Come on in here with that Section 8. So, we can not fix nothing to get this guaranteed money. Come on in here with you working three jobs and your kids is at home all the time, and you got that teenage daughter, she kinda cute.”
“I couldn’t afford for my children to be homeless, so he took advantage,” said another participant.
The role that discrimination plays in evictions is not well understood, so we collected data on this. Forty percent of our participants reported experiencing housing discrimination. These experiences were connected to multiple factors, including their race, economic status, family size, ethnicity, age and relationship status.
Six months after completing those interviews, with the help of weekly therapy and various other self-care and self-soothing interventions, I am finally beginning to feel my nervous system restabilize after hearing so many violent stories.
Asylum seekers wait at Catholic Charities in McAllen, Texas, for humanitarian aid on Jan. 18, 2025. Associated Press/Eric Gay
“Animals,” “aliens” and “people with bad genes” – President Donald Trump and his supporters often use this kind of dehumanizing language to describe immigrants.
In the 2024 presidential debate between Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Trump falsely referred to Haitian refugees in Springfield, Ohio, as “eating the pets of the people that live there.” And in his Jan. 20, 2025, inaugural address, Trump spoke of “dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions,” who have illegally entered the U.S. “from all over the world.”
Using hateful, polarizing language to gain a political advantage or make an argument against a group of people, like immigrants, is not unique to the U.S.
The use of this language is associated with populist shifts in many parts of the world.
In the first few days of the new Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers began raids to detain immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and increased their number of arrests and deportations of immigrants, including those without violent criminal records.
Tom Homan, the U.S. border czar, has said that the government’s mass immigration deportation plans – which he said could include raids on schools, churches and other places previously considered havens – is “all for the good of this nation.”
My hate speech research shows that, as the world has seen to its horror again and again, words that slander and strip people of their voices and humanity are often a first step toward discriminatory and violent policies. At its most extreme, speaking of people as dirty and polluting and saying they lack humanity makes it easier to kill them.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents handcuff a detained immigrant in Maryland on Jan. 25, 2025. Associated Press/Alex Brandon
Echoes from the fascist past
There is nothing new about the hateful political rhetoric that has become common today.
In the lead-up to and during World War II, fascist leaders in Europe targeted Jews, Roma, gay people and other groups as sources of “social pollution,” as beyond being human, while describing themselves as noble and decent, embodying a pure, uncorrupted nation.
In 1920, well before the German Nazi Party came to power in 1933, its platform declared that “Only someone of German blood, regardless of faith, can be a citizen.”
Viktor Klemperer, a literary scholar who was a close observer of Nazism, wrote in a diary published posthumously in 1995 that the Third Reich’s demonizing language against Jews and other marginalized groups helped create its culture and justify its mass killings. Nazis consequently assumed the mantle of liberators as they killed those whom they saw as corrupting the “pure race,” in accordance with ideas of “racial hygiene.”
The Nazis’ hateful language was not limited to Europe. Fritz Kuhn, a German Nazi activist, served in the late 1930s and early 1940s as leader of the German American Bund, an organization of ethnic Germans and Nazi sympathizers living in the U.S. He addressed a Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1939.
Kuhn said during his speech that American citizens with American ideals are “determined to protect ourselves, our homes, our wives and children against the slimy conspirators who would change this glorious republic into the inferno of a Bolshevik paradise.”
The U.S. government stripped Kuhn of his U.S. citizenship in 1943 and deported him to Germany in 1945 because of his pro-Nazi allegiance.
In 2018, Matteo Salvini, then the deputy prime minister who now holds the same position, denounced the Roma people, an ethnic minority. He called for their removal through a “mass cleansing street by street, piazza by piazza, neighborhood by neighborhood.”
Salvini has directed his most virulent language, however, toward the tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers, mostly from Africa, who attempt to reach Italy via the Mediterranean Sea.
Salvini, perhaps more than any other populist leader in the world, has turned his hateful language and use of misinformation into action. Italian authorities under Salvini’s direction have detained ships working to help rescue migrants who are in danger at sea, preventing them from carrying out those rescues.
In September 2024, an Italian prosecutor requested a six-year jail term for Salvini, accusing him of kidnapping 147 migrants by preventing them from landing at a port in Italy for several weeks.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing on Jan. 28, 2025, alongside an image of an alleged criminal detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
What to expect
We can’t be certain at this point what Trump’s and his supporters’ hateful language against immigrants, minorities and political opponents will yield.
Judging by Italy’s example and other instances, it’s possible that laws will be broken in implementing Trump’s immigration and asylum policies.
A federal judge temporarily halted Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order that told federal agencies to not process identification documents for babies born to parents who are living in the country illegally, among other scenarios.
It’s not clear how these policies will continue to unfold. What is clear is that words of hate have been used in many times and places as a justification for illegal arrests and, in some cases, as a prelude to state-sanctioned mass violence.
Ronald Niezen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Dominik Stecuła, Assistant Professor of Communication and Political Science, The Ohio State University
Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr., on Capitol Hill on Jan. 9, 2025. Jon Cherry/Getty Images
The many controversial people appointed to the Trump administration, from Elon Muskto Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have at least one thing in common: They dislike and distrust experts.
While anti-intellectualism and populism are nothing new in American life, there has hardly been an administration as seemingly committed to these worldviews.
Take President Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Kennedy, a well-known vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, whose Senate confirmation hearing is Jan. 29, 2025, epitomizes the new American political ethos of populismand anti-intellectualism, or the idea that people hold negative feelings toward not just scientific research but those who produce it.
For instance, Trump denigrated scientific experts on the campaign trail and in his first term in office. He called climate science a “hoax” and public health officials in his administration “idiots.”
Trump and Kennedy have cast doubt on vaccine safety and the medical scientific establishment. As far back as the Republican primary debates in 2016, Trump falsely asserted that childhood vaccines cause autism, in defiance of scientific consensus on the issue.
Kennedy’s long-term vaccine skepticism has also been well documented, though he himself denies it. More recently, he has been presenting himself as “pro-vaccine safety,” as one Republican senator put it, on the eve of Kennedy’s confirmation hearing.
If confirmed, Kennedy has vowed to turn this anti-intellectual rhetoric into action. He wants to replace over 600 employees in the National Institutes of Health with his own hires. He has also suggested cutting entire departments.
During one interview, Kennedy said, “In some categories, there are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA, that are – that have to go.”
Populism across political spectrum
In lockstep with this anti-intellectual movement is a version of populism that people like RFK Jr. and Trump both espouse.
Populism is a worldview that pits average citizens against “the elites.” Who the elites are varies depending on the context, but in the contemporary political climate in the U.S., establishment politicians, scientists and organizations like pharmaceutical companies or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are frequently portrayed as such.
For instance, right-wing populists often portray government health agencies as colluding with multinational pharmaceutical companies to impose excessive regulations, mandate medical interventions and restrict personal freedoms.
Left-wing populists expose how Big Pharma manipulates the health care system, using their immense wealth and political influence to put profits over people, deliberately keeping lifesaving medications overpriced and out of reach – all of which has been said by politicians like Bernie Sanders.
The goal of a populist is to portray these elites as the enemy of the people and to root out the perceived “corruption” of the elites.
This worldview doesn’t just appeal to the far right. Historically in the United States, populism has been more of a force on the political left. To this day, it is present on the left through Sanders and similar politicians who rail against wealth inequality and the interests of the “millionaire class.”
In short, the Trump administration’s populist and anti-intellectual worldview does not map cleanly onto the liberal-conservative ideological divide in the U.S. That is why Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat and nephew of a Democratic president, might become a Cabinet member for a Republican president.
The cross-ideological appeal of populism and anti-intellectualism also partly explains why praise for Trump’s selection of Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services came from all corners of society. Republican senators Ron Johnson and Josh Hawley lauded the move, as did basketball star Rudy Gobert and Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis.
Why, then, is disdain for scientific experts appealing to so many Americans?
Much of the public supports this worldview because of perceived ineffectiveness and moral wrongs made by the elites. Factors such as the opioid crisis encouraged by predatory pharmaceutical companies, public confusion and dissatisfaction with changing health guidance in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the frequently prohibitive cost of health care and medicine have given some Americans reason to question their trust in science and medicine.
Populists have embraced popular and science-backed policies that align with an anti-elite stance. Kennedy, for example, supports decreasing the amount of ultra-processed foods in public school lunches and reducing toxic chemicals in the food supply and natural environment. These stances are backed by scientific evidence about how to improve public health. At the same time, they point to the harmful actions of a perceived corrupt elite – the profit-driven food industry.
It is, of course, reasonable to want to hold accountable both public officials for their policy decisions and scientists and pharmaceutical companies who engage in unethical behavior. Scientists should by no means be immune from scrutiny.
Examining, for example, what public health experts got wrong during the COVID-19 pandemic would be tremendously helpful from the standpoint of preparing for future public health crises, but also from the standpoint of rebuilding public trust in science, experts and institutions.
However, the Trump administration does not appear to be interested in pursuing good faith assessments. And Trump’s victory means he gets to implement his vision and appoint people he wants to carry it out. But words have consequences, and we have seen the impact of anti-vaccine rhetoric during the COVID-19 pandemic, where “red” counties and states had significantly lower vaccine intent and uptake compared with the “blue” counterparts.
Therefore, despite sounding appealing, Kennedy’s signature slogan, “Make America Healthy Again,” could – in discouraging policies and behaviors that have been proven effective against diseases and their crippling or deadly outcomes – bring about a true public health crisis.
Dominik Stecuła receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
Kristin Lunz Trujillo receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
Matt Motta receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Krittika Goyal, Assistant Professor of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology
Wearable devices have become a big part of modern health care, helping track a patient’s heart rate, stress levels and brain activity. These devices rely on electrodes, sensors that touch the skin to pick up electrical signals from the body.
Creating these electrodes isn’t as easy as it might seem. Human skin is complex. Its properties, such as how well it conducts electricity, can change depending on how hydrated it is, how old you are or even the weather. These changes can make it hard to test how well a wearable device works.
Additionally, testing electrodes often involves human volunteers, which can be tricky and unpredictable. Everyone’s skin is different, meaning results aren’t always consistent. Testing also takes time and money. Plus, there are ethical concerns about asking people to participate in these experiments, including making sure they are informed about the risks and benefits and can voluntarily participate.
Scientists have tried to create artificial skin models to avoid some of these problems, but existing ones haven’t been able to fully mimic the way skin behaves when interacting with wearable sensors. To address these limitations, my colleagues and I have developed a tool called a biomimetic skin phantom – a model that mimics the electrical behavior of human skin, making testing wearable sensors easier, cheaper and more reliable.
What is a skin phantom?
Our biomimetic skin phantom is made of two layers that capture the nuances of both the skin’s surface and deeper tissues. “Biomimetic” means it imitates something from nature – in this case, human skin. “Phantom” refers to a physical model or device made to mimic the properties of something real, like human tissues, so it can be used for research instead of relying on actual people.
Your skin is made up of multiple layers of cells. OpenStax, CC BY-SA
The bottom layer mimics the deeper tissues under the skin. It is made from a gel-like substance called polyvinyl alcohol cryogel, which can be adjusted to have similar softness and electrical conductivity to real biological tissues. We chose this material because these qualities, along with its durability and wide use in biomedical research, make it a good stand-in for the deeper layers of skin.
The top layer mimics the outermost part of the skin, known as the stratum corneum. It is made from a silicone-like materialcalled PDMS, which is mixed with special additives to match the skin’s electrical properties. Also widely used in biomedical research, PDMS is flexible and easy to shape to closely replicate the skin’s outer layer.
One unique feature of our skin phantom is its ability to mimic different levels of skin hydration. Hydration affects how well skin conducts electricity. Dry skin has higher resistance, meaning it opposes the flow of electricity. This makes it harder for wearable devices to pick up signals. Hydrated skin conducts electricity more easily because water improves the movement of charged particles, leading to better signal quality. Improving how dry skin is modeled and tested can lead to better electrode designs.
To replicate the effects of skin hydration, we introduced adjustable pores into the top PDMS layer of the skin phantom. By precisely changing the size and density of the pores, the model can mimic dry or hydrated skin conditions.
Testing the skin phantom
My team and I tested our skin phantom in several ways to see whether it could truly replace human skin in experiments.
First, we used a method called impedance spectroscopy to study the phantom’s electrical properties. This technique applies alternating electrical signals at different frequencies and measures the material’s resistance to electrical flow, providing a detailed profile of its electrical behavior. Results from the experiments we conducted on five volunteers showed that the phantom’s impedance response closely mirrored that of human skin across both dry and hydrated conditions, with a difference of less than 20% between real skin and the phantom.
We also tested whether wearable devices could pick up signals from the skin phantom and how signal quality changed with different skin conditions. To do this, we recorded eletrocardiogram signals on phantoms designed to mimic dry and hydrated skin. The results showed clear differences in signal quality: The phantom simulating dry skin had a lower signal-to-noise ratio, while the hydrated skin phantom showed better signal clarity. These findings are consistent with previous studies from other researchers.
Together, our skin phantom closely replicates the way human skin responds to wearable sensors across a range of conditions, including dry and hydrated states. This accuracy makes it an optimal stand-in for real skin in the lab.
Wearable technology
The skin phantom is more than just a testing tool – it’s a step forward for wearable health technology.
