Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
HyD commences investigation for Northern Metropolis Highway (with photo) HyD commences investigation for Northern Metropolis Highway (with photo) ************************************************************************
The Highways Department (HyD) officially commences the investigation for the Northern Metropolis Highway (NMH) and targets to prioritise the completion of works for the NMH San Tin Section in 25 months and its technical readiness for tendering the main works in 2027. It includes the optimisation of alignment and interchange locations, carrying out the Environmental Impact Assessment and the gazettal procedures, as well as completing site investigations, other impact assessments and the preliminary design of the San Tin Section in parallel, with a view to expediting the implementation of the project. The HyD today (March 3) signed an investigation consultancy agreement with the AECOM Asia Company Limited and AtkinsRealis Asia Limited Joint Venture for the NMH. The professional team formed by the Joint Venture comprises an engineering design consultant from the Mainland, Shanghai Urban Construction Design & Research Institute (Group) Co Ltd, a local land surveyor firm, KELand Surveying, Planning & GIS Co Ltd, a financial consultant, Deloitte Advisory (Hong Kong) Limited, and professional members from other various disciplines. The Joint Venture will take forward the investigation for the project at full speed. A spokesman for the HyD said, “The proposed NMH will link the development nodes in the Northern Metropolis, including Ngau Tam Mei, San Tin Technopole, Kwu Tung North/Fanling North and New Territories North (NTN) New Town, enhancing accessibility to the New Development Areas. The NMH will also further enhance cross-boundary road connections for passengers and goods, enabling members of the public and visitors to travel conveniently to and from various major land boundary control points in the Northern Metropolis. Upon commissioning of the NMH, it can effectively divert about 40 per cent of the traffic flow between the New Territories East and West during peak hours, thereby alleviating traffic pressure on existing roads. We target to have the San Tin Section of the NMH technically ready for tendering in 2027, so that funding approval can be sought from the Legislative Council as appropriate for carrying out the advance works and detailed design as well as commencing the main construction works of the San Tin Section, with a view to commissioning the San Tin Section in or before 2036.” The preliminary alignment of the proposed NMH is about 23 kilometres long, including at-grade roads or viaducts of about 13km in length and a tunnel of about 10km in length. It connects Tin Shui Wai to the NTN New Town near Ping Che and consists of four road sections – Tin Shui Wai Section, San Tin Section, Kwu Tung Section and NTN New Town Section.
Question for written answer E-000775/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Krzysztof Śmiszek (S&D), Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE), Anna Zalewska (ECR), Michał Dworczyk (ECR), Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (PPE), Oliver Schenk (PPE)
The modernisation of the High-Mountain Meteorological Observatory on Mount Śnieżka (in the Sudeten Mountains on the Czech-Polish border) is a transnational project of significant environmental and territorial importance for Poland, Czechia and Germany. The project, led by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute in Poland, aims to improve infrastructure, address wastewater management challenges and preserve the unique architectural and natural heritage of this cross-border region. However, outdated wastewater treatment systems in mountain shelters, including those on both sides of the border, are causing local streams to be polluted.
Despite meeting all the formal requirements, the city of Karpacz faces financial barriers to securing approximately EUR 18 million to modernise its wastewater treatment plant, a prerequisite for sustainable water management in line with EU Directive 91/271/EEC[1]. Current funding opportunities under the FENX.01.03 scheme exclude projects like this due to strict compliance criteria for new agglomerations.
Given the modernisation project’s alignment with EU environmental objectives and its cross-border significance:
1.Can the Commission allocate European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) resources directly to such transnational projects bypassed by national schemes?
2.How will the Commission ensure adequate funding for cross-border initiatives of EU-wide importance under existing frameworks?
3.Will upcoming calls under the European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) or similar programmes prioritise projects such as these, to foster territorial cohesion and environmental sustainability?
Submitted: 20.2.2025
[1] Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment, OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1991/271/oj.
In the Political Guidelines for 2024-2029, and in the Mission Letter addressed to the Commissioner for Energy and Housing, the Commission President announced ambitious actions to address the housing crisis and help all citizens facing issues to find affordable housing.
The first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan will aim at offering technical assistance to cities and Member States and focus on investment and skills needed .
Furthermore, to promote investments, the Commission envisages to work on a pan-European investment platform together with the European Investment Bank, international financial institutions, national promotional banks and other stakeholders.
The Commission also plans to inject liquidity into the market by allowing Member States to double the planned cohesion policy investments in affordable housing.
Support is already available under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, an option that is planned by Greece, notably with the new ‘Affordable Housing Programme My Home II’, of EUR 1 billion, which provides financial incentives to individuals for the acquisition of an affordable primary residence.
The Commission has also been tasked with making proposals aimed to tackle systemic issues arising from short-term accommodation rentals and the inefficient use of the current housing stock.
The Commission is working on the implementation of the short-term rental Regulation, adopted in April 2024[1]. It foresees the provision of reliable data on short-term rentals, to help Member States design the most appropriate and targeted measures.
The Commission will also lead on conducting an analysis of the impact of housing speculation and its economic consequences, as well as propose follow up actions where needed.
European Union anti-money laundering rules do not contain any outright exemptions for gambling services, including national lotteries.
The current Anti-Money Laundering Directive[1], which was agreed by the co-legislators in 2015 and amended in 2018, allows Member States to exempt providers of certain gambling services from all or part of the requirements of the directive only if they conduct a risk assessment which demonstrates that those services pose a low risk of money laundering.
That decision must be notified to the Commission together with a justification. The former Commissioner for Justice was not a member of the college of the Commission when the current rules on gambling were proposed by the Commission and agreed by the co legislators.
The newly adopted Anti-Money Laundering Regulation[2] further limits the type of gambling services that may be exempted, and the Commission is empowered to reject or approve any proposed exemptions. This regulation will apply as of 10 July 2027.
There is therefore no a priori exemption for gambling services, including national lotteries, and it is in all cases the responsibility of the Member State to demonstrate the low money laundering risk associated with the service.
[1] Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Directive 2006/70/EC, OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 73-117.
[2] Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, OJ L, 2024/1624, 19.6.2024.
The Commission is aware that applications to open basic payment accounts are sometimes refused, for example due to a lack of specific documents, the need to demonstrate a genuine interest or ‘de-risking’ practices[1]. The situation differs between the different Member States.
Whereas Article 16 of the Payment Accounts Directive (PAD)[2] obliges Member States to ensure that consumers legally resident in the EU have the right to have a basic payment account, irrespective of their place of residence, it also includes some derogations[3].
In addition, Article 15 of the PAD prohibits discrimination as regards the conditions to holding a payment account with basic features. However, a different treatment by credit institutions may still be possible in case there is an objective justification.
Member States have a primary responsibility to monitor the application of the relevant legal provisions and to take the necessary steps for enforcement.
In its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission monitors the situation and may decide to take appropriate action. It has opened a number of pre-infringement processes with Member States and follows up on citizens’ complaints.
Recognising the importance of the issue of access to payment accounts and aiming to enhance its application, the Commission services also discuss issues related to the directive, including the right to a basic payment account with Member States in different expert groups, including the Single Market Enforcement Taskforce[4].
The Commission has also issued a report on the application of the Payment Accounts Directive[5] and is reviewing the directive to assess whether legislative changes are needed.
[1] See the report on specific payment account related data from Member States as required by Article 27, COM/2023/248 final (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52023DC0248&qid=1736174762840 ) and the report on the application of Directive 2014/92/EU, COM/2023/249 final, (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52023DC0249).
[2] Directive 2014/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on the comparability of fees related to payment accounts, payment account switching and access to payment accounts with basic features Text with EEA relevance, OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 214-246.
[3] For instance, Member States may require that consumers show a genuine interest to open a basic payment account. Also, anti-money-laundering rules may prevent the opening of a basic payment account.
[4] Examples of expert groups include: Government Expert Group on Retail Financial Services: https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=2021; Financial Services User Group: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/regulation-and-supervision/expert-groups-comitology-and-other-committees/financial-services-user-group-fsug_en; The Single Market Enforcement Taskforce: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/single-market-enforcement-taskforce_en
[5] The report is based on external studies on the EU payment accounts market and tools to facilitate account switching and cross-border opening of payment accounts (see the Study on EU payment accounts market: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/0854f727-6117-11eb-8146-01aa75ed71a1/language-en and the Study on tools designed to facilitate switching and cross-border opening of payment accounts on the EU payment accounts market: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/70d1fcb7-f338-11eb-aeb9-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
The Commission is not aware of any EU funding allocated to Emilia Romagna’s Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers (PEBA ) project.
The Managing Authority of the Emilia Romagna European Social Fund+ and European Regional Development Fund Regional Programmes has indicated that the project was fully financed with national resources. Hence, the Commission has no knowledge of any possible implementation challenges related to Emilia Romagna’s PEBA project.
In terms of funding, the European structural and investment funds (ESIF) are the EU’s main financial instruments to strengthen economic and social cohesion. They help ensure social inclusion of the most vulnerable citizens, including those with disabilities.
Furthermore, the EU, under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, provides financial support through an annual grant to a number of EU-level organisations of persons with disabilities and Non-Governmental Organisations to build their capacity and make their participation in EU-level processes easier.
Lastly, it is important to recall that the European Semester provides a framework for the coordination of economic and social policies across the EU and provides information on the situation of persons with disabilities in the Member States.
It is too early to prejudge the outcome of the discussions on the next financial programming cycle and ensuing programme discussions and, therefore, at this stage, it is not possible to anticipate the EU funding allocations that might be available for this kind of project in the post -2027 period .
