Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
In The Week at State with Spokesperson Tammy Bruce: Secretary Rubio joined President Trump’s meeting with Salvadoran President Bukele and went to Paris for talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The Secretary met with Jordanian and Indonesian officials and also directed the cancellation of $214 million in misguided programs.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Delia Fabro-Miske, 30, of Honolulu, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy. Fabro-Miske pled guilty on January 12, 2024, in the middle of jury selection, to conspiring to conduct and participate in the conduct of the affairs of a racketeering enterprise, the “Miske Enterprise,” through racketeering activity that included bank fraud, obstruction of justice, and wire fraud.
Fabro-Miske admitted that she and codefendant Michael J. Miske committed bank fraud by submitting fraudulent paperwork in order to obtain leases for two vehicles that were used for one of Miske’s businesses. Fabro-Miske also obstructed a joint investigation into another of Miske’s businesses, Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control (“KTPC”), which was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (“HDA”). At Miske’s direction, Fabro-Miske submitted to HDA falsified fumigation logs, which claimed that she was the certified applicator of chemicals on hundreds of jobs. In reality, most of the listed jobs were completed by unlicensed applicators. Fabro-Miske also fraudulently obtained Social Security Administration (“SSA”) survivor benefits at Miske’s direction by having her wages at KTPC decreased below the SSA benefits income threshold. At the same time, Miske paid Fabro-Miske in benefits that were not reported to the SSA or Internal Revenue Service.
Additionally, according to information provided to the Court, in or about 2017, Miske placed Fabro-Miske in charge of his businesses in an attempt to preserve and conceal his assets in anticipation of federal prosecution. In practice, Fabro-Miske carried out Miske’s wishes and acted at his direction. Fabro-Miske assisted in a fraudulent scheme committed through Miske’s businesses, which involved submitting false filings to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs that permitted the businesses to operate under fraudulently obtained and maintained licenses. Miske Enterprise members then falsely represented to customers that Miske’s businesses were properly licensed. Between 2017 and 2020, the businesses generated millions of dollars in income annually. As the head of Miske’s businesses, Fabro-Miske was also responsible for the proper and safe application of pesticides and other chemicals at customers’ homes. Information provided to the Court, however, showed that fumigations were regularly conducted without proper supervision or chemicals. Chief Judge Watson stated that Fabro-Miske’s work at Miske’s businesses “funded any number of crimes that we heard months and months of testimony” about in Miske’s trial, and her assistance “allowed Mr. Miske to run rampant in this community.”
Finally, the Court determined that Fabro-Miske was also responsible for participating in a conspiracy with other Miske Enterprise members to kidnap and murder 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser. According to information provided to the Court, Caleb Miske – Miske’s son and Fabro-Miske’s husband – and Fraser were driving together when the two were involved in a car crash in November 2015. Caleb Miske ultimately passed away from his injuries, and Miske blamed Fraser for his son’s death and enlisted several Miske Enterprise members to assist in his plan to murder Fraser. As part of that plan, Miske directed Fabro-Miske to rekindle her friendship with Fraser and his girlfriend and to lure them into living with her at an apartment paid for by Miske. On July 30, 2016, Fabro-Miske took Fraser’s girlfriend on a “spa day” paid for by Miske, ensuring that Fraser would be isolated when he was kidnapped. Fraser was never seen again after that day. Due to Miske’s death in December 2024, Chief Judge Watson explained that “the person most involved in Mr. Fraser’s demise will not ever be sentenced by this Court.” While Chief Judge Watson found that Fabro-Miske did not “directly and personally kill” Fraser and determined her to be a minimal participant in the kidnapping and murder conspiracy, he noted that there was “no doubt” that her actions led to Fraser’s murder and that the circumstances painted a “strong and clear picture” of a conspiracy to commit kidnapping murder in aid of racketeering.
Fabro-Miske was charged alongside twelve other defendants, all of whom pled guilty except for Miske, who proceeded to trial and was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, 2024. Seven other members and associates of the Miske Enterprise pled guilty to various offenses in related cases.
“Delia Fabro-Miske was an integral member of the Miske Enterprise, which terrorized, exploited, and defrauded our community for decades. She participated in Miske’s bank frauds, social security fraud, falsification of fumigation records, and the concealment of Miske’s illegally obtained assets, and was a vital cog in the plot to murder of Johnathan Fraser. Fabro-Miske’s sentence yesterday demonstrates that those who occupy even the lower rungs of Hawaii’s criminal enterprises will pay a steep price when they face justice in federal court,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “The dismantling of the Miske Enterprise represents one of the most significant law enforcement efforts in the history of Hawaii law enforcement, and it would not have been possible without the tremendous and dedicated work of our partners at the Honolulu Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Environmental Protection Agency, among many others.”
“Ms. Fabro-Miske was a key member in the Miske Enterprise fraud schemes, actively participating in defrauding the government and taxpayers,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “This sentencing reflects years of collaboration between FBI Honolulu and our law enforcement partners. The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantle violent criminal enterprises, hold their members accountable, and pursue justice for victims.”
“Our investigators follow the money because criminal organizations profit at the expense of public safety,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “Ms. Fabro-Miske’s racketeering conviction is a reminder that, in the end, crime really doesn’t pay.”
“The sentencing of Ms. Fabro-Miske underscores HSI’s commitment to disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations in Hawaii,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “HSI will continue to hold accountable those who significantly harm our communities by breaking federal laws. By bringing justice to the Miske Enterprise, HSI sends the message that we will not tolerate any violent activity on our islands.”
“By falsifying documents, defendant obstructed EPA and the state’s criminal investigation of a pesticide applicator that illegally applied restricted use pesticides,” said Benjamin Carr, Special Agent in Charge for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division in Hawaii. “Yesterday’s sentencing reflects the seriousness of defendant’s fraudulent conduct and the importance of complying with pesticide reporting requirements so EPA and Hawaii Department of Agriculture can keep our communities safe.”
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligencedriven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Cybercrime Lab of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii National Guard, 93rd Civil Support Team, the Office of Investigations–Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Inciong, Michael Nammar, KeAupuni Akina, and Aislinn Affinito prosecuted the case.
Source: Reserve Bank of India
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The Reserve Bank issued a draft circular on July 25, 2024 on ‘Basel III Framework on Liquidity Standards – Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) – Review of Haircuts on High Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA) and Run-off Rates on Certain Categories of Deposits’. The draft circular proposed certain amendments to the LCR framework and invited comments from banks and stakeholders. 2. The feedback received has been carefully examined and the final guidelines have been issued by the Reserve Bank today. With the issuance of these guidelines, a bank shall:
3. In addition, the final guidelines also rationalise the composition of wholesale funding from ‘other legal entities’. Consequently, funding from non-financial entities like trusts (educational, charitable and religious), partnerships, LLPs, etc. shall attract a lower run-off rate of 40 per cent as against 100 per cent currently. 4. The Reserve Bank has undertaken an impact analysis of the above measures based on data submitted by banks, as on December 31, 2024. It is estimated that the net impact of these measures will improve the LCR of banks, at the aggregate level, by around 6 percentage points as on that date. Further, all the banks would continue to meet the minimum regulatory LCR requirements comfortably. Reserve Bank is sanguine that these measures will enhance the liquidity resilience of banks in India, and further align the guidelines with the global standards in a non-disruptive manner. 5. To give the banks adequate time to transition their systems to the new standards for LCR computation, the revised instructions shall become applicable w.e.f. April 01, 2026. (Puneet Pancholy) Press Release: 2025-2026/145 |
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TMD Energy Limited (the “Company”) (NYSE American: TMDE), together with its subsidiaries is a Malaysia and Singapore based services provider engaged in integrated bunkering services which involves ship-to-ship transfer of marine fuels, ship management services and vessel chartering services, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering (the “Offering”) of 3,100,000 ordinary shares (“Shares”) at a price to public of US$3.25 per Share for the total gross proceeds of approximately US$10.08 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and other related expenses, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional Shares. The Shares will begin trading on April 21, 2025, U.S. Eastern time, on the NYSE American under the symbol “TMDE”. The Offering is expected to close on April 22, 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Company has granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an aggregate of 465,000 additional Shares to cover over-allotments at the initial public offering price, If the underwriter exercises their option to purchase the additional Shares in full, the total gross proceeds before deducting underwriting discounts and other related expenses from the offering are expected to be approximately US$11.59 million.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for (i) the purchase of cargo oil; (ii) defraying listing expenses; and (iii) working capital and other general corporate purposes.
Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”) is acting as sole book-running manager of the Offering. Loeb & Loeb LLP, is acting as U.S. legal counsel to the Company, and Pryor Cashman LLP is acting as U.S. legal counsel to Maxim for the Offering.
A registration statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-283704) related to the Offering was initially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 10, 2024 and was declared effective by the SEC on March 31, 2025. The Offering is being made only by means of a prospectus forming a part of the effective registration statement. Copies of the prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from Maxim Group, LLC, 300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10022, United States of America or by email at syndicate@maximgrp.com. In addition, a copy of the prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained via the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About TMD Energy Limited
TMD Energy Limited and its subsidiaries (“TMDEL Group”) are principally involved in marine fuel bunkering services specializing in the supply and marketing of marine gas oil and marine fuel oil which includes high sulfur fuel oil, low sulfur fuel oil and very low sulfur fuel oil, to ships and vessels at sea. TMDEL Group is also involved in the provision of ship management services for in-house and external vessels, as well as vessel chartering. As of today, TMDEL Group operates in 19 ports across Malaysia with a fleet of 15 bunkering vessels. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at: www.tmdel.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the Company’s Offering. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the Offering will be successfully completed. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may”, “could”, “will”, “should”, “would”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, “project” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
TMD Energy Limited
Email: corporate@tmdel.com
WFS Investor Relations
Email : services@wealthfsllc.com
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The imbroglio over the reported Russian request to Indonesia to base planes in Papua initially tripped Peter Dutton, and now is dogging Anthony Albanese.
After the respected military site Janes said a request had been made, the Australian government quickly obtained an assurance from the Indonesians there would be no Russian planes based there.
Moreover, the government was able to score a hit on Dutton, who had wrongly named Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto as having said there’d been a Russian approach. Later, Dutton admitted he’d stuffed up.
One might have thought the story would have died as the election caravan moved on. But it continued when it became obvious the government would not say, despite repeated questions, whether it knew a request had in fact been made to the Indonesians.
Then Russia’s ambassador to Indonesia, Sergei Tolchenov, leapt into the fray. Tolchenov wrote a letter to The Jakarta Post, responding to an article by Australian academic Matthew Sussex on The Conversation, which was republished in the Post.
His letter dripping with sarcasm, the ambassador wrote:
It is hard to imagine that any ordinary Australians should be concerned about what is happening 1,300 kilometers from their territory, about matters that concern relations between other sovereign states and have nothing to do with Australia. Perhaps it would be better for them to pay attention to the United States’ Typhon medium-range missile system in the Philippines, which will definitely reach the territory of the continent?
It is clear that the leaders of the two main political parties, replacing each other in power and calling it democracy, are now trying to outdo each other, heating up the situation. They stop at nothing, and the time has come to play the so-called ‘Russian card’. This means to show to overseas mentors who is more anti-Russian and Russophobe. In this regard, I would like to remind them of the words of US President Donald Trump, which he pronounced in the White House on Feb. 28, 2025, to the Ukrainian citizen ‘Z’: ‘You have no cards’.“
Meanwhile, Employment Minister Murray Watt strayed off the government’s script of diplomatic silence when he told Sky on Sunday, “There is no proposal from Russia to have a base anywhere in Indonesia in the way that Peter Dutton and his colleagues have been claiming”.
The questioning intensified.
Late Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles was back on Sky to impose the official blackout over what the government knew of the alleged discussions between Russia and Indonesia.
“What we know about that, and when we knew about it, is obviously not something I’m going to ventilate in the public domain.
“What matters here is that the Indonesians have made it completely clear to us that they have absolutely no intent of having Russian aircraft operating from their nation,” Marles said.
Another instalment of “What the Russians Asked” may come in Tuesday night’s third leaders debate on Nine.
We keep getting lectured in this campaign about various significant issues (such as tax reform) that are being pushed under the carpet. But there’s something else that’s being overlooked: whether our institutions are in need of a big overhaul.
With public trust low, accountability vital but often wanting, and our democracy sometimes resembling a car urgently needing a service, there are plenty of reforms that could be considered.
John Daley (formerly of the Grattan Institute and now an independent consultant) and Rachel Krust, in a report released Monday and titled Institutional reform stocktake, propose a rich agenda for change. The stocktake was sponsored by the Susan McKinnon Foundation, a non-partisan body committed to promoting all aspects of better government.
The report identifies short-term priority reforms as well as ones that would take longer to achieve.
Parliamentarians often claim we’d be better governed with four-year terms. But given that would require a referendum, it is effectively out of reach. So the stocktake advocates a next-best option: fixed three year terms, which could be legislated. Four year terms would be a more distant aim.
The advantage of fixed terms is they’d stop the disruption of months of speculation about the timing (that we saw before the current election). The disadvantage to the party in power is the prime minister can’t choose the day best suiting them.
The Albanese government recently brought in caps for political donations and spending, to take effect in the coming term. Daley and Krust advocate these be revisited. The donation and disclosure caps should be lowered, they argue, and an expert commission should consider the caps on spending (which were criticised by some as limiting small and new players).
Other priority recommendations are to beef up civics education, enhance parliamentary committees, put more structure around the appointment and termination of departmental secretaries, and better resource independent members of parliament, particularly if they hold the balance of power.
One reason institutional reform is important is to achieve better policy outcomes, the report says. “Australian governments are getting worse at delivering policy changes that make a big difference to long-term problems.”