By removing the unpredictability of human testing, scientists can design and improve wearable devices more quickly and effectively. They can also use it to study how skin interacts with medical devices, such as patches that deliver medicine or advanced diagnostic tools.
Our skin phantom is also simple and inexpensive. Each phantom costs less than US$3 and can be made with standard lab materials and tools. It can be reused multiple times within the same day without significant changes in its electrical properties, though extended use over several days may require adjustments, such as rehydration, to maintain stable performance. This affordability and reusability make the phantom more accessible for labs with limited budgets or resources.
As wearable technology becomes more common in health care, tools such as the skin phantom can help make devices more reliable, accessible and personalized for everyone.
Krittika Goyal does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Assistant professor Frank Cackowski, left, and researcher Steven Zielske at Wayne State University in Detroit became suspicious of a paper on cancer research that was eventually retracted.Amy Sacka, CC BY-ND
Over the past decade, furtive commercial entities around the world have industrialized the production, sale and dissemination of bogus scholarly research, undermining the literature that everyone from doctors to engineers rely on to make decisions about human lives.
It is exceedingly difficult to get a handle on exactly how big the problem is. Around 55,000 scholarly papers have been retracted to date, for a variety of reasons, but scientists and companies who screen the scientific literature for telltale signs of fraud estimate that there are many more fake papers circulating – possibly as many as several hundred thousand. This fake research can confound legitimate researchers who must wade through dense equations, evidence, images and methodologies only to find that they were made up.
Even when the bogus papers are spotted – usually by amateur sleuths on their own time – academic journals are often slow to retract the papers, allowing the articles to taint what many consider sacrosanct: the vast global library of scholarly work that introduces new ideas, reviews other research and discusses findings.
These fake papers are slowing down research that has helped millions of people with lifesaving medicine and therapies from cancer to COVID-19. Analysts’ data shows that fields related to cancer and medicine are particularly hard hit, while areas like philosophy and art are less affected. Some scientists have abandoned their life’s work because they cannot keep pace given the number of fake papers they must bat down.
The problem reflects a worldwide commodification of science. Universities, and their research funders, have long used regular publication in academic journals as requirements for promotions and job security, spawning the mantra “publish or perish.”
But now, fraudsters have infiltrated the academic publishing industry to prioritize profits over scholarship. Equipped with technological prowess, agility and vast networks of corrupt researchers, they are churning out papers on everything from obscure genes to artificial intelligence in medicine.
These papers are absorbed into the worldwide library of research faster than they can be weeded out. About 119,000 scholarly journal articles and conference papers are published globally every week, or more than 6 million a year. Publishers estimate that, at most journals, about 2% of the papers submitted – but not necessarily published – are likely fake, although this number can be much higher at some publications.
While no country is immune to this practice, it is particularly pronounced in emerging economies where resources to do bona fide science are limited – and where governments, eager to compete on a global scale, push particularly strong “publish or perish” incentives.
As a result, there is a bustling online underground economy for all things scholarly publishing. Authorship, citations, even academic journal editors, are up for sale. This fraud is so prevalent that it has its own name: paper mills, a phrase that harks back to “term-paper mills”, where students cheat by getting someone else to write a class paper for them.
The impact on publishers is profound. In high-profile cases, fake articles can hurt a journal’s bottom line. Important scientific indexes – databases of academic publications that many researchers rely on to do their work – may delist journals that publish too many compromised papers. There is growing criticism that legitimate publishers could do more to track and blacklist journals and authors who regularly publish fake papers that are sometimes little more than artificial intelligence-generated phrases strung together.
To better understand the scope, ramifications and potential solutions of this metastasizing assault on science, we – a contributing editor at Retraction Watch, a website that reports on retractions of scientific papers and related topics, and two computer scientists at France’s Université Toulouse III–Paul Sabatier and Université Grenoble Alpes who specialize in detecting bogus publications – spent six months investigating paper mills.
This included, by some of us at different times, trawling websites and social media posts, interviewing publishers, editors, research-integrity experts, scientists, doctors, sociologists and scientific sleuths engaged in the Sisyphean task of cleaning up the literature. It also involved, by some of us, screening scientific articles looking for signs of fakery.
What emerged is a deep-rooted crisis that has many researchers and policymakers calling for a new way for universities and many governments to evaluate and reward academics and health professionals across the globe.
Just as highly biased websites dressed up to look like objective reporting are gnawing away at evidence-based journalism and threatening elections, fake science is grinding down the knowledge base on which modern society rests.
As part of our work detecting these bogus publications, co-author Guillaume Cabanac developed the Problematic Paper Screener, which filters 130 million new and old scholarly papers every week looking for nine types of clues that a paper might be fake or contain errors. A key clue is a tortured phrase – an awkward wording generated by software that replaces common scientific terms with synonyms to avoid direct plagiarism from a legitimate paper.
Frank Cackowski at Detroit’s Wayne State University was confused.
The oncologist was studying a sequence of chemical reactions in cells to see if they could be a target for drugs against prostate cancer. A paper from 2018 from 2018 in the American Journal of Cancer Research piqued his interest when he read that a little-known molecule called SNHG1 might interact with the chemical reactions he was exploring. He and fellow Wayne State researcher Steven Zielske began a series of experiments to learn more about the link. Surprisingly, they found there wasn’t a link.
Meanwhile, Zielske had grown suspicious of the paper. Two graphs showing results for different cell lines were identical, he noticed, which “would be like pouring water into two glasses with your eyes closed and the levels coming out exactly the same.” Another graph and a table in the article also inexplicably contained identical data.
Zielske described his misgivings in an anonymous post in 2020 at PubPeer, an online forum where many scientists report potential research misconduct, and also contacted the journal’s editor. Shortly thereafter, the journal pulled the paper, citing “falsified materials and/or data.”
“Science is hard enough as it is if people are actually being genuine and trying to do real work,” says Cackowski, who also works at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Michigan. “And it’s just really frustrating to waste your time based on somebody’s fraudulent publications.”
Wayne State scientists Frank Cackowski and Steven Zielske carried out experiments based on a paper they later found to contain false data. Amy Sacka, CC BY-ND
He worries that the bogus publications are slowing down “legitimate research that down the road is going to impact patient care and drug development.”
The two researchers eventually found that SNHG1 did appear to play a part in prostate cancer, though not in the way the suspect paper suggested. But it was a tough topic to study. Zielske combed through all the studies on SNHG1 and cancer – some 150 papers, nearly all from Chinese hospitals – and concluded that “a majority” of them looked fake. Some reported using experimental reagents known as primers that were “just gibberish,” for instance, or targeted a different gene than what the study said, according to Zielske. He contacted several of the journals, he said, but received little response. “I just stopped following up.”
The many questionable articles also made it harder to get funding, Zielske said. The first time he submitted a grant application to study SNHG1, it was rejected, with one reviewer saying “the field was crowded,” Zielske recalled. The following year, he explained in his application how most of the literature likely came from paper mills. He got the grant.
Today, Zielske said, he approaches new research differently than he used to: “You can’t just read an abstract and have any faith in it. I kind of assume everything’s wrong.”
Legitimate academic journals evaluate papers before they are published by having other researchers in the field carefully read them over. This peer review process is designed to stop flawed research from being disseminated, but is far from perfect.
Reviewers volunteer their time, typically assume research is real and so don’t look for signs of fraud. And some publishers may try to pick reviewers they deem more likely to accept papers, because rejecting a manuscript can mean losing out on thousands of dollars in publication fees.
“Even good, honest reviewers have become apathetic” because of “the volume of poor research coming through the system,” said Adam Day, who directs Clear Skies, a company in London that develops data-based methods to help spot falsified papers and academic journals. “Any editor can recount seeing reports where it’s obvious the reviewer hasn’t read the paper.”
With AI, they don’t have to: New research shows that many reviews are now written by ChatGPT and similar tools.
María de los Ángeles Oviedo-García, a professor of marketing at the University of Seville in Spain, spends her spare time hunting for suspect peer reviews from all areas of science, hundreds of which she has flagged on PubPeer. Some of these reviews are the length of a tweet, others ask authors to cite the reviewer’s work even if it has nothing to do with the science at hand, and many closely resemble other peer reviews for very different studies – evidence, in her eyes, of what she calls “review mills.”
PubPeer comment from María de los Ángeles Oviedo-García pointing out that a peer review report is very similar to two other reports. She also points out that authors and citations for all three are either anonymous or the same person – both hallmarks of fake papers. Screen capture by The Conversation, CC BY-ND
“One of the demanding fights for me is to keep faith in science,” says Oviedo-García, who tells her students to look up papers on PubPeer before relying on them too heavily. Her research has been slowed down, she adds, because she now feels compelled to look for peer review reports for studies she uses in her work. Often there aren’t any, because “very few journals publish those review reports,” Oviedo-García says.
An ‘absolutely huge’ problem
It is unclear when paper mills began to operate at scale. The earliest article retracted due to suspected involvement of such agencies was published in 2004, according to the Retraction Watch Database, which contains details about tens of thousands of retractions. (The database is operated by The Center for Scientific Integrity, the parent nonprofit of Retraction Watch.) Nor is it clear exactly how many low-quality, plagiarized or made-up articles paper mills have spawned.
But the number is likely to be significant and growing, experts say. One Russia-linked paper mill in Latvia, for instance, claims on its website to have published “more than 12,650 articles” since 2012.
An analysis of 53,000 papers submitted to six publishers – but not necessarily published – found the proportion of suspect papers ranged from 2% to 46% across journals. And the American publisher Wiley, which has retracted more than 11,300 compromised articles and closed 19 heavily affected journals in its erstwhile Hindawi division, recently said its new paper-mill detection tool flags up to 1 in 7 submissions.
Day, of Clear Skies, estimates that as many as 2% of the several million scientific works published in 2022 were milled. Some fields are more problematic than others. The number is closer to 3% in biology and medicine, and in some subfields, like cancer, it may be much larger, according to Day. Despite increased awareness today, “I do not see any significant change in the trend,” he said. With improved methods of detection, “any estimate I put out now will be higher.”
The paper-mill problem is “absolutely huge,” said Sabina Alam, director of Publishing Ethics and Integrity at Taylor & Francis, a major academic publisher. In 2019, none of the 175 ethics cases that editors escalated to her team was about paper mills, Alam said. Ethics cases include submissions and already published papers. In 2023, “we had almost 4,000 cases,” she said. “And half of those were paper mills.”
Jennifer Byrne, an Australian scientist who now heads up a research group to improve the reliability of medical research, submitted testimony for a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in July 2022. She noted that 700, or nearly 6%, of 12,000 cancer research papers screened had errors that could signal paper mill involvement. Byrne shuttered her cancer research lab in 2017 because the genes she had spent two decades researching and writing about became the target of an enormous number of fake papers. A rogue scientist fudging data is one thing, she said, but a paper mill could churn out dozens of fake studies in the time it took her team to publish a single legitimate one.
“The threat of paper mills to scientific publishing and integrity has no parallel over my 30-year scientific career …. In the field of human gene science alone, the number of potentially fraudulent articles could exceed 100,000 original papers,” she wrote to lawmakers, adding, “This estimate may seem shocking but is likely to be conservative.”
In one area of genetics research – the study of noncoding RNA in different types of cancer – “We’re talking about more than 50% of papers published are from mills,” Byrne said. “It’s like swimming in garbage.”
When retractions do happen, it is often thanks to the efforts of a small international community of amateur sleuths like Oviedo-García and those who post on PubPeer.
Jillian Goldfarb, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell University and a former editor of the Elsevier journal Fuel, laments the publisher’s handling of the threat from paper mills.
“I was assessing upwards of 50 papers every day,” she said in an email interview. While she had technology to detect plagiarism, duplicate submissions and suspicious author changes, it was not enough. “It’s unreasonable to think that an editor – for whom this is not usually their full-time job – can catch these things reading 50 papers at a time. The time crunch, plus pressure from publishers to increase submission rates and citations and decrease review time, puts editors in an impossible situation.”
In October 2023, Goldfarb resigned from her position as editor of Fuel. In a LinkedIn post about her decision, she cited the company’s failure to move on dozens of potential paper-mill articles she had flagged; its hiring of a principal editor who reportedly “engaged in paper and citation milling”; and its proposal of candidates for editorial positions “with longer PubPeer profiles and more retractions than most people have articles on their CVs, and whose names appear as authors on papers-for-sale websites.”
“This tells me, our community, and the public, that they value article quantity and profit over science,” Goldfarb wrote.
In response to questions about Goldfarb’s resignation, an Elsevier spokesperson told The Conversation that it “takes all claims about research misconduct in our journals very seriously” and is investigating Goldfarb’s claims. The spokesperson added that Fuel’s editorial team has “been working to make other changes to the journal to benefit authors and readers.”
That’s not how it works, buddy
Business proposals had been piling up for years in the inbox of João de Deus Barreto Segundo, managing editor of six journals published by the Bahia School of Medicine and Public Health in Salvador, Brazil. Several came from suspect publishers on the prowl for new journals to add to their portfolios. Others came from academics suggesting fishy deals or offering bribes to publish their paper.
