Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Model OSCE in Andorra: Empowering young professionals to engage in peace and security
From 19 to 21 May, the OSCE Secretariat in collaboration with the Government of Andorra, the US Mission to the OSCE, and University of Andorra co-organized the first-ever Model OSCE in Sant Julià de Lòria, Andorra.
The three-day event brought together 25 young people with diverse backgrounds from Andorra, Algeria, the United States of America, Japan and Morocco, offering them a unique opportunity to strengthen their soft skills and deepen their understanding of peace and security issues through peer-to-peer learning on multilateralism, international relations and diplomacy.
The programme featured sessions on the OSCE’s mandate, history, structure, and decision-making processes, as well as its co-operation with OSCE Partners. It also included discussions on Finland’s priorities on 2025 Chairpersonship, the Youth and Security Agenda, the role of women in diplomacy and multilateralism, and hands-on training in negotiation and mediation.
In her opening remarks, Andorra’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Imma Tor Faus emphasized the country’s ongoing support of youth engagement in international affairs: “After hosting the OSCE activities in 2022 focused on Youth and Security, today’s event reaffirms Andorra’s strong and ongoing commitment to the OSCE’s Youth and Security Agenda. We are proud to support the efforts of the Office of the Secretary-General, both politically and financially, to advance this vital work. The Model OSCE reflects the values we stand for and aligns closely with our priority of promoting youth participation in international organizations.”
Omar Cardentey, Head of Public Affairs for the US. Mission to the OSCE also shared his personal experience in working in the multilateral settings and encouraged young participants to never give up or doubt their ability to make an impact.
The Model OSCE echoed the motto “nothing about youth without youth”, underscoring the crucial role of young people in building sustainable and peaceful societies.
One participant, Lisa Cruz Lackner from Andorra, captured the spirit of the event: “Capacity-building initiatives like this are more than trainings. They create a unique space for dialogue, understanding, and mutual learning. When we come together with different experiences, perspectives, and identities, we don’t just learn about the issues—we learn how to listen, negotiate, and collaborate beyond borders. These events empower us not only to understand global challenges, but to see ourselves as part of the solution. In a setting like the Model OSCE, you quickly realize that diversity is not a challenge to overcome—it is the key to building more inclusive, effective and lasting approaches to peace and security.”
Participants also engaged in exchanges with young diplomats and parliamentarians from Andorra and Malta, gaining firsthand insights into diplomatic careers. The event encouraged collaborative learning and dialogue throughout its session.
The Model OSCE was held as part of the Extra-budgetary Project “Accelerating the implementation of the Youth and Security Agenda in the OSCE region”, which aims to empower young people to shape a more secure and co-operative future across the OSCE region.
We use the term “Renaissance man” very loosely these days, for anybody even slightly multi-talented. But Lesotho-born jazz drummer, novelist and development scholar Morabo Morojele was the genuine article.
He not only worked across multiple fields, but achieved impressively in all. Morojele died on 20 May, aged 64.
As a researcher into South African jazz, I encountered him initially through his impressive live performances. I was surprised to hear about his first novel and then – as a teacher of writing – bowled over by its literary power.
Celebrating a life such as Morojele’s matters, because a pan-African polymath like him cut against the grain of a world of narrow professional boxes, where borders are increasingly closing to “foreigners”.
This was a man who not only played the jazz changes, but wrote – and lived – the social and political ones.
The economist who loved jazz
Born on 16 September 1960 in Maseru, Lesotho, Morojele schooled at the Waterford Kamhlaba United World College in Swaziland (now Eswatini) before being accepted to study at the London School of Economics.
In London in the early 1980s the young economics student converted his longstanding jazz drumming hobby into a professional side gig. There was a vibrant African diasporic music community, respected by and often sharing stages with their British peers. Morojele worked, among others, in the bands of South African drummer Julian Bahula and Ghanaian saxophonist George Lee. With Lee’s outfit, Dadadi, he recorded Boogie Highlife Volume 1 in 1985.
Studies completed and back in Lesotho, Morojele founded the small Afro-jazz group Black Market and later the trio Afro-Blue. He worked intermittently with other Basotho music groups including Sankomota, Drizzle and Thabure while building links with visiting South African artists. For them neighbouring Lesotho provided less repressive stages than apartheid South Africa.
Morojele relocated to Johannesburg in 1995 and picked up his old playing relationship with Lee, by then also settled there. His drum prowess caught the eye of rising star saxophonist Zim Ngqawana. With bassist Herbie Tsoaeli and pianist Andile Yenana, he became part of the reedman’s regular rhythm section.
The three rhythm players developed a close bond and a distinctive shared vision, which led to their creating a trio and an independent repertoire. Later they were joined by saxophonist Sydney Mnisi and trumpeter Marcus Wyatt to form the quintet Voice.
Voice was often the resident band at one of Johannesburg’s most important post-liberation jazz clubs: the Bassline. Although the 1994-founded venue was just a cramped little storefront in a bohemian suburb, it provided a stage for an entire new generation of indigenous jazz and pan-African music in its nine years. Voice was an important part of that identity, audible on their second recording.
Morojele on drums for Andile Yenana.
Morojele also recorded with South African jazz stars like Bheki Mseleku and McCoy Mrubata. He appeared on stage with everyone from Abdullah Ibrahim to Feya Faku.
His drum sound had a tight, disciplined, almost classical swing, punctuated visually by kinetic energy, and sonically by hoarse, breathy vocalisations. Voice playing partner Marcus Wyatt recalls:
The first time I played with you, I remember being really freaked out by those vocal sound effects coming from the drum kit behind me, but the heaviness of your swing far outweighed the heaviness of the grunting. That heavy swing was in everything you did – the way you spoke, the way you loved, the way you drank, the way you wrote, the way you lived your life.
Wyatt also recalls a gentle, humble approach to making music together, but spiced with sharp, unmuted honesty – “You always spoke your mind” – and intense, intellectual after-show conversations about much more than music.
Because Morojele had never abandoned his other life as a development scholar and consultant. He was travelling extensively and engaging with (and acutely feeling the hurt of) the injustices and inequalities of the world. Between those two vocations, a third was insinuating itself into the light: that of writer.
I came to writing almost by accident … I’ve always enjoyed writing (but) I never grew up thinking I was going to be a writer.
In 2006, after what he described in interviews as a series of false starts, he produced a manuscript that simply “wrote itself”, How We Buried Puso.
Starting with the preparations for a brother’s funeral, the novel – set in Lesotho – reflects on the diverse personal and societal meanings of liberation in the “country neighbouring” (South Africa) and at home. How new meanings for old practices are forged, and how the personal and the political intertwine and diverge. All set to Lesotho’s lifela music. The book was shortlisted for the 2007 M-Net Literary Award.
There was an 18-year hiatus before Morojele’s second novel, 2023’s The Three Egg Dilemma. Now that he was settled again in Lesotho, music was less and less a viable source of income, and development work filled his time. “I suppose,” he said, “I forgot I was a writer.” But, in the end, that book “also wrote itself, because I didn’t have an outline … it just became what it is almost by accident.”
In 2022, a serious health emergency hit; he was transported to South Africa for urgent surgery.
The Three Egg Dilemma, unfolding against an unnamed near-future landscape that could also be Lesotho, broadens his canvas considerably.
The setting could as easily be any nation overtaken by the enforced isolation of a pandemic or the dislocation of civil war and military dictatorship, forcing individuals to rethink and re-make themselves. And complicated by the intervention of a malign ghost: a motif that Morojele said had been in his mind for a decade.
For this powerful second novel, Morojele was joint winner of the University of Johannesburg prize for South African writing in English.
He was working on his third fiction outing – a collection of short stories – at the time of his death.
The beauty of his work lives on
Morojele’s creative career was remarkable. What wove his three identities – musician, development worker and writer – together were his conscious, committed pan-Africanism and his master craftsman’s skill with sound: the sound of his drums and the sound of his words as they rose off the page.
Through the books, and the (far too few) recordings, that beauty lives with us still. Robala ka khotso (Sleep in peace).
Gwen Ansell 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.
After 18 months of punishing airstrikes, raids and an increasingly restrictive siege in Gaza, the United Nations on May 20, 2025, issued one of its most urgent warnings yet about the ongoing humanitarian crisis: an estimated 14,000 babies were at risk of death within the next 48 hours without an immediate influx of substantial aid, especially food.
The assessment came a day after Israel allowed the first trickle of aid back into Gaza following its nearly three-month total blockade imposed on March 2. But on the first day of that resumption, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that only nine trucks were allowed into Gaza, when around 500 are required every day. The U.N. called it “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”
Israel’s control of food and aid into Gaza has been a consistent theme throughout the past 18 months. Indeed, just two weeks after Israel’s massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip began in late 2023, Oxfam International reported that only around 2% of the usual amount of food was being delivered to residents in the territory and warned against “using starvation as a weapon of war.”
Amid the broader destruction to lives and infrastructure, there is now barely a food system to speak of in Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombs have destroyed homes, bakeries, food production factories and grocery stores, making it harder for people in Gaza to offset the impact of the reduced imports of food.
A handful of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip are seen at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel on May 20, 2025. AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
But as much as things have worsened in the past 18 months, food insecurity in Gaza and the mechanisms that enable it did not start with Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Multiple factors contributed to this preexisting food insecurity, not least the blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel and enabled by Egypt since 2007. All items entering the Gaza Strip, including food, became subject to Israeli inspection, delay or denial.
Basic foodstuff was allowed, but because of delays at the border, it could spoil before it entered Gaza.
By placing restrictions on food imports, Israel has claimed to be trying to put pressure on Hamas by making life difficult for the people in Gaza. “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger,” said one Israeli government adviser in 2006.
To enable this, the Israeli government commissioned a 2008 study to work out exactly how many calories Palestinians would need to avoid malnutrition. The report was released to the public only following a 2012 legal battle. Echoes of this sentiment can be seen in the Israeli decision in May 2025 to allow only “the basic amount of food” to reach Gaza to purportedly ensure “no starvation crisis develops.”
The long-running blockade also increased food insecurity by preventing meaningful development of an economy in Gaza.
Displaced Palestinians fleeing amid ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip arrive in Jabalia in northern Gaza on May 18, 2025. AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
The U.N. cites the “excessive production and transaction costs and barriers to trade with the rest of the world” imposed by Israel as the primary cause of severe underdevelopment in the occupied territories, including Gaza. As a result, in late 2022 the unemployment rate in Gaza stood at around 50%. This, coupled with a steady increase in the cost of food, made affording food difficult for many Gazan households, rendering them dependent on aid, which fluctuates frequently.
Hampering self-sufficency
More generally, the blockade and the multiple rounds of destruction of parts of the Gaza Strip have made food sovereignty in the territory nearly impossible.
Even prior to the latest war, Gaza’s fishermen were regularly shot at by Israeli gunboats if they ventured farther in the Mediterranean Sea than Israel permits. Because the fish closer to the shore are smaller and less plentiful, the average income of a fisherman in Gaza has more than halved since 2017.
Much of Gaza’s farmland has been rendered inaccessible to Palestinians as a result of post-October 2023 actions by Israel.
And the infrastructure needed for adequate food production – greenhouses, arable lands, orchards, livestock and food production facilities – has been destroyed or heavily damaged. International donors hesitate to rebuild facilities, knowing they cannot guarantee their investment will last more than a few years before being bombed again.
The latest ongoing siege has only further crippled the ability of Gaza to be food self-sufficient. By May 2025, nearly 75% of croplands had been destroyed, along with significant amounts of livestock. Less than one-third of agricultural wells used for irrigation remain functional.