While identifying a prospective advantage for policy, the report puts its finger on why such reform faces resistance.
Institutional reforms have often not progressed in Australia because they would not serve the interests of incumbent parties. Many of the suggested changes would leave members of the government more exposed to questioning, challenge or censure, reduce the advantages of established political parties relative to new entrants, reduce the power of party officials relative to rank-and-file members, or reduce employment opportunities after a political career.
The report says if the election produces a hung parliament this “may widen the window for reform”.
“Crossbenchers usually have strong electoral incentives to prosecute institutional reforms, because they are usually both popular and not supported by incumbent parties.”
But the crossbenchers need to be quick. “This window of opportunity may narrow again. The power of independents to push for institutional change is greatest during negotiations immediately following an election.”
Michelle Grattan 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.
– ref. Election Diary: Albanese government stays mum over whatever Russia may have said to Indonesia – https://theconversation.com/election-diary-albanese-government-stays-mum-over-whatever-russia-may-have-said-to-indonesia-254201
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream; June Callwood Professor of Social Justice; Special Advisor on Indigenous Initiatives, Victoria University, University of Toronto
With the death of Pope Francis, his apology for residential schools in Canada and its impacts needs to be explored nearly three years after it was delivered.
On July 25, 2022, in Maskwacîs, Alta., Pope Francis apologized on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church for its role in the residential school system:
“I am sorry. I ask forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the church and of religious communities co-operated, not least through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools.”
This formal apology, and other statements the Pope made in Canada, came seven years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Final Report. The TRC called for the Pope “to issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.” This was to occur, in Canada, within one year.
It is important to understand circumstances leading to the Pope’s Maskwacîs apology, the reaction at the time and its significance for the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the Catholic Church.
I previous explored these themes as the Pope arrived in Canada. I questioned whether the apology would contribute to healing or deepen the distrust in the church. As a Mohawk faculty member raised in Catholicism, who teaches in the fields of theology and education, and has family members who attended these schools, I seek to revisit this question nearly three year later.
The Pope’s Maskwacîs apology wasn’t the first time a statement was issued by a member of the Catholic Church. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (the Oblates) apologized in 1991 “for the part we played in the cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious imperialism” which “continually threatened the cultural, linguistic, and religious traditions of the Native peoples.”
This was followed by apologies offered by numerous bishops; however, they were inadequate, considering other leaders, such as the Moderator (United Church of Canada) and the Primate (Anglican Church of Canada), delivered the statements on behalf of their denominations respectively in 1986 and 1993, followed by other Protestant denominations.
The importance of who offers an apology cannot be overstated. In 1998, Jane Stewart, the minister of Indian Affairs of Canada, read a Statement of Reconciliation acknowledging the tragedies experienced by students that attended residential school. Indigenous leaders criticized the statement, sensing a lack of ownership or not taking responsibility. It came across as an expression of regret rather than an apology, and was further rejected, as Prime Minister Jean Chrétien didn’t offer it.
In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an apology on behalf of the country. Although met with mixed reviews, the importance of the prime minister providing it cannot be ignored. The same holds true for the Catholic Church.
In July 2022, Pope Francis apologized before thousands of people: survivors, their families, community members and leaders. This was significant, considering the length of time for this to materialize.
Other denominations begin this process much earlier. The pressure on the Catholic Church mounted, particularly given that it was the last mainline church to have its leader apologize and it operated about 60 per cent of the residential schools. To consider how the apology finally arrived, several events need to be understood.
In 2021, reports on potential unmarked burial sites on former residential school grounds in Kamloops, B.C., began to surface. News of these discoveries not only circulated nationally, but globally. Shortly after this, other residential school sites were being investigated for unmarked burial sites.
Read more:
We fact-checked residential school denialists and debunked their ‘mass grave hoax’ theory
Extensive work had already been done around unmarked burial sites: The TRC’s Final Report dedicated a volume on this issue; in 2007, The Working Group on Missing Children and Unmarked Burials was established, whose members comprised national Indigenous organizations, former students, archivists and the federal government; work at the Mohawk Institute was already in progress. Yet, the nation was stunned. Wounds were reopened for many Indigenous people.
From this pain, a great amount of anger was directed towards the Catholic Church.
Church buildings were vandalized or set on fire. As many were in First Nations territories, this created tensions, since there were still community members that were part of the Christian tradition.
This outcry reignited attention towards residential schools and the Church. The Vatican invited a delegation of survivors to meet the Pope in March 2022. This visit provided an opportunity for delegation members to share their stories, however its location is important to consider. The meeting took place at the Vatican, potentially escalating the power imbalance between the Church and First Nation, Inuit and Métis delegates.
Members of the delegation invited the Pope to visit Canada. Martha Grigg, an Inuit Elder and a residential school survivor, spoke about how his visit would be meaningful to former residential school students and their families. Pope Francis offered an apology to the delegates,, committing to travelling to Canada.
Months after the Vatican trip, the Pope came to Canada to deliver a formal apology. Reactions varied from acceptance to outright rejection, while a “wait-and-see” approach was also adopted.
Some expressed how the apology “has helped to open the door for survivors and their families to walk together with the church for a present and future of forgiveness and healing.” Discontent was voiced about certain issues, such as the Doctrine of Discovery, or omitting a commitment to allow access to records.
Some of the impacts of the apology may not be felt instantaneously. It represents hope for a better relationship and a starting point for healing. Without any apology, any measures that the church offered would not gain traction. The lack of a papal apology over many years kept this as the focal point, further damaging the relationship between the Church and many Indigenous people and continuing to erode trust.
Since then, the Catholic Church has undertaken steps to address the harms of the residential schools and contribute to healing process. In 2023, the Vatican released a statement on the Doctrine of Discovery, indicating the Catholic Church was distancing itself from this concept and repudiating it, as it was not part of Church teachings.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Oblates committed to developing a process for the transparent access to records. Barriers to church records prevented access to documents that could help locate family members who never came home.
The bishops pledged to raise $30 million for the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund to support activities dedicated to healing and reconciliation in 2021. The apology energized the campaign, raising half of the funds ahead of the five-year timeline.
In a July 2024 statement, the CCCB said it has “established structures … to support dialogues and foster greater understanding of Indigenous cultural, linguistic and spiritual traditions and values,” and wishes to deepen academic collaborations to understand of the Doctrine of Discovery.
While small advancements in reconciliation activities stemming from Pope Francis’ apology have occurred, the healing journey is long. Distrust is evident as the Church’s sincerity in this process is questioned; however, the apology presents an opportunity to renew relationships and forge new paths together.
The criticisms of how and when it transpired and even what was said will always remain, however the apology was necessary.
It was necessary for many survivors, who felt recognized. It was necessary for the Church to formally acknowledge its responsibility. It was necessary for Pope Francis to offer the apology directly to Indigenous people.
Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo 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.
– ref. ‘I am sorry’ — A reflection on Pope Francis’s apology on residential schools – https://theconversation.com/i-am-sorry-a-reflection-on-pope-franciss-apology-on-residential-schools-250607
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Christine Jamieson, Associate Professor, Theological Studies, Concordia University
Pope Francis has died. In reflecting on his legacy in regard to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada, I am struck by three key moments.
First, his encounter with Indigenous delegates in Rome in April 2022. Second, his pilgrimage of penance to meet Indigenous survivors in Canada in July 2022. Third, his role in the Catholic Church formally repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery in March 2023.
In my view, each moment represented a move toward reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. My focus, for the most part, considers the healing dimension of his visit. At the same time, I understand and acknowledge the limitations of his apology and the deep pain caused because of what was not said.
For example, the late Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, spoke of the apology’s failure to acknowledge the “full role of the church in the residential school system.”
Dene interpreter and survivor, Jessie Sylvestre, asked to translate Pope Francis’s apology during his visit, was critical and hurt that the Pope read his apology rather than speak it from the heart. She also named feeling “almost sick” and angry after seeing the “very patriarchal” sight of many priests and the Pope. The absence of women in visible leadership roles was noted as disturbing by other Indigenous women also.
Still, for many Indigenous survivors, Pope Francis’s apology was deeply meaningful and I wish to explore that phenomenon here.
My academic research often delves into Indigenous spiritualities and Christian ethics. I am a co-investigator for a research project examining the life and work of Canadian Catholic (Jesuit) theologian, Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984), through the lens of his connection to the Indian Residential School System.
I am particularly interested in why some survivors of Residential Schools in Canada are (and remain) Christian in the face of the horrendous treatment they endured at the hands of Christian churches’ representatives.
When Pope Francis visited in late July of 2022, he consciously and intentionally began a journey into the complex and disturbing relationship between the Catholic Church and Indigenous Peoples.
In commenting on the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), many people are critical of a tendency to jump too quickly over truth.
For perpetrators or those navigating moral responsibility for historic injustices and wrongs, it is much easier to avoid understanding what truly happened and rush to be reconciled. The long delay in the Pope coming to Canada and apologizing to Indigenous survivors after the TRC’s clear call for this in Call to Action No. 58 speaks to feet dragging with regard to the Catholic Church as an institution.
Yet, it is possible to say that by Pope Francis’s deeds and words he consciously and intentionally demonstrated he wanted to face the truth.
His naming of genocide to describe what took place during residential schools, in response to a question from Brittnay Hobson, a journalist who is a member of Long Plain First Nation, revealed his desire to speak truth.
During his visit, he listened to what he named in his Maskwacis apology as traumas and bitter memories. He named the importance of “mak[ing] space for memory,” and of “recall[ing] the past.”
He acknowledged that his presence and his apology could trigger survivors but he understood why it was vitally important for many survivors to witness his apology. Many dared to share their burden with him despite the pain that was evoked.
Anishinaabe and Ukrainian writer Patty Krawec, from Lac Seul First Nation, uses the term “unforgetting” by which she means “excavating truth and bringing it to the surface.”
Such “unforgetting” was stirred up by Pope Francis’s presence and his words. For some, it was either consciously or intuitively an important step toward healing and reconciliation.
Pope Francis, both because he represented the Catholic Church and because of who he is as a person, played a role in excavating deep memories and consoling the pain of “heavy burdens.”
He acknowledged the horrors of what Ojibwe author Richard Wagamese described as “an institution that tried to scrape the Indian off of their insides.” In Maskwacis, Pope Francis thanked Indigenous survivors for telling him “about the heavy burdens that you still bear, for sharing with me these bitter memories,” noting that even though costly, “it is right to remember, because forgetfulness leads to indifference.”
In his book, Method in Theology, Lonergan speaks about different “carriers of meaning.” One such carrier was what he termed “incarnate meaning,” the “meaning of a person, of their way of life, of their words or of their deeds.”
I believe that Pope Francis’ “incarnate meaning” was his most significant legacy in terms of what his visit meant for reconciliation. Certainly, he understood and acknowledged that words are not enough, “firm action and irreversible commitment” are required.
In the article “The Papal Apology and Seeds of an Action Plan,” Don Bolen, Archbishop of Regina, spells out four areas that witness to where action is taking place: truth telling (in the form of research and archival work), solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, supporting recovery of “Indigenous language and culture” and recognizing the intrinsic value of Indigenous Peoples’ “relationship with the land and environment.”
Yet, in a soon-to-be published paper (titled Spiritual Violence against Indigenous Peoples in Canada: Ethical Guidelines and Calls to Healing), with colleagues, I describe the ongoing “spiritual violence” against Indigenous traditions by Christian churches.
As I wrote in 2021, the TRC’s Call to Action No. 60 clearly identifies the spiritual violence that continues to be committed by non-Indigenous Christians.
This violence is done when there is an absence of respect for Indigenous spirituality in its own right. It is also done when there is ignorance about the legitimacy and richness of Indigenous Christianity, of the gospel expressed through the lens of Indigenous cultures. This lack of recognition was also displayed during the celebration of the masses during Pope Francis’s visit.
Pope Francis understood the privilege of encounter with the beauty of Indigenous Peoples’ traditions as he so clearly stated in his encyclical letter, Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home.
In that letter, he recognizes the deeply rooted values of Indigenous Peoples in relationship with land (which includes water, vegetation, animals — all that lives on and because of the land).
Several times during his visit to Canada, Pope Francis spoke of that special relationship, a relationship that is so foreign to a western perspective which tends to view land merely as a commodity and not as a living being with which one is in relationship.
Bolen recollects how Ted Quewezance of Keeseekoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, a survivor he has the privilege of working with, frequently said “that each survivor will need to make their own decision whether to accept or not to accept the papal apology, and that every survivor is on their own healing journey.” This was clear throughout Pope Francis’s visit and the several times he spoke an apology and sought forgiveness.
As was witnessed in many encounters — Maskwacis, Edmonton, Québec and Iqaluit — perhaps Pope Francis’s most important legacy for truth and reconciliation in Canada is his willingness and humility to acknowledge the suffering, to be present to those who suffer, and in face of that suffering to have the audacity to say, “What are you going through?”
Christine Jamieson 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.
– ref. Pope Francis showed in deeds and words he wanted to face the truth in Canada – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-showed-in-deeds-and-words-he-wanted-to-face-the-truth-in-canada-250746
Source: Reserve Bank of India
RBI/2025-26/26
DOR.MCS.REC.17/01.01.003/2025-26
April 21, 2025
All Commercial Banks
All Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks
All State Co-operative Banks and District Central Co-operative Banks
Madam/ Dear Sir,
Opening of and operation in deposit accounts of minors
Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines in the past to banks on opening of and operations in the deposit accounts of minors. A review of the existing guidelines has been made with a view to rationalise and harmonise the extant guidelines.
2. Based on the review, the revised instructions on opening and operation in the deposit accounts of minors are given below:
Minors of any age may be allowed to open and operate savings and term deposit accounts through his/ her natural or legal guardian. They may also be allowed to open such accounts with mother as guardian in terms of RBI’s Circular DBOD.Leg.BC.158/C.90(H)-76 dated December 29, 1976.