The Commission adopted on 27 March 2024 its report on the long-term vision for EU’s rural areas. Key achievements to date include: the rural revitalisation platform[1], the rural energy community advisory hub[2], the EU Rural Observatory[3], the Startup Village Forum platform[4] and the Rural toolkit[5], in addition to a number of concrete projects[6].
In June 2024, the Commission designated 146 regions as Regional Innovation Valleys under the New European Innovation Agenda as a recognition to their commitment.
The EU backed this initiative with EUR 116 million through the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) part of Horizon Europe and the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument of the European Regional Development Fund.
The I3 project implementation usually takes two to three years and cover a variety of technological and economic sectors relevant for the twin transition[7]. The EIE project implementation takes three to five years.
Approximately 30 calls were launched under the Horizon Europe programme[8] between 2021 and 2024 for proposals with a direct impact on rural areas in three clusters (cluster 2 ‘Culture, creativity and inclusive society’, cluster 5 ‘Climate, energy and mobility’, cluster 6 ‘Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment’).
The 60 projects selected under the calls have a budget of EUR 253 million available for rural areas.
[6] E.g. 2025 Commission report on policy implications of demographic trends in the EU’s rural regions: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC140514
[7] EU Funded projects: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projects-results;programCode=I3?order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=title&isExactMatch=true&frameworkProgramme=44416173
The potential agreement with the Mercosur represents a key geostrategic and economic interest for the EU. This is all the more true under the current global context, in which geopolitical tensions among the different world powers risk to undermine EU exports, and hence the EU economy.
As regards the agri-food sector, it should be recalled that the EU is the largest global exporter, with EUR 229 billion exports and a trade surplus of EUR 70 billion in 2023.
The agreement will create new opportunities for the products of EU farmers in the highly protected Mercosur markets, by eliminating duties on key EU products, such as wine and other beverages, dairy products, olive oil and high-value processed products. Moreover, the agreement protects some 350 European geographical indications.
Furthermore, trade concessions for sensitive agricultural products are granted under the form of carefully calibrated tariff rate quotas, limited to a very small share of EU consumption. Economic studies carried out by the Commission confirm that the market impact of the Mercosur agreement for EU sensitive products would be very limited[1].
The agreement also provides for safeguards in case of any adverse market effects, covering all products, even those not fully liberalised.
Finally, the agreement will have no impact on health standards or consumers’ rights of EU citizens. Imported products, from Mercosur or from anywhere else , will always have to comply with the high EU health and sanitary standards , including with EU requirements concerning consumer information and traceability.
Such requirements are not negotiable, under any trade agreement.
[1] Sustainability Impact Assessment in support of the Association Agreement negotiations between the EU and Mercosur: https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/analysis-and-assessment/sustainability-impact-assessments_en; Cumulative economic impact of upcoming trade agreements on EU agriculture: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135540; Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment for Ireland of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/1c8a6-economic-and-sustainability-impact-assessment-for-ireland-of-the-eu-mercosur-trade-agreement/
1. Under the Regional Programme Sicily 2021-2027[1], EUR 90 million are indicatively allocated for upgrading or extraordinary maintenance of secondary and local roads benefitting inner areas, to increase their safety standards and their functionality.
Under the Regional Programme Sicily European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-2020, around EUR 201 million were allocated to strengthen secondary and local connections of inner areas and those in agricultural and agro-industrial production districts with the main roads and railways of the trans-European transport network.
2. In its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy[2], the Commission committed to ‘explore options to further support safe, smart and sustainable road transport operations under an existing agency or another body’. In line with this commitment, the Commission launched a feasibility study, which identifies shortcomings in the current policy implementation and governance set-up and explores options to enable swifter deployment of innovation and new technologies for competitive, safe, smart and sustainable road transport and keep EU technical regulation fit for purpose. While the feasibility study on the possible support to this development has been completed, the Commission’s assessment of the needs has not been finalised yet. F urther steps on this issue will be decided by the Commission following the outcome of this assessment.
3. The construction of Highway 117 (Santo Stefano di Camastra to Gela) is not financed under the ERDF. According to the available information, support is provided by national funding; therefore, the matter falls under the responsibility of Italian authorities only.
[1] Supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funding/erdf_en
Undersea communication cables operated by public telecommunication service providers, as the ones in question transporting financial sector data would be subject to cybersecurity measures under the directive on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (NIS2 Directive)[1], which includes also their protection from physical threats.
The Commission is closely following the recent incidents affecting submarine cables. It is reflecting on possible measures to improve security and resilience of this critical infrastructure, in cooperation with Member States, in addition to the recent Recommendation (EU) 2024/779[2] on the topic.
The Commission is not aware of disruptions of a systemic nature in the provision of financial services as a result of the recent incidents affecting the submarine cables.
In addition to the NIS2 Directive, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)[3], referred to by the Honourable Member, is also relevant for enhancing the financial sector’s resilience against such kind of incidents.
Under DORA, EU regulated financial entities are required to put in place contingency measures and plans (e.g. business continuity, etc.) to counter such incidents affecting their systems and networks, as well as to perform third-party risk assessments on the providers of information and communication technology (ICT)-services, including of communication and data transmission solutions.
[1] OJ L 333, 27.12.2022, p. 80-152, http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2555/oj
[3] Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on digital operational resilience for the financial sector and amending Regulations (EC) No 1060/2009, (EU) No 648/2012, (EU) No 600/2014, (EU) No 909/2014 and (EU) 2016/1011, OJ L 333, 27.12.2022, p. 1-79.
The regulations on the European Defence Fund (EDF)[1], in support of ammunition production (ASAP)[2] and on establishing an instrument for the reinforcement of the European defence industry through common procurement (EDIRPA)[3] explicitly provide that actions related to the development, production or procurement of lethal autonomous weapons, without the possibility of meaningful human control over selection and engagement decisions when carrying out strikes against humans, shall not be eligible for EU financial support.
EU military assistance for Ukraine falls under the responsibility of the Council of the European Union. Under the programmes implemented by the Commission to strengthen the EU’s defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB), the eligibility conditions as established in the EDF, ASAP and EDIRPA imply the exclusion of Ukrainian entities from the possibility of receiving EU funding.
The Commission proposal for the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) Regulation[4] envisages that entities established in Ukraine may be recipients of EU funding, but actions related to lethal autonomous weapons without the possibility of meaningful human control would not be eligible for funding.
Within the limits of the powers conferred on it by the Treaties, the Commission is to oversee the application of EU law. The application of and compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law arises from the respective treaties under international law to which Ukraine is a contracting party, e.g. the European Convention on Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their additional protocols.
Question for written answer E-000807/2025 to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Rule 144 Nadine Morano (PPE)
On 24 February 2025, the 16th package of sanctions against Russia entered into force. These new restrictions target EU imports of Russian aluminium. However, Russian aluminium is already covered by a number of sanctions and accounts for just 6 % of Europe’s aluminium imports.
The new sanctions also focus on the Kremlin’s ‘shadow fleet’ and its actions in the EU. Yet just 73 vessels out of an estimated 600 are affected by the measures[1]. It would thus seem that these new sanctions will have little impact on Russia.
In view of the above:
1.To what extent does the VP/HR believe that these new sanctions will affect the Russian economy?
2.What is her view of the impact of the previous 15 packages of sanctions?
Submitted: 21.2.2025
[1] Euronews, ‘EU agrees new sanctions on Russia’, 19 February 2025, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/02/19/eu-slaps-new-sanctions-on-russia-amid-donald-trumps-push-for-negotiations
The third edition of the EIB Group Forum will be held in Luxembourg from 5-7 March, focusing on action to boost Europe’s prosperity, security, and fostering global cooperation.
EIB Group President Nadia Calviño will open the Forum on 5 March, with EIB Chief Economist Debora Revoltella launching the EIB Investment Report, which analyses investment trends of more than 12,000 European companies.
President Nadia Calviño and European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jorgensen, will outline latest joint efforts to support access to affordable housing in Europe.
President Calviño will also participate in sessions alongside European Commissioners, national ministers, international partners and European business leaders.
The European Investment Bank Group (EIB) President Nadia Calviño will open the EIB Group Forum on Wednesday, 5 March, in Luxembourg. The three-day event, held at the European Convention Centre, will bring together leaders and experts to discuss and put forward concrete solutions to the challenges and the opportunities facing Europe and the world today across the economy, society and global politics.
“Now is the time to act. The global order which has provided peace and prosperity for the last 80 years is changing. In these turbulent times it is more important than ever that Europe provides stability and certainty – founded on our strengths, with unity and determination”, said EIB President Nadia Calviño.“Europe is a superpower when it comes to trade, research and innovation. The EIB Group Forum offers a timely opportunity for European leaders and innovators to come together with companies and international partners to put concrete solutions on the table in key areas like green tech, health, security and defense, building a more secure, competitive, and prosperous future for all of us.”
The Forum will feature a diverse lineup of speeches and panels over its three days. Highlights include:
5 March:
A session on decarbonising Europe’s industry, with a keynote by Luca De Meo, CEO of Renault Group, one of the world’s largest carmakers.
Launch of the EIB Group Investment report, presenting insights on EU investment trends based the EIB Group’s annual survey of more than 12,000 companies.
Panels covering Europe’s increased need for security investments; the connection between digitalisation and growth; and the role of capital markets in advancing gender equality.
6 March:
Keynote address by Antonio Costa, President of the European Council (by video).