Starvation as weapon of war
The use of starvation as a weapon is strictly forbidden under the Geneva Conventions, a set of statutes that govern the laws of warfare. Starvation has been condemned by U.N. Resolution 2417, which decried the use of deprivation of food and basic needs of the civilian population and compelled parties in conflict to ensure full humanitarian access.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said publicly that Israel was permitting aid now only because allies were pressuring him over “images of mass famine.” This stance suggests that Israel will not soon increase aid beyond what his government deems politically acceptable.
While there is more evidence than ever before that Israel is using food as a weapon of war, there is also, I believe, ample evidence that this was the reality long before Oct. 7, 2023.
In the meantime, the implications for Palestinians in Gaza have never been more dire.
More death is certain to follow. On May 12, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global system created to track food insecurity, released an alarming report on projections of food insecurity in Gaza.
It warned that by September 2025, half a million people in Gaza – 1 in 5 of the population – will be facing starvation and that the entire population will experience acute food insecurity at crisis level, or worse.
Editor’s note: Parts of this story were originally contained in an article published by The Conversation U.S. on Feb. 15, 2024.
Yara M. Asi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sharon Tettegah, Professor of Creative Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Retention and recruitment efforts designed to boost diversity in engineering programs often fall short of their goals.gorodenkoff/Getty Images
For decades, colleges, government agencies and foundations have experimented with recruitment and retention efforts designed to increase diversity in engineering programs.
However, the efforts have not significantly boosted the number of women, students of color, individuals with disabilities and other underrepresented groups studying and earning degrees in STEM and engineering fields.
Latino, Black, Native American and Alaska Native students are underrepresented among science and engineering degree recipients at the bachelor’s degree level and above. The groups are also underrepresented among STEM workers with at least a bachelor’s degree.
I study equity and social justice in STEM learning. In my recent study, I found that more students from diverse backgrounds could excel in engineering programs if course content were tailored to a wider variety of learning preferences.
Why it matters
Focusing on learning preferences could boost diversity in engineering courses and careers. Morsa Images/Getty Images
During my time as a program officer at the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering, I reviewed plenty of research focused on broadening participation and diversifying student enrollment in STEM fields.
Progress can stall on efforts to boost diversity because college instructors do not consider the synergistic relationship between the content and the learner.
Teachers are the mediators, and it is students’ experiences with the curriculum that matter.
It was long a common belief that students have different learning styles. These included kinesthetic, learning through hands-on experiences and physical activity; auditory, learning by listening to information; and visual, learning by seeing information.
More recent research does not support the idea that teaching students according to their learning style leads to improved learning.
That’s why I prefer the term “learning preferences” rather than learning styles. We all have preferences – whether for ice cream flavors, home decor or how we receive information, including how we learn.
Learning preferences are broader and more flexible, allowing multiple ways of engaging with content.
For example, let’s say a teacher always presented equations in a classroom and the student just could not get it. However, it was the only way the information was presented. To the individual learner, they have failed. Some people would say, “These kids can’t learn,” and subsequently counsel the student out of the class.
Then, years are spent repeating the same cycle.
Students should have opportunities to connect with engineering content in multiple ways. 10’000 hours/Getty Images
However, educators can broaden their viewpoints if they look at the students as customers. If a customer is shopping for a shirt, they look for one that catches their eye. Ultimately, they find one they like.
Instructors need to take the same approach when trying to help students understand what is happening in class. For instance, if I have trouble with equations, I should be provided with options to engage with the lesson in ways that align with my learning preferences.
What’s next?
Learning styles have been heavily researched. However, content preferences have not been well explored.
In a truly democratic education system, curriculum design should reflect the voices of all stakeholders and not just those in positions of power, namely instructors.
Using data mining and artificial intelligence, educators have a variety of options for creating content for the various preferences a learner may want or need. For example, if a student prefers other representational content, such as word problems, graphics or simulations, AI can create diverse representations so that the learner is exposed to a variety of representations.
I argue that future studies need to consider the use of technologies such as adaptive learning applications to understand students’ learning preferences.
Prioritizing diverse learning perspectives in STEM could help create a more inclusive and responsive learning environment.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
Sharon Tettegah received funding from the National Science Foundation for this work. Award Abstract # 1826632
Coordinating Curricula and User Preferences to Increase the Participation of Women and Students of Color in Engineering
For patients hospitalized with chest pain, the amount of time they spend sedentary afterward is linked to a greater risk for more heart problems and death within a year. That’s the key finding of a new peer-reviewed study my colleagues and I published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
We asked 609 emergency room patients experiencing chest pain — average age of 62 — to wear a physical activity monitor for 30 days after leaving the hospital. The monitor measured movements, sitting time and sleep throughout the day. We then followed patients for one year to track whether they had additional heart problems or died.
We found that patients who averaged more than 15 hours of sedentary behavior daily — which does not include sleep — were more than twice as likely to experience more heart problems or die in the year after discharge than patients who accrued a daily average of 12 hours of sedentary time.
But our goal wasn’t just to document that sitting is harmful. It was also to figure out what patients should do instead to lower their risk.
We found that replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time with moderate or vigorous movement, like brisk walking or running, was most beneficial. It was associated with a 62% lower risk of experiencing more heart problems or dying in the year after discharge. But we also found that replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time with just light movement, such as slow walking or housework, lowered the risk of heart problems and death by 50%.
Sleep was also a healthier option. Replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time with sleep lowered the risk of heart problems and death by 14%.
Clogged arteries could lead to a heart attack. Veronica Zakharova/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Why it matters
Over 8 million people in the U.S. are admitted to the hospital with chest pain suggestive of acute coronary syndrome. annually. This covers a range of conditions involving reduced blood flow to the heart, including angina and heart attack.
Patients with acute coronary syndrome remain at high risk of having another heart problem even with optimal medical treatment.
The risk also remains high for patients with chest pain who are discharged without a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, as their unexplained chest pain may be a precursor to more serious heart problems. Given this risk, there is a need to identify risk factors that can be modified to improve a patient’s prognosis after hospitalization for chest pain.
In previous research, we found that patients with acute coronary syndrome had a fear of exercise and were sedentary, spending over 13 hours a day sitting.
Given that sedentary behavior has been linked to poor heart health in the general population, we were concerned that patients were unknowingly increasing their risk of having another heart problem.
Our latest findings confirm that sedentary time is a harmful behavior for these patients. But beyond telling patients to stop sitting so much, our work provides important guidance: Any movement, regardless of how intense, can be beneficial after hospitalization. This is especially relevant for people recovering from heart problems who may find exercise difficult or scary.
While exercise provides the best “bang for your buck” in terms of health benefits, our findings are good news for patients who may not have the time, ability or desire to exercise. And for those unable to fit in more movement, just getting an extra half hour of sleep is a small, doable step that can make a meaningful difference for your health after hospitalization.
What still isn’t known
Researchers don’t fully understand why sedentary time is harmful. Muscles help regulate blood sugar and lipid levels. It is thought that when muscles aren’t used, such as when patients sit for hours, this can lead to harmful elevations in blood sugar and lipids.
In turn, this can cause inflammation, plaque buildup in the arteries and organ damage. More research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms so that we can determine just how much movement is needed in a day.
What’s next
While our study highlights the potential risks of sedentary behavior after being hospitalized for chest pain, it was an observational study. Clinical trials are needed to confirm that replacing sedentary time with activity or sleep can improve prognosis.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
Keith Diaz receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Andrew Reeves, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Weidenbaum Center, Washington University in St. Louis
At his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump swore to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’Morry Gash/POOL/AFP, Getty Images
Lately, the headlines have been clear: President Donald Trump is headed for a showdown with the courts. If he ignores their rulings, the courts have few tools and limited power to make him comply.
But the real contest is not legal. It is political.
But law alone has never been enough to prevent presidents from abusing their power. The law’s force depends on political will. Presidents often follow the law not simply because they must, but to avoid backlash from Congress, the media or the public.
What the United States is witnessing in 2025 is not just a president testing the system. It is a transformation of the presidency into a fully political institution. The president acts until political resistance becomes strong enough to stop him.
President Donald Trump criticizes judges whose decisions he doesn’t like.
Testing the limits
These political constraints are informal and fluid.
They arise from public opinion, media scrutiny, pressure from party leaders and other elected officials, and the threat of electoral consequences. While legal rules rely on institutions, political limits depend on reputation, norms and the willingness of others to resist.
Trump’s presidency operates within this second framework. Legal boundaries are still present, but they are often treated by his administration as optional and without deference.
These are not isolated incidents. Taken together, they reveal a broader pattern.
Trump appears to treat legal rules not as limits but as obstacles to be negotiated or ignored. One recent scholarly paper has described Trump’s approach as “legalistic noncompliance,” where the administration uses the language of law to give the appearance of compliance while defying the substance of court orders.
In a February 2025 national survey by the Weidenbaum Center, a research institute that I head at Washington University, just 21% of Americans said the president should be able to enact major policy without Congress. The public does not support unchecked presidential power: A further 25% of respondents, including more than one-third of Republicans, neither agreed nor disagreed that a president should have this type of unchecked power. Of those with an opinion, a solid 72% of Americans oppose unilateral presidential action, including 90% of Democrats, 76% of independents and 42% of Republicans.
These findings align with nine earlier national surveys conducted during the Obama and Trump administrations. Jon Rogowski and I report these results in our book, “No Blank Check.”
But one important shift stands out in the recent survey. Support for unilateral executive action among the two-thirds of Republicans who expressed an opinion has reached an all-time high, with 58% of them endorsing presidential action without Congress. That is more than 16 points higher than in any previous wave.
Despite that rise in partisan support, Trump’s broader political position remains weak.
Congressional Republicans continue to offer public support, but many are watching their own polling numbers closely as the midterms approach.
If the economy falters and public opinion turns more sharply against the president, political resistance could grow. I believe that’s when legal rules may begin to matter again – not because they carry new force, but because violating them would carry higher political costs.
Real test still ahead
So far, no judge has held the Trump administration in contempt of court. But the signs of erosion are unmistakable. Trump recently accused the Supreme Court of “not allowing me to do what I was elected to do” after it temporarily blocked his administration’s effort to deport migrants with alleged ties to Venezuelan gangs. Treating the judiciary as just another political adversary and ignoring its rulings risks an even deeper constitutional crisis.
The most meaningful check on presidential power will be political.
Courts rely on the broader political system for enforcement. That support can take many forms: elected officials speaking out in defense of the rule of law; Congress using its oversight and funding powers to uphold court rulings; bureaucrats refusing to implement unlawful directives; and a press and public that demand compliance. Without that support, even the clearest legal decisions may be ignored.
The legal fights unfolding today are serious and must be watched closely. But Trump is not focused on the courts. He is focused on politics – on how far he can go, and whether anyone will make him stop.
Andrew Reeves is affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis and the Hoover Institution.
How much do you engage with others when you’re out in public? Lots of people don’t actually engage with others much at all. Think of commuters on public transportation staring down at their phones with earbuds firmly in place.
As a professor of social psychology, I see similar trends on my university campus, where students often put on their headphones and start checking their phones before leaving the lecture hall on the way to their next class.
Curating daily experiences in these ways may appeal to your personal interests, but it also limits opportunities for social connection. Humans are social beings: We desire to feel connected to others, and even connecting with strangers can potentially boost our mood.
At the same time, our attention is increasingly being pulled in varied directions within a highly saturated information environment, now commonly known as the “attention economy.”
