Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
EDB announces arrangements for fifth round of Basic Law and National Security Law Test in 2024/25 school year The target participants for the fifth round of the test are persons with a bachelor’s degree or those who will attain a bachelor’s degree in the 2024/25 or 2025/26 academic year and are planning to join or change to another secondary school, primary school or kindergarten to take up a teaching post. Applications can be made through the EDB’s online application system (www.edb.gov.hk/en/blnst Issued at HKT 11:32
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
No. 3 alarm fire in Tin Shui Wai (2) Two persons felt unwell and were sent to Tuen Mun Hospital and Tin Shui Wai Hospital for treatment respectively. Issued at HKT 11:35
The general transfer balance cap (TBC) will be indexed on 1 July 2025, increasing from $1.9 million to $2 million. This increase will impact members with a personal TBC. Members who have commenced a pension prior to 1 July 2025 and haven’t previously reached or exceeded their personal cap will be eligible for a proportional increase, based on their highest ever transfer balance and the amount of unused cap space.
Members starting a pension for the first time on or after 1 July 2025 will be entitled to a personal TBC of $2 million.
Display of updated transfer balance caps
Although indexation of the general TBC takes effect on 1 July 2025, updated personal transfer balance caps are not expected to display until 11 July 2025.
From 11 July:
Members’ personal TBC will be calculated based on the information reported to and processed by us.
To ensure members have a clear understanding of their cap entitlements, we encourage funds and advisers to report all TBC events as they occur and, where possible, before 1 July 2025.
Reporting between 1 and 11 July 2025
You can continue to report TBC events to us between 1 and 11 July 2025, and we will process these reports as usual. However, during this period, updates will not be reflected in a member’s transfer balance.
As a result, between 1 and 11 July we will not issue or revoke:
excess transfer balance determinations we have sent to a member
commutation authorities we have sent to a fund.
Please continue to respond as normal to commutation authorities during this period.
Looking for the latest news for Super funds? You can stay up to date by visiting our Super funds newsroom and subscribingExternal Link to our monthly Super funds newsletter and CRT alerts.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Xinhua) — China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to continuously open up new prospects for common development.
Li Qiang made the remarks while speaking at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-China-GCC Economic Forum 2025.
The successful holding of the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit opened a new chapter in trilateral cooperation, the Premier said, adding that the summit held in-depth discussions on the theme of “jointly creating opportunities, sharing prosperity”, which were of great significance.
The head of the Chinese government noted that in the modern world, jointly overcoming challenges is equivalent to creating new opportunities.
According to Li Qiang, in the face of intensifying geopolitical conflicts and confrontation, a firm commitment to deepening mutual trust and strengthening unity can create long-term strategic opportunities and ensure sustainable and stable development.
In the face of rising protectionism and unilateralism, a firm commitment to expanding openness and removing barriers can open up broad market opportunities and allow all countries to reap greater benefits from jointly building a large market, the premier stressed.
In the face of the growing trend towards “decoupling and decoupling” and “erecting walls and barriers,” he continued, a strong commitment to resource sharing and mutual strengthening of capabilities can create opportunities for upgrading and transformation, improving industrial efficiency and enhancing the sustainable development dynamics of all countries.
Li Qiang noted that the friendly cooperation between China, ASEAN and GCC countries has a long history and deep roots.
Based on such a solid historical foundation, the trilateral cooperation will definitely bring new achievements and its prospects will become even more promising, Li Qiang said, stressing that the three sides will have more space for development, higher economic efficiency and a more vibrant innovation ecosystem.
China is willing to work with ASEAN and GCC countries to strengthen the alignment of development strategies, deepen regional integration, firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, maintain the stable and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains, and continuously open up new prospects for common development, the premier added.
Li Qiang stressed that China will continuously inject new impetus into trilateral cooperation through its own high-quality development.
Speaking about the development trend, he noted that since the beginning of this year, China’s economy has continued to recover and improve continuously, fully demonstrating strong resilience.
Li Qiang quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as saying that “the Chinese economy is a vast ocean, not a small pond.” The premier said the ocean can withstand fierce storms and emerge even deeper and more massive, more inclusive and more open after the storm subsides.
Noting that China has clearly articulated a proactive macroeconomic policy orientation and intends to further strengthen counter-cyclical adjustments, Li Qiang said the Chinese government and people have the ability and confidence to maintain a steady and long-term course for the “big ship” of the Chinese economy despite all possible challenges in the future.
At the same time, in strategic terms, he specified, China will focus more on expanding domestic demand and strengthening domestic economic circulation, constantly strengthening the internal driving forces of its economy.
Li Qiang stressed that China also plans to resolutely and steadily expand high-level opening-up and promote mutual strengthening of domestic and international economic circulation, so that enterprises from ASEAN and GCC member countries and the rest of the world can seize the opportunities brought by China’s development.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, for his part, emphasized that the adoption of a joint statement following the first ASEAN-China-GCC summit sent a strong signal to the world about the commitment of the three parties to unity and cooperation.
As the head of the Malaysian government pointed out, China is an important partner for ASEAN and GCC countries, playing an important role in promoting economic development, maintaining peace and stability, and upholding international fairness and justice.
Anwar Ibrahim said ASEAN firmly adheres to the concept of independence and self-reliance and is committed to deepening partnership with China and the GCC members and strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with them in areas such as economy, trade and investment, so as to make greater contributions to the prosperity and stability of the region and the world at large. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
MONTEVIDEO, May 27 (Xinhua) — He Baoxiang, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has called for consolidating the China-Latin America community with a shared future.
As He Baoxiang pointed out when he visited Mexico and Uruguay from May 21 to 27 as the head of a delegation, China attaches great importance to relations with these two countries.