In one email from February 2024, an assistant professor of economics in Poland explained that he ran a company that worked with European universities. “Would you be interested in collaboration on the publication of scientific articles by scientists who collaborate with me?” Artur Borcuch inquired. “We will then discuss possible details and financial conditions.”
A university administrator in Iraq was more candid: “As an incentive, I am prepared to offer a grant of $500 for each accepted paper submitted to your esteemed journal,” wrote Ahmed Alkhayyat, head of the Islamic University Centre for Scientific Research, in Najaf, and manager of the school’s “world ranking.”
“That’s not how it works, buddy,” Barreto Segundo shot back.
In email to The Conversation, Borcuch denied any improper intent. “My role is to mediate in the technical and procedural aspects of publishing an article,” Borcuch said, adding that, when working with multiple scientists, he would “request a discount from the editorial office on their behalf.” Informed that the Brazilian publisher had no publication fees, Borcuch said a “mistake” had occurred because an “employee” sent the email for him “to different journals.”
Academic journals have different payment models. Many are subscription-based and don’t charge authors for publishing, but have hefty fees for reading articles. Libraries and universities also pay large sums for access.
A fast-growing open-access model – where anyone can read the paper – includes expensive publication fees levied on authors to make up for the loss of revenue in selling the articles. These payments are not meant to influence whether or not a manuscript is accepted.
The Bahia School of Medicine and Public Health, among others, doesn’t charge authors or readers, but Barreto Segundo’s employer is a small player in the scholarly publishing business, which brings in close to $30 billion a year on profit margins as high as 40%. Academic publishers make money largely from subscription fees from institutions like libraries and universities, individual payments to access paywalled articles, and open-access fees paid by authors to ensure their articles are free for anyone to read.
The industry is lucrative enough that it has attracted unscrupulous actors eager to find a way to siphon off some of that revenue.
Ahmed Torad, a lecturer at Kafr El Sheikh University in Egypt and editor-in-chief of the Egyptian Journal of Physiotherapy, asked for a 30% kickback for every article he passed along to the Brazilian publisher. “This commission will be calculated based on the publication fees generated by the manuscripts I submit,” Torad wrote, noting that he specialized “in connecting researchers and authors with suitable journals for publication.”
Apparently, he failed to notice that Bahia School of Medicine and Public Health doesn’t charge author fees.
Like Borcuch, Alkhayyat denied any improper intent. He said there had been a “misunderstanding” on the editor’s part, explaining that the payment he offered was meant to cover presumed article-processing charges. “Some journals ask for money. So this is normal,” Alkhayyat said.
Torad explained that he had sent his offer to source papers in exchange for a commission to some 280 journals, but had not forced anyone to accept the manuscripts. Some had balked at his proposition, he said, despite regularly charging authors thousands of dollars to publish. He suggested that the scientific community wasn’t comfortable admitting that scholarly publishing has become a business like any other, even if it’s “obvious to many scientists.”
The unwelcome advances all targeted one of the journals Barreto Segundo managed, The Journal of Physiotherapy Research, soon after it was indexed in Scopus, a database of abstracts and citations owned by the publisher Elsevier.
Along with Clarivate’s Web of Science, Scopus has become an important quality stamp for scholarly publications globally. Articles in indexed journals are money in the bank for their authors: They help secure jobs, promotions, funding and, in some countries, even trigger cash rewards. For academics or physicians in poorer countries, they can be a ticket to the global north.
Consider Egypt, a country plaguedbydubiousclinical trials. Universities there commonly pay employees large sums for international publications, with the amount depending on the journal’s impact factor. A similar incentive structure is hardwired into national regulations: To earn the rank of full professor, for example, candidates must have at least five publications in two years, according to Egypt’s Supreme Council of Universities. Studies in journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science not only receive extra points, but they also are exempt from further scrutiny when applicants are evaluated. The higher a publication’s impact factor, the more points the studies get.
With such a focus on metrics, it has become common for Egyptian researchers to cut corners, according to a physician in Cairo who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. Authorship is frequently gifted to colleagues who then return the favor later, or studies may be created out of whole cloth. Sometimes an existing legitimate paper is chosen from the literature, and key details such as the type of disease or surgery are then changed and the numbers slightly modified, the source explained.
It affects clinical guidelines and medical care, “so it’s a shame,” the physician said.
Ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasites in animals and humans, is a case in point. When some studies showed that it was effective against COVID-19, ivermectin was hailed as a “miracle drug” early in the pandemic. Prescriptions surged, and along with them calls to U.S. poison centers; one man spent nine days in the hospital after downing an injectable formulation of the drug that was meant for cattle, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As it turned out, nearly all of the research that showed a positive effect on COVID-19 had indications of fakery, the BBC and others reported – including a now-withdrawn Egyptian study. With no apparent benefit, patients were left with just side effects.
“There’s a huge academic incentive and profit motive,” says Lisa Bero, a professor of medicine and public health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the senior research-integrity editor at the Cochrane Collaboration, an international nonprofit organization that produces evidence reviews about medical treatments. “I see it at every institution I’ve worked at.”
But in the global south, the publish-or-perish edict runs up against underdeveloped research infrastructures and education systems, leaving scientists in a bind. For a Ph.D., the Cairo physician who requested anonymity conducted an entire clinical trial single-handedly – from purchasing study medication to randomizing patients, collecting and analyzing data and paying article-processing fees. In wealthier nations, entire teams work on such studies, with the tab easily running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Research is quite challenging here,” the physician said. That’s why scientists “try to manipulate and find easier ways so they get the job done.”
Institutions, too, have gamed the system with an eye to international rankings. In 2011, the journal Science described how prolific researchers in the United States and Europe were offered hefty payments for listing Saudi universities as secondary affiliations on papers. And in 2023, the magazine, in collaboration with Retraction Watch, uncovered a massive self-citation ploy by a top-ranked dental school in India that forced undergraduate students to publish papers referencing faculty work.
The root – and solutions
Such unsavory schemes can be traced back to the introduction of performance-based metrics in academia, a development driven by the New Public Management movement that swept across the Western world in the 1980s, according to Canadian sociologist of science Yves Gingras of the Université du Québec à Montréal. When universities and public institutions adopted corporate management, scientific papers became “accounting units” used to evaluate and reward scientific productivity rather than “knowledge units” advancing our insight into the world around us, Gingras wrote.
This transformation led many researchers to compete on numbers instead of content, which made publication metrics poor measures of academic prowess. As Gingras has shown, the controversial French microbiologist Didier Raoult, who now has more than a dozen retractions to his name, has an h-index – a measure combining publication and citation numbers – that is twice as high as that of Albert Einstein – “proof that the index is absurd,” Gingras said.
Worse, a sort of scientific inflation, or “scientometric bubble,” has ensued, with each new publication representing an increasingly small increment in knowledge. “We publish more and more superficial papers, we publish papers that have to be corrected, and we push people to do fraud,” said Gingras.
In 2024, Landon Halloran, a geoscientist at the University of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland, received an unusual job application for an opening in his lab. A researcher with a Ph.D. from China had sent him his CV. At 31, the applicant had amassed 160 publications in Scopus-indexed journals, 62 of them in 2022 alone, the same year he obtained his doctorate. Although the applicant was not the only one “with a suspiciously high output,” according to Halloran, he stuck out. “My colleagues and I have never come across anything quite like it in the geosciences,” he said.
According to industry insiders and publishers, there is more awareness now of threats from paper mills and other bad actors. Some journals routinely check for image fraud. A bad AI-generated image showing up in a paper can either be a sign of a scientist taking an ill-advised shortcut, or a paper mill.
The Cochrane Collaboration has a policy excluding suspect studies from its analyses of medical evidence. The organization also has been developing a tool to help its reviewers spot problematic medical trials, just as publishers have begun to screen submissions and share data and technologies among themselves to combat fraud.
This image, generated by AI, is a visual gobbledygook of concepts around transporting and delivering drugs in the body. For instance, the upper left figure is a nonsensical mix of a syringe, an inhaler and pills. And the pH-sensitive carrier molecule on the lower left is huge, rivaling the size of the lungs. After scientist sleuths pointed out that the published image made no sense, the journal issued a correction. Screen capture by The Conversation, CC BY-ND This graphic is the corrected image that replaced the AI image above. In this case, according to the correction, the journal determined that the paper was legitimate but the scientists had used AI to generate the image describing it. Screen capture by The Conversation, CC BY-ND
“People are realizing like, wow, this is happening in my field, it’s happening in your field,” said the Cochrane Collaboration’s Bero”. “So we really need to get coordinated and, you know, develop a method and a plan overall for stamping these things out.”
What jolted Taylor & Francis into paying attention, according to Alam, the director of Publishing Ethics and Integrity, was a 2020 investigation of a Chinese paper mill by sleuth Elisabeth Bik and three of her peers who go by the pseudonyms Smut Clyde, Morty and Tiger BB8. With 76 compromised papers, the U.K.-based company’s Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology was the most affected journal identified in the probe.
“It opened up a minefield,” says Alam, who also co-chairs United2Act, a project launched in 2023 that brings together publishers, researchers and sleuths in the fight against paper mills. “It was the first time we realized that stock images essentially were being used to represent experiments.”
Taylor & Francis decided to audit the hundreds of articles in its portfolio that contained similar types of images. It doubled Alam’s team, which now has 14.5 positions dedicated to doing investigations, and also began monitoring submission rates. Paper mills, it seemed, weren’t picky customers.
“What they’re trying to do is find a gate, and if they get in, then they just start kind of slamming in the submissions,” Alam said. Seventy-six fake papers suddenly seemed like a drop in the ocean. At one Taylor & Francis journal, for instance, Alam’s team identified nearly 1,000 manuscripts that bore all the marks of coming from a mill, she said.
And in 2023, it rejected about 300 dodgy proposals for special issues. “We’ve blocked a hell of a lot from coming through,” Alam said.
Fraud checkers
A small industry of technology startups has sprung up to help publishers, researchers and institutions spot potential fraud. The website Argos, launched in September 2024 by Scitility, an alert service based in Sparks, Nevada, allows authors to check if new collaborators are trailed by retractions or misconduct concerns. It has flagged tens of thousands of “high-risk” papers, according to the journal Nature.
Fraud-checker tools sift through papers to point to those that should be manually checked and possibly rejected. solidcolours/iStock via Getty Images
The fraudsters have not been idle, either. In 2022, when Clear Skies released the Papermill Alarm, the first academic to inquire about the new tool was a paper miller, according to Day. The person wanted access so he could check his papers before firing them off to publishers, Day said. “Paper mills have proven to be adaptive and also quite quick off the mark.”
Given the ongoing arms race, Alam acknowledges that the fight against paper mills won’t be won as long as the booming demand for their products remains.
According to a Nature analysis, the retraction rate tripled from 2012 to 2022 to close to .02%, or around 1 in 5,000 papers. It then nearly doubled in 2023, in large part because of Wiley’s Hindawi debacle. Today’s commercial publishing is part of the problem, Byrne said. For one, cleaning up the literature is a vast and expensive undertaking with no direct financial upside. “Journals and publishers will never, at the moment, be able to correct the literature at the scale and in the timeliness that’s required to solve the paper-mill problem,” Byrne said. “Either we have to monetize corrections such that publishers are paid for their work, or forget the publishers and do it ourselves.”
But that still wouldn’t fix the fundamental bias built into for-profit publishing: Journals don’t get paid for rejecting papers. “We pay them for accepting papers,” said Bodo Stern, a former editor of the journal Cell and chief of Strategic Initiatives at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a nonprofit research organization and major funder in Chevy Chase, Maryland. “I mean, what do you think journals are going to do? They’re going to accept papers.”
With more than 50,000 journals on the market, even if some are trying hard to get it right, bad papers that are shopped around long enough eventually find a home, Stern added. “That system cannot function as a quality-control mechanism,” he said. “We have so many journals that everything can get published.”
In Stern’s view, the way to go is to stop paying journals for accepting papers and begin looking at them as public utilities that serve a greater good. “We should pay for transparent and rigorous quality-control mechanisms,” he said.
Peer review, meanwhile, “should be recognized as a true scholarly product, just like the original article, because the authors of the article and the peer reviewers are using the same skills,” Stern said. By the same token, journals should make all peer-review reports publicly available, even for manuscripts they turn down. “When they do quality control, they can’t just reject the paper and then let it be published somewhere else,” Stern said. “That’s not a good service.”
Better measures
Stern isn’t the first scientist to bemoan the excessive focus on bibliometrics. “We need less research, better research, and research done for the right reasons,” wrote the late statistician Douglas G. Altman in a much-cited editorial from 1994. “Abandoning using the number of publications as a measure of ability would be a start.”
Despite the declaration, metrics remain in wide use today, and scientists say there is a new sense of urgency.
“We’re getting to the point where people really do feel they have to do something” because of the vast number of fake papers, said Richard Sever, assistant director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, in New York, and co-founder of the preprint servers bioRxiv and medRxiv.
Stern and his colleagues have tried to make improvements at their institution. Researchers who wish to renew their seven-year contract have long been required to write a short paragraph describing the importance of their major results. Since the end of 2023, they also have been asked to remove journal names from their applications.
That way, “you can never do what all reviewers do – I’ve done it – look at the bibliography and in just one second decide, ‘Oh, this person has been productive because they have published many papers and they’re published in the right journals,’” says Stern. “What matters is, did it really make a difference?”