It is perhaps not surprising, then, that so many Americans are experiencing a crisis of social connection. Research in social psychology helps to explain how the small behaviors and choices we make as individuals affect our experiences with others in public settings.
Where you focus your attention
One factor shaping people’s experiences in public settings concerns where they focus their attention. Since there is more information out in the world than anyone could ever realistically take in, people are driven to conserve their limited mental resources for those things that seem most crucial to navigating the world successfully. What this means is that every person’s attention is finite and selective: By attending to certain bits of information, you necessarily tune out others, whether you’re aware of doing so or not.
More often than not, the information you deem worthy of attention also tends to be self-relevant. That is, people are more likely to engage with information that piques their interest or relates to them in some way, whereas they tend to ignore information that seems unrelated or irrelevant to their existence.
One unfortunate consequence is that a person may end up treating interactions with other people as transactions, with a primary focus on getting one’s own needs met, or one’s own questions answered. A very different approach would involve seeing interactions with others as opportunities for social connection; being willing to expend some additional mental energy to listen to others’ experiences and exchange views on topics of shared interest can serve as a foundation for building social relationships.
It can feel alienating to be surrounded by people who have basically hung out a ‘do not disturb’ sign. Drazen/E+ via Getty Images
How others interpret your actions
Also, by focusing so much attention on their own individual interests, people may inadvertently signal disinterest to others in their social environments.
As an example, imagine how it would feel to be on the receiving end of those daily commuting rituals. You find yourself surrounded by people whose ears are closed off, whose eyes are down and whose attention is elsewhere – and you might start to feel like no one really cares whether you exist or not.
As social creatures, it’s natural for human beings to want to be seen and acknowledged by other people. Small gestures such as eye contact or a smile, even from a stranger, can foster feelings of connection by signaling that our existence matters. Instead, when these signals are absent, a person may come to feel like they don’t matter, or that they’re not worthy of others’ attention.
How to foster connection in public spaces
For all these reasons, it may prove valuable to reflect on how you use your limited mental resources, as a way to be more mindful and purposeful about what and who garner your attention. As I encourage my students to do, people can choose to engage in what I refer to as psychological generosity: You can intentionally redirect some of your attention toward the other people around you and expend mental resources beyond what is absolutely necessary to navigate the social world.
Engaging in psychological generosity doesn’t need to be a heavy lift, nor does it call for any grand gestures. But it will probably take a little more effort beyond the bare minimum it typically takes to get by. In other words, it will likely involve moving from being merely transactional with other people to becoming more relational while navigating interactions with them.
A few simple examples of psychological generosity might include actions such as:
Tuning in by turning off devices. Rather than default to focusing attention on your phone, try turning off its volume or setting it to airplane mode. See if you notice any changes in how you engage with other people in your immediate environment.
Making eye contact and small talk. As historian Timothy Snyder writes, eye contact and small talk are “not just polite” but constitute “part of being a responsible member of society.”
Smiling and greeting someone you don’t know. Take the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” to the realm of social relations, by showing your willingness to welcome other people rather than displaying disinterest and avoidance. Such simple acts may help to foster feelings of belonging and build a sense of community with others.
Acknowledging another human with a smile, even when using an automated system, can help them feel seen and valued. izusek/E+ via Getty Images
Among the most cynical, examples like these may initially be written off as reflecting pleas to practice the random acts of kindness often trumpeted on bumper stickers. Yet acts like these are far from random – they require intention and redirection of your attention toward action, like any new habit you may wish to cultivate.
Practicing acts of psychological generosity, then, can provide you with opportunities to benefit from social connection, at the same time as these acts can pay dividends to other people and to the social fabric of your community.
Linda R. Tropp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio testifies before the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs on the FY26 Department of State Budget Request on Capitol Hill, on May 21, 2025.
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Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
Published: 05.21.2025
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined CNN’s The Arena this evening to discuss her questioning of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the day and her belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing President Trump. She also sharply criticized Congressional Republicans’ budget proposal that would gut Medicaid and food assistance benefits to finance tax breaks for billionaires and special interest groups. The interview followed Secretary Rubio’s first testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since his confirmation hearing in January. Click HERE to watch Senator Shaheen’s interview.
Key Quotes from Senator Shaheen:
When asked if she feels Secretary Rubio and President Trump are being played by Putin, Shaheen said: “I do, absolutely. And I said that to Secretary Rubio and we heard it again, what the outcome of this phone call between President Trump and Vladimir Putin yesterday was that now Putin is going to bring in a sheet that outlines what they want to see, to end the war in Ukraine, to get them to the table. Well, he’s just playing for time because he thinks the longer he can delay that, we’re going to get disinterested, that we’re going to not want to continue to support Ukraine in this fight. But what he doesn’t understand is that the President and this administration says the biggest threat to America is China, and China and President Xi are watching what the outcome of this war in Ukraine is. And if we are not tough in Ukraine, if we are not tough on Putin, that he knows that we’re not going to be tough on him when he goes after Taiwan. And so that’s a real problem.”
On Republicans’ budget proposal, Shaheen said: “Well, it’s clear that the Republicans in the House care more about what Donald Trump thinks than they care about what their constituents think. Because constituents in most of this country don’t want to see massive cuts to the Medicaid program, health care that so many Americans rely on, whether it’s for nursing home care or for people with disabilities, people who get their health insurance through the Medicaid program.”
On Republicans threatening cuts to program like Medicaid and SNAP, Shaheen said: “And what they’re actually trying to do with those worker requirements and other changes is to reduce the number of people on Medicaid so they can save money and what they want to do, what they want to do with the money that they’re saving by cutting Medicaid, by cutting food benefits from the Snap program, is to provide a huge tax cut to the wealthiest Americans. 70% of the benefits from the tax cuts are going to go to the wealthiest 1% in this country.”
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
**In a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, RFK Jr. refused to commit to preserving the State Opioid Response grant that has saved lives in the Granite State**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke in a Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing about the risk federal funding cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pose to positive progress toward ending the substance use disorder crisis. In his responses to Shaheen’s questions, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to commit to preserving the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant—a program Shaheen has championed that has been instrumental in helping reduce overdose deaths in the Granite State. You can watch Senator Shaheen’s remarks and questionshere.
Key quotes from Senator Shaheen:
“We are finally beginning to see our overdose death rate go down. But I am deeply concerned that this progress is now at risk, because Health and Human Services has already clawed back nearly $5 million in mental health and substance use treatment funds that are allocated to New Hampshire. And now, your budget proposes eliminating SAMHSA entirely and consolidating critical substance use and mental health block grants under a vague framework.”
“It’s so hard for me to understand why you would be considering programs that have been working, like the State Opioid Response grants, because […] in New Hampshire, those dollars go directly to the local treatment programs. We have a whole system that’s set up based on those that allows people to get treatment and recovery in their communities; That’s designed to ensure that they can get that. And so, that’s why I’m so troubled by the idea that you would eliminate the entity that makes those grants available.”
Senator Shaheen has led efforts to address the substance use crisis, including by defending and increasing funding for SOR grants. Just last year, Shaheen celebrated $29,890,890 in SOR grants heading to New Hampshire. In recent years, Shaheen successfully pushed HHS to maintain SOR funding levels for New Hampshire and avoid significant cliffs in funding year-over-year. Shaheen’s efforts have led to a more than tenfold increase in federal treatment and prevention funding for New Hampshire.
Shaheen has been vocal in her disapproval of the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS Secretary, including delivering remarks in opposition to his nomination on the Senate floor. Shaheen also recently called on Secretary Kennedy to reverse drastic funding cuts to the Affordable Care Act Navigator program, which helps Americans access quality, affordable health insurance coverage, including for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Case study
Flies, crossbows and comics: novel counter terrorism innovation
Nine projects, ranging from whether flies can detect explosives to how comics can reduce radicalism and how much of a risk crossbows are, were showcased.
More than 100 people attended the third University Innovation Concept event exploring ways in which cutting-edge research, often in unexpected areas, can help fight terrorism.
Nine fascinating and thought-provoking projects, ranging from whether flies can detect explosives (yes!) to how comics can reduce radicalism, and how much of a terrorism risk crossbows are, were on display at a showcase at the Open University in Milton Keynes, in which the Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) was a proud partner.
Researchers and delegates were welcomed by Inspector Liam Cahill, Innovation Domain Lead at the Counter Terrorism Research Lab (CTRL), and Open University professors Arosha K Bandara and Eleanor Crabb. Annette Southgate, Head of ACE, then took to the stage to stress the importance of work and innovative collaboration such as this to “getting ahead of some of the people that are trying to cause us harm”.
Iain Harrison, Director of Digital, Data, Analysis & Technology at Counter Terrorism Policing, explained the rigorous process, supported by ACE, that began with 62 proposals from 28 different universities, which were then reviewed and whittled down to the nine stimulating ideas on display at the showcase event.
Bringing academia and Counter Terrorism Policing together
The projects that had been explored over 12 weeks of intensive research were showcased across three themes:
THEME ONE: Radicalisation and Interventions
First to present were a team from Anglia Ruskin University, on the topic of Exploring the Impact of Critical World Events on Extremist Misinformation Network (2020-24). This involved analysing 240 posts from four major platforms to understand how extremist groups exploit global crises on popular social media platforms, using hashtags and multiple forms of misinformation to amplify uncertainty and try and recruit new audiences. It also looked to pinpoint potential novel ways to intervene in this process.
Next up were a team from Cranfield University, analysing how social media content algorithms respond to user interactions within specific topics, to answer the question of Can Social Media Algorithms Radicalise? This pilot was designed to quantify if user behaviours such as watching or liking videos influenced a popular platform’s algorithm, and to what extent. The conclusion was that the algorithm could be influenced to provide more content around a particular theme, but it is not yet clear how long this influence lasts.
The final presentation in this first session was from the University of Liverpool, exploring the topic of Graphic Novels to Enable Discussion and Promote Critical Thinking. This project involved creating a 46-page book containing four graphic novels on the topic of radicalisation, supported by front-line intervention practitioners, for use in educational strategies to encourage critical thinking. Comics were chosen because they are already popular worldwide, accessible and engaging as a format, and cheap to produce.
THEME TWO: Current Threats, Biosensors and Human Networks
After a break, another team from Cranfield University, that had been drawing big crowds in the breakout sessions for the four crossbows on display at their stand, spoke on their research into Crossbows: A Real and Current Threat. Against a background of increasing use of crossbows, which can legally be bought by anyone over the age of 18, in targeted incidents, this set out to examine the hit probability and wounding potential of four different systems, their reload times, and how these compared to current policing response times. The conclusions, from a variety of tests including depth of penetration and discharge rate, concluded that crossbows need to be considered a real and present threat for a marauding terrorist attack, because all of those tested have potential to cause significant injury, especially to unprotected organs.
Next up was another project that had the audience buzzing – research from a team at The Open University on Fruit Fly Biosensors: Leveraging Olfactory Responses for Detection of Explosives and Toxic Chemicals. This explored if fruit flies, which have exceptional sensitivity, could be used as biosensors to detect toxins, drug precursors and explosives. The answer was potentially yes – experiments with TNT found that exposure to the explosive led to a gradual but clear increase in fly attraction, indicating that fruit flies can detect it. Preliminary lab data also suggests starving the flies may enhance TNT detection speed.
The final project in this session was an explanation of a Dynamic Target Indicator Tool (D-TinT) developed by a team at the University of Exeter. This uses techniques from movement pattern analytics and social network analysis to identify the best indicators of links between nodes in a human network based on movement patterns over time. This enables a statistical and spatial mathematical model to be developed. The Tool also identifies what might be flagged as a vulnerable target – either person or place – which could allow counter terrorism stakeholders to test the impact of possible risk-reduction procedures.