Keynote by Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
Keynote address by World Health Organisation Head Dr Ghebreyesus Tedros
A session on affordable and sustainable housing in Europe, featuring EIB President Nadia Calviño and European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, laying the foundations for a new pan-European affordable housing initiative
6-7 March:
EIB Global Days: Sessions on Europe’s role in the world, including discussions on expanding the EU, support for Ukraine, energy transition beyond EU borders, critical raw materials, and health.
On the eve of International Women’s Day (8 March), discussions will focus on scaling up solutions for diversity, inclusion and economic growth with the second meeting of the Women Climate Leaders’ Network on the Forum margins.
For the full agenda and speakers please visit the EIB website. The Forum will be entirely livestreamed on the EIB YouTube channel, while the opening speech of the President and other key moments will be available on EBS.
Journalists interested in interviews with Forum participants are invited to contact us. We will facilitate connections with their respective spokespersons where possible.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.
As part of The Highland Council’s proposed three-year Medium Term Financial Plan, £14 million has been allocated for expansion of bus company operations across the Highlands and shared investment in renewable energy opportunities.
£6 million is proposed to be allocated for an ‘Investment in Community Transport’ programme to build on the success of the Council’s in-house bus service by expanding its services to benefit more communities across the Highlands.
Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: “A big part of our budget setting process is focussing on investing in our Highland transport services. In our My Future Highland Programme we gave a commitment to develop affordable and reliable public transport, as part of our work to develop sustainable communities.
“Since we established our In-House Bus Service it has grown from strength to strength. The Council spends around £25m on school and public transport throughout the region, with well over 300 separate contracts. The last tendering round saw an increase of £8m in one financial year, which led to the Council setting up an in-house bus team. The new £6m being proposed will enable us to expand our operations, increase the availability of service provision and facilitate improved cost effectiveness in the next round of bus contract tenders.”
Last month Highland Council took over the operations of D&E Coaches who had operated a significant number of school contracts which will now be serviced in-house by the council.
Cllr Michael Green, Vice Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, said: “The public are set to benefit with greater control in the ways in which public and school transport is managed across the Highlands. This investment may well have positive impacts on older and younger age groups, and disabled people reliant on bus services, also those on lower incomes by supporting access to employment and training especially in rural areas through more accessible service provision.”
£8 million is proposed to be allocated for shared investment in renewable energy opportunities created by the Social Value Charter for Renewables. Agreed by the Council in June 2024, the Charter aims to maximise economic benefits from natural resources by setting out the community benefit expectations from developers wishing to invest in renewables in the Highlands and the way in which public, private and community partnerships can support and enable this contribution.
Leader of The Highland Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner, said: “If approved, an £8 million investment in renewable energy projects will reaffirm the Council’s vision as a centre for global renewable energy by capitalising on the wealth of resources and expanding renewables development in the Highlands. Significant investment opportunities in renewable energy schemes are being created through the Social Value Charter for Renewables, and we hope these investments could support a sustainable, long-term income stream for Highland Council. The Charter was developed as a way of unlocking economic opportunities for the Highlands and this investment would strengthen our commitment to community wealth building and enabling this wealth to remain within the local area.”
Convener of The Highland Council, Cllr Bill Lobban, said: “By capitalising on natural resources to deliver alternative energy solutions, the Council aims to create a more sustainable Highland environment for our communities. We must ensure that those living in the Highlands can benefit from potential income from renewables and the economic growth that these developments can support. The scale of renewable investment opportunities is considerable and a long-term revenue income for the Council and community partners could leave an important legacy that would have lasting benefits and positive impacts for local communities whilst addressing climate challenges.”
The full budget report and proposals can be found on the Council’s website.
n honor of National Consumer Protection Week, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York State Department of Financial Services, Department of Public Service and the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection secured more than $245 million in recoveries and restitution for New Yorkers in 2024. This builds on efforts by the Department of Public Service and the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection, which assisted 71,000 New York households with a variety of consumer protection matters, returning $17.3 million to consumers in 2024, up more than 78 percent from $9.7 million in 2023. These efforts reflect the Governor’s ongoing commitment to consumer protection and affordability, including strengthening oversight of financial products, cracking down on predatory fees and ensuring transparency in emerging lending models. Governor Hochul also proposed a suite of consumer protection items in her State of the State and FY26 Executive Budget that seek to protect consumers shopping online, crack down on exploitative practices and regulate emerging industries.
“The federal government may be taking aim at consumer protection regulations, but New York State is doubling down — recovering more than $245 million in 2024,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m fighting to put more money in New Yorkers’ pockets, and that means taking a hard line against fraud, deception and predatory pricing practices that make it harder for families to get by.”
New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS)
DFS’s Consumer Assistance Unit (CAU) plays a critical role in protecting New Yorkers, addressing more than 46,000 complaints in 2024 alone. The CAU works directly with consumers to resolve disputes, investigate claim denials and hold financial institutions accountable. New Yorkers who need assistance with disputes involving banks, insurance companies or other financial service providers can visit dfs.ny.gov/complaint or call (800) 342-3736.
As financial services rapidly change, Governor Hochul is ensuring consumer protections keep pace with innovation. This includes addressing emerging risks in Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) programs and unfair overdraft fees, both of which are key priorities of her FY26 Executive Budget.
BNPL services have surged in popularity, with U.S. consumers spending $18.2 billion through these programs during the 2024 holiday season. While they offer flexibility, they often lack clear repayment terms and consumer protections found in traditional credit products. To close these gaps, Governor Hochul’s FY26 Executive Budget advances measures to bring BNPL providers under proper oversight by DFS, ensuring transparency and fair lending practices.
At the same time, DFS recently proposed new regulations to curb unfair overdraft fees. These regulations, which align with the Governor’s broader consumer protection agenda, would ensure that consumers aren’t charged for minor transactions and receive timely notifications to improve transparency and fairness in banking.
New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris said, “At DFS, protecting consumers is at the core of what we do. Recovering record amounts for New Yorkers each year reflects our commitment to ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in financial services.”
New York State Department of Public Service (DPS)
DPS fielded more than 42,000 consumer complaint calls, handled approximately 20,000 consumer inquiries and complaints, and returned nearly $13 million in utility consumer refunds, an increase of 75 percent from 2023.
In 2024, the Public Service Commission levied $23.5 million in financial penalties against five utilities for failing to meet 2023 customer service standards. The Commission also secured $115 million cumulatively from utility shareholders in enforcement proceedings against utilities that violated the Public Service Law, or regulations.
In this year’s State of the State, the Governor has proposed closing a loophole that does not obligate Energy Service Companies to return unclaimed funds to New Yorkers. Once enacted, this proposal will ensure New Yorkers are able to receive every penny owed to them.
The DPS Office of Consumer Services monitors the number and types of complaints received against all utilities operating in New York State to ensure that utilities fulfill their obligation to provide effective customer service in compliance with the laws, rules, regulations and policies. Each month, the Office makes public a detailed overview of complaint activity and utility responsiveness that is informative to both consumers and utility companies (visit dps.ny.gov and search for matter no. 19-00950).
New York State Public Service Commission Chair Rory M. Christian said, “The PSC and Department of Public Service are committed to protecting New Yorkers by ensuring all industries we regulate are in full compliance with consumer protection laws and regulations. Inaccurate utility billing can lead to significant customer overcharges, which the Department works to get refunded back to affected customers.”
New York State Department of State (DOS)
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection provides education, advocacy and mediation services to help consumers make informed decisions and protect themselves from fraud and unfair business practices.
DOS assisted nearly 29,000 New York households with a variety of marketplace disputes, returning more than $2.3 million to consumers. In addition, DOS’s Do Not Call investigation and enforcement work resulted in settlements with seven telemarketing companies and the collection of nearly $1.2 million in fines in 2024, and it advanced cost effective and quality electric, gas, telephone and cable service by representing consumers at 23 utility rate and policy proceedings before State and federal regulators.
The top five categories of consumer complaints received by DOS in 2024:
Refunds/Store Policy: Complaints related to refunds and store policies, including return policies, restocking fees and refunds for damaged goods.
Orders/Deliveries: Complaints related to the order and delivery of goods purchased, including missing items, incorrect items received, late or delayed delivery or items never shipped.
Merchandise/Product: Complaints related to merchandise or products that did not meet consumers’ expectations.
Credit Cards: Complaints related to erroneous charges, billing, card benefits and illegal surcharges.
Travel: Complaints related to travel and tour reservations, travel agents, accommodations and lodging, and transportation including airlines, cruises and rental cars.
As part of this year’s State of the State, Governor Hochul proposed legislation to require retail sellers to offer a minimum 30-day return window for various products unless otherwise specified. Additionally, Governor Hochul proposed first-in-the-nation legislation that requires businesses to notify online shoppers when prices are set based on their personal data. To further protect consumers, Governor Hochul proposed additional legislation to ensure cancellation processes are simple, transparent and fair, ensuring that it is just as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up.
The DOS Division of Consumer Protection’s mission is to assist, protect, educate and represent consumers in an ever-changing economy. The Division of Consumer Protection works hard to assist individuals aggrieved in the marketplace through its complaint mediation efforts, along with educating the public on marketplace scams, and advocating consumers’ interest before legislative and regulatory bodies.
New York State Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “The Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is proud to have helped return over $2.3 million to New Yorkers and will continue to protect consumers from deceptive and dangerous business practices in goods and services. We’re working every day to educate the public about the latest scams, how to shop smart to protect their money and stay informed of their rights in order to create a more economically affordable and equitable New York.”