Shifting the focus away from convenient performance metrics seems possible not just for wealthy private institutions like Howard Hughes Medical Institute, but also for large government funders. In Australia, for example, the National Health and Medical Research Council in 2022 launched the “top 10 in 10” policy, aiming, in part, to “value research quality rather than quantity of publications.”
Rather than providing their entire bibliography, the agency, which assesses thousands of grant applications every year, asked researchers to list no more than 10 publications from the past decade and explain the contribution each had made to science. According to an evaluation report from April, 2024 close to three-quarters of grant reviewers said the new policy allowed them to concentrate more on research quality than quantity. And more than half said it reduced the time they spent on each application.
Gingras, the Canadian sociologist, advocates giving scientists the time they need to produce work that matters, rather than a gushing stream of publications. He is a signatory to the Slow Science Manifesto: “Once you get slow science, I can predict that the number of corrigenda, the number of retractions, will go down,” he says.
At one point, Gingras was involved in evaluating a research organization whose mission was to improve workplace security. An employee presented his work. “He had a sentence I will never forget,” Gingras recalls. The employee began by saying, “‘You know, I’m proud of one thing: My h-index is zero.’ And it was brilliant.” The scientist had developed a technology that prevented fatal falls among construction workers. “He said, ‘That’s useful, and that’s my job.’ I said, ‘Bravo!’”
Labbé receives funding from the European Research Council.
He has also received funding from the French National Research Agency (ANR), and the U.S. Office of Research Integrity.
Labbé has been in touch with most of the major publishers and their integrity officers, offering pro-bono consulting regarding detection tools to various actors in the field including STM-Hub and Morressier.
Cabanac receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC) and the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF). He is the administrator of the Problematic Paper Screener, a public platform that uses metadata from Digital Science and PubPeer via no-cost agreements. Cabanac has been in touch with most of the major publishers and their integrity officers, offering pro bono consulting regarding detection tools to various actors in the field including ClearSkies, Morressier, River Valley, Signals, and STM.
Frederik Joelving does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, State Heating Oil and Propane Program; Bloomberg, L.P. Note: Wholesale prices are U.S. benchmark spot prices from Mont Belvieu, Texas.
U.S. wholesale and retail propane prices have been higher so far this winter heating season (October–March) than during the same period a year ago, largely because of colder weather in January and higher exports, according to data from our State Heating Oil and Propane Program. Prices have been higher despite relatively strong propane inventories heading into this winter heating season.
U.S. wholesale propane prices Wholesale propane spot prices at the U.S. benchmark at Mont Belvieu, Texas, have averaged $0.81 per gallon (gal) so far during the winter heating season (Oct 2024–Jan 2025), or $0.13/gal higher than year-ago prices. For the week ending January 20, 2025, U.S. wholesale propane prices were $0.97/gal, slightly higher than at this time last year when they were $0.79/gal.
Because the United States exports more propane than it consumes, exports can affect wholesale propane prices. More exports reduce domestic supply and generally mean higher U.S. wholesale prices. The United States is exporting record amounts of propane, averaging 1.8 million barrels per day in 2024, a 9% increase compared with 2023 and the highest weekly average on record.
U.S. retail propane prices U.S. retail propane prices typically follow wholesale propane prices and supply and demand dynamics. Typically, propane prices rise during the winter, when demand for propane as a winter heating fuel grows and propane inventories are drawn down.
U.S. retail propane prices have averaged $2.51/gal so far this winter heating season, just $0.07/gal higher than during the same time last year. U.S. average retail propane prices have increased 5% from the beginning of this winter heating season to the week ending December 30, 2024.
Retail propane prices for the four U.S. regions for which we publish data—the East Coast (PADD 1), Midwest (PADD 2), Gulf Coast (PADD 3), and Rocky Mountain (PADD 4)—are higher this winter compared with this time last winter. Similar to last winter’s heating season, retail prices in all four regions stayed relatively flat until mid-January, when wholesale Mont Belvieu prices began to increase as temperatures dropped. In January 2024 and 2025, winter heating needs peaked, as measured by heating degree days, which indicate how cold the temperature was on a given day or during a period of days. December 2024 had more heating degree days than December 2023, and we expect more of them throughout this winter compared with last winter, according to our December Short-Term Energy Outlook.
Natural gas-fired electric power generation has increased in Pennsylvania since 2013 as the state has shifted toward natural gas as its main fuel source for electric power generation. In October 2024, natural gas-fired generation accounted for 57% of the electricity generated in Pennsylvania, more than twice the share in October 2013 (26%). Over the past decade, natural gas has become the primary fuel source for electricity generation in the state, surpassing coal-fired generation in 2016 on an annual basis and nuclear-powered generation in 2019. Natural gas-fired generation reached an all-time monthly peak in Pennsylvania of 15.3 million megawatthours (MWh) in July 2024, as hourly electricity demand peaked across multiple regions of the Lower 48 states due to widespread heatwaves.
From 2013 to 2023, fuel consumption for electricity generation in Pennsylvania shifted from mostly coal to natural gas. Pennsylvania sits on top of the Marcellus shale play within the Appalachian Basin where dry natural gas production has more than doubled in the past decade. Dry natural gas production in Pennsylvania increased from 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2013 to 20.8 Bcf/d in 2023, as the cost of natural gas fell compared with other energy sources. In addition, power generators in the state made investments in new technologies that increased the efficiency of natural gas as a source of power generation such as combined-cycle gas turbines, which use heat from natural gas turbines to run steam turbines to generate power from both.
More power is now generated in Pennsylvania than is consumed, prompting generators to send surplus electricity to other states. In 2023, power companies in Pennsylvania sent more electricity outside state borders than companies in any other state in the country, moving 83.4 million MWh to neighboring states.
Rising natural gas consumption in the electric power sector was the primary driver of increased use in Pennsylvania over the past decade. In 2013, natural gas consumption for power generation averaged 1.0 Bcf/d. Natural gas use in the electric power sector more than doubled since then, reaching 2.6 Bcf/d in 2023, while use in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors remained relatively stable. Total natural gas delivered to all consumers in Pennsylvania averaged 4.8 Bcf/d in 2024 through October, up from 2.6 Bcf/d during all of 2013.
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Monthly Note: PA=Pennsylvania, FL=Florida, TX=Texas, LA=Louisiana, CA=California
Between 2013 and 2023, natural gas consumption in Pennsylvania increased by 64% (1.7 Bcf/d), the largest percentage increase among the top five natural gas consuming states in the United States in 2023. In 2013, Pennsylvania ranked as the seventh-largest consuming state of natural gas in the United States, behind Illinois, Florida, New York, Louisiana, California, and Texas; in 2019, Pennsylvania ranked as the fifth-largest consuming state and has remained at that rank since then. From 2013 to 2023, natural gas consumption increased in all of the top five consuming states except California, where natural gas as a share of power generation has decreased by 15% since 2013 as the state has increased its share of renewables in its electricity generation mix.
Principal contributors: Grace Wheaton, Andrew Iraola
ATLANTA – Johnny Narcisse, and his cousin Johnson Dieujuste, have been sentenced to prison for their scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program of more than $2 million.
“These defendants brazenly stole funds from programs designed to help individuals and businesses suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for identifying and investigating these individuals which led to their successful prosecution.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges and other information presented in court: In July 2021, federal agents investigating a Florida resident for suspected tax crimes obtained and executed a search warrant for the home, computer and cellular phone of Johnny Narcisse in Georgia. The search of the computer and phone revealed a large volume of evidence showing that Narcisse and his cousin, Johnson Dieujuste, had been engaged in an extensive conspiracy with each other to recruit small business owners and then file fraudulent applications for COVID-19 relief loans, including both PPP and EIDL loans, on their behalf.
Narcisse and Dieujuste, after obtaining the names, business names, and employer identification numbers from the would-be borrowers, simply invented the rest of the information needed to apply for the fraudulent loans. If the loan was approved, the borrowers kicked back a percentage of the loan proceeds to Narcisse and/or Dieujuste. Dozens of loans were applied for as part of the scheme, with over $2 million dispersed.
Johnny Narcisse, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross to two years, four months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,000,332. Narcisse was convicted on October 21, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Johnson Dieujuste, 37, of Loganville, Georgia, was sentenced by Judge Ross on January 8, 2025, to two years, eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,081,559. Dieujuste was convicted on September 24, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
In addition to their conspiracy to file fraudulent loan applications on behalf of others, the evidence showed that Narcisse and Diejuste each independently filed for fraudulent COVID-19 loans for themselves. Both men were held accountable for those loans as well during the sentencing process, and the losses that resulted from this additional conduct were included in each defendant’s restitution order.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S Attorney Alana R. Black, and Trial Attorneys Jennifer Bilinkas and David A. Peters of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
TORONTO and NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — illumin Holdings Inc. (TSX: ILLM) (OTCQB: ILLMF) (“illumin” or “Company”), a leader in digital marketing technology, is excited to unveil its latest in-platform integration with Adsquare’s Measurement solution, delivering store visit data directly to the illumin platform to enable advanced footfall attribution. This collaboration further empowers marketers with daily insights into how digital campaigns drive in-store visits, seamlessly connecting online engagement with offline outcomes.
This integration marks a significant milestone in illumin’s mission to simplify and enhance the consumer journey. By leveraging Adsquare’s privacy-first location intelligence, marketers can now access unmatched transparency and actionable foot traffic data to optimize their campaigns with precision.
Comprehensive footfall attribution: Link foot traffic insights to specific campaigns or customer journey stages within the illumin platform.
Robust performance insights: Leverage daily performance insights to make agile, data-driven optimizations.
Unified views: Seamlessly integrate store visit data into illumin’s intuitive platform to attribute campaign tactics and creatives to performance for a complete omnichannel overview.
Privacy-first design: Fully compliant with global privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA), ensuring consumer trust while delivering actionable insights.
“By integrating Adsquare’s Measurement solution, we’re equipping advertisers with a more complete picture of their customer’s journey,” said Rachel Kapcan, Chief Product Officer at illumin. “This partnership enhances our ability to deliver actionable insights, enabling marketers to optimize their strategies with confidence and clarity. It’s a powerful step forward in bridging the gap between digital engagement and in-store impact.”
“At Adsquare, we are dedicated to redefining marketing through our privacy-first location intelligence, enabling platforms like illumin to offer clients robust, data-driven solutions,” said Maria Botelho, VP of Global Partnerships at Adsquare. “This partnership exemplifies how our Measurement solution fuels leading platforms with precise, actionable footfall insights, connecting online campaigns to in-store visits with unmatched accuracy. Together with illumin, we’re empowering marketers to optimize their strategies with confidence, bridging the gap between digital engagement and real-world impact.”
This collaboration further cements illumin’s position as a transformative force in programmatic advertising. From campaign planning and execution to robust attribution, illumin’s platform offers a seamless solution for marketers across industries, including retail, automotive, quick-service restaurants (QSR), and more.
Steve Hosein Investor Relations illumin Holdings Inc. 416-218-9888 x5313 investors@illumin.com
David Hanover Investor Relations – U.S. KCSA Strategic Communications 212-896-1220 dhanover@kcsa.com
About illumin illumin is evolving the digital advertising landscape by empowering marketers to achieve transformative results through its customer-centric approach. Featuring a unified canvas built around the open web, illumin lets brands and agencies seamlessly plan, build, and execute campaigns across the entire marketing funnel—connecting programmatic channels, email, and social media within a single platform. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, illumin serves clients across North America, Latin America, and Europe. For more information, visit illumin.com.
About Adsquare Adsquare is redefining marketing with cutting-edge location intelligence, empowering advertisers to deliver and optimize impactful, data-driven campaigns with precision. The Adsquare solution suite includes advanced Analytics to uncover deep customer insights, precise Activation tools for targeted audience engagement, real-time Measurement for connecting digital ad exposure to real-world consumer behavior, and transparent Attribution to credit the effectiveness of your marketing strategies.
Disclaimer in regards to Forward-looking Statements Certain statements included herein constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend, and undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect, in particular, new information or future events.
For more complete information about the Company, please read our disclosure documents filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com.
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Deborah Hoffman, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director at the Office of Tax Appeals. Hoffman has been Special Advisor at the California Department of Veterans Affairs since 2020, where she was previously Senior Advisor for Communications from 2019 to 2020. She was Undersecretary of the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency from 2017 to 2019. Hoffman was Deputy Press Secretary in the Office of Governor Brown from 2015 to 2017. She was Assistant Secretary of Public and Employee Communications at the California Department of Corrections from 2012 to 2015. Hoffman was Deputy Secretary of Communications and External Affairs at the California Environmental Protection Agency from 2011 to 2012. She was Communications Director and Policy Consultant in the Office of Senator Fran Pavley from 2009 to 2011. Hoffman was a Reporter at KXTV ABC10 News Sacramento from 1995 to 2009. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University, Northridge. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $187,104. Hoffman is registered without party preference.
Krista Dunzweiler, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Deputy General Counsel in the Office of Legal Affairs at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where she has been Chief Deputy General Counsel since 2019. Dunzweiler held several positions at the California Department of Justice from 2014 to 2019 including Deputy Attorney General IV and Deputy Attorney General III. She was an Associate at Locke Lord LLP from 2011 to 2014, Bullivant Houser Bailey from 2008 to 2011, Diepenbrock Harrison from 2006 to 2008, and at Weinstraub Genshlea Chediak from 2004 to 2006. Dunzweiler earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and a Master of Arts degree in Communications and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Psychology from the University of the Pacific. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $229,236. Dunzweiler is a Democrat.