He said China stands ready to work with Mexico and Uruguay to implement the important consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders of the two countries, as well as the results of the 4th ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), deepening practical cooperation in various fields.
The CPPCC is ready to make its contribution to these efforts, the CPPCC National Committee vice-chairman stressed.
During his stay in Mexico, He Baoxiang met with the President of the Chamber of Senators (upper house of parliament) Gerardo Fernandez Noronha and the Vice-Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (lower house of parliament) Dolores Padierna, Kenia Lopez and Luisa Mendoza.
In Uruguay, He Baoxiang met with the country’s President Yamandu Orsi, Vice President, Speaker of the General Assembly (parliament) and the Chamber of Senators (upper house of parliament) Carolina Cossé, and Speaker of the House of Representatives (lower house of parliament) Sebastian Valdomir.
Officials from Mexico and Uruguay expressed understanding and support for China’s core interests and major concerns, and expressed their willingness to work with China to implement the results of the 4th China-CELAC Forum Ministerial Meeting and promote the further development of bilateral relations and relations between Latin America and China, so as to benefit the peoples of both sides. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
NEW YORK, May 27 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is asking federal agencies to cancel contracts worth about $100 million with Harvard University, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, in an intensifying standoff between the American leader and the country’s oldest and richest university.
The government has already canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants to the Ivy League school, which has rejected demands from the Trump administration to make a series of changes to its internal policies.
“A draft letter from the U.S. General Services Administration directs federal agencies to review their contracts with the university and find alternative service providers,” the Associated Press reported. The agency plans to send the letter Tuesday.
D. Trump has previously lashed out at Harvard, calling the institution a hotbed of liberalism and anti-Semitism. On April 21, the university filed a lawsuit in connection with the presidential administration’s demands for radical changes to its governance structure, hiring system, and student admissions policies. The government has since cut federal funding for the institution, tried to bar it from accepting foreign students, and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
DALIAN, May 27 (Xinhua) — The international cruise ship Adora Mediterranea set sail from the port of Dalian in northeast China on Tuesday evening, marking the resumption of international cruise services from the port after a five-year hiatus.
The ship departed from Dalian International Cruise Center with 2,618 passengers on board. The cruise route includes popular destinations such as the Japanese cities of Fukuoka and Sasebo, as well as Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea.
The 292m long Adora Mediterranea, with a gross tonnage of 86,000 gross tons, can accommodate up to 2,680 passengers, offering guests 1,057 cabins and suites.
According to Adora Cruises Limited Business Development Director Guo Jia, the ship is scheduled to make a total of five international voyages from its home port of Dalian during peak seasons in May, June and September. Each voyage will last five days and four nights, she said. –0–
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), along with Representative Barry Moore (R-Ala.), released the following statement to applaud the United States Sentencing Commission’s unanimously finalized recent amendment to the United States Sentencing Guidelines regarding federal supervised release:
“This is an important step by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. This amendment regarding federal supervised release better aligns our system with parts of our Safer Supervision Act. It is a meaningful move to restore federal supervision to the system that Congress originally intended and focus supervision on those who need it most. This is an illustration of how we can work together to improve our justice system by promoting rehabilitation, fairness, and public safety. We look forward to continuing this effort and ensuring that the entire Safer Supervision Act becomes law.”
Federal supervised release is a form of supervision after incarceration that was originally designed to be used “for those, and only those, who [need] it,” according to the U.S. Supreme Court. Currently, however, supervised release is imposed in nearly every case, resulting in an overburdened system with more than 110,000 people in supervision at any moment, and nearly 50,000 people cycling into it each year. The result is a system that does not provide appropriate supervision to the high-risk individuals who most need it, while creating counterproductive burdens on low-risk individuals that inhibit their ability to reintegrate.
On April 30, 2025, the United States Sentencing Commission transmitted to Congress an amendment to the Guidelines that encourages courts to impose supervised release on the basis of individualized circumstances, provides courts with factors to consider in assessing potential early termination, and increases courts’ discretion on how to address supervised release violations. These changes are aligned with certain portions of the Safer Supervision Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that will ensure that supervision resources are directed in a way that best promotes rehabilitation and public safety. The Commission initially proposed this amendment in January, and the aforementioned members of Congress filed a comment in March in support of the Sentencing Commission’s proposal. The proposal received favorable comments at a public hearing in March from law enforcement and advocates across the political spectrum. The finalized amendment will go into effect on November 1, 2025.
Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus.
Episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea occurred on May 25, 2025. Over about six hours, from 4:15 p.m. to 10:25 p.m. HST, high fountains and lava flows erupted from both the north and south vents. Lava fountains from the north vent reached heights of more than 1,000 feet (300 meters).
LEESBURG, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $594,313 in back wages and damages for 419 workers after a federal investigation found a Leesburg-based employer failed to pay workers all of their required overtime wages.
An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined Amtex-NMS Inc., operating as Southeast Modular Manufacturing, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime provision by not paying workers time-and-a-half their regular rate for all hours over 40 in a workweek. Specifically, its rounding methods improperly reduced hours that resulted in unpaid overtime for hours worked over 40 per workweek.
Investigators also discovered the employer violated federal recordkeeping requirements by failing to maintain complete and accurate records of workers’ wages and hours.
“Some employers use a pay method referred to as rounding to produce even and balanced calculations of hours worked. While it can be a useful tool, it is the responsibility of all employers to ensure the use of rounding in their time systems is balanced and does not always round in the employer’s favor,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Vilma Bell in Orlando, Florida. “We encourage all workers and employers to contact their nearest Wage and Hour Division office with any questions regarding their rights and obligations under the law.”
Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division and workers’ rights, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.
Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s free Android and iPhone Timesheet App. Employers and workers can contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE (487-9243).