Through these initiatives, Governor Hochul reaffirms her commitment to empowering and protecting New Yorkers, ensuring a fair, transparent and secure financial marketplace for all.
For free consumer assistance, visit dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection or call the Consumer Assistance Helpline at (800) 697-1220.
State Senator Rachel May said, “Our Department of Financial Services has recovered millions of dollars for consumers, demonstrating our commitment to protecting New Yorkers from scams. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her dedication to preventing exploitation in the marketplace. As chair of the Consumer Protection Committee, I share this commitment and will work to promote a fair economy where consumers get what they pay for and where bad actors are held accountable.”
Assemblymember Nily Rozic said, “Returning over $245 million to consumers and health care providers is a critical step in protecting New Yorkers from financial harm. Unfair fees and predatory practices create real barriers to financial stability, making it harder for people to get ahead or even stay afloat. By ensuring fairness and transparency, these efforts will help ease that burden and build a stronger, more equitable financial system.”
The question of how best to eliminate corruption has exercised the minds of philosophers as much as the practical drafters of legislation from Ancient Greek and Roman times.
Within the political sphere, the notion of “corruption” has fluctuated between broad and narrow conceptions.
The broad conception relates to the decay of institutions or of the stature of the individuals who comprise them. On the other hand, the narrow conception focuses on the abuse of public office for private gain.
There is also “grey corruption” – which involves questionable behaviour involving a breach of integrity standards that does not necessarily amount to criminal conduct.
This could include where a person has undue influence over a politician, such as by essentially buying that power through making large donations or hiring expensive lobbyists, particularly where it causes public officials to behave in corrupt ways.
However the notion is defined, it is clear the fight against corruption is one of the basic tasks of a liberal democracy, perhaps even of an effectively functioning civil society.
Corruption control is a pressing issue worldwide: the United Nations estimated the economic cost of corruption at 5% of global domestic product or $3.6 trillion annually.
Australia has had a number of major corruption scandals throughout its history. Corruption was rife in the colonial era, where wealthy landholders sought to influence parliamentarians with monetary bribes.
This has been followed by several major corruption scandals, such as the Fitzgerald inquiry, which revealed widespread police corruption involving illegal gambling and prostitution.
What are anti-corruption commissions?
Anti-corruption commissions are arguably the most significant tool developed in liberal democracies to fight corruption in recent times.
The first anti-corruption commission in Australia, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), was established in New South Wales in 1988 by then premier Nick Greiner.
Infamously, a few years later, Greiner became the first premier to resign due to an ICAC investigation.
Over the next few decades, all states and territories have set up their own anti-corruption or integrity commissions.
In 2023, the Commonwealth followed suit with the introduction of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), a promise made by Anthony Albanese in the lead-up to the 2022 election after considerable pressure from the public and from within parliament.
As a result, Australia now has a comprehensive network of broad-based public sector anti-corruption agencies covering all levels of government – a significant development nationally and internationally.
Anti-corruption commissions are tasked with investigating serious and systemic corrupt conduct in government. This includes not just members of the House and Senate, but their staff and public servants.
In performing their functions, these commissions have strong coercive powers, equivalent to the powers of a royal commission. This includes the power to compel documents and witnesses.
Some anti-corruption commissions such as the NACC and NSW’s ICAC have the power to conduct public hearings if they believe it’s in the public interest. This increases transparency in government. But concerns have been expressed about reputational damage for those subject to investigations.
Anti-corruption commissions also have corruption prevention functions. They are tasked with educating the public about the detrimental effects of corruption on public administration.
Reports of anti-corruption commissions are often attended by significant media publicity, leading to public awareness of corruption in government.
Why are anti-corruption commissions needed?
It has become well accepted that effective anti-corruption institutions play an important role as institutions supporting constitutional democracy.
The state anti-corruption bodies have brought to light many indiscretions by politicians that would have otherwise remained hidden.
Without these commissions, corruption in the public sector can take root without us knowing about it. An anti-corruption agency is a powerful deterrent against improper behaviour.
Yet anti-corruption commissions tend to be unpopular within governments because they scrutinise government action. This means the a commission may expose improper conduct or corruption within their ranks.
It is common for governments hostile to anti-corruption commissions to attack them, including by reducing their powers or funding.
This is despite their integral role in our democracy. Alongside other oversight bodies such as the ombudsman (who investigates maladministration within government) and auditor-general (who performs audits of government expenditure), anti-corruption commissions form part of an intricate, interlocking integrity framework that monitors executive action.
Who watches the watchdogs?
A big question is about how we ensure anti-corruption commissions do not overstep their bounds. Given their broad coercive powers, how do we hold them to account?
From their inception, concerns have been expressed about the potential for anti-corruption bodies to infringe on civil liberties, and the possibility they may exceed or abuse their powers.
In Australia, anti-corruption commissions are subject to a strong system of accountability through parliaments and the courts. They report to dedicated parliamentary committees who scrutinise their actions and decisions. Complaints against anti-corruption commissions can be made to a dedicated inspectorate – an independent statutory officer who oversees their actions.
Anti-corruption commissions are also subject to judicial review by the courts to ensure they don’t exceed their legal boundaries. Court scrutiny occurs when a person investigated by an anti-corruption commission takes their grievance to court.
To be effective, anti-corruption commissions require strong powers and institutional independence. But this needs to be balanced with accountability and the protection of individual rights.
What is pork barrelling and what are some recent examples?
Pork barrelling involves governments channelling public funds to seats they hold or seats they would like to win from an opponent, as a way of winning voters’ favour. This means the money is used for political purposes, rather than proper allocation according to merit.
We have been inundated with pork barrelling scandals in recent years. This includes the car park rorts scandal, where 77% of the commuter car park sites selected were in electorates held by the then Coalition government, rather than in areas of real need with congestion issues.
This followed close on the heels of the “sports rorts” scandal. Minister Bridget McKenzie resigned from cabinet following allegations she had intervened in the sport grants program to benefit the Coalition government while in a position of conflict of interest.
My research has shown that pork barrelling is an intractable problem across multiple governments over many decades. It takes different forms based on electoral systems.
Australia has a single member electorate parliamentary system, which makes it more susceptible to pork barrelling than multi-member electorates such as Norway or Spain. The belief is that politicians who “bring home the bacon” for their constituents are electorally rewarded for doing so.
This means there are incentives for the central cabinet to strategically apportion benefits to marginal electorates to increase prospects of electoral success. There is also an incentive to bias the apportionment of funds towards the party in power.
In short, rorts scandals keep happening because governments believe that channelling money to marginal and government electorates will win them elections.
Potentially the NACC could investigate rorts scandals, but only where it amounts to serious or systemic corrupt conduct.
How do we fix the grants system?
At the federal level, we have sophisticated financial management legislation that provides a framework for grant rules. The Commonwealth grant rules provide a detailed set of guidelines that ministers and government officials must follow on grant application and selection processes.
However, there are significant loopholes in the rules. For example, the “car park rorts” scandal is not covered by these rules because it involves money being channelled through the states.
Also, there are no sanctions for breaching the rules. So ministers and government officials can break the rules without any repercussions.
To fix the system, we need to reform the rules about grants allocation and close the loopholes. We also need to impose punishment for breaching the rules.
It is imperative our grants administration system be reformed to ensure that taxpayer funds are protected from governmental abuse. If the ministerial discretion available in grants processes is improperly used, this can give rise to political favouritism and corruption.
How corrupt is Australia compared to other countries?
There is a public perception that a small elite is reaping large benefits in Australian society in terms of political influence and its flow-on dividends.
In Australia, the “game of mates” is flourishing. There’s now a revolving door in politics with many politicians, advisers and senior government officials leaving the public sector to become well-paid lobbyists.
Add to that the appointments of political “mates” to commissions, tribunals and cushy ambassadorships and the blatant misuse of parliamentary entitlements such as helicopter trips on taxpayer funds.
Political parties are also accepting millions of dollars in donations from lobbyists and others interested in influencing policy outcomes.
All of this adds to the perception that the system is rigged – and not in favour of the person on the street.
Australia has fallen steadily in Transparency International’s global corruption index, from 8th place in 2012 to 14th in 2024. But even so, Australia is the 14th-least corrupt country in the world, which is still a respectable ranking.
More alarming is the fact that one in 30 Australian public servants said in a survey last year they had seen a colleague acting in a corrupt manner.
The types of corruption witnessed included cronyism or nepotism (favourable treatment of friends or family members without proper regard to merit). Fraud, forgery, embezzlement and conflicts of interest were also reported.
In the 1980s, there were incidences of large-scale corruption that rocked the country, culminating in the Fitzgerald Inquiry in Queensland and the WA Inc Royal Commission in Western Australia. These scandals led to the resignations and imprisonments of various former ministers and officials.
Although we have not sunk to such depths since then, state anti-corruption commissions, such as the NSW ICAC, have uncovered various instances of corruption in recent years. The NSW ICAC’s inquiries have led to the resignations of several politicians, as well as the conviction of former Labor MP Eric Obeid.
Another classic case of corruption exposed by the ICAC led to the downfall of former Newcastle lord mayor, Jeff McCloy. McCloy famously bragged that politicians treated him like a “walking ATM” and admitted to giving two MPs envelopes of cash amounting to $10,000.
In Victoria, the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission’s (IBAC) revealed that a lobbyist funnelled suitcases of cash totalling more than $100,000 from a property developer to a councillor, under the guise of sham transactions.