Minors above such an age limit not less than 10 years and up to such amount and such terms as may be fixed by the banks keeping in view their risk management policy, may be allowed to open and operate savings/ term deposit accounts independently, if they so desire, and such terms shall be duly conveyed to the account holder.
On attaining the age of majority, fresh operating instructions and specimen signature of the account holder shall be obtained and kept on record. Moreover, if the account is operated by the guardian, the balance shall be got confirmed. The banks shall take advance action, including communicating these requirements to minor account holders attaining the age of majority, to ensure fulfilment of these requirements.
The banks are free to offer additional banking facilities like internet banking, ATM/ debit cards, cheque book facility, etc., to the minor account holders basis their risk management policy, product suitability and customer appropriateness.
The banks shall ensure that accounts of minors, whether operated independently or through a guardian, are not allowed to be overdrawn and that these always remain in credit balance.
The banks shall perform customer due diligence for opening of deposit accounts of minors and undertake ongoing due diligence, as per the provisions of Master Direction on Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016 dated February 25, 2016, as amended from time to time.
3. The above guidelines are issued under sections 35A and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Banks are advised to make new and/ or amend existing policies to align them with these guidelines, latest by July 01, 2025. In the meanwhile, existing policies may continue.
4. The circulars tabulated in the Annex shall stand repealed from the effective date of this circular.
Yours faithfully
(Veena Srivastava)
Chief General Manager
List of guidelines issued on minor deposit accounts
| Sl. No. | Circular | Date | Title of the circular |
| 1 | RPCD.No.RF.DIR.BC.32/D.1-85 | January 08, 1985 | Opening of Bank Account in the Name of Minor with Mother as Guardian |
| 2 | UBD.(DC)1148/V.1-84/85 | February 22, 1985 | Opening of a Bank Account in the Name of Minor with Mother as Guardian |
| 3 | DBOD.No.Leg.BC.19/C.90(H)-89 | September 08, 1989 | Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names of Minors with Mothers as Guardians |
| 4 | DBOD.No.Leg.BC.28/C.90(H)-89 | October 06, 1989 | Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names of Minors with Mothers as Guardians |
| 5 | UBD.DC.1/V.1-89/90 | January 02, 1990 | Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names of Minors with Mothers as Guardians |
| 6 | DBOD.No.Leg.BC.108/09.07.005/2013-14 | May 06, 2014 | Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names of Minors |
| 7 | UBD.BPD.(PCB).Cir.No.61/13.01.000/2013-14 | May 12, 2014 | Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names of Minors |
| 8 | RPCD.CO.RRB.BC.No.100/03.05.33/2013-14 | May 12, 2014 | Paragraph 4.10 (Opening accounts in the name of minors with Mothers as guardians) of Annex to the circular on ‘Customer Service in Regional Rural Banks’ |
| 9 | RPCD.CO.RRB.BC.No.104/03.05.33/2013-14 | May 27, 2014 | Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names of Minors |
| 10 | RPCD.CO.RCB.BC.No.29/07.51.010/2014-15 | September 09, 2014 | Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names of Minors |
December 29, 1976
All Commercial Banks
Dear Sirs,
Opening of Bank Accounts in the Names
of Minors with Mothers as Guardians
It has been brought to our notice that considerable difficulty is being experienced by women customers in opening bank accounts in the names of minors, with mothers as their guardians. Presumably, the banks are reluctant to accept the mother as a guardian of a minor, while father is alive in view of section 6 of the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956, which stipulates that the father alone should be deemed to be the guardian in such case. To overcome this legal difficulty and to enable the banks to open freely such accounts in the name of minors under the guardianship of their mothers, it has been suggested in some quarters that the above provisions should be suitably amended. While it is true that an amendment of the above Act may overcome the difficulty in the case of Hindus, it will not solve the problem for other communities as minors belonging to Muslim, Christian, Parsi Communities would still be left out unless the laws governing these communities are also likewise amended.
2. The legal and practical aspects of the above problem were, therefore, examined by us in consultation with the Government of India and we are advised that if the idea underlining the demand for allowing mothers to be treated as guardians relates only to the opening of fixed and savings bank accounts, there would seem to be no difficulty in meeting the requirements as, notwithstanding the legal provisions, such accounts could be opened by banks provided they take adequate safeguards in allowing operations in the accounts by ensuring that the minors’ accounts opened with mothers as guardians are not allowed to be overdrawn and that they always remain in credit. In this way, the minors’ capacity to enter into contract would not be a subject matter of dispute. If this precaution is taken, the banks’ interests would be adequately protected. We shall therefore, be glad if you will kindly apprise all your branches of the position as stated above and instruct them to allow minors’ accounts (fixed and savings only) with mothers as guardians to be opened, whenever such requests are received by them, subject to the safeguards mentioned above.
Yours faithfully,
P.R. Kulkarni
Dy. Chief Officer
Source: The White House
Here is a non-comprehensive list of wins in week 13:
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
ACHESON, Alberta, April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — North American Construction Group Ltd. (“NACG” or “the Company”) (TSX:NOA.TO/NYSE:NOA) announced today that it will release its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 after markets close. Following the release of its financial results, NACG will hold a conference call and webcast on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 7:00 a.m. Mountain Time (9:00 a.m. Eastern Time).
The call can be accessed by dialing:
Toll free: 1-800-717-1738
Conference ID: 42703
A replay will be available through June 12, 2025, by dialing:
Toll Free: 1-888-660-6264
Conference ID: 42703
Playback Passcode: 42703
A slide deck for the webcast will be available for download the evening prior to the call and will be found on the company’s website at www.nacg.ca/presentations/
The live presentation and webcast can be accessed at: North American Construction Group Ltd. First Quarter Results Conference Call and Webcast Registration
A replay will be available until June 12, 2025, using the link provided.
About the Company
North American Construction Group Ltd. is a premier provider of heavy civil construction and mining services in Australia, Canada, and the U.S. For over 70 years, NACG has provided services to the mining, resource and infrastructure construction markets.
For further information, please contact:
Jason Veenstra, CPA, CA
Chief Financial Officer
North American Construction Group Ltd.
Phone: (780) 960-7171
Email: ir@nacg.ca
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
CUPERTINO, Calif., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX), a diversified global renewable natural gas and biofuels company, announced the Company’s subsidiary in India, Universal Biofuels, received multiple orders for an aggregate of $31 million for the delivery during May, June and July of more than 33,000 kiloliters of biodiesel to the three government-owned Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
Additional OMC orders are expected throughout the year in order to continue shipments to fuel blending terminals on an ongoing basis to support the India government goal of increasing from a 1% to 5% biodiesel blend.
”Universal Biofuels and other biodiesel producers look forward to continuous support from the government of India to ensure that climate issues are addressed, while ensuring a healthy biodiesel industry,” stated Sanjeev Duggal, CEO of Universal Biofuels.
“We are pleased with the progress being made in India in support of the 5% biodiesel blending target of more than 1.2 billion gallons per year,” stated Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO of Aemetis. “The OMCs did not take deliveries during this past winter and instead decided to issue new orders for biodiesel with deliveries from May to July. Our Universal Biofuels subsidiary has successfully completed deliveries under contracts with the OMCs for the past several years, highlighting our track record for producing and timely delivering high quality renewable fuels at our India plant.”
Recently, India achieved a 20% ethanol blend into gasoline and the government stated a new 30% blend target for ethanol, enabling further growth in ethanol production and expanding revenues for farmers while reducing the importation of petroleum gasoline into India.
Universal Biofuels significantly expanded the production capacity of the Kakinada biodiesel plant to 80 million gallons per year during a recent plant upgrade and maintenance cycle, including expansion of its proprietary process that produces biodiesel from waste and byproducts that Universal utilizes to produce biofuels that are lower carbon intensity at a significantly reduced cost.
Aemetis’ Universal Biofuels subsidiary is one of the largest biodiesel producers in India, having been in operation for more than 17 years. Universal Biofuels increased annual biodiesel capacity from 50 million gallons to 80 million gallons last year, with further biodiesel expansion to other locations and diversification into biogas production planned for 2025. To support further growth, Universal Biofuels is preparing for an IPO in India which is expected to be completed in late 2025, subject to continued favorable stock market conditions.
Universal Biofuels completed $112 million of biodiesel and glycerine shipments in the twelve months ended September 2024, including deliveries to the three government-owned oil marketing companies under a cost-plus contract. Shipments of biodiesel to OMC’s are expected to begin in early May under the next round of biodiesel contracts.
About Aemetis
Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Aemetis is a renewable natural gas and renewable fuel company focused on the operation, acquisition, development, and commercialization of innovative technologies that replace petroleum products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Founded in 2006, Aemetis is operating and actively expanding a California biogas digester network and pipeline system to convert dairy waste gas into Renewable Natural Gas. Aemetis owns and operates a 65 million gallon per year ethanol production facility in California’s Central Valley near Modesto that supplies about 80 dairies with animal feed. Aemetis owns and operates an 80 million gallon per year production facility on the East Coast of India producing high quality distilled biodiesel and refined glycerin. Aemetis is developing a sustainable aviation fuel plant and a CO2 sequestration project in California. For additional information about Aemetis, please visit www.aemetis.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding assumptions, projections, expectations, targets, intentions or beliefs about future events or other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, projections of financial results; statements related to the development, engineering, financing, construction and operation of the Aemetis biodiesel and other biofuel facilities; our ability to promote, develop, finance, and construct facilities to produce biodiesel, renewable fuels, and biochemicals; and statements about future market prices and results of government actions. Words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “showing signs,” “targets,” “view,” “will likely result,” “will continue” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions and predictions and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results or events could differ materially from those set forth or implied by such forward-looking statements and related assumptions due to certain factors, including, without limitation, competition in the ethanol, biodiesel and other industries in which we operate, commodity market risks including those that may result from current weather conditions, financial market risks, customer adoption, counter-party risks, risks associated with changes to federal policy or regulation, and other risks detailed in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, and in our other filings with the SEC. We are not obligated, and do not intend, to update any of these forward-looking statements at any time unless an update is required by applicable securities laws.
Company Investor Relations
Media Contact:
Todd Waltz
(408) 213-0940
investors@aemetis.com
External Investor Relations
Contact:
Kirin Smith
PCG Advisory Group
(646) 863-6519
ksmith@pcgadvisory.com
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
CULVER CITY, Calif., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Snail, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNAL) (“Snail Games” or the “Company”), a leading global independent developer and publisher of interactive digital entertainment, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Interactive Films LLC (“Interactive Films”), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mega Matrix Inc. (NYSE American: MPU). Under this MOU, both parties will leverage their respective strengths to establish a comprehensive collaboration framework for the joint development, production, and global distribution of short dramas, further enhancing their presence in the entertainment industry.
Mr. Hai Shi, Chairman and Co-CEO of Snail Games, commented, “Today’s announcement represents a strategic step forward in advancing Interactive Films’ short-drama business line and expanding our growing portfolio of original short dramas alongside MPU. According to WiseGuyReports1, the global mini program short drama market is expected to grow at a strong 20.81% CAGR to $25.68 billion by 2032. North America particularly is a key market for short-form content driven by the rapid adoption of streaming services and the growing presence of major industry players. This accelerated momentum and rising global appetite for short dramas presents a compelling opportunity for us to further diversify our content portfolio, deepen production capabilities, and capitalize on our unique strengths in artificial intelligence and immersive storytelling. With a shared vision, both parties look forward to leveraging its respective platforms and proprietary apps to deliver a slate of innovative short films to audiences worldwide.”
Mr. Yucheng Hu, CEO of MPU, also commented, “This partnership marks an important step for MPU as we expand our content portfolio and strengthen our presence in the global short-drama industry. Short dramas are seeing increasing popularity, with audience demand for binge-worthy, serialized content on the rise. With Snail Games’ expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive storytelling, combined with MPU’s established production and distribution capabilities, we believe this collaboration has the potential to deliver compelling content that resonates with global audiences.”
Under the MOU, Interactive Films and MPU will collaborate on the creative direction and script development of short dramas, jointly overseeing production progress and budgeting. The content will be distributed globally through both companies’ platforms. Leveraging its experienced in-house team and extensive expertise in short-drama production, MPU will oversee outsourced production and post-production of the short drama to ensure high-quality content. Additionally, Snail Games’ expertise in AI and interactive technologies, honed through game development, may be integrated into personalized recommendations and interactive storytelling, delivering a next-generation immersive viewing experience for audiences.
Over the next 12 months (unless the MOU is earlier terminated upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party), Interactive Films and MPU have committed to co-developing at least 10 short dramas. By utilizing their well-established international distribution channels in gaming and micro-drama markets, the Company believes these productions will quickly reach audiences across North America, Southeast Asia, and other global regions, further amplifying both companies’ influence in the global entertainment sector.
This strategic partnership marks a further expansion of Snail Games’ short drama business and represents a significant milestone in MPU’s expansion within the entertainment industry. Through this collaboration, both companies can combine their strengths in content creation and technology, while leveraging MPU’s global distribution network to accelerate the global rollout of the short dramas. This collaboration is expected to accelerate Interactive Films’ business and short film portfolios while providing audiences with a diverse selection of high-quality short dramas.
1https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/mini-program-short-drama-market
About Mega Matrix Inc.
Mega Matrix Inc. (NYSE American: MPU) is a holding company and operates FlexTV, a short-video streaming platform and producer of short dramas, through its subsidiary, Yuder Pte, Ltd. Mega Matrix Inc. is a Cayman Island corporation headquartered in Singapore. For more information, please contact info@megamatrix.io or visit: http://www.megamatrix.io.