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) held a change of command ceremony, Friday, on Coast Guard Base Honolulu. Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, presided over the ceremony in which Capt. Brian Whisler relieved Capt. Matthew Rooney as Midgett’s commanding officer.
For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac
BEAUMONT, Texas –A Mexican national has been sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Maria Magdalena Chavez, 41, illegally residing in Port Arthur, pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 27, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on September 11, 2024, Chavez was in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation in Nederland. During the stop, it was determined that Chavez had a firearm concealed in her bra. Further investigation revealed Chavez was a Mexican national who had been previously removed from the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Nederland Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy L. Coleman.
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge on Tuesday sentenced a money mule to fifteen months imprisonment for moving $565,000 in stolen funds.
Sheri L. Reeves acted as a money courier or “money mule,” transferring money obtained by fraud to others. On June 9, 2020, Reeves opened an account at a Bank of America branch in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and later added the name of the fraud victim to the account. Reeves’ co-conspirators used fraudulently obtained account information to access the victim’s account and transfer a total of $565,000 to Reeves’ account. She then sent the money to others using cashier’s checks obtained in Tennessee and Arkansas and via a CoinFlip cryptocurrency ATM in Dunklin County. She also sent her account information to others and withdrew or attempted to withdraw the proceeds in cash or by check, her plea agreement says.
Despite being warned by the FBI, Reeves continued to assist in the commission of financial crimes.
Reeves, 55, of Kennett, in Dunklin County, pleaded guilty in November in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of aiding and abetting bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. In addition to the sentence of fifteen months imprisonment, Reeves was ordered to pay $565,000 in restitution to the Bank of America, and to serve a term of five years supervised release upon her release from imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuted the case.
If you believe you are participating in a money mule scheme or a victim of one, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center at ic3.gov or contact your local FBI office.
Transferred funds from victim’s trust account more than 600 times totaling more than $800,000
Seattle – A former Tacoma lawyer pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to wire fraud for his embezzlement from a vulnerable client’s trust account, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Colby Parks, 65, stole more than $530,000 from a client who received about$1.66 million due to significant permanent injuries she suffered as a passenger in a motorcycle accident. Prosecutors will recommend Parks serve no more than 33 months in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones on August 29, 2025.
According to records filed in the case, in 2010 Parks became the trustee for a living trust designed to pay the victim’s expenses after she was severely injured as a passenger on a motorcycle. Initially, the victim’s trust account contained approximately $1.66 million. However, over the first seven years that Parks was the trustee, he siphoned the funds for his own personal use in such large amounts that only $20,000 was left. In 2018, Parks had the victim take out a reverse mortgage on her home and used the proceeds to fund the trust account. He continued to make transfers from the account for his own use. Records from the account show that Parks repeatedly transferred funds to his own bank accounts and then, on the same day or soon thereafter, Parks would make a payment for a personal credit card for the same amount as the transfer. In all Parks made more than 600 transfers of the victim’s funds to accounts he controlled. In October 2017 he made 13 different transfers from the victim’s account to the ones he controlled.
In all, over ten years, Parks transferred more than $880,000 from the victim’s accounts to ones he controlled. He paid himself at least $530,000 more than he was entitled to receive as his fees for trustee services.
By the end of 2019, the victim’s accounts held only $15. She was forced to sell her home. And even then, Parks diverted proceeds from the sale by claiming the victim owed him money he had advanced to her.
Parks repeatedly told the defendant she was spending too much money, when in fact, the amount that the victim received as cash disbursements was a fraction of the amount that Parks secretly siphoned for himself.
When Washington State’s Adult Protective Services investigated Parks’ representation of the victim, Parks initially claimed he was only paid a flat rate of $24,000 per year. After Adult Protective Services requested supporting documentation, Parks revised his statement and said he was paid varying amounts that averaged over $54,000 per year. However, Parks collected well over $80,000 per year from the victim.
The Washington State Bar also investigated the matter, and Parks resigned his law license instead of discipline, which could have been disbarment.
The case was investigated by the FBI with cooperation from the Washington State Bar and Adult Protective Services. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cindy Chang.
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Capers Scott Hammond (35, Bradenton) to 5 years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Hammond was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution, a $30,000 fine, and will be required to register as a sex offender. The court also ordered Hammond to forfeit an iPad, three thumb drives, a MacBook, a custom PC tower, and an iPhone, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. Hammond entered a guilty plea on February 13, 2025.
According to court documents, Hammond used a file-sharing network to distribute and receive CSAM. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement searched Hammond’s apartment, seized various electronics, and determined he had received and possessed seven images and four videos of CSAM.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A Texas man pleaded guilty today before Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett for the Southern District of Texas to not reporting and paying over employment taxes that his company withheld from its employees’ paychecks. The plea must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Joseth “Joe” Limon, of Harris County, owned and operated Platinum Employment Group Inc., a company that supplied laborers to businesses in the Houston area. From 2013 through 2018, Platinum did not file employment-tax returns, and, according to its payroll records, did not pay more than $8.8 million in employment taxes. The timely payment of these taxes is critical to the functioning of the U.S. government, because, for example, they are the primary source of funding for Social Security and Medicare. The federal income taxes that are withheld from employees’ wages also account for a significant portion of all federal income taxes collected each year.
After closing Platinum, he set up another labor-staffing company, Rockwell Staffing LLC, in the name of his then 18-year-old daughter. When he later found out that the IRS was attempting to collect Rockwell’s unpaid employment taxes, he caused his daughter to submit an affidavit to the IRS that falsely claimed that Rockwell had been a victim of identity theft and had no employment tax liability.
Limon is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 6. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Wilmer Sanchez Aquino (36, Loxahatchee) guilty of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it. Sanchez Aquino faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2025.