Todd Gloria, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Air Resources Board. Gloria has been the Mayor of the City of San Diego since 2020. He was an Assemblymember with the California State Assembly from 2016 to 2020. Gloria was a Councilmember, District 3 in the City of San Diego from 2008 to 2016. He was a District Director in the Office of Congresswoman Susan A. Davis from 2001 to 2008. Gloria was a San Diego Housing Commissioner on the San Diego Housing Commission from 2005 to 2008. He was Board Chair at San Diego LGBT Community Center from 2002 to 2007. Gloria earned his Bachelor of the Arts degree in Political Science and History from the University of San Diego. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gloria is a Democrat.
Roxanne Messina Captor, of Redondo Beach, has been reappointed to the California Arts Council, where she has been serving since 2022. Captor has been Associate Faculty at Santa Monica College since 1986, an Emmy-nominated Filmmaker at Messina Captor Films Inc. since 1994, and a teacher at the New York Film Academy since 2022. She was a Faculty Member at Emerson College LA and CalArts from 2000 to 2019. Captor was Executive Director for the San Francisco International Film Festival and Society from 2001 to 2006. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Who’s Who of America, Greenlight Women, and the National Association of Television Program Executives. Captor earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing for Cinema from Columbia College of Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts from Julliard School of Music. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Captor is a Democrat.
Press Releases, Recent News
Recent news
Jan 28, 2025
News What you need to know: Governor Newsom met today with leaders of the Pacific Palisades synagogue Kehillat Israel, which still stands after the fire. Los Angeles, California – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom met with clergy, staff, and board members of Kehillat…
Jan 28, 2025
News Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter, Mark Walter Family Foundation, and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will provide an initial commitment of up to $100 million LA Rises will support city and county efforts to help accelerate recovery LOS ANGELES — In the wake of one…
Jan 27, 2025
News LOS ANGELES — Scientists, water managers, state leaders, and experts throughout the state are calling out the federal administration’s ongoing misinformation campaign on water management in California. Here is a snapshot of what water leaders and media are saying…
Office of the Governor — News Release — Governor Green Signs Executive Order to Promote and Expedite Renewable Energy, Reducing Energy Costs
Posted on Jan 28, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases
STATE OF HAWAIʻI KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR KE KIAʻĀINA
GOVERNOR GREEN SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROMOTE AND EXPEDITE RENEWABLE ENERGY, REDUCING ENERGY COSTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2025
HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green, M.D., today unveiled an executive order to promote and expedite the development of renewable energy in the state of Hawaiʻi.
In the face of federal uncertainty regarding renewable energy and concerns over grid stability across the state, the Governor is committed to expanding and accelerating Hawaiʻi’s renewable resource development, and has outlined priorities to reduce energy costs, prevent blackouts, and slash emissions for Hawaiʻi residents and businesses.
The executive order, developed with the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office and the input of various energy stakeholders across the state over the last year, outlines new policy objectives and directives for the state of Hawaiʻi, including accelerating renewable development for neighbor island communities to hit 100% renewable portfolio standards from 2045 to 2035, setting a statewide goal of 50,000 distributed renewable energy installations (such as rooftop solar and battery systems) by 2030, and directing state departments to streamline and accelerate the permitting of renewable developments to reduce energy costs and project development timelines.
In addition, the order calls upon the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission and Hawaiian Electric Company for support in reducing redundancies and inefficiencies in energy permitting and to prioritize reduced energy costs and energy stability for Hawaiʻi’s people.
“Hawaiʻi needs to take some drastic steps to reduce energy costs, which have continued to rise and have contributed to the high cost of living for our people,” said Governor Green. “We know that high energy costs in Hawaiʻi are due to our reliance on burning oil for electricity and old infrastructure, which is really unacceptable. We can and must do more to get this under control.”
Despite the federal administration signaling a turn away from renewables, Governor Green is doubling-down on a diversified, renewable-centered approach to cut costs and emissions.
“This EO represents the start of real action to lower costs, support a stable energy system, and reduce emissions,” said Chip Fletcher, the Governor’s climate advisor and interim dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. “Governor Green is cutting the red tape to realize our shared energy goals, including the first-ever push to get neighbor island communities to energy independence a decade sooner.”
“The goal of 50,000 distributed renewable energy installations before 2030 demonstrates the state of Hawaiʻi’s commitment to ensuring more affordable and resilient energy for Hawaiʻi’s people,” said Rocky Mould, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Solar Energy Association. “We are excited to aggressively expand opportunities for rooftop solar and energy storage and unleash its power and promise for the clean/decarbonized grid of the future under Governor Green’s leadership.”
Energy costs have risen starkly in Hawaiʻi, which has the highest average residential energy rate of any state in the U.S.
High electricity and utility costs impact households, are a drag on Hawaiʻi’s economy, and add additional tax burdens by increasing government operating expenses. Energy cost increases have represented a $15M recurring increase in the Governor’s latest biennium budget for the Department of Education’s operations alone.
A copy of the executed executive order can be found here.
# # #
Media Contacts: Erika Engle Press Secretary Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i Phone: 808-586-0120 Email: [email protected]
Makana McClellan Director of Communications Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi Cell: 808-265-0083 Email: [email protected]
What you need to know: Governor Newsom met today with leaders of the Pacific Palisades synagogue Kehillat Israel, which still stands after the fire.
Los Angeles, California – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom met with clergy, staff, and board members of Kehillat Israel, the largest synagogue in Pacific Palisades, which still stands after the Palisades Fire wiped out the neighborhood. Kehillat Israel is home to almost one thousand Jewish families, a third of whom lost their homes in the fires.
“It was an honor to see the resilience of the Kehillat Israel community. To know their place of worship still standing is nothing short of a miracle, and watching the clergy and congregants coming together to pray, learn, and support each other is inspiring. Pacific Palisades will build back stronger than ever, and KI will continue to be a leader in that recovery.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
Founded in Pacific Palisades in 1950, Kehillat Israel has been in its current building since October 26, 1997. It is a center of the community for Jews of all faiths across West Los Angeles, and includes a parenting center, Early Childhood Center (pre-school and TK), and K-12 and senior programming.
Today’s convening took place at Beth Shir Shalom, a synagogue in Santa Monica where some of Kehillat Israel’s programming is currently being held.
Support for the Palisades
Governor Newsom was on the ground in Pacific Palisades 50 minutes after the Palisades Fire first broke out in the Palisades Highlands. He has since toured the Palisades Village with first responders several times, visited the destroyed homes of Palisadians, and volunteered with Project Angel Food to assist survivors. He continues to meet with survivors, leaders, and local officials to ensure that the Palisades has all it needs to recover and rebuild.
Get help today
Californians can go to CA.gov/LAfires – a hub for information and resources from state, local and federal government.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses from wildfires in Los Angeles County can apply for disaster assistance:
If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.
Press Releases, Recent News
Recent news
Jan 28, 2025
News Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter, Mark Walter Family Foundation, and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will provide an initial commitment of up to $100 million LA Rises will support city and county efforts to help accelerate recovery LOS ANGELES — In the wake of one…
Jan 27, 2025
News LOS ANGELES — Scientists, water managers, state leaders, and experts throughout the state are calling out the federal administration’s ongoing misinformation campaign on water management in California. Here is a snapshot of what water leaders and media are saying…
Jan 25, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Bret Ladine, of Sacramento, has been appointed Director of the Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal). Ladine has been General Counsel at the California State…
Jan 28, 2025
What you need to know: The passage of Proposition 1 by California voters adds rocket fuel to Governor Gavin Newsom’s transformational overhaul of the state’s behavioral health system. These reforms refocus existing funds to prioritize Californians with the most serious mental health and substance use issues, who are too often experiencing homelessness. They also fund more than 11,150 new behavioral health beds and supportive housing units and 26,700 outpatient treatment slots.
Los Angeles, California – California took a major step forward in correcting the damage from 50 years of neglect to the state’s mental health system with the passage of Proposition 1. This historic measure — a signature priority of Governor Gavin Newsom — adds rocket fuel to California’s overhaul of the state’s behavioral health systems. It provides a full range of mental health and substance abuse care, with new accountability metrics to ensure local governments deliver for their communities.
This is the biggest reform of the California mental health system in decades and will finally equip partners to deliver the results all Californians need and deserve. Treatment centers will prioritize mental health and substance use support in the community like never before. Now, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and begin implementing this critical reform – working closely with city and county leaders to ensure we see results.
Governor Gavin Newsom
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What they’re saying:
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, original author of the Mental Health Services Act: “Twenty years ago, I never could have dreamed that we would have the strong leadership we have today, committing billions and making courageous policy changes that question the conventional wisdom on mental health. Now, with the passage of Proposition 1. California is delivering on decades old promises to help people living with brain-based illnesses, to live better lives, to live independently and to live with dignity in our communities. This is a historic moment and the hard work is ahead of us.“
Senator Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), author of Senate Bill 326: “Today marks a day of hope for thousands of Californians who are struggling with mental illness – many of whom are living unhoused. I am tremendously grateful to my fellow Californian’s for passing this important measure. And I am very appreciative of this Governor’s leadership to transform our behavioral health care system!”
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), author of Assembly Bill 531: “This started as an audacious proposal to address the root cause of homelessness and today, Californians can be proud to know that they did the right thing by passing Proposition 1. Now, it’s time for all of us to get to work, and make sure these reforms are implemented and that we see results.”
Bigger picture: Transforming the Mental Health Services Act into the Behavioral Health Services Act and building more community mental health treatment sites and supportive housing is the last main pillar of Governor Newsom’s Mental Health Movement – pulling together significant recent reforms like 988 crisis line, CalHOPE, CARE Court, conservatorship reform, CalAIM behavioral health expansion (including mobile crisis care and telehealth), Medi-Cal expansion to all low-income Californians, Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (including expanding services in schools and on-line), Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative, Veterans Mental Health Initiative, Behavioral Health Community Infrastructure Program, Behavioral Health Bridge Housing, Health Care Workforce for All and more.
More details on next step here
Press Releases, Recent News
Recent news
Jan 28, 2025
News Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter, Mark Walter Family Foundation, and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will provide an initial commitment of up to $100 million LA Rises will support city and county efforts to help accelerate recovery LOS ANGELES — In the wake of one…
Jan 27, 2025
News LOS ANGELES — Scientists, water managers, state leaders, and experts throughout the state are calling out the federal administration’s ongoing misinformation campaign on water management in California. Here is a snapshot of what water leaders and media are saying…
Jan 25, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Bret Ladine, of Sacramento, has been appointed Director of the Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal). Ladine has been General Counsel at the California State…
2025-09 STATE OF HAWAIʻI JOINS 21 STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO STOP TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM WITHHOLDING ESSENTIAL FEDERAL FUNDING
Posted on Jan 28, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA
JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA
ANNE LOPEZ
ATTORNEY GENERAL
LOIO KUHINA
STATE OF HAWAIʻI JOINS 21 STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO STOP TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM WITHHOLDING ESSENTIAL FEDERAL FUNDING
New Trump Administration Policy Would Block Trillions in Funding for Health, Education, Law Enforcement, Disaster Relief, and Other Essential State Programs
News Release 2025-09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2025
HONOLULU –Attorney General Anne Lopez today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys generalsuingto stop the implementation of a new Trump administration policy that orders the withholding of trillions of dollars in funding that every state in the country relies on to provide essential services to millions of Americans.
Thenew policy, issued by the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), puts an indefinite pause on the majority of federal assistance to states. The policy would immediately jeopardize state programs that provide critical health and childcare services to families in need, deliver support to public schools, combat hate crimes and violence against women, provide life saving disaster relief to states, and more.
Attorney General Lopez and the coalition of attorneys general are seeking a court order to immediately stop the enforcement of the OMB policy and preserve essential funding.
“We are aware of U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan’s ruling which blocks the federal grant and loan freeze until Monday,” said Attorney General Lopez. “It is imperative that we continue with our court filing to make sure that the enforcement of the OMB policy is halted.”
Attorney General Lopez continued: “The people of Hawaiʻi pay the federal government millions upon millions of dollars in taxes every year, and the people of this state are entitled to receive a broad array of federal funds to pay for law enforcement and other crucial programs in accordance with federal law. And the impacts of this policy withholding federal funds have already been realized in our state. Neither the President of the United States nor an acting federal budget official can unilaterally upend federal law and cause such mass uncertainty in the Hawaiʻi and our sister states by withholding federal funds authorized by law. The Department of the Attorney General will stand up for the rule of law in this nation.”
The OMB policy, issued late on January 27, directs all federal agencies to indefinitely pause the majority of federal assistance funding and loans to states and other entities beginning at 5:00 pm today, January 28. As Attorney General Lopez and the coalition note in their lawsuit, OMB’s policy has caused immediate chaos and uncertainty for millions of Americans who rely on state programs that receive these federal funds. Essential community health centers, addiction and mental health treatment programs, services for people with disabilities, and other critical health services are jeopardized by OMB’s policy.