THEME THREE: Emerging Technologies
The final session of a highly enjoyable day started with a team from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen talking the audience through their research on Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Identify and Prevent Terrorism in Prisons: Legislative Gaps and Technological Solutions. This analysed AI’s role in situational awareness and radicalisation prevention, explored how it could support existing counterterrorism efforts, evaluated legal and ethical readiness for AI to be deployed in this way, and proposed technical and legal reforms to enable the responsible use of AI technologies in prison settings. The conclusion of the research was that AI offers significant potential to enhance security and counter-radicalisation efforts in UK prisons.
Next, a scoping study of Augmented Reality and Terrorism was presented by Dr Richard Jones of Edinburgh Law School, part of the University of Edinburgh. Billing augmented reality as a “technology in search of a purpose”, his research explored both potential law enforcement applications, such as head-up real-time navigation and facial recognition of persons of interest, as well as how terrorists could use the same technology, for example to create video footage for propaganda purposes. It also looked at how this technology could evolve in the public domain. The research concluded that feasibility factors include device cost and availability as well as the level of required technological expertise, which is likely to fall, in addition to utility and whether it solves a problem.
The final presentation of the day was by a team from the University of Southampton on Exploiting Vulnerabilities in Autonomous Vehicle Systems for Terrorist Activity – Threats to UK Critical National Infrastructure. This focused on identifying vulnerabilities in autonomous vehicle systems amid increasing reliance on connected and automated vehicles, analysing how terrorists could exploit these to disrupt or control them. This could include by hijacking the vehicle controls or causing collisions via manipulating road signs. The conclusion was that proactive risk mitigation is paramount.
Following the event, Inspector Cahill said: “The University Innovation Concept (UIC) was conceived with the intention of bringing Counter Terrorism Policing and academia closer together to ensure operational decisions made by experienced and knowledgeable personnel are backed by science and academic rigour.
“The one-day showcase was also a fantastic opportunity for attendees to network, learn about ongoing research and potentially take learning back to their operational roles, and feedback has been extremely positive.”
Reflecting on the event, Professor Southgate said: “ACE is proud to support policing colleagues find new and creative ways of solving frontline mission problems through partnership with researchers from across a diversity of backgrounds and institutions.
“Accessing diversity of thought, approach and experience helps us step back and consider more impactful and enduring ways of tackling existing and sometimes long-standing problems.
“We are keen to help identify and shine a light on brilliant academic work that can already help solve today’s mission problems; highlighting the difference this makes, help build relationships and continue encouraging our talented academic community to support frontline policing work.”
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On May 20, 2025, a seminar for foreign students was held at the State University of Management. During the seminar, foreign students were introduced to a unique educational initiative – the Horizons of Opportunities project, developed with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
“Horizons of Possibilities” is a program of additional education for foreign students of 2-3 years of bachelor’s degree, 1 year of master’s degree, 1-2 years of postgraduate studies of Russian universities. The program is aimed at identifying and supporting the most promising foreign students who, after graduation, plan to develop cooperation with Russia in the political, informational and business fields.
Alana Zangieva, a specialist at the RUDN International Youth Center, held a presentation of the Horizons of Possibility project, introducing foreign students of the State University of Management to the main areas of the program’s activities and the conditions for participation in it, as well as successful cases of its graduates from previous years.
Foreign students of the State University of Management have shown interest in the work of the International School of Humanitarian Cooperation, whose students can gain practical skills for implementing their own business projects with Russia and employment in the Russian labor market.
In conclusion, the students thanked the speaker for the informative information and wished success to the Horizons of Possibilities program.
The event was organized by the State University of Management and the International Youth Center of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba.
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: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
For Immediate Release: May 21, 2025
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is continuing to take steps to help state importation programs provide safe, effective and more affordable drugs for American patients, as part of its efforts to implement Executive Order Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First. Today, the agency is announcing enhancements to the pathway under section 804 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that allows states and Indian tribes to import certain prescription drugs from Canada to significantly reduce the cost of these drugs to the American consumer, without imposing additional risk to public health and safety. “For too long, Americans have been getting taken advantage of. Drug prices in the U.S. are sometimes 5-10 times higher than in wealthy European countries. “ said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Today’s actions will support the ability to import drugs at much lower prices while also maintaining the high quality and safety of medicines that Americans expect and deserve.” The agency will offer individual states and tribes the opportunity to submit a draft proposal for pre-review and meet with the agency to obtain initial feedback from FDA prior to formally submitting their section 804 importation program (SIP) proposal. Meetings between individual states and the FDA will be optional and informal with the goal of reducing the burden on the state or tribe and helping it develop a robust SIP proposal. The agency also will develop a user-friendly tool that will assist states in developing their proposals. These actions will further clarify requirements and enhance the quality of proposals submitted to the agency, shortening the review timeline. Additionally, the agency is working to assist states with options to streamline the required cost savings analysis, and to provide input regarding the information states may rely on as they estimate cost savings for American consumers. This fall, the agency anticipates meeting with states that have expressed interest in the program to discuss these enhancements and gather feedback. This meeting will provide a forum to exchange information that will make it easier for states to obtain authorization while protecting public safety. Related Information
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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation and for regulating tobacco products.
overnor Kathy Hochul today announced over $10.4 million has been awarded to 30 animal care organizations across the state through the seventh round of the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund, the first state program in the nation to fund capital projects for animal shelters. The funding will support construction, renovation, and expansion projects that will enhance animal care and health and help ensure adoptions for New York’s dogs and cats. This builds on Governor Hochul’s commitment to securing safe housing and care for sheltered dogs and cats as they await adoption.
“Any pet owner can tell you that companion animals like dogs and cats are more than just furry friends – they’re family,” Governor Hochul said. “Animal shelters and humane societies play an enormous role in keeping companion animals safe and well cared for while they await their new families and forever home. This funding is making a real difference, helping to better equip these vital facilities with the tools they need to improve the quality of care for animals.”
Since the 2017 launch of the Companion Animal Capital Fund program, which is administered by the Department of Agriculture and Markets, the State has dedicated over $38 million to the program. In total, 130 projects have been awarded across New York so far. This round of funding builds on previous rounds of this program that is helping to offset the costs associated with capital projects run by New York State animal shelters, such as renovating dog kennels, improving medical facilities, or building more efficient shelters to reduce overall operational costs. Projects funded this year include updated living spaces for dogs and cats, improved HVAC and heating systems, expansions to facilities to improve medical care, as well as additional infrastructure updates.
Competitive grants were awarded to shelters based on a need assessment, detailed project description, and reasonableness of cost. The following organizations are receiving an award in this round of the program:
City of Oswego – $500,000.00 to replace the kennels, update the HVAC system, seal floors and non-porous areas, create an exclusive outdoor “relief” area, and install new sinks.
Columbia Greene Humane Society – $500,000.00 for a new HVAC system and to expand the clinic to include isolation, treatment room, X-ray and lab, exam rooms and euthanasia space.
Humane Society of Rome – $500,000.00 to install new dog enclosures, two isolation rooms and new cat enclosures.
Jefferson County – $500,000.00 to renovate kennels, upgrade the HVAC system, repair the drainage system, and install resin flooring, concrete walls and sound proofing.
Massena Humane Society – $500,000 for enhanced record keeping equipment, upgrades to the kennels, drainage and HVAC system, radiant floor heat, soundproofing and a new intake area.
Middletown Humane – $500,000 for updates and repairs to interior and exterior, upgrading heating/cooling, updated lighting and electrical systems, replacing roof, insulation and painting, alarm system and perimeter fencing.
Oswego Co. Humane – $500,000.00 for increased cat housing, epoxy flooring, isolation rooms and maternity ward, increased dog housing, a new HVAC and new water piping.
Patricia LeDew Foundation – $500,000.00 to install a new X-ray room with new equipment, expand the surgical area, create a new dental site and design an adoption area specific to senior animals.
Paws Crossed Animal Rescue – $500,000.00 for a new HVAC system, new doors, epoxy flooring and painting in 3 kennels.
Saratoga County – $500,000 for a new heating and cooling system.
Town of Bangor – $500,000.00 to improve record keeping equipment, upgrade cat cages, upgrade drainage and HVAC and soundproofing.
Town of Cheektowaga – $500,000 for upgraded kennels, an upgraded HVAC system, a dedicated isolation area and soundproofing.
Town of Henrietta – $500,000.00 to construct a new municipal shelter.
Town of Olean – $500,000.00 for a new facility.
Ulster Co. SPCA – $500,000.00 to redesign the kennel, replace the floor, repair floors and walls, and renovate the kitchen, grooming room and exam room.
A complete list of the awarded organizations and a brief description of the funded projects is available here.
Governor Hochul’s Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget proposed continued funding for this critical program and the final adopted Budget includes $10 million in funding for the next round.
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Animal shelters and humane societies are so much more than a port in the storm – they are a true lifeline to the animals who will one day become beloved members of New York families. From providing essential medical care to daily enrichment activities, the hardworking staff at humane societies, shelters, and SPCAs throughout the state work tirelessly to provide the best care for dogs and cats while they wait to be adopted. Through seven rounds of funding, we have seen the direct impact these projects have had on these essential facilities, and I’m proud to see the good work continue.”
New York State Animal Protection Federation Executive Director Libby Post said, “The Companion Animal Capital Fund has been a total game changer for shelters and rescues. This latest round of grants reflects how important the Companion Animal Care Standards Act for Shelters and Rescues is and what organizations are doing to make sure they meet these standards when they kick in on December 15th of this year. This round of grants brings the total investment to just shy of $50 million. Without the leadership of Governor Hochul, Senate and Assembly Agriculture Committee chairs Michelle Hinchey and Donna Lupardo, and our champions in each house, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and State Senator Joseph Addabbo, none of this would have happened. The Department of Agriculture and Markets understands how important this grant program is and the Federation thanks Commissioner Richard Ball for his on-going support.”
State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Our local animal shelters and humane societies give animals the care and compassion they deserve while they wait to be adopted by their forever families. The Companion Animal Capital Fund is a vital source of support for these organizations, most of which rely on donations, to improve and modernize their facilities. Securing funding for this program is always a priority, and I’m thrilled that three of our own, Columbia-Greene Humane Society, Dutchess SPCA and Ulster SPCA, have all been awarded grants in the latest funding round.”
Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “Since 2017, the Companion Animal Capital fund has helped 128 shelters make much-needed improvements to their facilities. I’m very glad that we are able to support an additional 30 shelters in this latest round of funding. We cannot thank them enough for the important work they do, caring for animals as they wait for their forever homes. I’d like to thank the Governor and my colleagues for continuing to support this important effort. I have seen first-hand how well these funds have been used and how needed these resources are.”
The Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Animal Industry promotes sustainable animal production agriculture and the safety of the animal origin food supply. These goals are accomplished through regulatory and cooperative educational efforts with various agencies, both public and private. The Division has staff in Albany and veterinarians located across the state. In addition to many other responsibilities, the Division regulates dog licensing, sets standards for humane care of seized dogs and the inspection of municipal shelters, administers the contract for the New York State Animal Population Control Program and the Pet Dealer Inspection Program, and provides training and assistance to local enforcement officers in animal welfare cases.