On May 1, 2025, co-defendant Luis Garcia-Serrano (36) pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A third co-defendant, Antonio Gonzalez Prado (49), pleaded guilty on May 13, 2025, to cocaine trafficking. He faces a minimum of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison.
According to evidence presented at trial, in September 2021, Sanchez Aquino received a package containing two kilograms of cocaine on behalf of Garcia-Serrano. In November 2021, investigators intercepted a kilogram of cocaine intended for an address in the Middle District of Florida and replaced the cocaine with a block of wood. Garcia-Serrano and Sanchez Aquino discussed the block of wood inside the package and how Sanchez Aquino already had a buyer lined up to buy the kilogram. Financial records from Sanchez Aquino’s checking account showed cash deposits going into the account during the conspiracy. Sanchez Aquino testified in his defense at trial and claimed that he was not the person in certain phone calls despite his phone number being used in those calls and being referred to in one call as “Wilmer.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza. The forfeiture is being handled by AUSA Suzanne Nebesky.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Dennis Jackson (36, Clearwater), a/k/a “Miami,” to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl resulting in death. Jackson pleaded guilty on November 30, 2022.
According to court documents, Jackson was a distributor of fentanyl. On the night of April 1, 2020, first responders found M.B. dead from an apparent overdose at a residence in Clearwater. Evidence of opioid use was found near the body and the autopsy and toxicology results confirmed that there was a lethal level of fentanyl in M.B.’s body. Eyewitness information identified Jackson as the supplier. Two days later, Jackson appeared for a voluntary interview at the Clearwater Police Department. During that interview, Jackson admitted to his involvement in the overdose.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Clearwater Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.
IMF staff and the Salvadoran authorities have reached staff-level agreement on the first review of the 40-month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). Subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, El Salvador would receive nearly US$120 million (SDR 86.16 million).
Program performance has been strong. Key fiscal and reserve targets were met with margins and substantial progress continues in the ambitious reform agenda in the areas of governance, transparency, and financial resilience.
Continued implementation of the fiscal consolidation plan and structural agenda remains critical to address macroeconomic imbalances and create conditions for stronger and more sustainable growth.
Washington, DC: IMF staff and the Salvadoran authorities have reached staff-level agreement on the first review of the country’s extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). They also finalized discussion on the 2025 Article IV consultation focused on boosting El Salvador’s medium-term growth prospects.
Upon the conclusion of these discussions Mr. Cubeddu, Deputy Director of the Western Hemisphere Department, and Mr. Torres, Mission Chief for El Salvador, issued the following statement:
“IMF staff have reached staff-level agreement with the Salvadoran authorities on the first review under the 40-month EFF arrangement.[1] The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board, and contingent on the implementation of the agreed prior actions.
“The authorities have made significant progress in implementing their economic reform plan under the IMF-supported program. Most program targets set for the first review were comfortably met, and implementation of the structural benchmarks is progressing well. Meanwhile, despite a more challenging external backdrop, El Salvador’s economy continues to expand supported by improved confidence and still robust remittances. Prudent policies and more favorable terms of trade have led to reduction in inflation and the current account deficit.
Against the backdrop of early strong program implementation, understandings have been reached on policies to continue to secure program objectives, including with the technical support from the Fund and other development partners:
The fiscal consolidation will continue this year through cuts in the wage bill and current spending restraint, and plans are being developed to reform the civil service and the pension systems to underpin the adjustment beyond this year. This will be supported by the new Fiscal Sustainability Law, which is expected to be enacted shortly.
External buffers will be strengthened further through the accumulation of government deposits at the Central Bank, supported by financing from International Financial Institutions and fiscal discipline. Meanwhile, bank liquidity requirements will be raised in line with program commitments, while bank oversight is strengthened, including of cooperatives.
Following the adoption of the Anti-Corruption Law, attention will now focus in securing its proper and timely implementation to complement ongoing efforts to enhance governance, accountability, and transparency, including of the fiscal accounts of the overall public sector.
On Bitcoin, efforts will continue to ensure that the total amount of Bitcoin held across all government-owned wallets remains unchanged, consistent with program commitments, while also securing the unwinding of the public sector’s participation in the Chivo wallet by end-July.
There is a shared understanding that steadfast program implementation and agile policy making, in the context of rising global uncertainties, remain critical to further entrench stability and lay the foundation for stronger and more sustainable growth. IMF staff thank the Salvadoran authorities for the excellent collaboration and constructive discussions.”
[1] The EFF was approved by the IMF Executive Board on February 26, 2025, with total access of SDR 1033.92 million (about US$1.4 billion or 360 percent of quota), and initial disbursement of SDR 86.16 million. Other official creditors committed to provide additional financial support for a combined total of roughly US$3.5 billion.
The IMF team and the Egyptian authorities made good progress on the assessment of economic performance and implementation of policy commitments under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement.
As Egypt’s macroeconomic stabilization is taking root, it is now time to accelerate and deepen the reform efforts to reduce the state footprint, level the playing field, and improve the business environment.
Discussions will continue virtually to finalize agreement on remaining policies and reforms that could support completion of the fifth review.
Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team led by Ms. Vladkova Hollar visited Cairo from May 6 to May 18, and held productive discussions with the Egyptian authorities on economic and financial policies that could underpin the completion of the Fifth Review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement.
At the end of the mission, Ms. Vladkova Hollar issued the following statement:
“The Egyptian authorities and IMF staff held constructive discussions which have advanced the technical work and policy discussions as part of the Fifth Review under the Extended Fund Facility.