About Snail Games
Snail Games (Nasdaq: SNAL), is a leading, global independent developer and publisher of interactive digital entertainment for consumers around the world, with a premier portfolio of premium games designed for use on a variety of platforms, including consoles, PCs and mobile devices. For more information, please visit: https://snail.com/
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “may,” “predict,” “continue,” “estimate” and “potential,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this press release and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the respective strengths of Snail and MPU to establish a comprehensive collaboration framework for the joint development, production, and global distribution of short dramas; however, the MOU is not fully binding on either party and may be terminated upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed by the Company with the SEC on March 26, 2025 and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC, including the Company’s Forms 10-Q filed with the SEC. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Contacts:
Investors:
John Yi and Steven Shinmachi
Gateway Group, Inc.
949-574-3860
SNAL@gateway-grp.com
Press:
press@snailgamesusa.com
Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
Nguyen Thi Hai Anh, a second-year master’s student at the Institute of Marketing of the National University of Management, took part in the celebration of the World Youth Festival (WYF) birthday.
The event featured a presentation of the VFM Meeting, which will be held in September in Nizhny Novgorod on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and also saw the official start of registration for participation.
Let us recall that Nguyen Thi Hai Anh met with Vladimir Putin in March last year.
“The World Youth Festival has become an important impetus for the development of international youth cooperation. By 2030, international events in our country will unite more than 38 thousand young people from all over the world within the framework of the federal project “Russia in the World” of the national project “Youth and Children”, launched on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin. We have planned WFY rallies and forums, as well as regular holding of the Festival itself. Today, the Russian experience of youth policy is of interest abroad, and we are ready to share this experience, strengthening Russia’s position as a leader in this important area,” said the head of Rosmolodezh, associate professor of the Department of Public and Municipal Administration of the State University of Management Grigory Gurov.
More than 100 representatives from 35 countries of the world, who participated in the festival itself, which took place a year ago in Sirius, were invited to celebrate the first anniversary of the VFM. Together with a representative of the Embassy of Vietnam, a student of the State University of Management Nguyen Thi Hai Anh presented a gift to the VFM museum and gave an interview to the TV channel Moscow 24.
According to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the WFM will be held in Russia regularly – once every six years. In between festivals, international thematic gatherings for two thousand participants from Russia and abroad will be held under the auspices of the WFM. The first gathering will be held in September 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod. Festival events of various formats will be held in Russia annually.
The World Youth Festival will take place from September 17 to 21 and will bring together 2,000 young people – a thousand from Russia and the same number from foreign countries, including 200 children. 200 volunteers from all over the country will help organize this event.
You can already apply to participate in the VFM Rally and become part of the international youth community today. Registration for participants will last until July 20, 2025. Those wishing to join the volunteer corps can apply until June 16, 2025 on the Dobro.rf platform.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
With the support of Rosneft, the continental championships of Asia and Oceania in sambo were held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) from April 14 to 20. The competitions included the Asian and Oceania Championship in sambo, the Youth Championship in sambo, and the Championship in sambo among masters.
Athletes from 21 national federations took part in the Asian and Oceanian Sambo Championship. Competitions among men, women, blind and visually impaired athletes were held in 38 weight categories. According to the results of the tournament, the winner of the medal count was the team of Uzbekistan, second place went to the team of Kazakhstan, and third to the Philippines.
Rosneft pays great attention to the development and support of mass and professional sports. The company builds multifunctional sports complexes and sites, ice arenas, holds mass sports events in various disciplines for children and adults. Since 2013, Rosneft has been the general sponsor of the International Sambo Federation. During this time, dozens of outstanding tournaments have been held with the support of the Company.
Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft April 21, 2025
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 2:57PM by PIB Delhi
Highlights of Telecom Subscription Data as on 31st January, 2025
|
Particulars |
Wireless |
Wireline |
Total (Wireless+ Wireline) |
|
Broadband Subscribers (Million) |
904.02* |
41.15 |
945.16 |
|
Urban Telephone Subscribers (Million) |
631.60* |
32.24$ |
663.83 |
|
Net Addition in January, 2025 (Million) |
5.17 |
-4.06 |
1.11 |
|
Monthly Growth Rate |
0.82% |
-11.18% |
0.17% |
|
Rural Telephone Subscribers (Million) |
525.41* |
2.79$ |
528.20 |
|
Net Addition in January, 2025 (Million) |
1.18 |
-0.18 |
0.99 |
|
Monthly Growth Rate |
0.23% |
-6.21% |
0.19% |
|
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) |
1157.00* |
35.03$ |
1192.03 |
|
Net Addition in January, 2025 (Million) |
6.35 |
-4.24 |
2.10 |
|
Monthly Growth Rate |
0.55% |
-10.80%$ |
0.18% |
|
Overall Tele-density@(%) |
82.06% |
2.48% |
84.54% |
|
Urban Tele-density@(%) |
125.02% |
6.38% |
131.40% |
|
Rural Tele-density@(%) |
58.07% |
0.31% |
58.38% |
|
Share of Urban Subscribers |
54.59% |
92.03% |
55.69% |
|
Share of Rural Subscribers |
45.41% |
7.97% |
44.31% |
Note:
Segment–wise Broadband Subscribers and Monthly Growth Rate in the month of January, 2025
|
Segment |
Subscription |
Subscribers (in million) |
% Change |
|
|
Dec-24 |
Jan-25 |
|||
|
Wired subscribers |
Fixed (wired) Broadband (DSL, FTTx, Ethernet/LAN, Cable Modem, ILL) |
41.19 |
41.15 |
-0.09%* |
|
Wireless Subscribers |
Fixed Wireless Broadband (FWA-5G, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Radio, Satellite) |
5.21 |
4.98 |
-4.39% |
|
Mobile Broadband (Handset/Dongle based) |
898.57 |
899.04 |
0.05% |
|
|
Total Broadband Subscribers |
944.96 |
945.16* |
0.04% |
|
* This report is prepared considering the last reported (Nov’2024) internet subscription data submitted by M/s Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd. and M/s Bharti Airtel Ltd., as they did not submit the requisite data in the prescribed format for Dec-2024 & Jan-2025.
As on 31st January 2025, top five Broadband
(Wired + Wireless) Service providers
|
Name of the Service Provider |
Subscriber base (In million) |
|
|
|
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd |
476.58* |
|
|
Bharti Airtel Ltd. |
289.31* |
|
|
Vodafone Idea Ltd. |
126.41 |
|
|
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. |
35.77 |
|
|
Atria Convergence Technologies Limited |
2.28 |
|
Market Share of Top Five Broadband (Wired+Wireless) |
98.43% |
|
*As per reported data of Nov-24
Service Provider-wise Market Share of Broadband
(wired + wireless) Services as on 31st January, 2025
As on 31st January, 2025, Top Five Fixed (Wired) Broadband Service providers
|
S.N. |
Name of the Service Provider |
Subscriber base (In million) |
|
|
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd |
11.48* |
|
|
Bharti Airtel Ltd |
8.55* |
|
|
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd |
4.26 |
|
|
Atria Convergence Technologies Limited |
2.28 |
|
|
Kerala Vision Broadband Ltd |
1.28 |
|
Market Share of Top Five Fixed (Wired) Broadband Service Providers |
67.67% |
|
*As per reported data of Nov-24
As on 31st January, 2025, top five Wireless (Fixed wireless & mobile) Broadband Service providers
|
S.N. |
Name of the Service Provider |
Subscriber base (In million) |
|
|
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd |
465.10* |
|
|
Bharti Airtel Ltd |
280.76* |
|
|
Vodafone Idea Ltd |
126.41 |
|
|
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd |
31.52 |
|
|
Intech Online Pvt. Ltd |
0.09 |
|
Market Share of Top Five Wireless Broadband Service Providers |
99.98% |
|
*As per reported data of Nov-24
Access Service Provider-wise Market Share of wireline Subscribers
as on 31st January, 2025
Access Service Provider-wise Net Addition/Decline in wireline Subscribers during the month of January, 2025
(A) Wireless (Mobile) subscriber
• As on 31st January 2025, the private access service providers held 91.96% market share of the wireless (Mobile) subscribers, whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, had a market share of only 8.04%.
Access Service Provider-wise Market Shares in term of Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers as on 31st January, 2025
Net Addition/ Decline in Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers of Access Service Providers in the month of January 2025
Growth in Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers
Major Access Service Provider-wise Monthly Growth/ Decline Rate of Wireless Subscribers in the month of January, 2025
Service Area-wise Monthly Growth/ Decline Rate of Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers in the month of January 2025
(B) Wireless (5G FWA) subscribers
Number of M2M cellular mobile connections increased from 59.09 million at the end of December-24 to 63.09 million at the end of January-25.
Bharti Airtel Limited has the highest number of M2M cellular mobile connections 33.04 million with a market share of 52.37% followed by Vodafone idea Limited, Reliance Jio Infocom Limited and BSNL with market share of 25.07%, 17.40% and 5.16% respectively.
Overall Tele-density (LSA Wise) – As on 31st January, 2025
Notes: –
Circle Category-wise Net Additions in Telephone Subscribers in the month January, 2025
|
Circle Category |
Net additions in the month of January, 2025 |
Telephone Subscriber base as on 31st January, 2025 |
||
|
Wireline segment |
Wireless* segment |
Wireline segment |
Wireless* segment |
|
|
Circle A |
-1540337 |
1906719 |
13539282 |
385483296 |
|
Circle B |
-1654918 |
2568517 |
9512781 |
468875300 |
|
Circle C |
-654284 |
1250544 |
2744860 |
189962742 |
|
Metro |
-391829 |
619569 |
9229730 |
112680644 |
|
All India |
-4241368 |
6345349 |
35026653 |
1157001982 |
*Wireless includes 5G FWA subscription also
Circle Category-wise monthly and yearly Growth Rates in Telephone Subscribers in the month of January, 2025
|
Circle Category |
Monthly growth rate (%) (December-24 to January-25) |
Yearly growth rate (%) (January-24 to January-25) |
||
|
Wireline Segment |
Wireless* Segment |
Wireline Segment |
Wireless* Segment |
|
|
Circle A |
-10.21% |
0.50% |
6.59% |
-0.54% |
|
Circle B |
-14.82% |
0.55% |
11.42% |
-0.56% |
|
Circle C |
-19.25% |
0.66% |
11.64% |
1.46% |
|
Metro |
-4.07% |
0.55% |
4.39% |
-1.49% |
|
All India |
-10.80% |
0.55% |
7.64% |
-0.32% |
*Wireless includes 5G FWA subscription also
Note: Circle Category-Metro includes Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Data for Chennai has been included in Circle Category-A, as part of TamilNadu.
|
Access Service Provider-wise Percentage of VLR Subscribers
in the month of January, 2025
Service Area wise percentage of VLR Subscribers
in the month of January, 2025
|
Service Area Wise MNP Status |
|||||
|
Zone-I |
Zone–II |
||||
|
Service Area |
Number of Porting Requests (in Million) |
Service Area |
Number of Porting Requests (in Million) |
||
|
Dec-24 |
Jan-25 |
Dec-24 |
Jan-25 |
||
|
Delhi |
51.42 |
52.09 |
Andhra Pradesh |
70.86 |
71.50 |
|
Gujarat |
73.42 |
74.40 |
Assam |
7.89 |
7.99 |
|
Haryana |
33.99 |
34.41 |
Bihar |
61.90 |
62.94 |
|
Himachal Pradesh |
4.55 |
4.60 |
Karnataka |
71.94 |
72.50 |
|
Jammu & Kashmir |
3.03 |
3.11 |
Kerala |
25.65 |
25.90 |
|
Maharashtra |
87.99 |
89.08 |
Kolkata |
19.63 |
19.83 |
|
Mumbai |
35.43 |
35.73 |
Madhya Pradesh |
84.71 |
86.03 |
|
Punjab |
35.34 |
35.69 |
North East |
2.48 |
2.50 |
|
Rajasthan |
72.50 |
73.24 |
Odisha |
18.87 |
19.07 |
|
U.P.(East) |
106.35 |
108.37 |
Tamil Nadu |
67.56 |
68.14 |
|
U.P.(West) |
79.94 |
81.41 |
West Bengal |
63.74 |
64.82 |
|
Total |
583.96 |
592.12 |
Total |
495.23 |
501.21 |
|
Total (Zone-I + Zone-II) |
|
1,079.19 |
1,093.33 |
||
|
Net Addition (January, 2025) |
14.14 million |
||||
Contact details in case of any clarification: –
|
Shri Vijay Kumar, Advisor (F&EA), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India World Trade Centre, Tower-F, Nauroji Nagar, New Delhi – 110029 Ph: 011-20907773 (Atul Kumar Chaudhary) E-mail: advfea1@trai.gov.in Secretary, TRAI |
Note: BSNL has revised the no. of rural subscribers from 29,300,726 to 29,946,250 for the month of December, 2024
Note: Peak VLR figures in some circles of some of the service providers are more than their HLR figures due to a large number of inroamers.
Annexure IV
VLR Subscribers in the Wireless Segment
Home Location Register (HLR) is a central database that contains details of each mobile phone subscriber that is authorized to use the GSM core network. The HLRs store details of every SIM card issued by the service provider. Each SIM has a unique identifier called an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is the primary key to each HLR record. The HLR data is stored for as long as a subscriber remains with the service provider. HLR also manages the mobility of subscribers by means of updating their position in administrative areas. It sends the subscriber data to a Visitor Location Register (VLR).