BOSTON, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ataccama, the data trust company, today announced the release of Ataccama ONE data trust platform v16.1. This new version introduces powerful data lineage and connectivity capabilities, including enhanced diagram export for audit and compliance use cases and improved lineage visualization tools. It also expands pushdown processing for cloud platforms, such as Azure Synapse and Google BigQuery. With these updates, Ataccama helps organizations more easily operationalize automated lineage, govern data across complex environments, and deliver trusted insights at scale.
As more organizations shift to hybrid and multi-cloud setups, their data becomes spread across multiple systems, teams, and tools. The result is a growing lack of visibility into the origin of data, how it changes, and its utilization. Without that visibility, building trust, ensuring compliance, and keeping costs down become harder.
According to Gartner, only 48% of digital initiatives achieve their business outcome targets, often because organizations struggle to find, understand, and trust their data in complex environments. Traditional approaches to data lineage focus too narrowly on technical users, leaving business teams without the context they need to make timely, informed decisions. When teams cannot see where data comes from or how it changes across systems, tracing issues, confirming accuracy, and meeting compliance expectations becomes increasingly difficult.
The Ataccama ONE data trust platform closes the data trust gap by giving organizations a comprehensive and portable view of how data moves, transforms, and impacts downstream systems. New capabilities make it easier to manage lineage across environments, including exporting diagrams for audits, preserving historical lineage states, and migrating metadata to support governance workflows and system changes. Teams can go beyond static data views to track sensitive information, audit its handling, and build confidence with point-in-time documentation. Expanded pushdown processing allows organizations to analyze data directly within cloud platforms like Azure Synapse and BigQuery, reducing movement, improving performance, and maintaining governance at scale. These updates enable teams to act faster, meet regulatory requirements, and confidently deliver trusted insights.
“This release makes our lineage capabilities more actionable and enterprise-ready,” said Jessica Smith, VP of Data Quality at Ataccama. “Visualizing lineage in highly regulated and complex sectors like financial services, insurance, or manufacturing is not enough. Organizations need capabilities that support audit readiness, migrations, and change control. These updates allow teams to export diagrams for compliance reporting and manage metadata to promote environments and enforce governance policies. These enhancements help teams meet regulatory demands while staying agile across their data landscape.”
New capabilities in v16.1:
Automated lineage and audit snapshots: Organizations can track lineage automatically across systems and export diagrams as point-in-time snapshots for compliance reporting. Additional features allow teams to preserve historical lineage states and migrate metadata between environments to support governance and system changes.
Enhanced visibility and collaboration: Users can customize and export lineage diagrams, drill down into detailed monitoring dashboards, and leverage improved search ranking to pinpoint issues quickly, accelerate troubleshooting, and present compliance metrics with greater precision.
Cloud-native data processing: Expanded pushdown processing allows organizations to analyze large datasets directly within cloud platforms like Azure Synapse and BigQuery, reducing data movement, accelerating performance, and significantly lowering cloud processing costs.
Support for big data workloads: Enterprises can now catalog, profile, and process Avro files stored on cloud storage systems, streamlining the integration and analysis of large and complex datasets.
Enhanced connectivity and flexibility: Updates, including custom schema management for Snowflake pushdown and JWT authentication with HashiCorp Vault, further enable secure, flexible, and scalable enterprise data operations.
Ataccama is the data trust company. Organizations worldwide rely on Ataccama ONE, the unified data trust platform, to ensure data is accurate, accessible, and actionable. By integrating data quality, lineage, observability, governance, and master data management into a single solution, Ataccama enables businesses to unlock value from their data for AI, analytics, and operations. Trusted by global enterprises, Ataccama helps organizations drive innovation, reduce costs, and mitigate risk. Recognized as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Augmented Data Quality and the 2025 Magic Quadrant for Data and Analytics Governance, Ataccama continues to set the standard for trusted data at scale. Learn more at www.ataccama.com.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RightNOW2025 — Having emerged from yet another demanding tax season, accounting professionals now confront heightened client expectations and limited time to pursue innovation and growth.
To help with navigating these persistent obstacles, Rightworks today announced Rightworks Community, its online platform that offers accounting and tax professionals the latest tools, insights, and actionable strategies from the profession’s most trusted advisors to help drive progress and inspire future-forward firms.
Rightworks Community combines the company’s two decades of leadership with its robust network of seasoned in-house and external experts to give members:
Centralized Resources: A growing range of educational content including templates, guides, articles, videos, podcasts, and CPE-eligible courses to enhance firm efficiency and deepen expertise.
Community Engagement: A collaborative space to develop winning strategies with like-minded professionals, benefit from mutual accountability, and receive expert guidance to navigate unique challenges and achieve their goals.
Emerging Best Practices: The latest trends and most effective tactics, featuring live and on-demand events, from mainstage presentations to in-depth workshops and wellness sessions led by top industry leaders, including Jason Staats, Ryan Lazanis, and more.
In early May, Rightworks Community completed its 2025 Tax Season Programming, which included events led by Amy Vetter, CPA, Yogi, and CEO of The B3 Method Institute. The free wellness sessions were designed to support mental clarity and optimize productivity during one of the profession’s most stressful seasons.
“The Rightworks Tax Season Programming, particularly Amy Vetter’s Chair Yoga and Mindful Meditation sessions, genuinely made a difference during a typically high-pressure time. Starting my day with these practices put my mind at ease, reduced stress, and l highly recommend attending a session to anyone seeking a positive way to begin their day,” said Susan Bannwart, CPA and President of Highpoint Advisory Services. “I’m excited to see the Chair Yoga sessions return and hope they’ll be back for next tax season.”
Free 60-Day Membership Offer for RightNOW2025 Attendees
To help turn their conference experience into a year-round actionable plan, Rightworks Community is extending 60 days of free Advantage membership through July 1 to RightNOW2025 attendees. The special offer is designed to enable attendees to continue learning, growing, and connecting with peers post-conference through roundtable events hosted by RightNOW2025 speakers, including Hector Garcia, Will Hill, and John Mitchell.
“We created the Rightworks Community as part of our mission to help advance the accounting profession,” said Joel Hughes, CEO of Rightworks. “The Community is an interactive space where accounting and tax professionals can collaborate with colleagues and trusted experts who understand their challenges. Members have access to comprehensive resources that bridge the gap between traditional practices and modern strategies.”
To learn more about Rightworks Community and to sign up, click here.
About Rightworks Rightworks enables accounting firms and businesses to significantly simplify operations and expand their value to clients via our award-winning intelligent cloud and learning resources. This is possible with Rightworks OneSpace, the only secure cloud platform purpose-built for the accounting and tax profession, and our premier community for firm optimization, growth, and professional development. Founded in 2002, we’ve grown to serve over 10,000 accounting firms in the US—from single practitioners to Top 10 firms. For more information, please visit rightworks.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
CHICAGO, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Guaranteed Rate Affinity, a leading mortgage provider offering unparalleled lending services through its partnership with Coldwell Banker, has appointed Dino Guadagnino as Regional Vice President of Reverse Mortgages, strengthening its commitment to the reverse mortgage space and the senior borrowers it serves.
With 22 years in the industry and a background in accounting, Guadagnino has specialized in reverse mortgages since 2003. He joins GRA to lead the expansion of its reverse program—bringing more education, opportunity, and tools to agents, loan officers, and senior clients alike.
“I am excited to join Guaranteed Rate Affinity as the Regional Reverse Mortgage Sales Leader,” said Guadagnino. “GRA’s leadership team and their commitment to offering financial solutions to the senior population make this the ideal organization to grow the reverse mortgage program. We’re focused on building a team of reverse loan officers who align with our values and deliver the highest level of service to clients and partners.”
In addition to expanding outreach and education for reverse mortgages, Guadagnino will work closely with traditional loan officers to help them get certified in reverse lending and uncover new opportunities in the reverse for purchase space.
“We’re pleased to welcome Dino to the Guaranteed Rate Affinity family,” said Frank Ciardelli, SVP of Sales Performance. “His knowledge and leadership in reverse lending will be a game changer. Dino’s presence will help grow this business line, expand our offering, and provide seniors with the education and options they deserve.”
About Guaranteed Rate Affinity
Guaranteed Rate Affinity is a joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Anywhere Integrated Services (NYSE: HOUS), which owns some of the industry’s most recognized and respected real estate brands. The innovative JV has funded over $100 billion in loans since its inception. Guaranteed Rate Affinity originates and markets its mortgage lending services to Anywhere’s real estate, brokerage, and relocation subsidiaries.
Guaranteed Rate Affinity provides unmatched support to Anywhere brokers coast-to-coast, ensuring their customers receive fast pre-approvals, appraisals, and loan closings, creating the ability for buyers to move quickly and confidently when purchasing homes in today’s competitive market. The company also provides the same services to the public and other real estate brokerage and relocation companies across the country—helping employers improve their employees’ relocation experience by prioritizing customer service, digital mortgage ease, and competitive rates.
Disclosures: Guaranteed Rate owns a controlling 50.1% stake in Guaranteed Rate Affinity, and Anywhere owns 49.9%. Availability of reverse mortgage products varies by state and may not be offered in all areas. Contact a Guaranteed Rate Affinity loan officer for details on current state availability.
CHICAGO, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Chicago-based title insurance underwriter Advocus National Title Insurance Company (Advocus) recently welcomed attorney Nathan Smith to its Underwriting Department. In his new role, Nathan will be responsible for providing underwriting assistance by working with Advocus’ attorney agents. Day to day, his duties will consist of answering questions and providing approval for title matters concerning residential and commercial real estate transactions in the context of Advocus’ ongoing national expansion.
With over a decade of legal experience, Nathan brings a wealth of expertise in claims and underwriting. Most recently, he served as Claims Counsel at Stewart Title Guaranty Company where he managed a portfolio of complex title insurance claims and litigation. Nathan also served as Underwriting Counsel at Fidelity National Title, where he performed risk assessments and provided legal guidance on both residential and commercial transactions.
“Through our tried-and-true procedures and culture of collaboration and consensus-building, Advocus knows how to bring people together,” Smith said. “Advocus stands out for putting attorneys at the center of the process, and I am absolutely thrilled to contribute to a team that has reshaped, and continues to set, the standard for what the process can and should be.”
Smith’s career remains rooted in guiding litigation strategy, negotiating settlements, and overseeing cost control initiatives—all with a focus on delivering timely and effective resolutions for Advocus’ insureds. A certified Illinois State Bar Association arbitrator and mediator, Smith knows the value of discarding adversarial models in favor of getting to “yes.”
“Nathan’s experience at the intersection of claims management, underwriting, and legal operations makes him a perfect fit for Advocus as we continue to build a differentiated model grounded in legal integrity,” said Augie Butera, EVP and General Counsel at Advocus. “His track record of delivering results and educating peers exemplifies the values we bring to our agents and other customers every day.”
To learn more about Advocus and its attorney-centered approach to title insurance, visit advocus.com.
About Advocus Advocus is a national provider of title insurance and settlement services dedicated to preserving the role of lawyers in real estate transactions. Founded in 1964 on the belief that every consumer deserves legal representation and advocacy, Advocus is dedicated to preserving the attorney’s role in real estate transactions and offering attorney-led underwriting expertise. With a growing presence in markets across the United States, Advocus continues to set the standard for excellence in the title insurance industry. For more information, visit www.advocus.com.
WATERTOWN, Mass., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cangrade today announced the launch of its newly patented Resume Ranker (U.S. Patent No. 12,287,833), an AI feature that enables recruiters to quickly and effectively narrow down high-fit candidates from just a job description. With the ability to assess hundreds of resumes in minutes, Resume Ranker significantly expedites the process of finding top candidates and screening out those who may not meet the specific job requirements for a given role.