Attorney General Lopez and the coalition also argue that jeopardizing state funds will put Americans in danger by depriving law enforcement of much-needed resources. OMB’s policy would pause support for U.S. Department of Justice initiatives to combat hate crimes and violence against women, stop drug interdiction, support community policing, and provide services to victims of crimes. In addition, Attorney General Lopez and the coalition of attorneys general note that the OMB policy would halt essential disaster relief funds to places like California and North Carolina, where tens of thousands of residents are relying on FEMA grants to rebuild their lives after devastating wildfires and floods.
While the administration has attempted to clarify the scope and meaning of the OMB policy, states have already reported that funds have been frozen. As part of their lawsuit, Attorney General Lopez and the coalition of attorneys general argue that OMB’s policy violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by imposing a government-wide stop to spending without any regard for the laws and regulations that govern each source of federal funding. The attorneys general argue that the president cannot decide to unilaterally override laws governing federal spending, and that OMB’s policy unconstitutionally overrides Congress’ power to decide how federal funds are spent.
Joining Attorney General Lopez in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
The Complaint can be foundhere.
# # #
Media contacts:
Dave Day
Special Assistant to the Attorney General
Office: 808-586-1284
Email:[email protected]
Web:http://ag.hawaii.gov
Toni Schwartz Public Information Officer Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General Office: 808-586-1252 Cell: 808-379-9249 Email:[email protected]
Office of the Governor — News Release — Governor Green Applauds Federal Judge for Halting Funding Freeze
Posted on Jan 28, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases
STATE OF HAWAIʻI KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR KE KIAʻĀINA
GOVERNOR GREEN APPLAUDS FEDERAL JUDGE FOR HALTING FUNDING FREEZE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2025
HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green, M.D., applauds the ruling by a federal court judge today, blocking the order by President Trump to freeze federal funding for crucial programs serving Americans. The Governor stands in strong opposition to President Trump’s executive order pausing federal disbursements, which has caused a great deal of chaos, confusion and uncertainty.
“The presidential order seeks to prevent the people of Hawai‘i from receiving crucial services funded by the millions of dollars they pay to the federal government each year. This cannot stand,” said Governor Green. “My administration is currently assessing the impact of this pause on essential state programs and services, including education, health care, social services, and wildfire recovery. For those programs that are found to be impacted, the state of Hawai‘i will work to develop alternate plans to ensure that key services for local residents are continued. The state Attorney General has joined other states in initiating legal action to challenge the federal administration’s actions, as Hawai‘i has already encountered impacts of this threatened funding freeze.”
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum on January 27, 2025, which requires federal agencies to complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects and activities that may be impacted by any of the president’s executive orders. During this review period, the obligation and disbursement of federal funds were to be paused effective January 28, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
“The OMB has since issued clarification guidance indicating that any program that provides direct benefits to individuals is not subject to the pause, such as Medicaid, SNAP or Social Security benefits, among others,” said state Department of Budget and Finance Director Luis Salaveria.
“The Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) has several divisions or attached agencies that would be affected,” said state Comptroller Keith Regan. “The main impact would be to our public arts initiatives in the State Foundation of Culture and the Arts. Indirectly, it is possible the Archives may need to halt projects funded by its federal grants and our State Procurement Office’s Surplus Property Program may be affected by the pause in funding.”
The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is working with the Trump Administration on clarifications to the OMB memo, including its impacts on obligated formula projects and discretionary funds.
The state Department of Law Enforcement welcomed the OMB’s clarification memo, but is still seeking final determination of impacts from federal partners.
“The Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) is deeply concerned about the temporary pause on federal financial assistance and its potential impacts on our ability to deliver essential services,” said DLIR Director Jade T. Butay. “A significant portion of our operations, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, job training and workplace safety through our Occupational Safety and Health division, is supported by federal funds. Any disruption to these critical programs could affect workers, employers and communities statewide. We are actively monitoring the situation and are awaiting further guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor to understand the full scope of the impacts and next steps. We remain committed to serving the people of Hawaiʻi and ensuring the continuity of essential programs.”
The State of Hawaiʻi Department of Defense (HIDOD) (comprising the Hawaiʻi National Guard, Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, Office of Veterans’ Services and Civilian Military Programs) evaluated potential impacts to its core mission to enable a safe, secure, and thriving state of Hawaiʻi. HIDOD relies on approximately $88M in federal funding for its annual operating budget; about $350M to administer its Hazardous Mitigation Program Grant; close to $25M for its Emergency Management Program Grant, and anticipates approximately $56M in FEMA reimbursement for the recent Maui Wildfires disaster response and recovery. It also receives federal grant funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program to synergize its counter-narcotics efforts with federal, state and county law enforcement agencies.
“While these federal programs are being reviewed by OMB, there’s no immediate impact to operate, retain qualified personnel, and continue to protect the citizens of the state of Hawaiʻi,”, said Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, State Adjutant General.
The Hawaiʻi State Public Library System (HSPLS) receives about $1.5M in Library Services and Technology Act funding that ensures that all local residents have access to library materials, technology in the library to connect to the Internet, and online databases that provide equal access to information and learning opportunities no matter where they live. The suspension of this funding will cause our communities to face limited access to information that supports their health, business, education and ability to connect to the world. Specifically, students will not have free access to test preparation and families will not have easy access to legal forms to support their needs.
HSPLS also is a recipient and partner for two digital equity projects. One provides basic digital literacy classes in all of our communities through May of this year. The second is part of the Federal Broadband Equity Access Deployment (BEAD) funding received by the University of Hawaiʻi. The funding supports Digital Literacy Navigators in all public libraries to ensure our patrons have access to learning the digital literacy skills they need to be successful.
Governor Green and his administration will continue to work to support the people of Hawai‘i, prioritizing affordability, housing, reducing homelessness, increasing food security and more, to allow the residents of the islands to live and thrive in the place they love and call home.
# # #
Media Contacts: Erika Engle Press Secretary Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i Phone: 808-586-0120 Email: [email protected]
Makana McClellan Director of Communications Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi Cell: 808-265-0083 Email: [email protected]
TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Carbon Streaming Corporation (Cboe CA: NETZ) (OTCQB: OFSTF) (FSE: M2Q) (“Carbon Streaming” or the “Company”) today provided a project update with respect to the Purchase and Sale Agreement dated as of May 9, 2023, as amended pursuant to that First Amending Agreement, dated as of February 7, 2024 (the “Sheep Creek Stream”), among Carbon Streaming, Mast Reforestation SPV I, LLC (“Mast”) and its parent company DroneSeed Co., d/b/a Mast Reforestation (“Mast Parent Co”).
Carbon Streaming has received a Notice of Adverse Impact from Mast and Mast Parent Co under the Sheep Creek Stream Agreement pursuant to which, among other things, Mast advised Carbon Streaming that the Sheep Creek project has experienced significantly higher than expected mortality rates and that the surviving seedlings had exhibited slower than expected growth rates. As a result, Mast indicated to Carbon Streaming that it no longer expects to deliver the agreed-upon 286,229 forecast mitigation units to Carbon Streaming under the Sheep Creek Stream, as Mast no longer considers the existing Sheep Creek project plan and budget to be viable. Carbon Streaming has formally responded to the Notice of Adverse Impact and requested that Mast respond to Carbon Streaming’s significant concerns regarding, among other things, the timing of the delivery of the Notice of Adverse Impact, and the characterization of the cause of the adverse impact. The Company is continuing to evaluate all legal avenues available under the Sheep Creek Agreement.
The Company had entered into a project pipeline streaming agreement (the “Pipeline Agreement”) for up to US$15 million with Mast and Mast Parent Co, to advance its pipeline of post-wildfire reforestation projects in the Western USA. Carbon Streaming also invested US$2 million into Mast Parent Co through a convertible note (the “Convertible Note”). In October 2023, the Convertible Note was converted into preferred shares of Mast Parent Co upon the execution of a qualifying financing event, resulting in 1.3 million preferred shares of Mast Parent Co (the “Preferred Shares”) being issued to the Company at a fair value of $2.6 million. The Company expects that the facts described above will materially decrease the fair value of the Sheep Creek Stream and the Preferred Shares on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
About Carbon Streaming
The Company’s focus is on projects that generate high-quality carbon credits and have a positive impact on the environment, local communities, and biodiversity, in addition to their carbon reduction or removal potential. This approach aligns our strategic interests with those of project partners to create long-term relationships built on a shared commitment to sustainability and accountability and positions us as a trusted source for buyers seeking high-quality carbon credits.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking information”) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking information, including, without limitation: statements regarding the feasibility of the project under the Sheep Creek Stream and the implications to the Company’s financial statements; statements regarding the fair value of the Sheep Creek Streaming and the Preferred Shares; and statements regarding the Company’s evaluation of legal avenues under the Sheep Creek Stream.
When used in this news release, words such as “estimates”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “will”, “believes”, “intends” “should”, “could”, “may” and other similar terminology are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. This forward-looking information is based on the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. They should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be an accurate indication of whether or not such results will be achieved. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: future engagement with Mast after the date hereof in respect of the Sheep Creek Stream and matters related thereto and arising therefrom; general economic, market and business conditions and global financial conditions, including fluctuations in interest rates, foreign exchange rates and stock market volatility; volatility in prices of carbon credits and demand for carbon credits; change in social or political views towards climate change, carbon credits and ESG initiatives and subsequent changes in corporate or government policies or regulations and associated changes in demand for carbon credits; limited operating history for the Company’s current strategy; risks arising from competition and future acquisition activities; concentration risk; inaccurate estimates of growth strategy; dependence upon key management; impact of corporate restructurings; reputational risk; failure or timing delays for projects to be registered, validated and ultimately developed and for emission reductions or removals to be verified and carbon credits issued (and other risks associated with carbon credits standards and registries); foreign operations and political risks including actions by governmental authorities, including changes in or to government regulation, taxation and carbon pricing initiatives; uncertainties and ongoing market developments surrounding the validation and verification requirements of the voluntary and/or compliance markets; due diligence risks, including failure of third parties’ reviews, reports and projections to be accurate; dependence on project partners, operators and owners, including failure by such counterparties to make payments or perform their operational or other obligations to the Company in compliance with the terms of contractual arrangements between the Company and such counterparties; failure of projects to generate carbon credits, or natural disasters such as flood or fire which could have a material adverse effect on the ability of any project to generate carbon credits; volatility in the market price of the Company’s common shares or warrants; the effect that the issuance of additional securities by the Company could have on the market price of the Company’s common shares or warrants; global health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics; and the other risks disclosed under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s Annual Information Form dated as of March 27, 2024 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date of this news release. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.
In response to the executive actions announced by US President Trump, including calling for mass deportations, declaring a national emergency and an invasion, militarizing the US-Mexico border, reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols (better known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy), ending asylum at the border, and shutting down the CBP One mobile application, Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, said the following:
The executive actions adopted by President Trump severely impact the rights of people seeking safety and place countless lives at risk, fabricating non-existing threats to expand militarization, externalization of borders, generalized use of immigration detention, expedited removals and criminalization of migrant rights defenders
-Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International
“The executive actions adopted by President Trump severely impact the rights of people seeking safety and place countless lives at risk, fabricating non-existing threats to expand militarization, externalization of borders, generalized use of immigration detention, expedited removals and criminalization of migrant rights defenders. These policies make it near impossible for individuals to seek asylum in the United States and will result in thousands of people being forcibly returned to places where their lives or safety are at risk. President Trump is also calling for the use of criminal prosecutions for people crossing irregularly into the United States, a policy that resulted in the mass separations of families during Trump’s first term. To this day, there are families – mostly from Central America – who have still not been reunited from the first iteration of this cruel policy.
The United States is also pressuring countries to accept deportation flights with individuals that are not nationals of those countries and threatening sanctions on those countries that refuse. All these policies have implications for countries throughout the Americas, continuing the troubling trend of the United States entering into bilateral agreements aimed at deterring migration.
As the United States becomes increasingly unsafe for asylum seekers, the Canadian government must withdraw from the agreement immediately
-Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International
The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States bars most people crossing into Canada via the United States from seeking refugee protection in Canada, and vice versa. The agreement has forced individuals to attempt dangerous border crossings and has pushed people underground in order to seek safety. As the United States becomes increasingly unsafe for asylum seekers, the Canadian government must withdraw from the agreement immediately
The United States and Mexico jointly implemented the Migrant Protection Protocols – known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy – that trapped asylum seekers in camps along the US-Mexico border where they were at serious risk of human rights violations, with thousands of reports of people being assaulted, raped, kidnapped, and extorted. Amnesty International is calling on Mexico not to participate in any reiteration of the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
The Mexican government must urgently adopt measures to ensure the safety and security of those who had been waiting in Mexico for CPB One appointments, including allowing them to apply for international protection in Mexico and travel freely throughout the country
-Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International
“The shutdown of the CBP One application has created an insurmountable barrier for approximately 270,000 vulnerable individuals attempting to seek safety in the United States. They are now stranded in Mexico with no clear pathway to protection. Following the termination of CBP One, the Mexican government must urgently adopt measures to ensure the safety and security of those who had been waiting in Mexico for CPB One appointments, including allowing them to apply for international protection in Mexico and travel freely throughout the country”.