These explosive scandals involving corrupt conduct by public officials have eroded public trust in politicians. But the exposure of these scandals by anti-corruption commissions have an important deterrent and educative effect on public officials and the broader public.
Our faith in government has been eroded by a lack of transparency and the perception that those in power are enjoying unfair benefits. The active investigations by robust institutions such as anti-corruption commissions will act as checks and balances on governmental power – and are key to a vibrant democracy.
This is an edited extract from How Australian Democracy Works, a new book from leading authors at The Conversation on all aspects of our political system and its history, out March 4.
Yee-Fui Ng 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.
Have you ever been called a Luddite? We have – usually as an insult, rooted in a popular misconception that Luddites are anti-progress fanatics.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The original 19th century Luddites weren’t against technology. Rather, they resisted its oppressive use.
Their rebellion was violently suppressed. But their core critique lives on: technology should benefit all of humanity, not a privileged few.
Today, as Silicon Valley billionaires and United States president Donald Trump turbocharge corporate control of public digital infrastructure, this critique rings truer than ever.
In response, we are a seeing a growing surge of attempts to wrest back control of technology for democratic ends. This is a kind of “digital Luddism” which echoes past struggles against high-tech injustice.
The original Luddites
The Luddites were 19th century English textile workers who destroyed machinery threatening their craft and livelihoods. Historians call their tactics “collective bargaining by riot”. They were fighting against technologies that centralised power and stripped workers of dignity.
Luddite resistance was part of broader struggles for labour rights and socioeconomic justice.
Earlier, England’s Diggers and Levellers resisted the privatisation of communal lands. This foreshadowed today’s battles over corporate control of digital infrastructure.
The Luddites faced severe punishment, including imprisonment and even execution. Despite this, their legacy endures. Today, dismissing critics of Big Tech as “Luddites” repeats the mistake of conflating resistance to exploitation with fear of progress.
In the most extreme scenario, unchecked corporate power allied with monstrous government polices can lead to atrocities. In Nazi Germany, for example, Dehomag, a former subsidiary of computer giant IBM, provided data systems to the Nazis to track victims. Chemical company IG Farben also supplied Zyklon B gas for extermination camps. Many other companies profited from forced labour and funded the regime. This shows how complicity can make oppression more efficient.
Digital Luddism doesn’t reject innovation. It demands technology serve stakeholders, not shareholders.
Removal: dismantling entrenched power
Some systems are beyond reform, requiring direct intervention. Removal involves political action and legal regulation. It also involves public pressure to break monopolies or impose penalties on unethical corporations.
Big Tech has also repeatedly faced huge fines and antitrust lawsuits. However, breaking up or nationalising these corporations remains rhetoric for now.
But digital Luddism isn’t just about using different tools. It’s about systemic change towards sustainable, transparent and user-controlled infrastructure.
Open-source AI projects such as China’s DeepSeek and HuggingFace’s Deep Research now rival corporate models, proving open tech is a force to reckon with.
The original Luddites smashed machines. But the global nature of today’s digital infrastructure makes physical sabotage impractical. That’s why digital Luddism isn’t about smashing screens. Instead, it’s about smashing oppressive systems.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) today introduced the U.S. Research Protection Act to shield American research from malign foreign influence by updating language in the CHIPS and Science Act to include additional restrictions against programs sponsored by countries of concern:
“In a world where competition turns into hostility all too often, we must do everything in our power to safeguard American ingenuity against bad actor nations,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation will place even more restrictions on academic programs involving countries of concern to ensure American scientific research is protected.”
“The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act included important provisions to bolster our research security,” said Sen. Padilla. “This legislation will provide much needed clarity for federal agencies and academic institutions to better safeguard national security, while preserving research collaboration and international partnerships crucial to the strength of America’s innovation economy.”
Background:
Malign Foreign Talent Programs are sponsored by countries of concern like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea to obtain American scientific research and technology by incentivizing or coercing American researchers to act on their behalf. The CHIPS and Science Act included provisions to prohibit the U.S. government and academic institutions from partnering with such programs.
However, the law’s current definition of a Malign Foreign Talent Program only includes programs that “directly provide” incentives and benefits to researchers to participate, leaving out other methods to provide indirect benefits to researchers to induce their cooperation. This legislation would broaden the definition to include “indirect benefits,” ensuring foreign adversarial nations cannot exploit this loophole to evade U.S. research restrictions.
Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today introduced the U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act to require a comprehensive strategy from the U.S. Secretary of State to combat illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere:
“Criminal organizations and authoritarian regimes will do whatever it takes to enrich themselves, and that includes illegally mining and trafficking gold throughout Latin America,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Our bill would bring together the private sector and State Department to help our partners in the Western Hemisphere disrupt illicit mining practices and prevent bad actors from using gold to finance their nefarious acts.”
“Illicit gold mining operations in Latin America and the Caribbean are a hotbed of human rights abuses and a haven for crime and terrorism,” said Sen. Kaine. “As Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, promoting security and prosperity in the region is a top priority of mine, and this bipartisan legislation will be a key step toward that goal.”
Background:
The illicit mining and trafficking of gold is used to finance transnational criminal organizations and authoritarian governments, particularly those in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and negatively impacts the environment and the region’s economic dynamics.
The U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act would:
Direct the U.S. Secretary of State to develop a multi-year strategy in coordination with other federal agencies to combat illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere;
Require the strategy to include elements such as interrupting links between artisanal small-scale miners (ASM) and illicit actors, bolstering the effectiveness of anti-money laundering efforts, supporting efforts to formalize ASM miners, improving supply chain due diligence, and deterring ASM mining in protected areas;
Mandate an investigation of the illicit gold trade in Venezuela and provide a briefing to Congress on this issue;
And create a public-private partnership in coordination with democratically-elected governments in the region to advance best practices for responsible gold value chains.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
March 03, 2025
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Executive Director of the Illinois Head Start Association Lauri Morrison-Frichtl will be her guest to President Donald Trump’s Joint Address to Congress as part of the Senator’s ongoing efforts to push back against Trump’s illegal funding freeze that continues to inflict needless chaos, confusion and financial pain on Head Start programs and the middle-class families they serve throughout Illinois. With over 37 years of experience with Head Start, Executive Director Morrison-Frichtl is a steadfast leader and advocate for the wellbeing of the thousands of children and families in our state who face the most significant barriers to achieving success in school and in life. Additionally, nearly 70% of Illinois Head Start and Early Head Start parents are in the workforce and rely on Head Start’s programs in order to go to their jobs—allowing them to support their families and contribute to our economy. An official portrait photo of Illinois Head Start Executive Director Lauri Morrison-Frichtl can be found on the Senator’s website.
“Despite running on the promise that he would lower costs for middle-class Americans, Donald Trump’s illegal funding freeze is hurting the same families he swore he’d protect by jeopardizing the Head Start programs so many rely on,” Duckworth said. “Leaders like Lauri Morrison-Frichtl are on the frontlines of Trump’s needless chaos—which is continuing to cause irreversible damage and jeopardize Illinois Head Start’s ability to serve thousands of children and families. I’m proud to have Lauri Morrison-Frichtl as my guest to the Joint Address to remind middle-class Americans and this Administration just how critical Head Start services are—not only for working parents trying to make ends meet, but also for the next generation of students. We cannot let Trump and Republicans tear down this lifeline for families in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires—full stop.”
“I am deeply honored to be invited as Senator Duckworth’s guest for the Joint Address to Congress,” said Morrison-Frichtl. “As the Executive Director of the Illinois Head Start Association, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of Head Start in creating safe, nurturing environments where children can thrive and in empowering parents to pursue meaningful employment across the great state of Illinois. However, recent disruptions and uncertainties around federal funding have created significant anxiety and stress among our parents, staff, and communities across Illinois. We are committed to navigating these challenges and ensuring that the bureaucratic hurdles do not undermine the trust that families, staff, and children place in our programs. The work we do is critical. I am honored to work with Senator Duckworth and other elected officials to support our children and families and champion the rights they need and deserve.”
Earlier this month, Duckworth joined Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, parents, teachers and staff at Two Rivers Head Start in Elgin to underscore how Trump’s illegal funding freeze is continuing to cause financial setbacks for Head Start programs in Illinois. As a result, many Head Start agencies across the state remain unsure about how they’ll be able to provide food and resources to the kids in their care or whether they’ll have to shut down altogether.
Lauri Morrison-Frichtl is the Executive Director of the Illinois Head Start Association. With a Master of Science degree in Education from Western Michigan University, Lauri brings over 37 years of experience working with Head Start, Early Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs. She has further enriched her professional expertise through participation in the UCLA Johnson & Johnson Management Fellows Program and the Nike Leadership Institute.
In 2019, Lauri was honored with the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award by the Illinois Head Start community. She has also developed local and national training curricula for both Head Start and child care programs. Known for her dedication and passion, Lauri is a compassionate leader who is deeply committed to the mission of Head Start and continually advocates for the success and well-being of children and families served by Illinois Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
NEW HAVEN, Conn., March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Woodbridge International, a global mergers and acquisitions firm, is pleased to announce the acquisition of a majority stake of its client, Manzanos Wines S.L. by Domaines Michel Boutin.
Manzanos Wines is a wine producer and exporter with a 132-year history of providing high-quality wines from the Navarra and Rioja regions of Spain. The Company owns 10 wineries, with a total of 3,770 acres of vineyards under its management. Manzanos is the only Spanish wine producer with U.S. importers license, with an office in Miami and warehouses in Miami, New jersey and California.