Born out of customer need, Resume Ranker goes a step beyond resume scanning tools and parsers, applying generative AI-powered technology to uncover the most relevant job requisites and subsequently screen for them. Using existing or new job descriptions, the AI then compares them to current candidate pools to uncover the highest fits for a role, based on rankings for both required and desired skills for the job.
With the ability to identify and edit required skills, users can create and adjust the parameters to find the best candidates. For example, a person applying for a data analyst role without SQL experience would be eliminated. More mundane skills like “record keeping” or “basic computer skills” can be removed or deprioritized. This ensures anyone in the hiring process is aligned based on the scope of the actual job.
Benefits of Resume Ranker Include:
Time Savings: Quickly sort through a large volume of resumes, enabling users to focus on uniquely human parts of the recruiting process, such as interviewing and building rapport with candidates.
Ease of Use: Simply access existing job descriptions or copy/paste new ones, with the ability to identify and edit required and desired skills tailored to the role.
Improved Accuracy and Insights: View resume rankings in an intuitive dashboard, and based on the results, narrow down candidates or fine-tune job descriptions to uncover the most pertinent skills, and thus candidates, for the role.
“With the uncertain state of the economy and job market, it’s likely that we’ll see a shift to an employers’ market this year, with more professionals competing for fewer jobs,” said Gershon Goren, founder and CEO, Cangrade. “With less internal resources and a higher number of applicants, recruiters need processes that empower them to make quick and accurate hiring decisions to stay competitive. Resume Ranker is an effective, intuitive tool giving recruiters a leg up.”
All Cangrade solutions are created through the lens of responsible AI. As such, Resume Ranker doesn’t include any demographic information, like names, in the resume screening process—the biggest driver of bias when using large language models (LLMs). Recruiters select only job-relevant skills and experiences, so the results are solely based on candidates’ competency and ability to perform the skills most important for the job.
Resume Ranker is now available to subscribers of Cangrade’s AI Copilot, Jules. For more information about Cangrade’s AI-powered, bias-free hiring and talent management solutions, visit www.cangrade.com.
About Cangrade For HR leaders, Cangrade is the bias-free, AI-powered talent intelligence platform. By integrating data into talent acquisition and management processes, Cangrade enables businesses to make strategic and efficient decisions from initial screening through the entire employee lifecycle. Delivering 10x more accurate predictions of talent success and retention than traditional methods, the company’s Pre-Hire Assessment has helped organizations like Wayfair, FDNY, Lamar Advertising, and Applied Industrial Technologies make the right hiring decisions for over 10 million candidates and counting. For more information, visit www.cangrade.com.
TORONTO, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New Commerce Split (The “Company”) declares a monthly distribution of $0.05000 per share for Capital shareholders (YCM), and its regular monthly distribution of $0.02500 per share ($0.30 annually) for Class I Preferred shareholders (YCM.PR.A), and $0.03125 per share ($0.375 annually) for Class II Preferred shareholders (YCM.PR.B). The Class I Preferreds are paid at an annual rate of 6.00% based on their $5 repayment amount. Class II Preferreds are paid at an annual rate of 7.50% based on their $5 repayment amount. Distributions are payable June 10, 2025 to shareholders on record as at May 30, 2025.
The Company invests in common shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a Canadian financial institution.
SAN ANTONIO, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Graphitic Energy (“Graphitic”), formerly known as C-Zero, has entered into a strategic collaboration with the Claremont office of Technip Energies USA to jointly develop and deploy Graphitic’s innovative methane pyrolysis technology. This innovative process utilizes natural gas to produce clean hydrogen and graphite, a crystalline form of carbon used in batteries, lubricants, refractories, and high-temperature industrial processes. The agreement between Technip Energies and Graphitic includes funding dedicated to testing campaigns to support technology advancement. Later this year, the two companies also plan to enter into a licensing collaboration agreement to accelerate the deployment of Graphitic’s technology around the world.
Graphitic Energy’s groundbreaking methane pyrolysis technology enables the production of clean hydrogen and solid carbon with no direct CO2 emissions. The process is low-electricity-intensive and can be scaled to produce 100,000 metric tons of hydrogen per year in a single process train. The collaboration will leverage Technip Energies’ leading positions in hydrogen generation and fluidized bed technology.
“Technip Energies is excited to enter into this cooperation with Graphitic Energy and bring forward our recognized hydrogen production experience and fluidized bed expertise to standardize plants globally for the production of hydrogen and synthetic graphite with minimal direct CO2 emissions. The standardized designs will allow for lower pre-investment costs, accelerated implementation time, high predictability on project economics, and reduced overall capital costs. This cooperation underscores Technip Energies’ commitment to delivering sustainable, innovative, cost-effective low-carbon solutions, strengthening our technology portfolio,” said Mario Tommaselli, Senior Vice President Gas & Low Carbon Energies at Technip Energies.
Unlike other low-carbon hydrogen production paths, Graphitic’s process economics do not require government subsidies to be cost-competitive, and the company can profitably deliver both hydrogen and graphite at current market prices. In addition, the company’s technology can be sited anywhere natural gas or LNG are available, without the need to source renewable electricity or perform geological CO2 sequestration.
“Graphitic’s technology enables the production of two critical products from natural gas. We’ve taken it from an idea, through the lab scale, and into a large pilot generating tonnes of graphitic material. Collaborating with Technip Energies will enable us to get to market faster and provide interested parties with high-quality engineering packages,” said Graphitic’s Co-Founder and CEO Zach Jones.
In March 2025, Graphitic commissioned its pilot plant in San Antonio, TX. This state-of-the-art facility is capable of producing several hundred kilograms of hydrogen and up to 1,000 kg of solid carbon per day, with continuous 24/7 operations. It is expected to operate through the end of 2025. The company’s pilot is supported by a recent $15 million extension of its series A funding, bringing its total investment to over $65 million.
About Technip Energies
Technip Energies is a global technology and engineering powerhouse. With leadership positions in LNG, hydrogen, ethylene, sustainable chemistry, and CO2 management, we are contributing to the development of critical markets such as energy, energy derivatives, decarbonization, and circularity. Our complementary business segments, Technology, Products and Services (TPS) and Project Delivery, turn innovation into scalable and industrial reality.
Through collaboration and excellence in execution, our 17,000+ employees across 34 countries are fully committed to bridging prosperity with sustainability for a world designed to last.
Technip Energies generated revenues of €6.9 billion in 2024 and is listed on Euronext Paris. The Company also has American Depositary Receipts trading over the counter.
For further information: www.ten.com
About Graphitic Energy
Headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA with plant operations in San Antonio, TX, Graphitic Energy has developed a novel methane pyrolysis process for sustainably using natural gas to produce hydrogen and graphite. This delivers low-cost, clean hydrogen alongside high-value, graphitic carbon. Unlike current hydrogen generation technologies, Graphitic’s process converts abundant natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon with virtually no direct CO2 emissions. The company has raised over $65 million from investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Capital Ventures, Trafigura, SK Gas, Eni, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ENGIE, and AP Ventures.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, GoodTime, a leader in human-centric AI for hiring, introduces Orchestra, a coordinated digital workforce of AI agents working behind the scenes to eliminate delays, reduce manual work, and transform the way companies hire.
The hiring landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years, but most recruiting processes haven’t kept up. Manual tasks, slow follow-ups, and scattered systems continue to drag teams down and create poor hiring experiences. That’s the challenge GoodTime solves with Orchestra.
More than a singular feature or product, Orchestra is the intelligent AI layer woven across the GoodTime experience — a digital workforce of proactive, autonomous agents that work in sync to handle hiring’s most time-consuming tasks. From resume screening and candidate matching to interview scheduling, real-time updates, and more, Orchestra keeps hiring fast, smooth, and human.
“The hiring process is overdue for a reset — and Orchestra is our answer,” said Ahryun Moon, Co-Founder and CEO of GoodTime. “We’re not building simple bots that follow scripts. We’re building AI that works like a team — constantly learning, coordinating, and making hiring smoother for everyone involved. This isn’t automation for automation’s sake. It’s AI-powered orchestration for a more human hiring experience.”
From application to offer — faster than ever before
GoodTime’s intelligent agents don’t just wait for instructions. They act. They scan resumes. They schedule interviews. They keep candidates informed and engaged. They surface insights, flag bottlenecks, and ensure every step of the hiring process runs in perfect sync.
Built for the demands of modern TA teams, Orchestra delivers:
Faster hires, fewer handoffs — Agents move the most qualified candidates forward instantly, reducing time-to-fill and helping you win top talent before competitors do.
Smarter hiring decisions — With insights and feedback summaries delivered automatically, hiring teams always have a clear view of what matters most.
A better candidate experience — Always-on support and real-time updates keep candidates engaged from start to finish.
More time for people-focused work — Agents handle the busywork so TA teams can focus on high-impact moments.
Intelligent support that works in sync with the talent team
“Orchestra isn’t here to replace recruiters — it’s here to back them up,” said Charles Mah, Chief Operating Officer at GoodTime. “We built Orchestra to give talent teams their time back. With AI agents handling the heavy lifting, hiring teams can focus on what they do best: building real relationships and making great hires.”
Orchestra agents support talent teams at every step, eliminating the operational drag that slows hiring down, while keeping people at the center of every interaction. They work in concert with recruiters, coordinators, hiring managers, and candidates to keep everyone supported through each step of the hiring journey.
Orchestra brings speed, clarity, and consistency to every step of the hiring journey:
Instantly screen applicants and match them to roles based on custom job criteria, and automatically prioritize top candidates
Build, categorize, and refine job specifications using AI-powered suggestions
Book and reschedule interviews based on real-time availability — no back-and-forth required
Keep candidates warm, informed, and engaged with timely, personalized messages
Deliver answers to candidate FAQs using company-specific documentation
Summarize interview scorecards and consolidate team feedback for faster, clearer decisions
Monitor hiring pipelines for bottlenecks and recommend fixes before issues escalate
Everything happens automatically — but never out of sight. Every action is visible, traceable, and designed to keep the talent team in control. When agents and people work together — each doing what they do best — the result is faster hires, smarter decisions, and a more human experience for everyone involved.
This is AI designed to elevate the human side of hiring, not erase it.
GoodTime transforms the way companies hire — with human-centric AI that orchestrates every step of the journey. From screening to scheduling to candidate communications and more, our AI agents eliminate delays, reduce manual work, and keep hiring moving fast. They take action at the right moments, surfacing insights, advancing top talent, and keeping your team in the loop every step of the way. Trusted by global teams at Priceline, Lyft, and Hubspot to power people-first hiring at scale, GoodTime delivers faster hires, smarter decisions, and standout candidate experiences.
Learn more at goodtime.io.
Media Contact
For more information or to arrange an interview with Ahryun Moon, please contact: Jake Link press@goodtime.io
Automated payment innovation fuels accelerated adoption of Flywire’s Third-Party Invoicing and 529 Disbursement solutions
BOSTON, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Flywire Corporation (Flywire) (Nasdaq: FLYW) – a global payments enablement and software company – announced today that more than 100 colleges and universities in the United States that use Flywire’s Student Financial Software (SFS) collected more than $320 million in past-due tuition to keep more than 161,000 at-risk students enrolled. These results are part of the ongoing commitment that Flywire is making to its higher education clients in the U.S. to help them accelerate revenue, while optimizing for student success.