“Egypt has made substantial progress toward macroeconomic stability. Growth is expected to continue strengthening, and we upgraded our forecast for FY24/25 to 3.8 percent, in light of the stronger-than-expected outturn in the first half of the year. At the same time, the private investment share in total investment rose from 38.5 percent in H1 FY23-24 to almost 60 percent over the same period in FY24-25. Inflation rose slightly to 13.9 percent in April but remains on a downward trend. The current account remains wide, as rising imports, reduced hydrocarbon output, and Suez Canal disruptions offset strong tourism, remittances, and non-oil exports. Greater fiscal prudence—including through better oversight and control over large public sector infrastructure projects—is helping to contain demand pressures, with total public investment spending remaining below the established ceiling for July – December 2024.
“We welcome the authorities’ recent efforts to modernize and streamline tax and customs procedures to increase efficiency and build confidence. These reforms are starting to yield positive results. Alongside these efforts, domestic revenue mobilization will need to continue, mainly by widening the tax base and streamlining tax exemptions, to support the government’s capacity to spend sufficiently on priority development and social needs. We also welcome the authorities’ efforts to develop a medium-term debt management strategy that aims to improve transparency and gradually reduce the large debt service cost in the budget.
“With the macroeconomic stabilization now underway, it is critical for Egypt to carry out deeper reforms to unlock the country’s growth potential, create high-quality jobs for a growing population, and sustainably reduce its vulnerabilities and increase the economy’s resilience to shocks.
“In order to deliver on these objectives, decisively reducing the role of the public sector in the economy and leveling the playing field for all economic agents should be key policy priorities. The implementation of the State Ownership Policy and the asset divestment program in sectors where the state has committed to reduce its footprint will play a critical role in strengthening the ability of the private sector to better contribute to economic growth in Egypt. Complementing this, efforts need to continue to improve the business environment.
“We are grateful for the warm hospitality extended by the authorities during this mission. Discussions will continue virtually to finalize agreement on the remaining policies and reforms that could support the completion of the fifth review.”
Source: The Conversation – France – By Justine Loizeau, Postdoctoral research fellow in sustainability and organization, Aalto University
As early as 1917, the Michelin company invested in plantations to produce rubber in what is now Vietnam. Here, hevea trees are seen in Southeast Asia in 1913.W. F. de Bois Maclaren, The Rubber Tree Book.
Half of the world’s forests were destroyed during the 20th century, with three regions mainly affected: South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. The situation has worsened to the point that, in 2023, the European Parliament voted to ban the import of chocolate, coffee, palm oil and rubber linked to deforestation.
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A long-standing dependence on raw materials
These products are at the heart of our economies and consumption habits. The case of rubber is particularly emblematic. Without this material, there would be no tyres and, thus, no cars, bicycles, sealing joints or submarine communication cables. Industrial rubber production depends on extracting latex, a natural substance that rubber trees such as hevea produce. Under pressure from corporations and states, Brussels last October announced a one-year postponement of its law regulating rubber imports.
This dependence on the rubber industry is not new. Rubber was central to the second industrial revolution, especially with the rise of automobiles and new management methods. While this history often centres on factories, citing contributions from figures such as Frederick Taylor and Henry Ford and industrial giants like Michelin, its colonial roots are less well known.
Indeed, rubber – like the other resources mentioned above – has been and continues to be primarily produced in former colonial territories. In many cases, rubber trees are not native to the regions where they have been cultivated. Rubber seeds from South America, where latex was already extracted by picking, were transported by colonists to empires for the development of plantations. In particular, the French colonial empire, spanning Africa and Southeast Asia, saw a significant expansion of hevea plantations at the expense of primary forests. Monocultures of rubber trees replaced thousands of hectares.
Ford in the Amazon, Michelin in present-day Vietnam
This management model was favoured because it allowed for lower extraction costs from the coloniser’s perspective. For example, in 1928, Henry Ford negotiated an agreement with the Brazilian government granting him a 10,000 km2 concession of forest land to establish Fordlandia, a settlement designed to produce the rubber needed for his factories. However, this industrial utopia in the Amazon failed due to resistance from Indigenous people and a fungal disease that ruined the plantations.
Business Insider reports on the Fordlandia fiasco.
Following the same model, Michelin invested in plantations in present-day Vietnam as early as 1917. The plantation model and new management methods reduced the cost of rubber production and accelerated its global distribution. These management practices spread across the British, Dutch and French empires, becoming dominant in Southeast Asia in the early 20th century at the expense of primary forests.
Rubber plantations resulted from applying Taylorism not only to workers – especially colonised workers – but also to nature. Both people and trees were subjected to a so-called “scientific” organisation of labour. In our article, L’arbre qui gâche la forêtThe Tree That Spoils the Forest, published in the Revue française de gestion (French Journal of Management) in 2024, we analysed historical archives, including a variety of newspapers from 1900 to 1950, covering national, local, colonial and thematic (scientific, cultural, etc.) perspectives. We show that this organisational model is based on an accounting undervaluation of indigenous people’s labour and of nature. This undervaluation is embodied in the metric of the cost price (i.e. the total cost of production and distribution) and in the shared concern to see it lowered. “Ultimately, it’s the cost price that must determine the fate of rubber,” stated the newspaper L’Information financière, économique et politique on February 1, 1914.
In the eyes of some, Asians who were labelled as “coolies” and Brazilian “seringueiros” comprised a low-cost labour pool, with no mention of their working conditions and despite very high mortality rates. “Coolie” is a derogatory colonial term that refers to agricultural labourers of Asian heritage, while “seringueiros” refers to workers in South American rubber plantations.
“By the way, in the Far East, there are reservoirs of labour (Java Island, English Indies), which supply plantations with workers who, while not the most robust, provide regular work at a very advantageous cost price.” (L’Information financière, économique et politique, November 11, 1922)
Concerning trees, only the plantation costs were considered, silencing the human and ecological costs of primary forest destruction.