Subscriber numbers reported by the service providers is the difference between the numbers of IMSI registered in service provider’s HLR and sum of other figures as given below: –
|
1 |
Total IMSI’s in HLR (A) |
|
2 |
Less: (B = a + b + c + d + e) |
|
a. |
Test/Service Cards |
|
b. |
Employees |
|
c. |
Stock in hand/in Distribution Channels (Active Card) |
|
d. |
Subscriber Retention period expired |
|
e. |
Service suspended pending disconnection |
|
3 |
Subscribers Base (A-B) |
Visitor Location Register (VLR) is a temporary database of the subscribers who have roamed into the particular area, which it serves. Each base station in the network is served by exactly one VLR; hence a subscriber cannot be present in more than one VLR at a time.
If subscriber is in active stage i.e. he is able to send/receive calls/SMSs he is available both in HLR and VLR. However, it may be possible that the subscriber is registered in HLR but not in VLR due to the reason that he is either switched-off or moved out of coverage area, not reachable etc. In such circumstances he will be available in HLR but not in VLR. This causes difference between subscriber number reported by the service providers based on HLR and numbers available in VLR.
The VLR subscriber data calculated here is based on active subscribers in VLR on the date of Peak subscriber number in VLR of the particular month for which the data is being collected. This data is to be taken from the switches having the purge time of not more than 72 hours.
**********
Samrat
(Release ID: 2123143) Visitor Counter : 70
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 2:48PM by PIB Delhi
A: BharatNet is an ambitious project of the Government of India aimed at providing broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country. It is one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world.
A: The primary objective is to provide unrestricted access to broadband connectivity to all the telecom service providers. This enables access providers like mobile operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cable TV operators, and content providers to launch various services such as e-health, e-education, and e-governance in rural and remote India. It aims to empower rural India, foster inclusive growth, and bridge the gap between urban and rural communities.
A: The project initially aimed to connect approximately 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across the country.
A: The Telecom Commission approved the implementation of the project in three phases on 30.04.2016:
A: Approved in August 2023, the ABP is a design improvement aiming for Optical Fibre (OF) connectivity to 2.64 lakh GPs in ring topology (a network design where connected devices form a circular data channel) and OF connectivity to the remaining non-GP villages on demand. It includes features like IP-MPLS (Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network with routers at Blocks and GPs, operation and maintenance for 10 years, power backup, and Remote Fibre Monitoring System (RFMS). The cost allocated is Rs. 1,39,579 crores.
A: Several other initiatives complement BharatNet, including:
A: BharatNet is primarily funded through the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), which is a fund that replaced the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The total funding for BharatNet (Phase-I and Phase-II) approved by the Cabinet is Rs 42,068 crores (exclusive of GST, Octroi, and local taxes). As of 31.12.2023, a total of Rs. 39,825 crores have been disbursed under the BharatNet Project since its inception.
A: The project is being executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) namely Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), which was incorporated on 25.02.2012 under the Indian Companies Act 1956. Under the Amended BharatNet Program, BSNL is appointed as the single Project Management Agency (PMA) for Operation & Maintenance of the entire network.
A:
A: The network is utilised through leasing bandwidth and dark fibre, Wi-Fi to access broadband or internet services in public places, and Fibre to the Home (FTTH). Last Mile Connectivity (LMC) is provided through Wi-Fi in public places or other suitable broadband technologies, including FTTH at Government institutions such as schools, hospitals, post offices, etc.
A: BharatNet has had a transformative impact on rural India, contributing to socioeconomic development in multiple ways:
A: CSC (Common Services Centre) e-Governance Services India Limited (CSC-SPV) was assigned to provide the last mile connectivity in GPs through Wi-Fi Access Points and FTTH connections. As of September 2024, 1,04,574 Wi-Fi Access Points and 11,41 ,825 FTTH connections have been installed in the GPs. CSC-SPV also undertook a pilot project for laying overhead optical fiber from GPs.
A: Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) have signed an MoU to drive rural development by providing access to digital services, digital governance, and promoting a digital economy through high-speed broadband connectivity under the BharatNet program. Key areas of collaboration include reference data sharing, digital content sharing, digital services integration, awareness and capacity building, promoting a digital economy, and inclusion of ICT infrastructure.
A: Alongside BharatNet, the government is also focusing on expanding mobile connectivity in rural areas. As of December 2024, around 6,25,853 villages are covered with mobile connectivity, including 6,18,968 villages having 4G mobile coverage. The median mobile broadband speed has increased significantly. These efforts are complementary to BharatNet in bridging the digital divide.
REFERENCES
https://x.com/PIB_India/status/1905232713227067857
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2115831
https://usof.gov.in/en/ongoing-schemes
https://it.tn.gov.in/en/TACTV/BharatNet
https://www.data.gov.in/keywords/BharatNet
https://usof.gov.in/en/bharatnet-project
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2086701
https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/1714/AU2874.pdf?source=pqals
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2077908®=3&lang=1
https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/267/AU2155_28gbez.pdf?source=pqars
*****
Santosh Kumar | Sarla Meena | Chaitanya Mishra
(Release ID: 2123137) Visitor Counter : 193
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 2:35PM by PIB Delhi
Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development Shri Anil Malik today received the PM’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration (Innovation category) from Prime Minister ,Shri Narendra Modi for the groundbreaking Poshan Tracker revolutionising real-time nutrition service delivery across India.
The Poshan Tracker is a mobile based application used by Anganwadi workers to provide real time data on delivery of nutrition and childcare services.
****
SS/MS
(Release ID: 2123133) Visitor Counter : 75
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 2:26PM by PIB Delhi
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has released provisional payroll data for February 2025, revealing a net addition of 16.10 lakh members. The year-on-year analysis reveals a growth of 3.99% in net payroll additions compared to February 2024, signifying increased employment opportunities and heightened awareness of employee benefits, bolstered by EPFO’s effective outreach initiatives.
Key highlights of the EPFO Payroll Data (February 2025) are as follows:
New Subscribers:
EPFO enrolled around 7.39 lakh new subscribers in February 2025. This addition of new subscribers can be attributed to growing employment opportunities, increased awareness of employee benefits, and EPFO’s successful outreach programs.
Age Group 18-25 Leads Payroll Addition:
A noticeable aspect of the data is the dominance of the 18-25 age group, 4.27 lakh new subscribers added in the 18-25 age group, constituting a significant 57.71% of the total new subscribers added in February 2025. This is in consonance with the earlier trend which indicates that most individuals joining the organized workforce are youth, primarily first-time job seekers.
Further, the net payroll addition for the age group 18-25 for February 2025 is approximately 6.78 lakh reflecting a growth of 3.01% from the previous year in February 2024.
Rejoined Members:
Approximately 13.18 lakh members, who had exited earlier, rejoined EPFO in February 2025. This figure depicts a significant 11.85% year-over-year growth compared to February 2024. These members switched their jobs and re-joined the establishments covered under the ambit of EPFO and opted to transfer their accumulations instead of applying for final settlement thus safeguarding long-term financial well-being and extending their social security protection.
Growth in Female Membership:
Around 2.08 lakhs new female subscribers joined EPFO in February 2025. It depicts year-over-year growth of 1.26% compared to February 2024.
Further, the net female payroll addition during the month stood at around 3.37 lakh, a significant year over year growth of 9.23% compared to February 2024. The growth in female member additions is indicative of a broader shift towards a more inclusive and diverse workforce.
State-wise Contribution:
State-wise analysis of payroll data denotes that the top five states/ UTs constitute around 59.75% of net payroll addition, adding a total around 9.62 lakh net payroll during the month. Of all the states, Maharashtra is leading by adding 20.90% of net payroll during the month. The states/UTs of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh individually added more than 5% of the total net payroll during the month.
Industry-wise Trends:
Month-on-month comparison of industry-wise data displays growth in the net payroll addition working in establishments engaged in the industries viz.
Of the total net payroll addition, around 41.72% addition is from expert services (consisting of manpower suppliers, normal contractors, security services, miscellaneous activities etc.).
The above payroll data is provisional since data generation is a continuous exercise, as updating employee record is a continuous process. The previous data gets updated every month on account of:
From the month of April 2018, EPFO has been releasing payroll data covering the period September 2017 onwards. In monthly payroll data, the count of members joining EPFO for the first time through Aadhaar validated Universal Account Number (UAN), existing members exiting from coverage of EPFO and those who exited but re-joined as members, is taken to arrive at net monthly payroll.
*****
Himanshu Pathak
(Release ID: 2123129) Visitor Counter : 112
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 2:20PM by PIB Delhi
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today condoled the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He hailed him as beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage.
He wrote in a post on X:
“Deeply pained by the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. In this hour of grief and remembrance, my heartfelt condolences to the global Catholic community. Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world. From a young age, he devoted himself towards realising the ideals of Lord Christ. He diligently served the poor and downtrodden. For those who were suffering, he ignited a spirit of hope.
I fondly recall my meetings with him and was greatly inspired by his commitment to inclusive and all-round development. His affection for the people of India will always be cherished. May his soul find eternal peace in God’s embrace.”
Deeply pained by the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. In this hour of grief and remembrance, my heartfelt condolences to the global Catholic community. Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the… pic.twitter.com/QKod5yTXrB
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 21, 2025
***
MJPS/SR
(Release ID: 2123125) Visitor Counter : 168
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 4:26PM by PIB Delhi
Introduction
Cruise tourism is a nature-driven travel experience that unlocks a country’s rivers, seas, and canals for themed journeys across all budgets. It offers safe and comfortable access to even remote destinations, promoting inclusivity and ease of travel. By tapping into natural waterways, it boosts both national and international connectivity while driving local economies through job creation in hospitality, entertainment, culture, and beyond.
India has significant capabilities in cruise tourism for coastal & river sector. This is due to the presence of:
Steps Taken By The Indian Government to Boost Cruise Tourism
The ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ was launched on September 30, 2024, from the Mumbai port. Aimed at the boosting the tremendous potential of cruise tourism in the country, the programme aims to propel country’s cruise tourism industry by doubling cruise passenger traffic within five years; i.e. by 2029.
In FY 2023- 24, the number of cruise passengers was 4.71 lakhs.
CBM provides for a framework for inter-ministerial approach for crafting interventions along policy, regulatory, and other aspects governing cruise sector and enable responsible involvement of all regulatory agencies, such as Customs, Immigration, CISF, State Tourism Departments, State Maritime Agencies, District Administrations, and local police.
Cruise Bharat Mission will also result in over 1.5 million river cruise passengers over more than 5,000 Kms of Operational Waterways in India.
The initiative aims to excel India’s vision to become a global hub for cruise tourism and promote the country as the leading global cruise destination. The Cruise India Mission will be implemented in three phases, beginning from 1 October 2024 up to 31 March 2029.
In order to promote India as the global destination for cruise tourism under MIV 2030, interventions have been identified across three key areas:
River Cruise Tourism:
River Cruise Tourism is an emerging segment in the leisure industry with a scope for high growth. Several National Waterways constituting major rivers flow through various states and districts, rich in flora & fauna and cultural heritage. Suitable locations at various National Waterways have been identified and are being explored for development of river cruise tourism in India.
Initiatives taken by IWAI towards developing river tourism are:
The development of river cruise would augment existing revenue generation, employment generation, etc from tourism industry. There are few suitable terminals along rivers which promote cruise tourism. These include cruises plying along a broad stretch of the river Ganga, Brahmaputra and houseboats floating in the backwaters of Alappuzha in Kerala.
Besides National Waterways, IWAI has jointly cooperated with the Government of Bangladesh to develop river tourism on the IBP route. This will allow Indian cruise vessels to travel through Bangladesh while exploring heritage sites. It is expected that river cruise tourism industry in India would witness exponential growth once required infrastructure is in place.
In January 2023, Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the MV Ganga Vilas, the world’s longest river cruise, highlighting the country’s thriving river cruise tourism. This luxurious 3,200-kilometer journey from Varanasi to Dibrugarh traversed 27 river systems across five Indian states and Bangladesh. The remarkable expedition garnered global attention and secured a spot in the prestigious ‘Limca Book of Records.’
Recent Developments
Conclusion
India’s cruise tourism is charting a promising course, tapping into its vast and diverse network of rivers, coastlines and ports to offer unique travel experiences that blend leisure with cultural discovery. With major initiatives like the Cruise Bharat Mission and Maritime India Vision 2030, the government is laying a robust foundation to position India as a global cruise destination. From the tranquil backwaters of Kerala to the majestic Ganga and the pristine stretches of the Yamuna and Brahmaputra, cruise tourism is not only unlocking new economic potential but also enabling inclusive growth by creating jobs and boosting local economies. As infrastructure develops and awareness grows, cruise tourism is set to become a defining pillar of India’s travel and tourism landscape, inviting the world to rediscover India.
References:
******
Santosh Kumar/ Sarla Meena/ Kritika Rane
(Release ID: 2123171) Visitor Counter : 52
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 4:08PM by PIB Delhi
After months of regional contests and thousands of entries, finalists from 11 cities across India have been selected to take part in the WAVES Anime & Manga Contest (WAM!) national finale. The prestigious event will take place at WAVES 2025, India’s first-of-its-kind media and entertainment summit, from May 1–4 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.
WAM! is organized by the Media & Entertainment Association of India (MEAI) and supported by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India as part of WAVES (World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit). WAVES is India’s biggest platform for the AVGC-XR sector-Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality. At the center of WAVES is the Create in India Challenges (CIC). Season 1 of CIC has made history with around 1 lakh registrations, including 1,100 international participants. After a detailed selection process, 750+ finalists have been chosen from 32 unique challenges.
Among the standout segments under CIC is WAM!. Over the last decade, anime and manga have grown rapidly in India. What started as a niche interest is now a major cultural wave. India has around 180 million anime fans, making it the second-largest anime market after China. The growth is not just in fans, but also in numbers. In 2023, the Indian anime market was worth $1,642.5 million. It is expected to reach $5,036 million by 2032.