Faced with mounting pressure to create more sustainable revenue streams, U.S. higher education institutions have adopted Flywire’s SFS solution to better streamline the student journey and address education affordability by providing more dynamic payment plans and accelerating past-due collections to help retain students. The return on investment from Flywire’s Collection Management offering of SFS is particularly strong, as it helps institutions avoid the costly process of sending students to collections, which typically charges on average 20% to collect past-due tuition owed. As one example, Purdue University – a Flywire client for cross-border tuition payments and digital 529 disbursements since 2021 – went live with Flywire’s Collection Management offering of SFS in March of 2024 to automate communications and payment plans to collect more past-due tuition faster. Within months, Purdue saved more than 300 students from going to collections, and recovered more than $1 million in revenue that would otherwise have been written off.
“I can’t imagine how much extra work we’d have to be doing if we were still doing collections the old way. It’s kind of a lifesaver. Our write-offs will go down because of Flywire.” – Chad Lester, Associate Bursar, Account Resolution and Loan Administration, Purdue University
Ongoing innovation also solves payment challenges around 529 disbursements and third-party payments
Flywire’s U.S. clients have also begun adopting its third-party invoicing solution, which streamlines the payment experience for third-party sponsors paying a student’s tuition and fees, as well as its 529 disbursements, which digitizes the otherwise manual process of 529 plan payment checks. Since the inception of its 529 solution, Flywire has digitized over $2 billion in tuition payments by eliminating the manual processing of more than 502,000 checks for institutions in the U.S., with more than 750 institutions in the U.S. signed on for the solution. This expansion of these payment capabilities demonstrates Flywire’s commitment to addressing every aspect of the student payment journey, extending its expertise beyond cross-border transactions to deliver comprehensive payment solutions that help clients work smarter.
“When I first started with Flywire, they were just payments. Now they’ve put 529 solutions in, again a big problem in our university, all the checks. They’ve put in collections and now third-party invoicing. Everything they do makes our jobs easier.” – Janet Hicks, Associate Controller, Student Accounting Services, University of South Florida
Strengthening partnerships to enhance capabilities for clients and embed deeper within broader education ecosystem
Flywire directly integrates with a number of leading technology providers, from large ERPs like Ellucian, to Admission and Enrollment Providers like CommonApp, and other software systems. Through these integrations, Flywire is helping institutions improve operational efficiency to ultimately provide better staff and student experiences.
To strengthen its footprint in the U.S., Flywire has recently partnered with some of the largest and most recognized education technology providers to provide:
Tuition insurance throughGradGuard to provide Flywire’s higher education clients in the U.S. access to an integrated policy disclosure process that assures greater financial literacy of students and their families
Streamlined payment experience throughBlackBaud to provide international students enables a seamless payment experience, and help independent schools streamline incoming payments, including tuition and enrollment fees
Digital delivery of student loan payments funded and managed by some of the largest banks and loan providers in India, including Credila and State Bank of India
Strengthened international recruitment network of more than 20,000 key recruitment counselors such as IDP, KC Overseas and more to help institutes diversify their recruitment efforts and streamline enrollment from international students.
Resources
Meet with Flywire at NAFSA 2025, May 26 – May 30, Booth #626 and join Flywire’s sessions with NYU, IDP, ICEF, AIRC, INTO and GeNEOus to learn more about how Flywire is powering the global education ecosystem.
To learn more about Flywire’s solutions for the U.S. higher education industry, visit here
The Flywire Fusion U.S. Education Client Conference & Awards Ceremony is taking place October 20-22 at the Lansdowne Resort in historic Leesburg, Virginia. Save your spot here.
About Flywire
Flywire is a global payments enablement and software company. We combine our proprietary global payments network, next-gen payments platform and vertical-specific software to deliver the most important and complex payments for our clients and their customers.
Flywire leverages its vertical-specific software and payments technology to deeply embed within the existing A/R workflows for its clients across the education, healthcare and travel vertical markets, as well as in key B2B industries. Flywire also integrates with leading ERP systems, such as NetSuite, so organizations can optimize the payment experience for their customers while eliminating operational challenges.
Flywire supports more than 4,600 clients with diverse payment methods in more than 140 currencies across more than 240 countries and territories around the world. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, USA with global offices. For more information, visit www.flywire.com. Follow Flywire on X , LinkedIn and Facebook.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Flywire’s expectations regarding the benefits of its education clients and business, Flywire’s business strategy and plans, market growth and trends. Flywire intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “expect,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions, and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in Flywire’s forward-looking statements include, among others, the factors that are described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Flywire’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on the SEC’s website athttps://www.sec.gov/. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and Flywire undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
NEW YORK, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ASAPP, the leading provider of AI-powered contact center software, today announced it has appointed Devidas Desai as senior vice president of product management. A seasoned product leader with over two decades of industry experience, Desai will spearhead product strategy and innovation, focusing on delivering cutting-edge AI solutions that redefine customer experiences.
“ASAPP is committed to delivering next-generation AI products that solve our customers’ most complex customer service challenges,” said Priya Vijayarajendran, CEO of ASAPP. “With a track record of delivering solutions that enhance customer engagement and drive business growth, we’re excited to welcome Devidas to the ASAPP team. His strategic vision and user-centric mentality will fuel the next phase of growth as we continue to extend the limits of AI innovation to enhance customer engagement.”
Desai joins ASAPP from his previous role as senior vice president of product management at PolyAI, a provider of AI agents for enterprise customer service, where he led the development of voice-first customer service solutions including the launch of Agent Studio, the world’s first GenAI voice-first omnichannel customer experience (CX) platform. Prior to his role at PolyAI, Desai held key leadership positions at RingCentral, where he led its Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) product offering, and Symphony.com, where he oversaw applications with nearly 500,000 active users across the world’s largest banking institutions.
“Having worked in product management for over two decades, I recognize firsthand the immense value that ASAPP’s AI-driven solutions deliver in maximizing enterprise contact center efficiency,” said Devidas Desai, senior vice president of product management at ASAPP. “I look forward to joining a best-in-class team to spearhead product strategy, scale contact center capabilities, and advance innovation in conversational AI.”
About ASAPP ASAPP is an AI solution provider committed to solving the toughest problems in customer service. Because we automate what was previously impossible to automate, our AI-nativeⓇ solutions deliver more than efficiency gains. They redefine the role of AI in the contact center and lay the groundwork for businesses to reimagine their customer experience delivery in the age of AI. Leading enterprises rely on ASAPP’s generative and agentic AI solutions to dramatically expand contact center capacity and transform their contact centers from cost centers into value drivers. To learn more about ASAPP, visit www.asapp.com.
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ibex (NASDAQ: IBEX), the leading global provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and AI-powered CX solutions, today kicked off the 2025 CX Leadership Awards, which honor the top customer experience (CX) innovators, leaders, and contributors around the world.
This year’s CX Leadership Award nominees, selected from an ultra-competitive roster of renowned CX experts and visionaries, will be announced over the coming weeks. Winners will be crowned on June 11, 2025 at the ibex CX Leaders Dinner in Las Vegas during Customer Contact Week (CCW).
“As the AI-powered CX leader, ibex is pleased to congratulate the 2025 CX Leadership Award nominees for their industry leadership, technological innovation, and ability to leverage the latest digital and AI-powered solutions to redefine CX,” said Julie Casteel, Chief Strategic Accounts Officer and CMO at ibex. “Our experience working with the world’s most iconic brands to deliver differentiated customer experiences gives us a unique perspective to recognize the best of the best.”
The ibex CX Leadership Awards spotlight the individuals and organizations whose vision and innovation are actively reshaping the customer experience industry. Honorees excel in enabling seamless customer engagement, creating extraordinary customer experiences, and optimizing the customer journey.
ibex expertly combines cutting-edge AI technology with over 20 years of unparalleled CX expertise to create groundbreaking AI-powered solutions. ibex Wave iX solutions enable top brands to refine and elevate their customer interactions, ensuring a seamless customer journey while accelerating growth, enhancing service delivery, and maximizing impact.
About ibex
ibex delivers innovative business process outsourcing (BPO), smart digital marketing, online acquisition technology, and end-to-end customer engagement solutions to help companies acquire, engage and retain valuable customers. Today, ibex operates a global CX delivery center model consisting of approximately 30 operations facilities around the world, while deploying next generation technology to drive superior customer experiences for many of the world’s leading companies across retail, e-commerce, healthcare, fintech, utilities and logistics.
ibex leverages its diverse global team of more than 31,000 employees together with industry-leading technology, including its AI-powered ibex Wave iX solutions suite, to manage nearly 175 million critical customer interactions, adding over $2.2B in lifetime customer revenue each year and driving a truly differentiated customer experience. To learn more, visit our website at ibex.co and connect with us on LinkedIn.
NEW YORK, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Krane Funds Advisors, LLC (“KraneShares”), an asset management firm known for its global exchange-traded funds (ETFs), today announced the launch of the KraneShares Strategic Wealth Model Portfolios.
These ETF model portfolios provide a comprehensive, global portfolio solution for financial advisors. They leverage the best of KraneShares’ and their leading asset management partners’ ETFs and market insights, emphasizing liquid alternatives and international exposure.
“Over the years, we have developed a unique set of ETFs at KraneShares. The Strategic Wealth Models can help investors understand how our ETFs fit into a total portfolio solution,” said Jonathan Krane, KraneShares CEO. “Through combining KraneShares’ strategies and expertise with products and inputs from our partners, we are able to create ETF model portfolios across various risk ranges that are unique in the marketplace.”
The KraneShares Strategic Wealth Model Portfolios expand global diversification compared to most model portfolio offerings and include 15-20% exposure to liquid alternatives, helping to protect the portfolio when traditional investments decline.
“We see a shift coming in global markets,” added Jonathan Shelon. “After a decade of US equity outperformance and a dominant US dollar, more globally diversified and alternatives-oriented portfolios will be important for growing and maintaining wealth. We are helping our clients prepare for a shifting macro landscape with our Strategic Wealth Models.”
The models currently include the following ETFs:
KraneShares Value Line Dynamic Dividend Equity ETF (Ticker: KVLE)
KraneShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China Index ETF (Ticker: KEMX)
KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (Ticker: KWEB)
KraneShares Hedgeye Hedged Equity Index ETF (Ticker: KSPY)
Krane Funds Advisors, LLC is the investment manager for KraneShares ETFs. Our team is determined to provide industry-leading, differentiated, and high-conviction investment strategies that offer access to key market trends. KraneShares offers innovative investment solutions tailored to three key pillars: China, Climate, and Alternatives. Our mission is to empower investors with the knowledge and tools necessary to capture the importance of these themes as an essential element of a well-designed investment portfolio.
BOSTON, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IP Fabric, the Automated Infrastructure Assurance Platform, today announced advanced firewall management features that close critical security and compliance gaps. The latest release includes firewall filtering simulation, transparent firewall discovery and visualization, enhanced compliance checks and granular access controls. These capabilities give enterprises full visibility into how traffic is encrypted, filtered and enforced — helping teams detect misconfigurations, ensure that every firewall is discovered and modeled, and create triggers to automate responses to risk in partnership with the firewall management systems already in use.
Up to 20% of a network — including the critical firewalls that block malicious traffic and access — are improperly configured in enterprise companies. IT leaders carry a fiduciary responsibility to ensure infrastructure is secure, compliant and cost-effective, starting with a complete understanding of network assets and behavior. Security assessors and regulatory auditors know this, which is why firewall configurations are integral to controls outlined in global frameworks like NIST, CIS, ISO 27001 and SOC 2. IP Fabric’s latest release shows exactly how all firewalls, segmentation and encrypted traffic behave in the real world to reduce risk created by gaps in defense, strengthen protection and speed audit preparation.