A passionate entrepreneur and philanthropist, Michel Boutin worked for 19 years in securities management and is now focusing on the acquisition and development of real estate companies in the funeral and wine sectors. He seeks to serve people by offering them an experience that exceeds their expectations and creates a Wow effect. A humanist, collaborator and unifier, he knows how to surround himself with professionals and experts to implement improvement processes to increase the quality of services and the performance of companies. A popularizer, motivator and coach, he is involved in his community to use his experience and skills in human resources, business development and finance.
Woodbridge International’s ground-breaking approach to marketing a company globally has transformed the way the sell-side M&A industry does business. Woodbridge is a Mariner Company.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Among the 29 cartel bosses expelled from Mexico and transferred to the custody of the United States on Thursday was Northern District of Texas defendant Jose Rodolfo Villarreal Hernandez, aka “El Gato,” announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
Mr. Villarreal Hernandez, a Mexican national who held a high-level position in the Beltran-Leyva Organization (BLO) Drug Cartel, was charged in June 2018 with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in the brutal slaying of a 43-year-old Southlake, Texas lawyer in 2013.
He was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List in October 2020 and arrested by Mexican law enforcement agents in Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico in January 2023.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his successful extradition yesterday, pledging to prosecute all extradited cartel bosses “to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers — and in some cases, given their lives — to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels.”
Mr. Villarreal Hernandez will make his initial appearance in federal court next week.
According to evidence presented at the trial of his coconspirators, Mr. Villarreal Hernandez allegedly directed and financed a multi-year effort to locate and assassinate his victim, an attorney with ties to a rival cartel. Testimony revealed that Mr. Villarreal Hernandez allegedly believed the attorney was involved with the death of Mr. Villarreal Hernandez’s father and wanted revenge.
The victim was shot while sitting in the passenger seat of his vehicle outside an upscale shopping center in Southlake on May 22, 2013. His wife was standing near the driver’s side door when her husband was killed.
Three men who, acting on orders from Mr. Villarreal Hernandez, tracked the victim prior to his death were convicted and sentenced in 2016: Jose Luis Cepeda-Cortes and Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Cepeda were convicted at trial of interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire; Mr. Cepeda-Cortez was also convicted of tampering with documents or proceedings. Both men received life sentences. Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Campano, son of Mr. Ledezma-Cepeda, pleaded guilty prior to trial to one count of interstate stalking and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
A fourth defendant, Ramon Villarreal-Hernandez, the brother of Jose Rodolfo, was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States in 2020. He pleaded guilty to interstate stalking in June 2022 and was sentenced to ten years in prison.
According to the U.S. State Department, in addition to allegedly ordering the Southlake murder, Mr. Villarreal Hernandez is believed to have overseen the importation of large quantities of cocaine into the United States as well as committing violent acts within the Republic of Mexico and the United States to maintain his organization’s power and status.
“After more than a decade, Mr. Villarreal Hernandez will have to answer for his alleged crimes in an American courtroom,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “Since the victim was gunned down in a public parking lot in 2013, law enforcement’s commitment to this case has never wavered. I extend my sincere thanks to the federal, state, local, and international partners who have pulled together to ensure this defendant will be brought to justice.”
“FBI Dallas and the Southlake Police Department have been determined to bring this individual to justice since he orchestrated a brutal murder in one of the many communities we serve in North Texas,” said R. Joseph Rothrock, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Office. “We would like to thank the United States Marshals Service for ensuring that Villarreal-Hernandez arrived safely and is now in federal custody on U.S. soil.”
“An investigative success such as this one does not come easily or through individual efforts. Policing is a team sport,” said DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge, Eduardo A. Chávez. “We are proud to stand hand-in-hand with our colleagues from the FBI to secure Villarreal Hernández’ indictment, arrest, and transfer. Violence and drug trafficking are evil bedfellows, but together we will ensure communities remain safe and criminals face justice.”
An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Mr. Villarreal Hernandez is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The statutory maximum penalty for interstate stalking is life in prison; the statutory maximum for the murder-for-hire charge is life in prison or death.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division, with assistance from the Southlake Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, the Fort Worth Police Department, and the Grapevine Police Department. The Mexican Secretariat of the Navy, Fiscalía Generalde la República (FGR), Coordinación Nacional Antisecuestro (CONASE) coordinated in the arrest of Mr. Villarreal-Hernandez. The U.S. Marshal Service for the Northern District of Texas assisted in securing the defendant upon his arrival in Texas. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City, and the U.S. Marshals Mexico City Foreign Field Office provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Burgess (fmr) and Aisha Saleem prosecuted the case against Mr. Luis Cepeda-Cortes, Mr. Ledezma-Cepeda, and Mr. Ledezma-Campano. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn Smith and Laura Montes are prosecuting the case against Mr. Villarreal Hernandez.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
March 03, 2025
Doug Kowalewski was recently fired from the National Science Foundation amid Trump’s and Musk’s unlawful firings, massive cuts to federal agencies
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced that Doug Kowalewski of Wellesley will be her guest at the 2025 State of the Union. Doug is a former National Science Foundation (NSF) employee who, after 3.5 years at the agency, was fired unexpectedly in Elon Musk’s and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) gutting of the federal workforce. Doug shared his story at Senator Warren’s recent town hall in Framingham, Massachusetts.
“I’m bringing Doug to force Trump to confront the federal workers he fired – the people who make this country run,” said Senator Warren. “The National Science Foundation is the engine that powers our nation’s basic scientific research, and by taking a sledgehammer to this agency, Trump and Musk are gutting our research and innovation pipeline and our local economy in Massachusetts. That isn’t efficient — it’s cruel, short-sighted, and it’s costing American jobs and devastating millions of families.”
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are firing dedicated civil servants and plotting to replace us with new hires who will make critical science funding decisions with a political agenda, not a scientific one. Millions of Americans who have dedicated their careers to this country are suffering because of unelected billionaires like Elon Musk. I’m in Washington with Senator Warren to fight back against these illegal firings and stand up for hardworking federal workers,” said Doug Kowalewski.
At Senator Warren’s town hall in Framingham, Doug shared the story of his unexpected firing from the agency along with 167 of his colleagues. At the NSF, Doug was a Program Director for Partnerships and Innovation, helping bring in millions in funding to the federal government. The NSF provides a quarter of federal support for basic research at colleges and universities across the country.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
February 27, 2025
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wants to know what happened to 25,000 tweets that a key Donald Trump nominee deleted soon after the 2024 election, and she on Wednesday wrote a letter to X CEO Linda Yaccarino requesting those records.
Bill Pulte, an investor whose grandfather founded PulteGroup and made it a housing construction empire, is President Trump’s nominee to serve as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates trillions of dollars in the housing finance system.
The self-proclaimed “inventor of Twitter philanthropy” also deleted about 25,000 tweets a few days after the 2024 presidential election.
“My staff discovered that virtually all of Mr. Pulte’s tweets are missing and appear to have been deleted,” Warren, the ranking member of the Senate banking committee, wrote to Yaccarino, according to a copy of the letter shared with HuffPost. “Mr. Pulte’s account appears to have been purged of virtually all of his social media activity on your platform.”
Warren told Yaccarino that she was writing “to seek your assistance in gathering previously public information about Mr. Pulte that he appears to have deleted and is now hidden from the public.”
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
LOMÉ, Togo, March 3, 2025/APO Group/ —
Ellevate by Ecobank expands to become bigger, better and more inclusive.
From supporting corporate businesswomen, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to individual entrepreneurs, and those in the informal sector.
To bridge the gender financing gap for Africa’s women entrepreneurs, Ecobank (www.Ecobank.com), the leading pan-African financial services group, announces significant enhancements to its multi-award-winning gender-financing solution – ‘Ellevate by Ecobank’. These improvements strengthen Ecobank’s commitment to women-owned, women-led, and women-focused businesses, while reinforcing its market competitiveness.
The World Bank estimates that closing the gender gap in Africa could add $2.5 trillion to the continent’s GDP by 2025, underscoring the urgency of investing in women – not just for social justice, but for a more prosperous and equitable future for all Africans. In response, Ecobank’s enhanced Ellevate programme is now more ambitious and inclusive, designed to address the diverse challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. The programme is being extended from new and existing Commercial Banking customers to include new and existing Consumer Banking and Corporate Banking customers, as well as female business leaders, with Corporate Banking customers serving as a pool of mentors. With this expansion, individual entrepreneurs – including those in the formal and informal sectors – can now fully benefit from its enhanced financial and non-financial solutions.
Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, said: “We recognise and applaud the role that women entrepreneurs play in driving socio-economic impact across Africa and are committed to supporting them at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. Since the launch of the Ellevate programme we have made significant progress, disbursing over US$200 million in loans, providing business networking opportunities, and offering leadership and capacity-building training for businesswomen.”
“Today, Ellevate 2.0 heralds in a new era for gender financing. It is bigger, better and more inclusive, delivering exceptional value to female entrepreneurs and women business leaders. Enhancing our products and solutions for women entrepreneurs to position Ecobank as their bank of choice is an integral component in accelerating the success of our Growth, Transformation and Returns strategy’s objectives. It also supports our Group-wide objective of promoting gender equality and contributing to sustainable development.”
The enhanced Ellevate’s value propositions now include:
Increasing access to finance with unsecured loans of up to US$50,000
Competitive interest rates and favourable collateral requirements
Accommodating customers with a two-year track record instead of the industry-standard three years
Helping them to find new customers and access new markets across Africa through our innovative online matchmaking MyTradeHub platform
Training, knowledge sharing webinars, support and other initiatives to enhance customers’ business and leadership skills
Customised wealth management services
A one-stop shop to meet insurance needs.