The United States must instead respond to this moment of global displacement with funding and policies of welcome, to respond to the crisis with policies that are humane rather than those that hurt.
Amnesty International calls on the governments of the region to refrain from participating in policies that undermine the rights and dignity of those seeking safety
-Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International
President Trump will only be able to implement his harmful policies if countries in the Americas agree to play along. As the members states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) meet urgently this Thursday to discuss migration, Amnesty International calls on the governments of the region to refrain from participating in policies that undermine the rights and dignity of those seeking safety.”
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact [email protected]
Under the UK’s Pharmacy First initiative, people are encouraged to see their pharmacist before consulting their GP – especially for minor ailments. It’s a tough four-year course to become a pharmacist in the UK, so you’re in good hands if you seek their advice.
However, on stepping in to any community pharmacy, you might be surprised by the welter of products on sale – from decongestant drugs to homeopathic remedies – that have little or no evidence to support their effectiveness.
For example, oral phenylephrine has been shown to be ineffective as a nasal decongestant. Following a review of the evidence, late last year, the US Food and Drug Administration advised that oral versions of the drug (pills, soluble powders and syrups) should no longer be sold as a treatment for a blocked nose.
Phenylephrine is the main decongestant ingredient in many over-the-counter cold remedies.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s chief safety officer, Alison Cave, said there are “no safety concerns” over phenylephrine products and “people can continue to use as directed”. Although safety is not what’s in question. Effectiveness is.
The flu drug oseltamivir also has little evidence of effectiveness – at least in otherwise healthy people. The UK government, however, still recommends its use in seasonal flu outbreaks.
A recent meta-analysis of 33 clinical trials, with a combined 19,000 patients, showed that oseltamivir, and similar antivirals, might be useful if given to patients who are at a high risk of severe disease. However, they only worked if given within 48 hours of exposure to the flu virus. These drugs had little or no effect on most people who are at low risk or who look for treatments after the 48-hour window.
In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) downgraded the status of oseltamivir from “essential” to “complementary”.
The WHO strongly advises against giving oseltamivir to people with “suspected or confirmed non-severe seasonal influenza virus infection”. The drug doesn’t seem to help people at low risk of severe flu and can have unpleasant side-effects.
What about supplements and other non-medicines?
Of course, pharmacies don’t just sell drugs. They also sell supplements, such as vitamins and minerals, herbal medicines and homeopathic remedies.
Although more than half the UK population takes a multivitamin or dietary supplement, scientists still debate their benefits. A recent large study found that taking a daily multivitamin doesn’t appear to be associated with a mortality benefit.
On the other hand, taking a vitamin D supplement is recommended for those with a deficiency – especially during the dark winter months. Studies have shown that it may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in older people. And people with periods can benefit from vitamin C as it helps with iron absorption.
Medicines in the UK must demonstrate safety, quality and efficacy – but these criteria don’t apply to supplements, herbal medicines and homeopathic products. These products only have to demonstrate safety and quality.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society states that there is “no evidence from randomised controlled trials for the efficacy of homoeopathy over placebo, and no scientific basis for homoeopathy”. However, it was only as recently as 2017 that the NHS agreed to cease providing homeopathic treatments.
If the evidence says that they don’t work, why do people take these products?
Placebo effects may be part of the reason. The person may believe that the treatment will work and this may lead to them thinking that they feel better. Most of these products are sold for self-limiting conditions and are aimed at helping people feel better while they recover.
Many of these products are sold for self-limiting conditions. fizkes/Shutterstock
Pharmacies have always sold complementary therapies, although these products have changed with the times. You won’t find tonic wine anymore, and there’s much less call for malt extract with cod liver oil.
So why do UK pharmacies sell products with little or no evidence of effectiveness?
Data from Community Pharmacy England suggests that 90% of the income of the average pharmacy comes from the NHS. But, over the last ten years, that funding has seen a 30% real-term cut, even in the face of new services, such as Pharmacy First.
Is it any wonder then that community pharmacies are moving into private services, such as weight loss, and expanding the range of lifestyle products they sell?
Also, many pharmacists work for larger companies and these companies might value profit over evidence-based treatments. Their shops can be crammed with dubious products with high profitability.
This conflict between pharmacies making a profit and providing the best treatment options and advice is not new and is something that Australia struggled with quite recently, leading to calls for pharmacies to drop products that lack evidence.
As long as pharmacies face NHS spending cuts and have to rely on the sale of products that have little or no evidence for their efficacy to remain afloat, the situation is unlikely to change. In the meantime, ask questions about anything you are considering buying. You can be reassured that if a product isn’t right for your condition, your pharmacist will tell you.
The Conversation offered the Royal Pharmaceutical Society the right of reply and Elen Jones, the society’s director for England and Wales wrote:
“Community pharmacies are the ideal place for open conversations with patients to ensure they make informed decisions about their health, including discussing any questions about the evidence of a product’s clinical effectiveness …
“In the case of homeopathy, the RPS is clear that it has no scientific evidence to support its clinical efficacy beyond a placebo effect and does not endorse it as a form of treatment. Pharmacists should advise people considering homeopathic products about their lack of efficacy beyond placebo and also advise that individuals do not stop taking their prescribed medicines when considering using a homeopathic product.
“Offering a variety of products can be an opportunity for patients to access the pharmacy as a ‘gateway to healthcare,’ encouraging them to seek advice for conditions because they trust their pharmacist. Pharmacists play a crucial role in providing evidence-based care daily, guiding patients towards treatments that are safe and clinically effective, with patient care and safety always as the highest priority.”
Colin Davidson has previously received funding from the NIH (USA) and the European Community for projects related to drug abuse. He is currently a consultant on novel psychoactive substances for the UK Defence Science Technology Labs and is a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (UK). He was Head of School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire from 2017-2023.
Cathryn Brown is a pharmacist and a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. She is currently a member of the Labour party, and regularly donates to Sense about Science.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gabriel Silva Huland, Teaching Fellow, School of International Studies, University of Nottingham
Brics has emerged as a significant international force since 2009 when it was established at a summit in Russia. What began as a five-member group encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is now expanding with the integration of five new members and eight new partner countries. Even more countries may be joining in the next few years.
This growth raises essential questions about whether Brics will challenge the leadership of traditional powers such as the US, UK and the European Union.
But analysts are also questioning how united the bloc really is and whether a perceived lack of unity constitutes an obstacle to the bloc’s expansion. Brics is undoubtedly diverse. Iran and Saudi Arabia compete as regional powers in the Middle East, Egypt and Ethiopia have had different conflicts around the Nile’s governance, and the skirmishes between China and India are well known.
Yet, the bloc’s strength may reside in its capacity to integrate this diverse array of countries that are not fully aligned. Building loose international organisations might be the key to navigating international politics in these times of increasing polarisation.
The rise of Brics must be contextualised within the ongoing competition between the US and China. The rivalry between the world’s two largest economies is likely to intensify in the coming years, shaping the contemporary global order. China’s announcement of a record US$1 trillion (£804 billion) trade surplus for 2024 and its solid 5% economic growth have bolstered the narrative that its development model represents an alternative to the US-sponsored neoliberal policies that have dominated much of the world in the past four decades.
Political leaders and economic elites worldwide are closely observing the US-China competition – and most countries strive to maintain an equidistant approach. Countries traditionally within the US sphere of influence, including Brazil and Peru, have been cautiously moving towards China, attracted by the economic opportunities the Asian giant offers. Others previously in China’s orbit, like Vietnam, are working to maintain or expand their ties with the US.
Brics countries represent 45% of the world’s population and about 35% of global GDP. Sunflowerr/Shutterstock
China is unquestionably the driving force that holds Brics together. Without China, it wouldn’t have come into existence. All Brics countries share two key characteristics. They are global south countries that do not belong to the traditional group of hegemonic powers. And they have significant economic ties with China, especially through trade relations.
Belt and road
The official Brics narrative emphasises multilateralism, cooperation and fair global development. But in fact the group serves primarily as an instrument for China to project its power and influence. China achieves this through a combination of rhetoric and by using the bloc as a special trade platform linked to the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI).
Brics seeks to position itself as an alternative to US hegemony, promoting free trade and multilateralism. In times of political turbulence and the growth of illiberal forces, this narrative serves as a powerful legitimising tool for the group globally. But the group’s diversity also poses significant challenges to its rise as an alternative to the US-led global order. It is unlikely that Brics will evolve into a unified military alliance like Nato or a free trade area like Asean or the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA – formerly Nafta). The group’s diversity prevents it from acquiring these characteristics.
Aware of this, China strategically uses Brics to increase its business opportunities and international influence. It maintains a fine balance between a loose bloc and a more solidified military or economic alliance. Contrary to the Cold War era, when the two superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union, had well-defined spheres of influence, the current world order appears to be shaped by loose, interconnected international blocs.
Many of Brics member states are also partners with China in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Net Vector/Shutterstock
China’s prominence within Brics is clear and unlikely to change. It accounts for two-thirds of both the group’s GDP and intra-Brics trade. The country is the primary trade partner for Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran. China also holds significant investments in these nations. Russia is the largest recipient of Chinese foreign direct investment within the Brics with an accumulated stock of more than USU$10 billion.
Most Brics member states are also directly or indirectly involved in BRI. While the major BRI projects may not be located within Brics countries – they are primarily in central, south and southeast Asia – Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Iran also host BRI initiatives. Though not an official BRI member, Brazil has become a key partner due to its role as a central food supplier to China.
These figures highlight that expanding Brics is one of China’s foreign policy priorities. The country uses the group to project both economic and ideological influence. Donald Trump’s plans to impose trade tariffs on several countries, including China, is likely to prompt China to intensify this policy. It is a distinct possibility that the recent episode with Colombia, where the US president reportedly threatened to impose tariffs if Colombia continued to push back against deportation flights, could encourage more countries to seek closer trading relationships with China.
Strategic friendships
Some analysts correctly claim that Brics is divided between anti-western states and those that prefer to remain nonaligned. While the anti-western group, led by Russia, advocates for a confrontational stance towards the US, the nonaligned countries – including India and Brazil – favour a more nuanced approach.
Analysts argue that the US should try to develop closer relations with non-aligned countries to influence internal Brics debates. But this overlooks the fact that China is not only the de-facto leader of Brics but also has an unequivocal strategy of favouring a nuanced approach towards the west, based on multilateralism and free trade. So, despite what Russia may want, it’s unlikely that Brics will assume a confrontational stance towards the west.
China knows that a non-confrontational approach is the best way to attract more countries and solidify the Brics as a loose bloc that advocates for more democratic global governance.
So far, this strategy appears to be working.
Gabriel Silva Huland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The landscape architecture program in UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) has been re-accredited for four more years by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB), a national accrediting body.
UConn’s landscape architecture program is a professional degree program that prepares students to work as landscape architects.
“It’s a program that’s unique to UConn in that it offers this professionally accredited program,” Jill Desimini, director and associate professor of landscape architecture, says. “It means that as an undergraduate, you earn a professional degree, and you can go on to enter the profession without additional study.”
To work as a landscape architect, one path is to attend an accredited undergraduate or graduate landscape architecture program. After completing the program, graduates work with a landscape architect in the field before sitting for the exam they must pass to become a licensed landscape architect.
The program at UConn has been accredited since 1998. The accreditation process involves the program submitting a self-evaluation report ahead of a visit from a LAAB team who observes the program and verifies the information provided by the program.
UConn’s is one of the few landscape architecture programs in the country that are aligned with a plant science program. At UConn, landscape architecture is part of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA).
This provides students with the opportunity to learn about both design principles central to landscape architecture, applicable science, and the plant species at their disposal.
“Students come out with a strong understanding of design principles, but also a strong understanding of the underlying science,” Desimini says.
UConn’s landscape architecture students also have the opportunity to work on experiential learning projects that take advantage of the resources at UConn like the PSLA research farm and UConn Forest. Students also work on service learning projects that benefit Connecticut communities.
“Because it’s a land grant institution and is home to UConn Extension, we’re able to have more long-term relationships with communities and support work that is happening across the state,” Desimini says. “Our students are working on real-world projects and real-world designs with communities, and they can hit the ground running with those skills and that experience.”
Many faculty in the landscape architecture program are also active researchers, giving students additional opportunities to gain experience conducting work in the studio, lab, and field. This area will only become more important as landscape architects continue to be confronted with equity and climate change-related challenges, says Desimini.
“Our program is in a new and exciting chapter,” Desimini says. “The focus is on work that combines STEM and design for the betterment of our communities and landscapes.”
This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Fostering Sustainable Landscapes at the Urban-Rural Interface.
Headline: W&T Offshore Announces Closing of $350 Million Senior Second Lien Notes Offering And Additional Strengthening of Balance Sheet
HOUSTON, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) (“W&T Offshore” or the “Company”) today announced the closing, on January 28, 2025, of its previously announced offering of $350 million in aggregate principal amount of 10.750% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2029 (the “Notes”) at par in a private offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and receipt of proceeds from a previously-announced insurance settlement. In conjunction with the issuance of the Notes, the Company entered into a credit agreement with certain lenders and other parties which provides the Company a revolving credit facility of $50 million.