WAM! tapped into this growing creative energy by offering structured opportunities for Indian creators to develop and pitch original IPs (Intellectual Property). It fills a gap in India’s media industry by promoting original, culturally-rooted IPs. With the rise of global anime and growing digital literacy, WAM! gives students and professionals a platform to showcase ideas. It provides a clear path to develop pitch-ready IPs, access to industry mentorship and support from the government.
To bring this vision to life, the competition was held across multiple verticals: Manga (Student & Professional), Anime (Student & Professional), Webtoon (Student & Professional), Voice Acting, and Cosplay. The participants—carefully chosen across student and professional categories. WAM! followed a ground-up approach with contests held across 11 cities: Guwahati, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The winners from each city were selected by a distinguished jury comprising industry experts from animation, comics, media and entertainment sectors. Their expertise ensured the selection of high-potential talent representing a diversity of voices and storytelling traditions. The regional rounds highlighted India’s rich linguistic and artistic diversity, proving that creative talent knows no boundaries.
Building on this strong foundation, the national finale is not just about celebration-it’s a launchpad. Designed to help participants become industry-ready professionals, it will feature live pitching sessions, networking with production studios, and showcase opportunities with international media giants.
The shortlisted creators now head to Mumbai for the WAM! National Finale at WAVES 2025, where they will present their work to an international jury and live audience. The finale promises high-stakes excitement, with winners receiving:
WAM! is more than a competition, it is a cultural movement aiming to address a key gap in India’s media landscape: the lack of globally scalable, original content rooted in Indian stories. As WAVES 2025 approaches, the excitement builds. It’s a celebration of talent, originality and the transformative power of storytelling.
References
*****
Santosh Kumar/ Sarla Meena/ Kamna Lakaria
(Release ID: 2123166) Visitor Counter : 74
Source: Government of India
KVIC Chairman Shri Manoj Kumar released the provisional data for the financial year 2024-25.
In the past 11 years, production increased fourfold with a jump of 347% and sales increased fivefold with a jump of 447%.
Historical increase of 49.23% in the field of total employment generation in 11 years, KVIC is providing employment to 1.94 crore persons.
The turnover of Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan New Delhi reached a record figure of Rs. 110.01 crore for the first time.
Chairman KVIC Shri Manoj Kumar said, ‘Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the guidance of the Ministry of MSME, the schemes and achievements of KVIC has established a strong foundation stone of ‘Viksit Bharat’
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 3:35PM by PIB Delhi
The Khadi and Village Industries sector, which empowers the spirit of self-reliance in the country, has not only touched new heights in the last 11 years under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the guidance of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), but has also brought new light to hope in the lives of crores of villagers. Khadi, the legacy of Pujya Bapu, is no longer just a fabric, but has become a symbol of the creation of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’. Said Shri Manoj Kumar Chairman KVIC while releasing the provisional data of Khadi and Village Industries for the financial year 2024-25 at the office located at Rajghat, New Delhi on Monday. He informed that KVIC has set a new record of production, sales and new employment generation in the financial year 2024-25. In the last 11 years, there has been an increase of 447 percent in sales, 347 percent in production and 49.23 percent in employment generation. As said, in the financial year 2023-24, there was an increase of 399.69% in sales and 314.79% in production in comparison to the year 2013-14, he added.
Chairman Shri Manoj Kumar further said that this excellent performance of KVIC has made a significant contribution towards realizing the resolution of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by the year 2047 and making India the third economy of the world. He attributed this historic achievement to the inspiration of Pujya Bapu, the guarantee of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the guidance of the Ministry of MSME and the tireless hard work of crores of artisans working in the remote villages of the Country. Chairman KVIC shared that while the production of Khadi and Village Industry products was Rs. 26109.07 crore in the financial year 2013-14, it increased nearly four times to Rs. 116599.75 crore in the financial year 2024-25 with a jump of 347 percent. While the sales were Rs. 31154.19 crore in the financial year 2013-14, it increased nearly fivefold with an unprecedented growth of 447 percent to reach Rs. 170551.37 crore in the financial year 2024-25, which is the highest sale till date.
Speaking to the media, he opined that unprecedented growth has also been observed in the production of Khadi clothes in the last 11 years. While the production of Khadi clothes was Rs. 811.08 crore in the financial year 2013-14, it increased by 366 percent and increased four and a half times to Rs. 3783.36 crore in the financial year 2024-25, which is the best performance till date. There has also been a tremendous jump in the sales of Khadi clothes. While its sale was only Rs. 1081.04 crore in the financial year 2013-14, it increased by about six and a half times to Rs. 7145.61 crore in the financial year 2024-25 with an increase of 561 percent. The promotion of Khadi by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi from a larger platform has had a huge impact on the sale of Khadi clothes, he reiterated.
Speaking on objective of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission he said that major objective of KVIC is to provide maximum employment opportunities in rural areas. In this area too, KVIC has set a record in the last 11 years. While the cumulative employment was 1.30 crore in the financial year 2013-14, it rose to 1.94 crore in 2024-25 with an increase of 49.23 per cent. There has also been an unprecedented increase in the business of Khadi and Village Industries Bhawan, New Delhi. While the business of Bhavan was Rs. 51.02 crore in the financial year 2013-14, it increased by almost 2 times and reached Rs 110.01 crore in the financial year 2024-25 with a jump of 115 percent. Since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) scheme, a total of 1018185 units have been established, for which the Government of India has distributed margin money subsidy of Rs. 27166.07 crore against a loan of Rs. 73348.39 crore. So far 90,04,541 people are getting employment through PMEGP.
He said that with the aim of providing employment to maximum number of people in rural areas under the Gramodyog Vikas Yojana Scheme, KVIC has more than doubled the budget of Rs 25.65 crore in the financial year 2021-22 by 134 percent to Rs. 60 crore in the financial year 2025-26. So far, 39244 electric pottery wheels, 227049 bee boxes and honey colonies, 2344 automatic and pedal-operated incense stick manufacturing machines, 7735 footwear manufacturing and repairing toolkits, 964 paper plate and dona manufacturing machines, 3494 AC, mobile, sewing, electrician, plumber toolkits, 4555 turnwood, wastewood craft, wooden toy making machines as well as 2367 palm jaggery, oil ghani and tamarind processing machines have been distributed under the Gramodyog Vikas Yojana Scheme. If we talk about the last three financial years, a total of 22284 machines and equipment were distributed in the year 2022-23, 29854 in the financial year 2023-24 and the highest 37218 machines and equipment in the financial year 2024-25. Under Gramodyog Vikas Yojana, KVIC has made a significant contribution in the creation of a self-reliant India by distributing a total of 287752 machines, toolkits and equipment so far.
Speaking on significant contribution towards women empowerment he further said that in the last 10 years, 7,43,904 trainees have been trained through 18 departmental and 17 non-departmental training centres of KVIC, out of which 57.45 percent i.e. 4,27,394 are women. Apart from this, 80 percent of the 5 lakh Khadi artisans are also women. In the last 11 years, the wages of Khadi artisans has been increased by 275 percent while in the last three years, it has been increased by 100 percent.
****
SK
(Release ID: 2123154) Visitor Counter : 73
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 21 APR 2025 3:16PM by PIB Delhi
“To deal with challenges emanating from today’s constantly-evolving nature of warfare, our soldiers must excel in the skills of combat while being equally proficient in mental stability and spiritual empowerment,” said Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh while addressing an event organised at the Brahma Kumaris Headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan on April 21, 2025. He emphasised that, now-a-days, wars are being fought on cyber, space, information & psychological fronts and there is a need for the soldiers to become mentally strong as the nation can be protected with not just weapons, but also with strong personality, enlightened consciousness and awareness.
Shri Rajnath Singh pointed out that while physical strength is fundamental for a soldier, mental strength is equally vital. He stated that soldiers protect the nation while serving in difficult conditions, and these challenges are overcome through an energy born out of a strong inner-self. He added that prolonged stress, uncertainty and working in difficult conditions could affect the mental health, which calls for strengthening the inner self. The Brahma Kumaris’ campaign to bolster the mental health of soldiers is a commendable step in that direction, he said.
Raksha Mantri added that this initiative will further strengthen the minds of the soldiers in view of the present global geopolitical scenario. “The theme of the campaign ‘Self-Empowerment – Through Inner Awakening’ is extremely interesting and relevant in today’s times. Self transformation through meditation, yoga, positive thinking and self-dialogue will provide mental, emotional & spiritual strength to our brave soldiers. Self transformation is the seed, national transformation is its fruit. In an atmosphere of global uncertainty, India can spread the message that protection of inner-self and borders is possible together,” he said.
Shri Rajnath Singh described spirituality and yoga, which are ingrained in India’s culture, as the biggest means to enhance mental well-being and deal with stress, anxiety and emotional turmoil. He said, an alert and strong security personnel becomes a lighthouse for the nation, which can face any storm with determination. He acknowledged the Security Service Wing of the Brahma Kumaris organisation for bolstering the security forces through residential, field & online programmes, special campaigns and force specific projects.
As part of the event, an MoU was signed between the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence and Headquarters SSW, Rajyoga Education and Research Foundation of Brahma Kumaris in the presence of Shri Rajnath Singh. The aim is to guide Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) beneficiaries towards achieving better mental health and reducing dependency of medicines.
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VK/SR/Savvy
(Release ID: 2123145) Visitor Counter : 52
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AMG, a strategic partner to leading independent investment management firms globally, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a minority equity interest in Verition Fund Management LLC (“Verition”), a global multi-strategy investment firm.
Under the terms of the transaction, Verition’s management will retain a substantial majority of the firm’s equity, continue to lead the organization, and maintain full control of day-to-day operations. As part of the agreement, Verition’s Co-Founders, Nicholas Maounis and Josh Goldstein, have entered into long-term commitments with the firm. Verition’s management will also make a significant additional investment in the firm’s fund, reinforcing its deep alignment with the business and its investors.
Founded in 2008, Verition has developed a globally recognized multi-strategy platform that allocates capital across a diversified range of uncorrelated strategies. The firm has delivered consistent returns with limited volatility, earning the confidence of institutional investors worldwide. Verition’s platform comprises approximately 150 portfolio management teams, supported by a culture of collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence. As of April 1, 2025, the firm manages approximately $12.6 billion in assets.
“Verition is a premier multi-manager with an outstanding track record across nearly two decades,” said Jay C. Horgen, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMG. “With its focus on uncorrelated strategies, disciplined approach, strong risk framework, and proven ability to consistently deliver excellent results for clients, Verition is positioned as a leader in the growing multi-strategy space. Verition exhibits what we look for in a partner: a high-quality independent firm operating in an area of secular growth, with a high-performing team and excellent long-term prospects. I am delighted to welcome Nick, Josh, and their partners to our Affiliate group.”
“We’re excited to welcome AMG as a partner,” said Nicholas Maounis, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Verition. “In selecting an institutional partner, Josh and I were drawn to AMG’s track record, long-term orientation, and unique approach that preserves our independence and investment philosophy. This partnership supports the continued expansion of our platform, broadens our global reach, and strengthens our ability to execute on long-term strategic priorities — all with the goal of delivering lasting value to our investors.”
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.
About AMG
AMG (NYSE: AMG) is a strategic partner to leading independent investment management firms globally. AMG’s strategy is to generate long-term value by investing in high-quality independent partner-owned firms, through a proven partnership approach, and allocating resources across AMG’s unique opportunity set to the areas of highest growth and return. Through its distinctive approach, AMG magnifies its Affiliates’ existing advantages and actively supports their independence and ownership culture. As of December 31, 2024, AMG’s aggregate assets under management were approximately $708 billion across a diverse range of private markets, liquid alternative, and differentiated long-only investment strategies. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.amg.com.
About Verition Fund Management
Verition Fund Management LLC is an investment management firm founded in 2008 by Nicholas Maounis and Josh Goldstein with approximately $12.6 billion in assets under management as of April 1, 2025. Verition manages a multi-strategy, multi-manager hedge fund focused on global investment strategies including Credit, Fixed Income & Macro, Convertible & Volatility Arbitrage, Event-Driven, Equity Long/Short & Capital Markets Trading, and Quantitative Strategies. The fund seeks to construct a diversified portfolio with low correlation to traditional and alternative asset classes and consistently attractive risk-adjusted returns. The Firm employs approximately 750 people and has offices in New York, NY, Greenwich, CT, Norwalk, CT, London, UK, Singapore, Republic of Singapore, Hong Kong (SAR), China, and Dubai, UAE.
Certain matters discussed in this press release issued by Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (“AMG” or the “Company”) may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, and could be impacted by a number of factors, including those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in AMG’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. AMG undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. This release does not constitute an offer of any products, investment vehicles, or services of any AMG Affiliate. From time to time, AMG may use its website as a distribution channel of material Company information. AMG routinely posts financial and other important information regarding the Company in the Investor Relations section of its website at www.amg.com and encourages investors to consult that section regularly.
AMG Media & Investor Relations:
Patricia Figueroa
(617) 747-3300
ir@amg.com
pr@amg.com
Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry
PAUL CULLIVER:
Julie Collins is the federal Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness and joins you on the line. Good afternoon to you, Minister.
JULIE COLLINS:
Good afternoon, Paul, and to your listeners this afternoon.
CULLIVER:
What’s getting done in Lake Mac?
COLLINS:
Well, it was great to be with the local member Sharon Claydon this morning to be able to announce and open 10 new social housing homes, and to announce another 9 that will be built and another 9 that have already been refurbished. This is from the Social Housing Accelerator Fund, money that we have provided to the NSW Government. And what today was about was about a partnership between 3 tiers of government – local government, state government and federal government – to get more homes on the ground more quickly. And that’s what we need to see more of right around the country. And obviously, our Social Housing Accelerator was $2 billion that we provided to states and territories around 12 months ago now, and is part of our $32 billion Homes for Australia plan.