A loyalty programme providing exclusive offers and discounts at select retail stores and recreation centres
To coincide with the celebrations of the International Women’s Day, our enhanced Ellevate program will be launched by nine of our affiliates (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Senegal, Togo and Zimbabwe) by the end of March 2025. It will then be rolled-out in phases across all our other sub-Saharan African affiliates throughout the year.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Denis Manturov held a meeting on the development of the automotive industry.
First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov held a meeting on the prospects for the development of the automotive industry until 2035. Currently, interested departments, on behalf of the First Deputy Prime Minister, are already preparing their proposals to update the Strategy for the Development of the Automotive Industry of the Russian Federation until 2035, approved at the end of 2022. Let us recall that the possibility of updating is provided for by the document itself.
“It is important to conduct joint work of all departments and ensure the interrelation of the developed updates to the industry strategy for the development of the automotive industry with both the Transport Strategy of the Russian Federation – in terms of infrastructure development and balance with other types of transport, and with the Energy Strategy – in terms of the use of traditional and alternative types of fuel,” noted Denis Manturov.
The event, which took place at the Government Coordination Centre, was attended by Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander Novak and Vitaly Savelyev, Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov, Minister of Transport Roman Starovoit, representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other federal and regional executive bodies, as well as leading companies in the industry.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Albert Karimov spoke about the factors and prerequisites that, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, could have the greatest impact on the development of the domestic automobile industry in the period 2035–2050. Among the key factors is the expansion of the use of alternative fuels in the industry.
“In the strategic aspect of the development of the domestic auto industry, the further introduction of transport on environmentally friendly fuel is a priority for us. We already have state support measures in place for the conversion of equipment to gas motor fuel, as well as measures stimulating the production of electric transport. The development of commercial transport on liquefied natural gas and hydrogen is currently being discussed. The use of these types of fuel improves the environment, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and meets the climate goals of achieving carbon neutrality by the Russian Federation by 2060,” said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade identified the further development of the sharing economy, an increase in the share of electric transport and driverless cars as other factors that will influence the appearance of the Russian auto industry.
The meeting participants also agreed to work out options for fine-tuning government support measures, thanks to which the promising image of the domestic auto industry will be formed.
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.
OAKLAND — In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released 2024’s Top 10 Consumer Complaints and highlighted ongoing efforts to protect California consumers. The list released today includes the top consumer complaint categories the California Department of Justice (DOJ) has received in the last calendar year. Attorney General Bonta urges Californians to report misconduct or violations of state consumer protection laws to DOJ at oag.ca.gov/report. Complaints submitted by the public provide DOJ and sister agencies with important information about potential misconduct to help determine whether to investigate a business or individual.
“California is a pillar of strong state consumer protection laws and an outspoken advocate for robust federal protections,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This National Consumer Protection Week, I urge Californians to help us further this work. If you see misconduct or are the victim of a scam, my office wants to know about it: I encourage consumers to immediately file a complaint online at oag.ca.gov/report. Whether protecting our kids online, stopping egregious bank fees, or cracking down on illegal price gouging, as the People’s Attorney, I am committed to going to the mat for California consumers.”
Fighting to Keep More Money in the Pockets of Californians:
Attorney General Bonta took on bad actors and archaic policies that hurt Californians pocketbooks. Last year, DOJ announced a $700 million multistate settlement with Johnson & Johnson for failing to disclose if asbestos was present in its talc products; secured a settlement with ticket reseller StubHub, Inc. for failing to pay timely refunds to Californians for canceled events during the COVID-19 pandemic; and sponsored successful legislation to protect Californians’ financial future by banning the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports.
Last month, Attorney General Bonta supported lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Since its creation, the CFPB has actively worked to make the lives of everyday people better and has returned over $20 billion to Americans nationwide. The shuttering of the CFPB would cause catastrophic harm to consumer protections, leaving no federal oversight over large banks, and saddling state agencies with the sole responsibility to protect consumers from conduct regulated by the CFPB.
Putting Social Media Companies on Notice:
In response to a dramatic uptick of consumer complaints, last March, Attorney General Bonta sent a letter to Meta expressing deep concern regarding the increase in account takeovers and lockouts on Facebook and Instagram and the inadequacy of the company’s response to prevent and address consumer harm from these takeovers. The letter asked Meta to take immediate action to increase mitigation tactics and respond to users whose accounts have been taken over.
Sticking up for Students:
In the last year, Attorney General Bonta continued to protect students by securing a decision that upheld a judgment against Ashford University for giving students false or misleading information about career outcomes, cost and financial aid, and transfer credits, as well as a $4.5 million settlement with University of Phoenix for aggressive and unlawful military student recruitment tactics.
Protecting Children Online:
Attorney General Bonta continued to take action to create a safer internet for children and teens. In October 2024, DOJ filed a lawsuit against TikTok for harming young users and deceiving the public about the social media platform’s dangers; and secured a decision in his lawsuit against Meta that largely denies Meta’s attempt to evade responsibility for their role in the children’s mental health crisis. DOJ proudly supported legislation that would put consumers in control of their relationship with social media, like SB 976 (Skinner), recently enacted legislation which interrupts the ability of social media companies to use addictive design features, and AB 56 (Bauer-Kahan), newly proposed legislation that would require warning labels on social media platforms.
Advancing Your Data Privacy Rights:
In January, Attorney General Bonta reminded Californians of their right to stop or “opt-out” of the sale and sharing of their personal information under the California law, and encouraged consumers to consider familiarizing themselves with the Global Privacy Control (GPC), an easy-to-use browser setting or extension that allows consumers to take back control of their personal data.
Last year, Attorney General Bonta announced a settlement with DoorDash for violating California privacy laws by selling its customers’ personal information; and worked with local partners to secure a settlement with a video game developer for illegally collecting and sharing children’s data.
Scram, Scams!
Attorney General Bonta continued educating and warning consumers about financially harmful and widespread AI-generated scams, toll booth scams, romance scams, and package delivery text-based scams; and continued the fight against annoying and illegal robocalls, which are often a vehicle for scams.
Setting the Record Straight on AI:
In January, Attorney General Bonta issued two legal advisories, reminding consumers of their rights, and advising businesses and healthcare entities who develop, sell, or use artificial intelligence (AI) about their obligations under California law. Many consumers and patients are not aware of when and how AI systems are used in their lives or by institutions that they rely on.
Businesses use AI systems to evaluate consumers’ credit risk and guide loan decisions, screen tenants for rentals, and target consumers with ads and offers, as such, must comply with California consumer protection laws.
Tackling Price Gouging During a Natural Disaster:
In the wake of Los Angeles Fires, Californians should be coming together to help our neighbors, not attempting to profit off their pain. DOJ takes its duty to protect the public from price gouging, rental bidding, and unsolicited property offers by predatory buyers extremely seriously. In addition to sending over 700 warning letters to hotels and landlords, DOJ has several active investigations into price gouging and has announced price gouging charges against three Los Angeles real estate agents and a landlord (January 22, January 28, and February 18). These investigations are often the result of review of complaints received by DOJ.
DOJ established the Disaster Relief Task Force to work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement and regulatory partners; last month, DOJ collaborated with, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto on misdemeanor price gouging charges against a homeowner and real estate agent who allegedly engaged in price gouging in violation of the law.
For more tips and information on consumer protection, please visit https://oag.ca.gov/consumers.
MENLO PARK, Calif., March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BlackSwan Cyber is offering complimentary Cyber Screening™ throughout March to support M&A Cybersecurity Awareness Month, providing lower middle-market deal teams with a fast and efficient way to assess cyber risks before closing.
Cyber risk has become a material concern in M&A, with 40% of R&W claims now tied to cybersecurity issues – just behind financial misstatements, the #1 driver of R&W claims at 42%. Despite this, many deals move forward without evaluating cyber risk, potentially leaving buyers exposed to hidden financial and legal liabilities.
“Investors don’t skip cyber due diligence because they’re unaware of the risk. They skip traditional cyber due diligence because it was never designed for middle market deals – it’s slow, invasive, and priced for billion-dollar transactions. M&A moves fast and most deal teams don’t have time for security audits that add friction,” said Paul Theobald, Partner at BlackSwan Cyber. “We built our Cyber Screening process from the ground up to be fast, practical, and aligned with how M&A actually works. Buyers shouldn’t have to close a deal blind to cyber risks, so we’re making Cyber Screening accessible to the lower middle-market.”
Raising the Standard for Cyber Risk Awareness in M&A BlackSwan Cyber’s complimentary Cyber Screening for deals under $100M gives M&A professionals a practical way to evaluate cyber risk before closing – without delays, extra costs, or seller friction.
Spot Red Flags Early: Avoid costly post-close surprises by identifying critical cyber risks before they impact the deal.
Quantify Cyber Exposures: Assess the financial impact of cyber risks on deal value and remediation costs.
Benchmark Against Market Standards: Strengthen negotiations by comparing the target’s cybersecurity posture to similar transactions.
Frictionless Assessments: Keep deals moving with minimal seller cooperation, no complex audits, and no disruption to diligence timelines.
Raising Awareness & Partnering with Industry Leaders To maximize the impact of M&A Cybersecurity Awareness Month, BlackSwan Cyber is partnering with M&A advisors, law firms, and insurers to raise awareness about cyber risk’s financial impact on deals. Through co-branded thought leadership, joint educational initiatives, and industry discussions, we are working with key industry stakeholders to help deal teams better assess and manage cyber risk in transactions.