“Infrastructure defense shouldn’t live in silos, but too often our tools and teams do,” said Pavel Bykov, CEO and co-founder of IP Fabric. “We’re giving IT and security teams a shared, end-to-end understanding of how traffic flows, including how it’s encrypted, filtered and enforced across transparent firewalls and IPSec tunnels. When you can visualize devices, end-to-end paths, misconfigurations and gaps in your defense in context, you can take informed action to strengthen your security posture, prove continuous compliance and avoid unbudgeted costs.”
Key security and compliance enhancements in IP Fabric 7.2
1. Modern firewall filtering simulation: See how traffic is allowed or blocked by URLs, threat feeds and domain names.
2. Transparent firewall discovery and visualization: Visualize Layer 2 firewalls and encrypted tunnels to improve monitoring and detect gaps in defense. Now supporting Palo Alto Networks, FortiGate and Firepower firewalls.
3. Enhanced compliance and intent checks: Identify all devices in the traffic path, map CVEs to vulnerable assets and run tailored checks to spot misconfigurations faster in support of global security frameworks such as NIST, CIS, ISO 27001 and SOC 2.
4. Granular user access controls for security extensions: Restrict who can deploy or edit automation scripts to prevent unauthorized changes and support compliance.
5. Next-generation firewall management: Ensure security posture consistently among firewalls both on-prem and in the public cloud, regardless of vendor. Trigger changes based on up-to-date insights into compliance and network behavior.
By delivering unparalleled visibility and control into security policies, firewall enforcement and compliance posture, IP Fabric’s latest release empowers enterprises to close security gaps before attackers exploit them.
For a complete list of features included in IP Fabric 7.2 visit the company blog.
About IP Fabric IP Fabric is the industry’s leading automated infrastructure assurance platform, offering a continuously validated view of cloud, network and security infrastructure to improve stability, security and spend. Within minutes, the platform creates a unified view of devices, state, configurations and interdependencies, normalizing multi-vendor data and revealing operational truth through automated intent checks. By uncovering risks and providing actionable insights, IP Fabric empowers enterprises to accelerate IT and business transformation while reducing costs. Trusted by industry leaders like Red Hat, Major League Baseball and Air France, IP Fabric delivers the foundation for a secure and modern infrastructure.
VILNIUS, Lithuania, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTCC, one of the world’s longest-serving cryptocurrency exchanges, today announces the appointment of Dan Liu as its new Chief Executive Officer. Liu, who previously served as Chief Research Officer at BTCC, brings extensive expertise in both traditional finance and cryptocurrency markets to his new role.
As BTCC approaches its 14th anniversary in June, Dan Liu’s appointment as CEO marks a new chapter for the exchange. Under his leadership, BTCC aims to build upon its legacy as the world’s most established crypto exchange while pursuing sustainable growth. This vision will carry BTCC confidently into the future, elevating the platform beyond traditional security to drive meaningful industry evolution.
From Research Visionary to CEO
Since joining BTCC in 2019, Liu has been instrumental in the exchange’s rapid growth and innovation in the cryptocurrency space. As a dynamic young leader, he previously served as Chief Research Officer at the exchange. With his strategic vision over the years, BTCC expanded its services to users from over 160 countries and significantly enhanced its product offerings in both futures and spot trading markets while maintaining high security standards.
Liu’s forward-thinking approach to market dynamics has made him a sought-after and respected voice in the cryptocurrency space, with regular features in prominent crypto media outlets including Cointelegraph, Markets Insider, and Japanese publication Monthly Digital Assets.
“I am deeply honored to lead BTCC Exchange at such a pivotal time for both our platform and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem,” said Liu. “My crypto journey began back in 2013, and that early passion has only grown stronger over the years. As we celebrate our 14th anniversary this year, I’m excited to combine my background in traditional finance with my love for blockchain innovation. We remain committed to bridging these two worlds, continuing to build trust within the community while accelerating our global expansion.”
Building on Legacy, Focused on Future
Since joining BTCC in 2019, Liu has guided the exchange through various market conditions while driving innovation and growth. His leadership has positioned BTCC as an industry pioneer across multiple market cycles.
One of Liu’s most notable contributions was leading the launch of Tokenized Futures, an innovative financial product rarely seen in the industry. This bold step bridged the gap between traditional finance and blockchain technology and positioned BTCC as a forward-thinking exchange.
Additionally, under Liu’s strategic guidance, BTCC launched its highly successful Copy Trading feature, which has received exceptional user engagement and positive feedback. This feature provides an accessible entry point for those exploring cryptocurrency markets, aligning perfectly with BTCC’s mission of making digital asset trading more inclusive.
With his academic background in conventional markets, Liu brings valuable analytical skills to the evolving cryptocurrency space. His leadership represents a new approach where trust, transparency, and blockchain technology work together.
Looking ahead, Liu’s focus is on global expansion while navigating increasingly diverse regulatory standards across markets. “One of my most important missions is educating the general public about cryptocurrency and making trading accessible to everyday users,” Liu explains. To support this vision, he plans to deepen BTCC’s community connections by attending global industry events and creating direct dialogue with users and partners across different markets—insights that will help shape the platform’s future and inform regional strategies.
Under Liu’s leadership, BTCC Exchange is poised to continue its legacy as one of the most trusted, secure, and innovative cryptocurrency exchanges globally.
About BTCC
Founded in 2011, BTCC is one of the world’s longest-serving cryptocurrency exchanges, offering secure and user-friendly trading services to millions of users globally. With a commitment to security, innovation, and community building, BTCC continues to be a trusted platform in the evolving cryptocurrency landscape.
New offering enables clients to optimize their trading function, leveraging Clear Street’s proprietary technology & experienced team
Clear Street continues rapid roll out, anticipates Outsourced Trading Desk expansion in the coming weeks
NEW YORK, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clear Street, (“Clear Street”, “the Company”) a cloud-native financial technology firm on a mission to modernize the brokerage ecosystem, today announced the launch of its outsourced trading platform, a fully integrated execution and support offering designed to meet the evolving needs of asset managers, hedge funds and family offices. Morgan Ralph joins the firm as Head of Outsourced Trading to lead the new initiative. Ralph has deep expertise in trading solutions and joins Clear Street from UBS, where he led business development and platform management for the outsourced trading business. Clear Street’s outsourced trading team will operate from 4 World Trade Center in New York City, in new office space acquired for the effort and illustrative of the firm’s rapid build out of new products and services.
Andy Volz, Chief Commercial Officer said, “Morgan’s experience launching and growing outsourced trading businesses at some of the world’s top financial institutions aligns perfectly with Clear Street’s vision to deliver a flexible, scalable solution for today’s institutional investors. Outsourced trading is a direct response to our clients’ needs, allowing the flexibility to scale up, or down, as business ebbs and flows, a common occurrence for small and emerging managers. By pairing this offering with our proprietary technology, delivered via Clear Street Studio, we can help our clients more confidently navigate markets.”
Clear Street’s independent outsourced trading solution is designed to help fund managers—ranging from emerging startups to established institutions—scale operations efficiently while reducing costs. Available across the full spectrum of on-demand to full outsourcing of trading operations, outsourced trading clients gain access to a global broker network, seasoned trading professionals and Clear Street Studio (“Studio”), the firm’s proprietary cloud-based platform that serves as an all-in-one portfolio management system. Through Studio, clients can access real-time trading, risk, and portfolio management tools, enabling seamless collaboration between portfolio managers and traders.
Ralph commented, “I am beyond thrilled to join Clear Street and to work alongside the excellent team here to bring forward the premier outsourced trading platform on the market. The blend of world-class proprietary technology and an incredibly experienced team of professionals gives us a distinct edge, and our clients will benefit significantly from the unique set of resources this firm can offer. We also have imminent plans to grow, with several exciting hires soon to be announced.”
Ralph, a CFA Charterholder, brings nearly two decades of trading and platform development experience to this role. Prior to joining Clear Street, he led business development and platform management for the outsourced trading business at UBS, overseeing strategic growth, daily operations and client relationships across the Americas. Previously, he helped launch the outsourced trading offering at State Street Global Markets, serving as Head of Business Development for the Americas. Earlier in his career, Ralph held roles in equity sales and trading at Brown Brothers Harriman and in equity capital markets at Lehman Brothers. He holds a B.A. in Economics from New York University.
The team behind the offering brings a unique blend of strategic leadership and hands-on expertise, having built and led outsourced trading businesses at firms including UBS, Wells Fargo and State Street Global Markets. With deep execution experience across asset classes, they are focused on delivering high-touch service and operational excellence through scalable, flexible trading solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of fund managers.
Clear Street is modernizing the brokerage ecosystem with financial technology and services that empower market participants with real-time data and best-in-class products, tools and teams, to navigate capital markets around the world. Complemented by white-glove service, Clear Street’s cloud-native, proprietary product suite delivers financing, derivatives, execution and more to power client success, adding efficiency to the market and enabling clients to minimize risk, redundancy and cost. Clear Street’s goal is to create a single platform for every asset class, in every country and in any currency. For more information, visit https://clearstreet.io.
Comprehensive overview of national transaction activity by volume, price, size, and sector
U.S. commercial real estate transactions remained muted in Q1 2025
NEW YORK, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Altus Group Limited (“Altus Group”) (TSX: AIF), a leading provider of commercial real estate (“CRE”) intelligence, today released its CRE Investment & Transactions Quarterly Report, covering U.S. transaction activity for Q1 2025.
In Q1 2025, the U.S. commercial real estate market recorded $69.3 billion in dollar value transacted*, compared to $89.2 billion in Q4 2024 and $85.5 billion in Q1 2024. The number of properties transacted was also down, though above the pandemic-era lows for all property types. On an aggregated national basis, transaction activity in Q1 2025 remained muted across the following key metrics:
Key metric
Sequential change over Q4 2024
Year-over-year change over Q1 2024
Count of properties transacted
-11.6%
-8.0%
Dollars transacted
-22.3%
-19.0%
“Despite a generally subdued market, Q1 transaction activity showed areas of strength with prices edging higher and multifamily and office drawing more capital than a year earlier,” said Cole Perry, Associate Director of Research at Altus Group. “Twelve of the fifteen property subsectors posted quarter-over-quarter increases in price per square foot, led by consumer-facing categories such as big box retail, limited-service hotels and full-service hotels.”
Altus Group’s transaction data analysis stands out from other industry reports by covering a broader range of transaction activity and segmenting the data at a very granular level. This quarterly report offers a comprehensive overview of national commercial sale transactions across major property sectors, focusing on transaction volume, pricing, and pacing, with further insights by property subtype and at the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) level. While other reports tend to focus on large transactions, this report takes a more holistic view of the market capturing single-asset transactions exceeding $100,000 in sale value.
To access the full Q1 2025 U.S. Investment & Transactions Quarterly Report, please click here.
*Note: Property and transaction-level data are sourced from Altus Group’s Reonomy product, with data pulled on April 15, 2025 and transactions recorded through March 31, 2025 (the close of Q1 2025). Not all transactions for Q1 2025 were available as of April 15, 2025, so estimates were made to reflect national transaction activity. For information about the data contained in the report and methodology, please see the full report.
About Altus Group
Altus connects data, analytics, applications, and expertise to deliver the intelligence necessary to drive optimal CRE performance. The industry’s top leaders rely on our market-leading solutions and expertise to power performance and mitigate risk. Our global team of ~ 2,000 experts are making a lasting impact on an industry undergoing unprecedented change – helping shape the cities where we live, work, and build thriving communities. For more information about Altus (TSX: AIF) please visit www.altusgroup.com.