“In the first year, some 237 francs will have to be spent on the clearing itself; then the planting, with staking […] and weeding, will represent an expense of 356 francs. […] For the following years, all that remains to be done is to consider the maintenance costs, cleaning, pruning, care, supply of stakes, replacement, etc. This will result in an expenditure of 1,250 francs for the first five years.” (L’Information financière, économique et politique, January 31, 1912)
The ‘Cheapization’ of life
The focus on cost price leads to standardisation of management practices by aligning with what is cheapest, at the expense of ever more intense exploitation of human and non-human workers. In other words, these assumptions about the construction of accounting metrics and the circulation of these metrics play a role in the “cheapization” of human and non-human labour. We borrow the concept of “cheapization” from the environmental historian Jason W. Moore. In his view, the development of capitalism is marked by a “cheapization of Nature”, which includes, within the circuits of capitalist production and consumption, humans and non-humans whose work does not initially have a market value. Living beings are thus transformed into a commodity or factor of production: “animals, soils, forests and all kinds of extra-human nature” are being put to work.
These ways of managing people and nature continue to this day. Many industries still rely on the extraction of natural resources at low cost and in large quantities in the countries of the global south. Rubber is not the only resource whose exploitation dates to the Industrial Revolution: palm oil, sugar, coffee and cocoa have also had, and still have, an impact on the forests of the global south and are based on the work of local people. The exploitation of these resources is also often the fruit of colonial history. In 1911, the Frenchman Henri Fauconnier brought the first palm oil seeds, a plant originally from Africa, to Malaysia. More than a century later, the country remains a leading palm oil producer, a resource largely responsible for the deforestation of primary forests.
Beyond the case of rubber alone, we question the link between the pursuit of profit in formerly colonised territories, the destruction of the environment and the exploitation of local populations on two levels. Not only are primary forests destroyed to feed short-term profits, but habituation to this mode of environmental management is a historical construct. We must remember this when looking at news from countries with colonial pasts. Whether we’re talking about preserving the Amazon rainforest, poisoning soil and human bodies with chlordecone in the Antilles, or building a pipeline in Uganda, we need to take a step back. What are the historical responsibilities? What are the links between creating economic activities here and exploiting ecosystems and local populations there? What role do management theories and tools play in realising or reproducing these exploitative situations?
At a time when the ecological and social emergency is constantly invoked to call for the transformation of management practices and business models, the rubber example invites us to consider the colonial matrix of managerial practices and the Western historical responsibilities that led to this same emergency. And suppose we have to turn to other forms of management tomorrow: who may legitimately decide how to bring about this change? Are former colonisers best placed to define the way forward? Knowledge of colonial history should encourage us to recognise the value of the knowledge and practices of those who were and remain the first to be affected.
The COCOLE project is supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR), which funds project-based research in France. The ANR’s mission is to support and promote the development of fundamental and applied research in all disciplines, and to strengthen dialogue between science and society. To find out more, visit the ANR website.
Antoine Fabre has received funding from the French National Research Agency
via the programme “Counting in a colonial situation. French Africa (1830-1962)” (ANR-21-CE41-0012, 2021-2026).
Pierre Labardin is a professor at La Rochelle University. He has received funding from the French National Research Agency via the programme “Counting in a colonial situation. French Africa (1830-1962)” (ANR-21-CE41-0012, 2021-2026).
Clément Boyer et Justine Loizeau ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur poste universitaire.
Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)
@usarmy soldiers share their thoughts and goals during the final phase of Air Assault School at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, to increase readiness and keep the fighting force lethal and mobile.
For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov
Regarding your editorial “A Sanctions Message to Putin—and China” (May 21): Since taking office, President Trump has earnestly sought to bring Ukraine and Russia together to achieve a just and honorable peace, ensuring global stability. That is more important now than ever. America’s shameful withdrawal from Afghanistan didn’t merely damage our reputation; it set in motion aggression across the world. If the U.S. continues to lead decisively on bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to an end, that could change. Mr. Trump can restore our reputation—and end the bloodbath.
Yet peace requires willing partners. While Ukraine has made clear it is ready for such an end, Russia has made more excuses than the market can bear. President Trump has asked Vladimir Putin to provide a term sheet outlining the requirements for a cease-fire, bringing the roadblocks to peace to a head. Depending on how Russia responds, we will know which course to take.
The Senate is prepared either way. I have coordinated with the White House on the Russia sanctions bill since its inception. The bill would put Russia on a trade island, slapping 500% tariffs on any country that buys Moscow’s energy products. The consequences of its barbaric invasion must be made real to those that prop it up. If China or India stopped buying cheap oil, Mr. Putin’s war machine would grind to a halt.
The sanctions bill has 82 co-sponsors. As Sen. Thune said last week, if Mr. Putin continues to play games, the Senate will act. I’m hoping for the best, but when it comes to the thug in Moscow, we should all prepare for more of the same.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos
Clinton, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins toured the current fire station in Clinton and reviewed plans for a new station made possible by $2,000,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending she secured through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee. The existing 5,000-square-foot station is too small to support the needs of Clinton’s current fire and rescue operations and cannot accommodate the updated equipment the department plans to purchase.
“Touring the current fire station today gave me a clear picture of the challenges facing Clinton firefighters and EMTs to swiftly respond to emergency situations. I am so glad I could support Clinton’s first responders and residents with this funding for an upgraded facility, and I appreciate Deputy Fire Chief Travis Leary for sharing these plans with me,” said Senator Collins.
Senator Collins has secured nearly $45 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for 28 fire stations across the State of Maine since Fiscal Year 2022.