Organizations interested in collaborating on deals, insights, events, or industry initiatives are encouraged to contact partnerships@blackswancyber.com.
About BlackSwan Cyber BlackSwan Cyber is a boutique M&A Cyber Advisor, exclusively focused on helping private equity firms, M&A advisors, and deal teams assess cyber risk in transactions. Our foundation rests on the deep-rooted expertise of industry veterans, whose understanding of cybersecurity is integrated with the complex strategies and fast pace of M&A deals.
Small businesses across Australia and New Zealand are facing one of their toughest periods in decades.
A flat economy and shifting consumer behaviour have put pressure on already thin operating margins. A 2024 survey by business finance company ScotPac found 29% of Australian small businesses say they could face insolvency if they lose a major client.
Accounting organisation CPA Australia’s latest small business survey shows only 48% of New Zealand’s small businesses grew in 2023. This is significantly down from 60% in 2022. There have also been a record number of business liquidations in both New Zealand and Australia.
Yet some small and medium-sized businesses are thriving. Part of the reason for this is because they have embraced the concept of “digital leadership”.
This is the ability to strategically integrate digital technologies – such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics and automation – into a business’s operations, decision-making and long-term vision.
Digital leaders use emerging technologies to improve efficiency, redesign business models, scale operations and reach new customers in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
Our review of the research on digital leadership, recently published in Digital Leadership and Contemporary Entrepreneurship, found that firms treating digital leadership as a core business strategy, rather than just using technology for isolated tasks, are the ones that successfully scale, grow and future-proof their organisations.
Without this change in mindset, firms risk stagnation and missed opportunities. That difference is critical in an economic environment where small margins separate thriving businesses from struggling ones.
Why some small businesses fall behind
It’s easy to assume small businesses lag in digital adoption because of costs or technical complexity. However, most of the studies we reviewed suggest the real issue is hesitancy at the leadership level.
Some business owners are risk-averse and take a “wait and see” approach. Others believe their current solutions are sufficient even when new technology could improve efficiency.
A 2021 survey commissioned by cloud accounting software company Xero, found fear of change, overconfidence in existing processes and decision paralysis are among the biggest barriers preventing small businesses from embracing digital solutions.
Even businesses that already use digital tools – for example, to manage their social media – often fail to go further and integrate technology into core operations such as supply chain management and automation.
Embracing digital leadership
The lesson is that simply adopting digital tools without a strategic plan doesn’t lead to growth. True digital leadership requires businesses to rethink how they operate, compete and scale.
The firms making the most of digital transformation embed technology in their core strategy. They use data-driven decision-making to refine products, forecast demand and identify new opportunities.
They streamline operations by automating routine tasks, such as using AI-powered invoicing, chatbots for customer inquiries and predictive analytics for inventory management. This frees up time for strategic initiatives such as product development and market expansion.
At the same time, they invest in training employees to effectively use and adapt to new technologies. Perhaps most importantly, they take an experimental approach – testing, learning and adapting in real time.
Learning to thrive in digital economy
Businesses that have successfully grown through digital leadership illustrate this approach in action.
Traditional investment firms required large deposits and complex paperwork, excluding many potential investors. Sharesies took a different approach. The company designed a mobile-first platform where users could start with as little as $5. The company now has more than 650,000 users and NZ$3 billion in investments.
In Australia, The Very Good Bra, a sustainable bra company, used digital leadership to create a global, sustainable fashion brand without traditional retail infrastructure.
Founder Stephanie Devine developed a direct-to-consumer model through e-commerce, bypassing wholesalers and physical stores. She utilised digital tools such as social media platforms for community engagement, online surveys to collaborate with customers to design products, and data analytics software for demand forecasting, ensuring every product had a market before it was manufactured.
Both companies succeeded by leveraging digital technologies to disrupt traditional business models. Sharesies democratised investing by making it accessible to individuals with minimal capital, while The Very Good Bra utilised e-commerce and customer collaboration to create sustainable fashion products.
Their digital-first approaches enabled them to identify and fill market gaps effectively.
To thrive in the tougher economic climate, businesses need to think beyond software tools. The question is no longer whether to go digital, but how fast a business can rethink their work for the digital future.
Guy Bate is affiliated with The Education Technology Association of New Zealand (EdTechNZ). He serves as Chair of their AI in Education Technology Stewardship Group.
Rod McNaughton 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 the catastrophic press conference on February 28 between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US president Donald Trump, it is clear that there has been a global realignment.
What the press conference revealed was that Trump’s position is a lot closer to Russian president Vladmir Putin than long-time US ally Ukraine, and also that other US allies cannot count on Washington to promote the global world order.
The extraordinary spectacle ended with Trump and vice-president J.D. Vance shouting at Zelensky, telling him he wasn’t thankful for US aid. Since then, the expected mineral deal between Ukraine and the US has been called off – at least for now.
There was already a wake-up call for European allies about how reliable the US might be during Trump’s first term when he launched his “American first” policy. This included chastising Nato member countries for not paying enough, and characterising Europe as free-riding on US security guarantees.
While this sparked alarm among some European leaders over how to ensure that the continent becomes less dependent on the US, Europeans are now scrambling to respond to Trump 2.0’s much more extreme version of America first. After the press conference, European Union foreign minister Kaja Kallas declared: “Today it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
Trump’s relationship with Russia
To some extent Europe was caught off guard because it was hard to imagine that a US president would swing US support behind Russia, especially after Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But Trump has turned the page on challenging Russian aggression, and does not seem to see Putin’s ambitions as a threat to global security.
Instead in the press conference – as in previous statements – Trump has echoed some of Putin’s talking points, such as Ukraine not having any cards to play, being unwilling to do a peace deal, and having to give up land to Russia.
Trump also refused to say that Putin started the war, and even claimed that peace could have been possible early on in the war had Zelensky wanted peace. Trump even repeatedly opined that both Putin and Trump were brothers of sorts — victims of the same investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
The press conference also revealed that the security guarantees that Zelensky pushed Trump to confirm were secondary at best. Trump remained vague and offered no details, possibly because he has no intention of the US providing any security to Ukraine.
The aim may have been to goad Zelensky – just weeks ago on Fox News Trump stated that he did not know if Ukrainians would one day become Russian. Meanwhile, Trump’s claim that Ukraine did not have any cards to play is unhelpful to highlight if you are trying to negotiate a great deal for one of your allies.
What Trump seemed to forget is that Ukraine once had a lot of cards — holding the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world with 1,900 strategic warheads, 176 intercontinental ballistic missiles and 44 strategic bombers. Ukraine was coaxed into returning all of its nuclear warheads in exchange for security assurances from Russia and the west, in a 1994 agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum.
But while this memorandum might mean little to the current US president, allies around the world can see how quickly a US leader can forget their country’s commitments. The message that Trump is sending now is that every country must fight for themselves. All interactions are transactional, and economic interests trump the genuine security needs of allies.
This plays perfectly into China’s hands. To China, Trump has signalled that he primarily cares about the tariff issue. In addition, he could implement higher tariffs on the US’s biggest trading partners (and allies), Canada, the EU and Mexico, than on China.
The symbolism of the unsigned mineral deal with Ukraine and the capitulation to Russia’s territorial interests in Ukraine should be music to the ears of China’s president, Xi Jinping.
What it means for China
China has inundated Taiwan with a propaganda campaign that says the self-governing island is part of China. Part of the campaign focuses on the notion that if China were to invade, the US would abandon Taiwan, citing the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 as evidence of this.
The US’s abrupt abandonment of Ukraine adds fuel to this fire. Xi could be emboldened to execute his plan of uniting Taiwan by 2049, if not earlier, which could have disastrous consequences for the global economy.
European leaders met with President Zelensky after the Trump press conference.
Taiwan produces 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors needed for artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and has a market share of 68%.
An invasion could lead to a block on global access to semiconductors, causing shortages of all sorts of tech, a possible stock market crash and a fall in trade between Taiwan and western economies. This could cost around US$10 trillion (£7.9 trillion), equal to 10% of global GDP.
Additionally, for countries such as South Korea and Japan that have been persuaded to not embark on nuclear programmes, the US U-turn sows doubt about its commitment to provide a nuclear shield to its Pacific allies. This could prompt these countries to reverse policies of nonproliferation.
What happens to Nato?
Nato has been traditionally led by a US general, but it’s not even clear that the US will remain in the alliance. In the past few weeks Europe has been forced to hold a series of emergency meetings to try to rise to the various global challenges – with or without the US as a key partner.
All of this makes the US more vulnerable as well. The US is more secure and prosperous when it is part of a long-term alliance, working in partnership with its allies to ensure security, stability, free trade and investment. If the US were to even reduce its security commitments to Nato by 50%, estimates suggest trade with members would fall by US$450 billion.
The alliance system has been a backbone of US security since 1949. The cost to Nato’s credibility and to defending its borders if Ukraine loses the war would be trillions, not billions, of dollars.
With Trump appearing desperate to do a deal on Putin’s terms with no concessions, Russia will become much stronger as a result. In spite of the fact that more than 95,000 Russians have died, it’s likely that Russia will act even more boldly, becoming a more attractive ally to US adversaries.
Trump’s support for Putin not only encourages a hostile nuclear power on the doorstep of the US’s top Nato allies, but also suggests that the US cannot be counted on in future.
Natasha Lindstaedt 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.