CULLIVER:
So, what will these social housing dwellings be used for? Who will be able to access these houses?
COLLINS:
Well, they’ll be people off the social housing waiting list and as I’ve said, there’s already been 9 refurbishments and they will be getting people in them. The homes that we stood in front of today, I understand there’ll be a handover today from the builders and people will be in those homes within weeks. And in terms of the new announcement for the ones at Wallsend, they’ll be under construction very soon and should be complete by the middle of next year, and have new tenants in them by the second half of next year. So, moving very quickly and this is obviously just the start of what we’re doing with our housing investments. We also will have the first round of our Housing Australia Future Fund and the National Housing Accord being announced later this year, around the end of August. But of course, those funds, particularly the Housing Australia Future Fund, was held up in the Senate by more than 6 months by the Liberal and the Greens senators. So, it is later than we had hoped, but we are going as quickly as we can to get as many homes on the ground as fast as we can.
CULLIVER:
Well, indeed. So, we’re talking about, you know, roughly 20 new homes here in totality. And obviously they are a benefit to the people that they will now house. But people might hear that and go, ‘9, 10 extra houses – it’s not making that much of a dent’.
COLLINS:
Well, we’re announcing homes like this all over the country though, and they will start to make a dent. And, of course, they are part of our ambitious shared national housing target to reach 1.2 million homes across the country. And these are homes of every type, not just social homes. We’re talking about homes to buy, homes for people to rent and, of course, social and affordable housing, as well as of course we know we need more transitional housing for women and children fleeing family violence, as well particularly. And we are building all of the above as fast as we can, working with other tiers of government. We had a historic agreement through National Cabinet in August last year, whereby the states committed to planning, zoning, land release reforms that will be very significant. And indeed, the Grattan Institute has said that our supply plan to add more homes could save renters around $32 billion. So, they are significant reforms. We’ve already seen the NSW Government move to do some of that planning and zoning reform, and they’re making great progress. But it’s only by having all tiers of government working together, working with community housing providers, working with the construction sector, that we’re actually going to be able to meet our shared national ambitious target of 1.2 million homes. We’re ambitious because we need to be, Paul, because we know we don’t have enough homes in Australia. We haven’t had enough homes for a long time. After a decade of neglect under the former government, we’ve got a lot of work to do and that’s what we’re getting on and doing, which is what you saw today.
CULLIVER:
Well, speaking of that ambitious plan, Oxford Economics yesterday released a report, Building in Australia. Their forecast says that you’re going to achieve 960,000 new homes will be built between now and 2029, compared to that target of 1.2 million, so falling short by over 200,000. Do you think they’ve got that modelling right?
COLLINS:
Well, of course what we want to do is we want to change things, which is what our $32 billion Homes for Australia plan is about. And if we see the states and the territories do the planning reforms that they’ve agreed to, if you see investments coming from other tiers of government, if you see 3 tiers of government working together, if we get more institutional investment, if we’re all working together with our shoulder to the wheel, we will get much closer to that. It is ambitious because it needs to be, Paul. We need a bit of ambition. We don’t have enough homes, and we haven’t for a long time. When you look at the number of homes that Australia has, particularly compared to the OECD average, we don’t have enough homes and we haven’t had enough homes for a long time. So, we need to get a good pipeline of homes and that’s what our work is all about.
CULLIVER:
Ok. But given that report yesterday by Oxford Economics, they’re basically saying, as it stands, what the Labor government is doing and in concert with state governments and councils as well, we’re going to fall short. So, do you need to do more? Do you need to do something different?
COLLINS:
Well, what you saw was us adding to our agenda in the last Budget with a further $6 billion, working as part of our $32 billion Homes for Australia plan. Since we’ve come to office now, we’ve announced $32 billion in new housing initiatives. We’ve had the significant National Cabinet agreement do a range of planning and zoning reforms, as I’ve said. We expect that this will make a big difference across the country. We are investing at every opportunity since we’ve come to government. We have announced new investments, and as I said, it’s not just our target. It’s a shared national target, working with other tiers of government, working with the sector to turn this around and to get more homes on the ground more quickly.
CULLIVER:
Your guest today is the federal Minister for Housing, Julie Collins. Of course, in the region today launching some of those new social housing dwellings that are being opened in our region, in Lake Macquarie. You are listening to ABC Newcastle. Paul Culliver with you. Of course, after the last week, we’ve been seeing a series of reporting and investigation over the CFMEU, the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union. Emerging allegations about criminal ties and the associated impact on what might be happening with government money there. The affiliation of the construction industry superfund Cbus, they have contribution to Labor’s affordable housing scheme. Some senators on the other side of the aisle saying that board members from the CFMEU contributing to Cbus should walk away. Indeed, Cbus should not be involved in that housing affordability fund. What is the status there in terms of CFMEU’s influence on those projects?
COLLINS:
Well, of course, we’ve said there’s zero tolerance for what the allegations and what we’ve seen in terms of the media reporting around what’s happening with the CFMEU. Zero tolerance. We have taken the strongest possible action. We’ve said we’re appointing an administrator through Fair Work. We are moving as quickly as we can and taking the strongest possible action we can. When it comes to Housing Australia and when it comes to housing across the country, what we’re focused on is getting housing on the ground as quickly as we can. We also, of course, want to make sure that we get value for taxpayer dollar and we want to make sure that we deal with some of the supply constraints around a shortage of labour, a shortage of materials. We’re investing more in Fee‑Free TAFE. We’re investing in a Future Made in Australia. We’re looking at modular and non‑traditional methods of construction to get homes up as quickly as we can. And we’re working, as I’ve said, right across government, but importantly with other tiers of government and with the sector to get these homes up as fast as we can.
CULLIVER:
Ok. Is it appropriate to have CFMEU representatives on the board of Cbus that are committing money to Labor’s Housing Australia Future Fund?
COLLINS:
Look, Cbus is an independent organisation and its board is a matter for that organisation. What I’m focused on is making sure that we do due diligence, that we get value for this Australian taxpayer as part of Housing Australia and our investments. That’s what we focused on – getting homes on the ground, getting the best value for dollar for the Australian taxpayer, and making sure that we get the homes up as quickly as we can, the right homes in the right places, including in regional cities like Newcastle.
CULLIVER:
All right. Should the Housing Australia Future Fund have money contributed to by a fund which has board members from the CFMEU?
COLLINS:
Well, the Housing Australia Future Fund at the moment has funds from the Australian taxpayer and that’s what we’re focused on, getting the returns for the Australian taxpayer to make sure that our investments are the best possible investments for the Australian taxpayer. We’re working incredibly hard, as I’ve said repeatedly, with other tiers of government, with the sector and the industry to get these homes up out of the ground as fast as we can.
CULLIVER:
Ok, but is the Future Fund going to accept funding from Cbus?
COLLINS:
Well, it doesn’t do that. Its contracts are with community housing providers. That’s how it works. The community housing providers and the state and territory governments, they are the people that have the contracts that get the homes built and that’s what we’re focused on.
CULLIVER:
Okay, does Cbus have any influence on what’s happening when it comes to the houses being built by the Fund?
COLLINS:
Absolutely not.
CULLIVER:
Okay, just finally, I want to talk about the emergence of deepfakes in domestic politics in Queensland. People might have seen this online. It’s doing the rounds on social media. Steven Miles, of course, the current Premier of Queensland. There’s been a deep fake turning up of him dancing. The LNP appears to have put this out just in the last hour. The ABC has reported that the ALP has previously actually published a clip of Peter Dutton the Opposition Leader created using generative artificial intelligence to its TikTok account. Do you think it’s appropriate to use generative AI to portray political actors doing things that they clearly did not?
COLLINS:
Some of the deepfake material is a really serious matter. I mean, I heard from one of my colleagues today who was at an inquiry into deepfake sexual material, which is a really serious issue. And obviously we are concerned about that. And we’re concerned about digitally created and altered particularly sexually explicit material that’s shared without consent that can be really damaging. And we’re looking at legislative legislation to make sure that people who share digitally created sexually explicit material without consent will be subject to serious criminal penalties. But we are concerned about the serious nature of some of the deepfakes, particularly on social media.
CULLIVER:
Was it appropriate for the Australian Labor Party TikTok to post, to post an AI generated video of Peter Dutton dancing?
COLLINS:
Well, I think that there’s a very big difference between something that is considered to be amusing or funny, as opposed to something that is really serious material. It is up to independent organisations such as the Queensland Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission in terms of electoral advertising about what is appropriate. But I think that there is a big difference between some of that material that you’re talking about.
CULLIVER:
Would you feel entirely comfortable if the opposition started posting deepfakes of you doing things that you hadn’t done?
COLLINS:
Look, as I said, I think that there’s a big difference between some of the really serious material that people have raised concerns about, and there is a difference between some of the electoral material. Some of it, of course, should not be put up. Some of it is a bit different, is intended to be humorous, and I think that there is a difference between the 2.
CULLIVER:
Would it be better to just ban all of it?
COLLINS:
Well, that is obviously something that could be considered. Certainly, I think the Queensland Electoral Commission will have a look in terms of the case in Queensland. You know, this sort of material, I think, is concerning. I think most Australians are concerned that this type of material is being produced. But as I said, I think there is a big difference between some of the material and some of this really serious material out there.
CULLIVER:
Minister, thanks for your time today.
COLLINS:
Thank you.
Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry
JEROME LAXALE:
I’m Jerome Laxale, the Member for Bennelong. It’s so great to welcome the Minister for Housing and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Assistant Minister Jenny McAllister. It’s so great to be here at a small business in Bennelong. These energy efficiency upgrades will make a difference. I’ve run a small business my whole life. And I know that each and every day you’re looking to make savings, you’re looking to reinvest in the business. To get a better outcome for the bottom line, but also for your customers. Investing in these energy efficiency upgrades will help small businesses right across the country. Round 2 being announced today builds on the back of Round 1, which was announced last year. And we had a great example, in Bennelong where a supermarket used these energy efficiency grants to install controllers on their refrigerants, which has reduced their power prices by 20 per cent to 30 per cent. By the government providing these grants, it gives small businesses incentives, to do the homework, and to invest in upgrades to their energy efficiency, reduces emissions and reduces power bills. This is exactly what this Albanese government was elected to deliver. And it’s so great that we have another business here in Bennelong that has applied, that has been successful. They’ll see the power prices go down; they’ll see their emissions go down – all from this incentive by the federal government. It gives me great pleasure to invite Minister McAllister, to talk about it a lot more. It’s a very exciting program and one that I’m proud to have been an advocate for.
SENATOR MCALLISTER:
Thanks very much, Jerome, for your warm welcome and for your tireless advocacy for the people of Bennelong. It’s a pleasure to be here with my friend and colleague, Minister Collins. And today to announce the second round of the Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Enterprises. Now, we know that over the last 10 years, electricity has literally been leaking out the doors and windows of Australian homes and businesses because too little government attention was paid to the opportunities afforded by energy efficiency. Small improvements to businesses can make a big difference in an ongoing way to the energy demands. Now here at The Governor in Jerome’s electorate of Bennelong, they understand that changes to the energy performance of this operation will help them with their overall business performance. They’ve already made the decision to put solar on the roof, but in addition to that, they are now seeking to install monitoring equipment on the refrigeration, switch over their hot water from gas to a much more efficient electric system, and do an overall energy audit, so that can also understand the future opportunities to improvements right here. Our grants will allow these kinds of activities to happen right across the country. So from Darwin down to Hobart, Sydney to Perth, we will assist more than 1,700 Australian small and medium sized businesses to improve their energy performance. Lighting, refrigeration, heating and cooling, all of these things can make a lasting and enduring difference to the bills paid by small businesses and help these businesses to thrive. There’s a lot of work to do. This area of policy was characterised by a decade of neglect. But we are up for this task, and it is my very great pleasure to announce these grants today. I might introduce the Small Business Minister, Minister Collins, to make a few additional remarks, about the work that we are doing [inaudible] to support the small business sector.
JULIE COLLINS:
Thanks, Jenny. It’s terrific to be here at The Governor Hotel, and I thank them for having us today and for their success in this energy efficiency grant. It’s also terrific, obviously, to be with my friend and local Member, Jerome. It’s terrific to visit Jerome’s electorate. And again, as my colleague said, he’s a terrific advocate for people in Bennelong here in New South Wales. And of course, my other friend and colleague, Minister McAllister, who’s doing a terrific job when it comes to climate and energy, and particularly in terms of helping small businesses improve their energy efficiency and put downward pressure on their energy bills. That is what we have been doing as a government supporting small businesses with targeted support in ways to support small businesses, but also put downward pressure on inflation. These grants are a prime example of the government supporting and investing with small businesses in their business so that they get the returns not just today, but over the long term. As we’ve heard from Minister McAllister and indeed from the local member, Jerome, these grants are incredibly popular because what they do is they get small businesses to think about their energy efficiency, and they’ve put downward pressure on their energy bills over the long term. They are, of course, from our government, supporting small businesses, as we’ve heard, the second round over $40 million going to 1,700 small businesses and medium‑sized enterprises across the country. We, of course, are supporting small businesses in other ways. What we saw in our last budget was our Small Business Budget Statement, which has got over $640 million in targeted support for small businesses.
Because we know while many small businesses are thriving, some small businesses are doing it tough, and we’re providing that targeted support. For things like our direct energy bill relief, up to $325 for around 1 million small businesses across the country. Our instant asset write‑off $20,000, for each asset for small businesses has been extended for this financial year as well as last. We have of course extended important programs to provide mental health and wellbeing for small businesses. To make sure that if they want to expand and grow their business or if they’re having some issues with their small businesses, they can get that targeted personal support for their business through financial counselling and advice. We, of course, are also leveling the playing field. We have got through the parliament legislation in relation to improving payment times for small businesses, again, to help small businesses with their cash flow. We’re reforming the franchising system to make sure that we have as a level playing field as we can get so that small businesses can compete with big businesses. We want to stay small businesses thrive in Australia, and that is what our small business target of support is all about. Labor is the party of supporting small businesses, and I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues like Minister McAllister to ensure that small businesses thrive right across the country.