Following the tour of the fire station, Senator Collins headed to Augusta to visit the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) Outdoor Education Center, where she met with SAM Executive Director David Trahan as well as local Scout members Jacob and Elizabeth Blais. Both Jacob and Elizabeth are working toward becoming Eagle Scouts, and as part of Jacob’s Eagle Scout project, he designed and built a kiosk with maps and information about local plants for the Center.
Click HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos
“I was so pleased to talk with Jacob and Elizabeth, Scouts in Troop 603 in Augusta. Organizations like Scouting America and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine do an excellent job conserving our environment and teaching future generations about Maine’s rich outdoor heritage,” said Senator Collins.
In Fiscal Year 2023, Senator Collins secured $700,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support SAM’s efforts to collaborate with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on research related to expanded hatchery production.
Ottawa, ON – Veterans Affairs Canada will host a commemorative ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa to mark the 25th anniversary of the entombment of Canada’s Unknown Soldier. Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, will lay a wreath and deliver remarks alongside the Honourable Jill McKnight, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, representatives from The Royal Canadian Legion and other dignitaries.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stands as a powerful symbol of remembrance, representing the more than 120,000 Canadians who gave their lives in service to peace and freedom. It is a memorial for all who served in the navy, army, air force and merchant marine, and those who may serve in the future.
Location: National War Memorial Ottawa, Ontario
Date: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Time: 10:30 EDT
Notes for media:
Media who wish to participate must register by 08:00 EDT on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 by contacting media@veterans.gc.ca with their name and media outlet. Media are asked to arrive no later than 10:00 EDT.
Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs and we will work with you to enable your participation.
Police believe information from the public will help identify an offender involved in a violent assault in Papatoetoe.
An investigation has been underway this month into the incident where a woman suffered a head injury in the early hours of 9 May on Sutton Crescent.
Counties Manukau West CIB is releasing footage of a man sought in connection with the assault.
“At around midnight, the victim and the offender had been walking along Sutton Crescent when an argument broke out between them,” Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward says.
“We do not know why this argument began but it has continued as the pair moved towards Kolmar Road.”
The female victim attempted to walk away from the male offender but was assaulted.
Detective Senior Sergeant Hayward says: “The force of the assault has caused the victim to fall to the ground.
“The offender has continued the violent assault and used extreme force on the woman.”
Police have since obtained CCTV footage of the assault, which shows the male offender walking away from the scene a short time later.
The female victim was transported to Middlemore Hospital with serious injuries and is continuing to recover from her ordeal.
Detective Senior Sergeant Hayward says despite a thorough area canvass, no witnesses to the violent incident have been identified.
Police are now releasing images to the public.
“We have obtained good CCTV footage of the man we want to speak with in this investigation,” he says.
“There is no place for this extreme violence in the community, and I’m confident someone will know who this man is.
“We need to hear from you.”
If you have information, please update Police online now or call 105 using the reference number 250509/4414.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
With unwavering courage, United Nations peacekeepers step into danger – to help protect those who need protection, preserve peace, and restore hope in some of the world’s most challenging contexts.
Today, we honour their service.
We draw inspiration from their resilience, dedication and courage.
And we remember all the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace.
More than 4,400 peacekeepers have died in service – 57 last year alone.
We will never forget them – and we will carry their work forward.
The focus of this year’s International Day of Peacekeepers is on “the future of peacekeeping”.
Today, peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world:
Growing polarization and division around the globe …
Operations made even more dangerous from a multiplicity of threats such as terrorism…
Targeting of peacekeepers through deadly misinformation…
And challenges that transcend borders – from the climate crisis to transnational crime.
As we look ahead, it is essential that peacekeepers have what they need to do their jobs.
This is the shared responsibility of the United Nations and Member States.
The Pact for the Future – adopted last year at the United Nations – includes a commitment to adapt peacekeeping to our changing world.
This challenge is also an opportunity:
To analyse what makes peacekeeping operations successful…
To better understand what hinders them…
And to help design new future-focused models that are anchored in political solutions, adequately resourced, and have mandates that are achievable, with clear exit strategies.
The first step – reviewing our peace operations – is underway.
And together, we will keep pushing this vital effort forward.
Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations — and the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges.
***
C’est avec un courage inébranlable que les soldates et soldats de la paix des Nations Unies bravent le danger pour aider à protéger celles et ceux qui en ont besoin, préserver la paix et restaurer l’espoir, dans des contextes parmi les plus difficiles au monde.
Aujourd’hui, nous rendons hommage à leur travail.
Leur résilience, leur dévouement et leur courage nous inspirent.
Et nous nous souvenons de ces femmes et de ces hommes courageux qui ont consenti le sacrifice ultime au service de la paix.
Plus de 4 400 Casques bleus sont morts en service, dont 57 rien que l’année dernière.
Nous ne les oublierons jamais et nous poursuivrons leur œuvre.
Cette année, la Journée internationale des Casques bleus des Nations Unies a pour thème « l’avenir du maintien de la paix ».
Les soldates et soldats de la paix font face à des situations de plus en plus complexes, dans un monde de plus en plus complexe :
Une polarisation et des divisions de plus en plus marquées partout dans le monde…
Des opérations rendues plus dangereuses encore par la multiplicité des menaces, dont le terrorisme…
Une mésinformation qui peut avoir des effets meurtriers pour les Casques bleus…
Et des défis qui dépassent les frontières – de la crise climatique à la criminalité transnationale.
Pour l’avenir, il est essentiel de s’assurer que les Casques bleus disposent des moyens nécessaires pour s’acquitter de leur mission.
Il s’agit là d’une responsabilité partagée de l’Organisation des Nations Unies et de tous les États Membres.
Dans le Pacte pour l’avenir, adopté l’an dernier au Siège de l’ONU, les États Membres se sont engagés à adapter le maintien de la paix à un monde en mutation.