Closed $350 million of Notes;
Lowered the interest rate from the previous 11.750% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Senior Second Lien Notes”) by one hundred basis points;
Repaid $114.2 million outstanding under the term loan provided by Munich Re Risk Financing, Inc., as lender (the “MRE Term Loan”);
Entered into a new credit agreement for a $50 million revolving credit facility through July 2028 that is undrawn and replaces the previous credit facility provided by Calculus Lending, LLC; and
Received in cash $58.2 million of the previously announced $58.5 million insurance settlement related to the Mobile Bay 78-1 well, with the remainder expected shortly, which further bolsters W&T’s balance sheet.
Tracy W. Krohn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We have begun 2025 with several positive events that improve W&T’s financial position. Over the past month, we have strengthened the balance sheet by closing the new senior second lien notes offering, entering into a new revolving credit facility and collecting our insurance settlement. I would like to thank our banks for running such a smooth process. The new senior second lien notes, which received improved credit ratings from S&P and Moody’s, had a broad distribution. This included international investors and was significantly oversubscribed, further demonstrating the investment community’s confidence in W&T’s underlying asset base. We are likewise pleased to now have access to the bank revolver market again. With pathways in place to bring additional fields back online and our successful actions to enhance our balance sheet, we are well-positioned for success moving forward.”
The Company has used a portion of the proceeds from the Notes offering, along with cash on hand to, (i) purchase for cash pursuant to a tender offer, such of the Company’s outstanding 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes that were validly tendered pursuant to the terms thereof (the “Tender Offer”), (ii) repay outstanding amounts under the MRE Term Loan, (iii) fund the full redemption amount for an August 1, 2025 redemption of the remaining 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes not validly tendered and accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer and (iv) pay premiums, fees and expenses related to the offering of Notes, the Tender Offer, the redemption of the remaining 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes, the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes and the repayment of the MRE Term Loan. On the closing date of the offering of the Notes, the Company completed all actions necessary to satisfy and discharge the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes.
On January 28, 2025, in conjunction with the issuance of the Notes, the Company entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), by and among the Company, as borrower, Texas Capital Bank, as Administrative Agent, lender and L/C Issuer, TCBI Securities, Inc., doing business as Texas Capital Securities, as Lead Arranger and Bookrunner, the other lenders named therein and other parties thereto which provides the Company a revolving credit and letter of credit facility (the “Credit Facility”), with initial lending commitments of $50 million with a letter of credit sublimit of $10 million. The Credit Facility matures on July 28, 2028.
The Credit Facility is guaranteed by each of the Company’s wholly owned direct and indirect subsidiaries (the “Guarantors”) and is secured by a first-priority lien on substantially all of the natural gas and oil properties and personal property assets of the Company and the Guarantors, other than the Company’s membership interest in its Unrestricted Subsidiaries (as defined in the Credit Agreement) and minority ownership in certain joint venture entities. Certain future-formed or acquired majority-owned domestic subsidiaries of the Company may also be required to guarantee the Credit Facility and grant a security interest in substantially all of their natural gas and oil properties and personal property assets to secure the obligations under the Credit Facility.
This press release is being issued for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes, and it does not constitute a notice of redemption of the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes.
The Notes and the related guarantees have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or any other securities laws, and the Notes and the related guarantees may not be offered or sold except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws. The Notes and the related guarantees are being offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in the United States under Rule 144A and to non-U.S. investors outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S.
This press release is being issued for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of the Notes, the related guarantees, or any other securities, nor does it constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy or a sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.
ABOUT W&T OFFSHORE
W&T Offshore, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas producer with operations offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and has grown through acquisitions, exploration and development. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had working interests in 53 fields in federal and state waters (which include 46 fields in federal waters and 7 in state waters). The Company has under lease approximately 673,100 gross acres (515,400 net acres) spanning across the outer continental shelf off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, with approximately 514,000 gross acres on the conventional shelf, approximately 153,500 gross acres in the deepwater and 5,600 gross acres in Alabama state waters. A majority of the Company’s daily production is derived from wells it operates.
FORWARD-LOOKING AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release regarding the Company’s financial position, operating and financial performance, and potential to return fields back to production are forward-looking statements. When used in this release, forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by terms or phrases such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “target,” “could,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “goal,” “will,” “should,” “may” or other words and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Items contemplating or making assumptions about actual or potential future production and sales, prices, market size, and trends or operating results also constitute such forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and speak only as of the date of this release. While management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as results actually achieved may differ materially from expected results described in these statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of such statements, unless required by law.
Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, among other things, the regulatory environment, including availability or timing of, and conditions imposed on, obtaining and/or maintaining permits and approvals, including those necessary for drilling and/or development projects; the impact of current, pending and/or future laws and regulations, and of legislative and regulatory changes and other government activities, including those related to permitting, drilling, completion, well stimulation, operation, maintenance or abandonment of wells or facilities, managing energy, water, land, greenhouse gases or other emissions, protection of health, safety and the environment, or transportation, marketing and sale of the Company’s products; inflation levels; global economic trends, geopolitical risks and general economic and industry conditions, such as the global supply chain disruptions and the government interventions into the financial markets and economy in response to inflation levels and world health events; volatility of oil, NGL and natural gas prices; the global energy future, including the factors and trends that are expected to shape it, such as concerns about climate change and other air quality issues, the transition to a low-emission economy and the expected role of different energy sources; supply of and demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs, including due to the actions of foreign producers, importantly including OPEC and other major oil producing companies (“OPEC+”) and change in OPEC+’s production levels; disruptions to, capacity constraints in, or other limitations on the pipeline systems that deliver the Company’s oil and natural gas and other processing and transportation considerations; inability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or to obtain adequate financing to fund capital expenditures, meet the Company’s working capital requirements or fund planned investments; price fluctuations and availability of natural gas and electricity; the Company’s ability to use derivative instruments to manage commodity price risk; the Company’s ability to meet the Company’s planned drilling schedule, including due to the Company’s ability to obtain permits on a timely basis or at all, and to successfully drill wells that produce oil and natural gas in commercially viable quantities; uncertainties associated with estimating proved reserves and related future cash flows; the Company’s ability to replace the Company’s reserves through exploration and development activities; drilling and production results, lower–than–expected production, reserves or resources from development projects or higher–than–expected decline rates; the Company’s ability to obtain timely and available drilling and completion equipment and crew availability and access to necessary resources for drilling, completing and operating wells; changes in tax laws; effects of competition; uncertainties and liabilities associated with acquired and divested assets; the Company’s ability to make acquisitions and successfully integrate any acquired businesses; asset impairments from commodity price declines; large or multiple customer defaults on contractual obligations, including defaults resulting from actual or potential insolvencies; geographical concentration of the Company’s operations; the creditworthiness and performance of the Company’s counterparties with respect to its hedges; impact of derivatives legislation affecting the Company’s ability to hedge; failure of risk management and ineffectiveness of internal controls; catastrophic events, including tropical storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, pandemics and other world health events; environmental risks and liabilities under U.S. federal, state, tribal and local laws and regulations (including remedial actions); potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; the Company’s ability to recruit and/or retain key members of the Company’s senior management and key technical employees; information technology failures or cyberattacks; and governmental actions and political conditions, as well as the actions by other third parties that are beyond the Company’s control, and other factors discussed in W&T Offshore’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q found at www.sec.gov or at the Company’s website at www.wtoffshore.com under the Investor Relations section.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with an expenditure of Rs.16,300 crore and expected investment of Rs.18,000 crore by PSUs, etc.
As part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and recognizing the indispensable role of critical minerals in high-tech industries, clean energy, and defense, the Government of India has undertaken several initiatives over the past two years to address challenges in the critical minerals sector.
There is a need to establish an effective framework for India’s self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. In line with this vision, the Finance Minister announced the setting up of the Critical Mineral Mission in the Union Budget for 2024-25 on 23rd July 2024.
The National Critical Mineral Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet, will encompass all stages of the value chain, including mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing, and recovery from end-of-life products. The mission will intensify the exploration of critical minerals within the country and in its offshore areas. It aims to create a fast track regulatory approval process for critical mineral mining projects. Additionally, the mission will offer financial incentives for critical mineral exploration and promote the recovery of these minerals from overburden and tailings.
The mission aims to encourage Indian PSUs and private sector companies to acquire critical mineral assets abroad and enhance trade with resource-rich countries. It also proposes development of stockpile of critical minerals within the country.
The mission includes provisions for setting up of mineral processing parks and supporting the recycling of critical minerals. It will also promote research in critical mineral technologies and proposes setting up Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals.
Adopting a whole-of-government approach, the Mission will work closely with relevant ministries, PSUs, private companies, and research institutions to achieve its objectives.
Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, has been amended in 2023 to increase exploration and mining of critical minerals. Consequently, the Ministry of Mines has auctioned 24 blocks of strategic minerals. Further, Geological Survey of India (GSI) has undertaken 368 exploration projects for critical minerals over the past three years, with 195 projects currently underway in FS 2024-25. Further, for FY 2025-26, GSI is going to take up 227 projects for various critical minerals. To foster innovation, the Ministry launched the Science and Technology – Promotion of Research and Innovation in Start-ups and MSMEs (S&T PRISM) program in 2023, funding start-ups and MSMEs to bridge the gap between R&D and commercialization. Moreover, KABIL, a JV of Ministry of Mines, has acquired an area of about 15703 Ha in the Catamarca province of Argentina, for exploration and mining of Lithium. Government of India has already eliminated customs duties on the majority of critical minerals in Union budget 2024-25. This will increase the availability of critical mineral in the country and will encourage the industry to set up processing facilities in India. These initiatives highlight India’s commitment to securing critical mineral supplies.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju met the YPO global delegation at his office on 28th January. The delegation was hosted by the Hero Motors Company and had members from Israel, USA, UK, Costa Rica, and India.
Shri Rijiju said that the discussions were engaging and revolved around innovation, collaboration and a shared vision for progress.
In a post on ‘X’, the Union Minister wished the YPO Global Delegation a truly purposeful and memorable visit to India. He further said that the delegation members were very impressed with India’s grand new Parliament building.
It was a pleasure to meet the YPO Global delegation at my office in Parliament today. Hosted by Hero Motors Company, the delegation brought together inspiring leaders from the UK, Costa Rica, Israel, the USA & India. Engaging discussions on innovation, collaboration & a shared… pic.twitter.com/slnJgq68kM
I wish the YPO Global Delegation’s visit to India, a truly purposeful and memorable. The delegation members were very impressed with India’s grand new Parliament building. Enjoy rest of the stay in India 🇮🇳 https://t.co/x6ppUGVA4Rpic.twitter.com/IIrtHU0pQb
The drift of the Earth’s north magnetic pole from Canada to Siberia has influenced the penetration altitudes of charged particles in the mid-high latitudes in the Earth’s magnetosphere, shows a new study. Understanding the behavior of these particles with an electric charge, such as electrons, quarks, protons, and ions that are responsible for the Northern lights or aurora, can better predict space weather and safeguard our satellite systems.
Earth’s magnetic field, a protective shield created by the planet’s core, is quietly changing. This invisible force field, which helps guide compasses and protect us from harmful solar winds, has been shifting for over a century. Scientists noticed that the north magnetic pole, which used to be nestled in Canada, till 1990, had slowly but steadily drifted toward Siberia. By 2020, it was moving at a surprising speed of about 50 kilometers per year. While this might sound like a minor geographic adjustment, the shift had significant consequences for the way charged particles behaved in space.
In Earth’s magnetosphere, a region called the radiation belts, hold energetic charged particles like protons and electrons. These particles, influenced by Earth’s magnetic field, gyrate, bounce, and drift around the planet. But where these particles end up—and how close they get to Earth—depends on the strength and shape of the magnetic field. Scientists have been trying to investigate how does the movement of the north magnetic pole change the paths of these particles.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) decided to simulate the trajectory of these particles using simulation models. They simulated three-dimensional relativistic test particles based on the IGRF-13 (International Geomagnetic Reference Field) model, to quantify changes in the altitudes of energetic protons.
Ms. Ayushi Srivastava, Dr Bharati Kakad, and Dr Amar Kakad discovered that in the year 1900, particles near the Canadian region, where the magnetic field was stronger, tended to stay at higher altitudes. But by the year 2020, the story was different. As the north pole shifted toward Siberia, the magnetic field in Canada weakened while the field in Siberia grew stronger.
According to the study published in the journal Advances in Space Research, this shift,disallowed particles over Siberian longitudes to dive deeper into Earth’s atmosphere. For some particles, the lowest altitudes they could reach (called penetration altitudes)rose by as much as 400 to 1200 kilometers over Siberia. This is because the stronger magnetic field gradients in Siberia created by the north magnetic field drift interacts with the ambient magnetic field and creates a force, which alters the trajectory of the charged particles. As a result, the particles are deflected outward, effectively preventing them from approaching the Earth in the Siberian region.
Such impact of geomagnetic field variations on particle dynamics, have real-world implications. Satellites in polar orbits, which pass through these regions, can experience varying levels of drag (resistive force caused by change in atmospheric density due to heating cause by collision of high energy and atmospheric particles) depending on how deep charged particles penetrate the atmosphere. The energy these particles deposit can also heat the atmosphere, changing its density and affecting satellite paths.
Fig1: Representation of north magnetic drift from 1900 to 2020.The white asterisk and dots represent the location of the maximum magnetic field and magnetic pole for the respective years for the respective hemispheres.