JOURNALIST:
AEMO has flagged drops in energy supply for renewables throughout winter, with more gas needed to fill the gap. What is the plan if renewable output doesn’t improve?
COLLINS:
Look what we know is that renewables are the cheapest form of energy. AEMO supports what Labor is doing in terms of more renewables into the grid. What we also know is, is that the Liberal and National plan for nuclear will be too slow and too expensive when it comes to energy in Australia. What we’re doing here today is supporting small businesses to put downward pressure on their energy and to help them with their energy bills. And I’m happy to hand over to Minister McAllister to talk more about energy more generally. What I would say is that the alternative plan coming from Peter Dutton to go nuclear is too slow and too expensive, and our plan is being supported by AEMO to get more renewables into the system. Can I say, as a proud Tasmanian, we have a lot of renewables in Tasmania. We’ve been successfully net zero now for 8 out of the 9 last years. So it can be done.
MCALLISTER:
Thanks very much, Julie. Today we’ve received 2 reports from the market bodies indicating that renewables remain the lowest cost form of generation and are making an increasingly important contribution to the grid. Now, the reports also confirm the information that has been provided to successive governments over a very long period of time now – which is that more investment is required in generation capability to replace the aging coal‑fired power fleet that is coming to the end of its life.
Unfortunately, during the period of the last government under the Liberals, these warnings were ignored. Twenty-four coal fired power stations announced or brought forward their closure dates, and the response to this was zero from the previous government. We are acting and taking steps now to bring on the new, reliable renewables that are necessary to develop – to deliver affordable energy for Australians. Now Peter Dutton’s plan is in no way responsive to the information that’s in front of us.
Mr Dutton’s plan, apparently, is to have a conversation over the next term about nuclear with some communities, and then to wait until 2040 to deliver new generation capacity. We can’t wait that long. We need to get on with the job delivering the technologies that the experts tell us, are necessary to deliver an affordable and reliable power grid.
JOURNALIST:
The government has approved gas exploration licenses around Victoria and Tassie. How quickly do we need to get gas – that gas into the grid?
MCALLISTER:
We understand that the future of the Australian electricity market will be built on a range of technologies: renewables, like wind, solar, batteries, pumped hydro and of course, gas for those occasions when we need it as a backup. And what AEMO tells us is that looking to the future, we will see gas used less and less frequently, but when it’s used, it will be really important. It’s on that basis that we built the Future Gas Strategy. It’s important for Australians to think about where we are going to get the gas that we will need out ‘til 2050, but at the same time we retain focus on our core purpose, which is building out the new generation capability that is necessary to replace the aging coal‑fired generation. This is a task that has been completely ignored by the previous government, and it appears that in opposition they have not learned the lessons from the past. The current plan is to do something, perhaps in 2040. What happens between now and then is a complete mystery. And it’s time for Mr Dutton to front up and explain to Australians what the plan is between now and 2040, to meet the energy demands that the Australian economy requires.
Source: ASEAN
At the invitation of H.E. Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Chair of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council 2025 and Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, will lead the ASEAN Secretariat delegation to participate in the 33rd ASCC Council Meeting and Related Meetings, to be held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, on 23-24 April 2025. SG Dr. Kao will also deliver remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 33rd ASCC Council Meeting, along with The Right Honourable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak, and H.E. Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.
The Meeting will discuss ASCC’s strategic directions, and exchange views on the implementation of the ASCC Strategic Plan to ensure a dynamic, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable ASEAN.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN to participate in the 33rd ASCC Council Meeting in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Joel Hodge, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Australian Catholic University
Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday, aged 88, the Vatican announced. The head of the Catholic Church had recently survived being hospitalised with a serious bout of double pneumonia.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell’s announcement began:
Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.
There were many unusual aspects of Pope Francis’ papacy. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas (and the southern hemisphere), the first to choose the name “Francis” and the first to give a TED talk. He was also the first pope in more than 600 years to be elected following the resignation, rather than death, of his predecessor.
From the very start of his papacy, Francis seemed determined to do things differently and present the papacy in a new light. Even in thinking about his burial, he chose the unexpected: to be placed to rest not in the Vatican, but in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome – the first pope to be buried there in more than 300 years.
Vatican News reported the late Pope Francis had requested his funeral rites be simplified.
“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Diego Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”
Straddling a line between “progressive” and “conservative”, Francis experienced tension with both sides. In doing so, his papacy shone a spotlight on what it means to be Catholic today.
Francis was deemed not progressive enough by some, yet far too progressive by others.
His apostolic exhortation (an official papal teaching on a particular issue or action) Amoris Laetitia, ignited great controversy for seemingly being (more) open to the question of whether people who have divorced and remarried may receive Eucharist.
He also disappointed progressive Catholics, many of whom hoped he would make stronger changes on issues such as the roles of women, married clergy, and the broader inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Catholics.
The reception of his exhortation Querida Amazonia was one such example. In this document, Francis did not endorse marriage for priests, despite bishops’ requests for this. He also did not allow the possibility of women being ordained as deacons to address a shortage of ordained ministers. His discerning spirit saw there was too much division and no clear consensus for change.
Francis was also openly critical of Germany’s controversial
“Synodal Way” – a series of conferences with bishops and lay people – that advocated for positions contrary to Church teachings. Francis expressed concern on multiple occasions that this project was a threat to the unity of the Church.
At the same time, Francis was no stranger to controversy from the conservative side of the Church, receiving “dubia” or “theological doubts” over his teaching from some of his Cardinals. In 2023, he took the unusual step of responding to some of these doubts.
In many ways, the most striking thing about Francis was not his words or theology, but his style. He was a modest man, even foregoing the Apostolic Palace’s grand papal apartments to live in the Vatican’s simpler guest house.
He may well be remembered most for his simplicity of dress and habits, his welcoming and pastoral style and his wise spirit of discernment.
He is recognised as giving a clear witness to the life, love and joy of Jesus in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council – a point of major reform in modern Church history. This witness has translated into two major developments in Church teachings and life.
The first of these relates to environmental teachings. In 2015, Francis released his ground-breaking encyclical, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home. It expanded Catholic social teaching by giving a comprehensive account of how the environment reflects our God-given “common home”.
Consistent with recent popes such as Benedict XVI and John Paul II, Francis acknowledged climate change and its destructive impacts and causes. He summarised key scientific research to forcefully argue for an evidence-based approach to addressing humans’ impact on the environment.
He also made a pivotal and innovative contribution to the climate change debate by identifying the ethical and spiritual causes of environmental destruction.
Francis argued combating climate change relied on the “ecological conversion” of the human heart, so that people may recognise the God-given nature of our planet and the fundamental call to care for it. Without this conversion, pragmatic and political measures wouldn’t be able to counter the forces of consumerism, exploitation and selfishness.
Francis argued a new ethic and spirituality was needed. Specifically, he said Jesus’ way of love – for other people and all creation – is the transformative force that could bring sustainable change for the environment and cultivate fraternity among people (and especially with the poor).
Francis’s second major contribution, and one of the most significant aspects of his papacy, was his commitment to “synodality”. While there’s still confusion over what synodality actually means, and its potential for political distortion, it is above all a way of listening and discerning through openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It involves hierarchy and lay people transparently and honestly discerning together, in service of the mission of the church. Synodality is as much about the process as the goal. This makes sense as Pope Francis was a Jesuit, an order focused on spreading Catholicism through spiritual formation and discernment.
Drawing on his rich Jesuit spirituality, Francis introduced a way of conversation centred on listening to the Holy Spirit and others, while seeking to cultivate friendship and wisdom.
With the conclusion of the second session of the Synod on Synodality in October 2024, it is too soon to assess its results. However, those who have been involved in synodal processes have reported back on their transformative potential.
Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, explained how participating in the 2015 Synod “was an extraordinary experience [and] in some ways an awakening”.
Francis’ papacy inspired both great joy and aspirations, as well as boiling anger and rejection. He laid bare the agonising fault lines within the Catholic community and struck at key issues of Catholic identity, triggering debate over what it means to be Catholic in the world today.
He leaves behind a Church that seems more divided than ever, with arguments, uncertainty and many questions rolling in his wake. But he has also provided a way for the Church to become more converted to Jesus’ way of love, through synodality and dialogue.
Francis showed us that holding labels such as “progressive” or “conservative” won’t enable the Church to live out Jesus’ mission of love – a mission he emphasised from the very beginning of his papacy.
The authors 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.
– ref. Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-has-died-aged-88-these-were-his-greatest-reforms-and-controversies-229111
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Tracy McEwan, School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle
Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday at the age of 88.
On Easter Sunday, he used his message and blessing to appeal for peace in Middle East and Ukraine.
Pope Francis will be remembered as a pastoral leader who cared deeply about the environment and those impacted by migration, poverty and war.
During his Pontificate, he did make important changes to the patriarchal structure of the Catholic Church – but did he go far enough?
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis highlighted the struggles of women in society. He took important steps to expand opportunities for women in the church and address its patriarchal structure.
This was showcased by his inclusion of women in the 2024 synod (a global meeting of the whole church, represented by bishops) and his granting of voting rights for 57 women out of a total of 368 attendees.
His appointment of around 20 women to positions of authority in the Vatican is unprecedented.
This includes the recent 2025 appointment of an Italian religious sister, Simona Brambilla, to lead a Vatican department.
During his papacy, Pope Francis also strongly supported the ongoing involvement of women in positions of leadership in the Roman Curia (the governance body of the church).
At local levels, in parishes, he made it possible for women to be formally appointed to the positions of catechist and lector – roles previously reserved for men.
He also emphasised a need for more women to study and teach theology.
However, these changes barely scratched the surface of securing full equality for women in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis himself stated women still encountered obstacles, and opportunities for women to participate were under-utilised by local churches.
In his autobiography, published in January this year, he wrote of the “urgent challenge” to include women in central roles at every level of church life.
He viewed this move as essential to “de-masculinising” the church and removing the problem of clericalism.
Importantly, the reasoning that underpins women’s limited role in the life of the church remains unchanged.
In particular, Pope Francis referred to gender stereotypes and supported the theology of complementarianism (a view that women are different but equally valued, where their central contribution is to motherhood, femininity and pastoral care responsibilities).
While Pope Francis was genuinely committed to dialogue about and with women, his legacy remains contradictory.
Women have been appointed to administrative and management positions, but decision making and ministry still largely rest with clerical men.
Pope Francis’ emphasis on the “feminine nature” women bring to roles, rather than their gifts and talents, limited women.
And although he called out discrimination against women in broader society, he expressed opposition to contemporary feminism, which he titled “gender ideology” and “machismo with a skirt”.
Moreover, despite ongoing discussions, Pope Francis appeared to be unresponsive to calls for a greater role for women in ministry.
Women cannot preach during Mass or be ordained to the priesthood or deaconate, despite multiple attempts by Catholic reform groups to advocate for women’s inclusion.
The 2023 International Survey of Catholic Women, which surveyed more than 17,000 Catholic women from 104 countries and eight language groups, found women across the world were keen for church reform that recognises women’s leadership capacities and ongoing contribution to church communities.
More than eight in ten (84%) of the women surveyed supported reform in the church. Two-thirds (68%) agreed women should be ordained to the priesthood, and three-quarters (78%) were supportive of women preaching during Mass.
The survey reported on the deep frustration and despair women experienced for not having their gifts and talents recognised.
Women also stated they are dissatisfied with the burden of labour they carry in the church.
In this regard, Pope Francis did not address the financial burdens and exploitation of Catholic women who work for the church without adequate recognition or pay. This leaves women, particularly those working in parishes, open to exploitation.
More worryingly, decades after cases of abuse were reported to the Vatican, Pope Francis publicly acknowledged that women, particularly nuns, were significantly affected by spiritual and sexual abuse.
While this recognition is important, church responses to abuse remain inadequate and more needs to be done to safeguard women in pastoral settings.
With regard to sexual and reproductive decision-making, the International Survey of Catholic Women found the majority of respondents wanted more freedom of conscience around such issues. This is because when they are denied by church law, women’s agency was diminished and their vulnerability to situations of gendered violence increased.
The papacy of Pope Francis has made no reforms in this area, leaving many Catholic women frustrated and disappointed.
More than 60 years ago, Vatican II generated hope for change among Catholic women.
Pope Francis reignited that hope, and listened. But responses have been too slow and Catholic women are still waiting for genuine reform.
Tracy McEwan receives funding from the Australia-Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme (DAAD) and Australian Research Theology Foundation Inc. (ARTFinc).
Kathleen McPhillips receives funding from the Australian Research Theology Foundation, the Australia-Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme (DAAD) and the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation.
– ref. Pope Francis tried to change the Catholic Church for women, with mixed success – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-tried-to-change-the-catholic-church-for-women-with-mixed-success-250911
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming a grant notice Friday from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the American Samoa Community Cancer Coalition.
The grant, a new award of $143,693 for research on aging, is categorized as a small research grant project, and from HHS’s National Institute on Aging.
The project is described as a culturally grounded approach to understanding and improving Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for American Samoa’s family caregivers.
“Thank you especially to Dr. Danielle Eakins for the effort behind securing this HHS backing and her research work,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Thank you to all involved in American Samoa, that we might have the knowledge to care lovingly for those going through any ADRD symptoms, which affects the whole family. We appreciate HHS and National Institute on Aging for supporting our community.”
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