Ce défi est également l’occasion :
D’analyser ce qui fait le succès des opérations de maintien de la paix…
De mieux comprendre ce qui leur fait obstacle…
Et d’aider à concevoir de nouveaux modèles tournés vers l’avenir, fondés sur des solutions politiques, dotés de ressources suffisantes et associés à des mandats réalisables et à des stratégies de sortie claires.
La première étape, à savoir le réexamen de nos opérations de paix, est en cours.
Ensemble, nous poursuivrons cette action indispensable.
Aujourd’hui plus que jamais, le monde a besoin de l’ONU – et l’Organisation a besoin d’un maintien de la paix pourvu de tous les moyens nécessaires pour s’adapter aux réalités d’aujourd’hui et relever les défis de demain.
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the State of North Carolina and the North Carolina State Board of Elections for failure to maintain an accurate voter list in violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
The lawsuit alleges that the State of North Carolina, in violation of HAVA’s mandate and clear Congressional intent, used a State voter registration form that did not require a voter to provide identifying information such as a driver’s license or last four digits of a social security number. Voters were then added to the State’s voter registration roll without the required information, and many of these voters remain on the registration rolls without it.
On March 25, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14248 entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” to ensure that elections are being held in compliance with federal laws that guard against illegal voting, unlawful discrimination, and other forms of fraud, error, or suspicion. The election integrity issues raised in this action are a core component of the Federal election laws that Congress has statutorily charged the Attorney General of the United States, through the Civil Rights Division, to enforce.
“Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in North Carolina are conducted fairly, accurately, and without fraud,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that maintain inaccurate voter registration rolls in violation of federal voting laws.”
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the integrity of the vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.
overnor Kathy Hochul today announced $56.5 million to help approximately 21,000 young people from low-income households enter the job market this summer through New York State’s Summer Youth Employment program. As part of the FY 2026 State Budget, the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is distributing funding to all 57 counties and New York City to implement a Summer Youth Employment Program to introduce at-risk youth to New York’s workforce, where they will gain professional training and develop useful skills that will help them improve educational performance and explore possible career paths.
“Investing in our young people’s future and providing them with the resources and tools they need to succeed is a top priority of my administration,” Governor Hochul said. “The Summer Youth Employment Program helps young New Yorkers across the state find good summer jobs that provide valuable experiences and skills that will help them pursue their educational and career goals and prepare them for success in the workforce as adults.”
The Summer Youth Employment Program supports businesses and communities across the state in providing summer jobs for youth from low-income families. Participants work in entry-level jobs at places such as parks, summer camps, child care organizations, cultural centers, educational facilities, and community-based organizations, among others.
To be eligible for the program, youth must be between the ages of 14 and 20 and have a household income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which varies by household size and, for example, is $53,300 for a family of three.
The FY 2026 State Budget included an increase of $1.5 million for the program over last year to address minimum wage increases. The program served more than 21,000 young people last summer.
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “The Summer Youth Employment Program provides young people from lower-income households good summer jobs in a range of occupations that provide participants a paycheck and the important opportunity to gain valuable work experience that will support their future success in school and in the job market. The Summer Youth program is also an important part of the state’s efforts to build a strong workforce pipeline for area businesses. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for continuing to prioritize programs and policies that support the health, well-being, and future promise of New York’s youth while helping to strengthen our communities.”
State Senator Sean Ryan said, “Connecting at-risk youth with good job opportunities helps not only them, but also their families, their communities, and our economy. This funding will boost our state’s workforce, promote safer and stronger communities, and set thousands of young New Yorkers up for successful careers.”
Assemblymember Al Stirpe said, “The Summer Youth Employment Program empowers young people to be proactive as they work towards their future careers, all while supporting businesses and communities across the state with meaningful summer jobs. The continued funding for this program represents an investment into the future job market and a commitment to seeing all young people succeed and thrive. Thousands of young New Yorkers will have an opportunity to grow their professional skillset without the burden of economic hardship holding them back.”
Funding Awards for the Summer Youth Employment Program Breakdown by County:
County
Funding
Albany
$774,578
Allegany
$221,757
Broome
$650,283
Cattaraugus
$321,822
Cayuga
$230,591
Chautauqua
$491,187
Chemung
$259,293
Chenango
$174,812
Clinton
$250,440
Columbia
$133,304
Cortland
$166,684
Delaware
$147,217
Dutchess
$613,770
Erie
$2,598,654
Essex
$93,743
Franklin
$188,360
Fulton
$177,426
Genesee
$140,702
Greene
$137,344
Hamilton
$13,714
Herkimer
$198,769
Jefferson
$358,283
Lewis
$97,913
Livingston
$196,071
Madison
$211,149
Monroe
$2,164,276
Montgomery
$174,934
Nassau
$1,806,927
Niagara
$568,697
NYC
$29,329,237
Oneida
$724,225
Onondaga
$1,396,576
Ontario
$254,309
Orange
$1,078,708
Orleans
$137,245
Oswego
$468,563
Otsego
$220,851
Putnam
$109,026
Rensselaer
$387,905
Rockland
$993,778
Saratoga
$333,260
Schenectady
$367,739
Schoharie
$97,089
Schuyler
$57,613
Seneca
$119,365
St. Lawrence
$490,045
Steuben
$309,545
Suffolk
$2,315,367
Sullivan
$243,516
Tioga
$140,953
Tompkins
$435,842
Ulster
$415,932
Warren
$127,626
Washington
$169,208
Wayne
$242,690
Westchester
$1,754,517
Wyoming
$129,071
Yates
$87,499
Total
$56,500,000
Funding Awards for the Summer Youth Employment Program Breakdown by Region: