MCMINNVILLE, Tenn., May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Security Bancorp, Inc. (OTCBB:SCYT.OB) announced that the Corporation’s Board of Directors has declared an annual cash dividend of $1.00 per share on the Corporation’s outstanding common stock. The cash dividend will be payable on July 1, 2025 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 2, 2025.
Security Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for Security Federal Savings Bank of McMinnville, TN a Tennessee state-chartered financial institution headquartered in McMinnville, Tennessee. At March 31, 2025, the Corporation had total assets of $391.8 million and stockholders’ equity of $37.1 million.
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Michael D. Griffith President and Chief Executive Officer (931) 473-4483
Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
Newark, N.J. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement:
“The labor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen moves our entire region. Throughout negotiations with NJ TRANSIT, their members have been clear about their concerns. It’s incumbent upon both parties to continue negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement as soon as possible that honors the work of BLET members, restarts and maintains NJ TRANSIT’s operational capacity, and effectively serves the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey families that rely on NJ TRANSIT and lift up our economy every day.”
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) visited Walker Tool & Die in Grand Rapids to discuss the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on West Michigan manufacturers. During a listening session, Peters heard directly from manufacturers and workers in the region about how Michigan companies are navigating the current tariff policies and what policies would better foster economic success.
“President Trump’s tariffs have caused chaos and instability in our economy, and it’s critical to my job to hear directly from folks on the ground about how it is impacting their business,” said Senator Peters. “It was great to meet with local manufacturers and workers to hear their feedback and discuss how our trade policy can better support Michigan companies while creating good-paying jobs.”
Following the listening session, Peters toured the plant with Walker Tool & Die President Jeff Umlor. Walker Tool & Die produces high-precision metal stamping dies and tooling systems used to produce components of automobiles, appliances, office furniture, aerospace assets, and more.
“I appreciate Senator Peters taking time to visit Walker Tool and Die today to discuss how the changing tariff policy, low-cost country tooling, and labor shortages, among other topics, are impacting our industries,” said Jeff Umlor, President of Walker Tool and Die. “Today’s event brought together a diverse group of manufacturers from across the region to share meaningful insight on the current challenges we face, so Senator Peters can continue to effectively advocate on behalf of the business community here in our state.”
To download photos from Peters’ event at Walker Tool & Die, click here.
In April, Peters took to the Senate floor to speak out against the latest tariffs, calling them a “national sales tax” and highlighting how they fall short of a needed strategy to boost American manufacturing.
Peters, a lifelong advocate for Michigan workers and manufacturing, has also worked to support American innovation and help Michigan businesses compete in a global market. In an effort to outcompete our adversaries like China, Peters recently helped introduce the American Innovation and Jobs Act, bipartisan legislation that would expand and strengthen research and development incentives for American small businesses and startups. Peters also recently introduced the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Reauthorization Act of 2025 to support workers in Michigan and across the country who have lost their jobs due to harmful trade policies.
Peters also helped craft and pass into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which invested $170 billion in research and development for cutting-edge scientific advancements. This law also invested heavily in strengthening our domestic supply chains for critical semiconductor technologies to create good-paying American jobs and keep the U.S. competitive on the world stage. Peters additionally helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which will strengthen domestic manufacturing, onshore our supply chains, and create millions of American jobs.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Edward Armston-Sheret, IHR Fellow, School of Advanced Study, University of London
By July 1858, the English explorer John Hanning Speke had been in Africa for 18 months. His eyes and body were weakened by fever, and he still hadn’t found what he set out to discover – the source of the River Nile.
Squinting through the heat on July 30, however, he spotted a body of water, about four miles away, surrounded by grass and jungle. At first, he could see only a small creek, flanked by lush fertile land used for growing crops and grazing by local people. But he pressed onward, dragging a reluctant donkey through jungle and over dried-up streams.
It wasn’t until August 3 that he could comprehend the full size of the lake. After winding up a gradual hill near Mwanza, located in the north of modern-day Tanzania, Speke was finally able to see a “vast expanse” of “pale-blue” water. He gazed on the lake’s islands and could see the outline of hills in the distance. Speke was arrested by the “peaceful beauty” of the scene. At the same time he was excited – he was convinced that this lake was what he’d been looking for. He was right. The Nile is the lake’s only outlet, and the huge body of water – now known as Lake Victoria – is the world’s second-largest freshwater lake.
Lack of time and money prevented Speke from travelling any further, so he came to understand the lake’s size by speaking to local people. As he didn’t speak any African languages, such conversations had to be translated multiple times. Thankfully, he had Sidi Mubarak Bombay to help him, a key figure in the expedition, who spoke both Hindi (which Speke could understand) and Swahili.
Despite another multi-year expedition from Zanzibar travelling inland to the area, in his own lifetime, Speke struggled to prove his claims. That’s because he only saw part of the lake and was unable to follow the river that flowed out of it the whole way to the coast. He died in 1864 from self-inflicted wounds sustained during a strange shooting incident, shortly before speaking at a debate about the source of the Nile.
But at least he is remembered by history. Bombay and the hundreds of African men and women who made his journey possible have since been largely forgotten. Such people did most of the hard work of exploration, building camps, navigating, cooking food and caring for Speke when he was sick.
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They are not the only ones. As a researcher specialising in the history of geography, I’ve spent almost eight years examining Victorian and Edwardian exploration and learned about the lives and experiences of African and Asian explorers, including Bombay. They included men and women who were formerly enslaved and were either forced into the work, or paid a pittance. Some of the women were forced into sexual relationships and marriages. Many were killed or badly injured in floggings at the hands of their brutal “masters” keen to administer punishment for perceived transgressions.
Their names should be in the pantheon of exploration, but all too often they are either ignored or misrepresented within the historical record. These are just some of their stories.
The illness and suffering Speke endured left a lasting mark on his body. Though he claimed to have fully recovered, his fellow British explorer on the expedition, the eccentric Richard F. Burton, argued in his book The Lake Regions of Central Africa (1860) that Speke had sustained brain damage from sun stroke. In reality, he might have been showing the after effects of malaria and hearing loss. At one stage, a beetle had crawled into his ear, leaving him deaf for a month.
Even so, Speke led a further expedition to Africa to try to prove once and for all that he had “discovered” the source of the Nile.
He also published two books on his journeys. In the front of one, he used an etching of himself (based on a painting) standing before Lake Victoria. A copy of this painting still hangs in the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society in South Kensington, London.
The image depicts Speke as a heroic and masculine figure. What we don’t see are the men and women who did the hard work of bringing Speke to the lake in the first place.
Sidi Mubarak Bombay was one of the most important figures within Speke’s expeditions. From Speke’s book about the expedition, which included a short biography of Bombay, we know he was born in 1820 near the modern border of Tanzania and Mozambique. His mother died when he was young, yet he remembered life in his village as one of “happy contentment” until, at the age of 12, when he was captured and enslaved by Swahili-speaking merchants.
He was then marched to the coast in chains before being sold at a slave market in Zanzibar. The man who bought him then transported him to India. Eventually, his owner died, and Bombay was freed. He returned to East Africa and enlisted in the Sultan of Zanzibar’s army. There, he met Speke and joined the East African Expedition in February 1857 and was paid five silver dollars a month.
The appointment changed Bombay’s life. The expedition was led by Burton, who had become famous for travelling to Mecca and Medina disguised as a Muslim pilgrim. Bombay became a key member of the expeditionary party.
Not only did he translate both Burton and Speke’s orders, but he also negotiated with local leaders for food, shelter and safe passage through their territory and cared for the explorers when they were sick. Bombay developed an active interest in the expedition’s work. In his book, Speke wrote that “by long practice, he has become a great geographer”.
When Speke returned to Zanzibar in 1860 for his next expedition, Bombay was one of the first men he recruited. He stayed with the expedition on its multi-year journey from Zanzibar to Cairo. Bombay went on to work for other European explorers, including Henry Morton Stanley who searched for the “lost” explorer David Livingstone, and Verney Lovett Cameron, who sought to investigate the lakes and rivers of Africa.
With Lovett Cameron, Bombay crossed equatorial Africa from coast to coast, completing much of the journey on foot. Even Victorian geographers recognised Bombay’s contribution, and he eventually received an award and pension from the Royal Geographical Society.
Anonymous labour and explorers’ violence
Bombay was a remarkable man. But Speke’s explorations also depended on many people we know far less about.
Both of Speke’s journeys to Lake Victoria were huge undertakings, involving hundreds of people. Much of the hard work was carried out by Nyamwezi porters from the central region of modern-day Tanzania. These men often worked on the pre-existing trade routes that connected the lake regions to the east African coast.
They carried the explorers’ supplies, basic equipment, trade goods and food. Explorers’ accounts often describe these people in racially offensive ways. Even so, their private letters also show their reliance on them.
An image from Speke’s book Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile, illustrated by James Grant, showing ‘Speke’s faithfuls’. Wiki Commons
On his journey to Lake Victoria, Speke struggled to recruit enough porters and complained: “I cannot move independently of the natives, and now the natives are not to be got for love or money [sic]. This alone has detained me here four whole months doing nothing.”
Alongside the porters, Speke also employed Swahili-speaking men from Zanzibar. These men often had their origins in East Africa and had often been enslaved in childhood. In his published account, Speke portrayed them in terms that drew on colonial tropes about childlike Africans.
In one letter to the British consul in Zanzibar, sent on December 12 1860, he was more positive, saying that such men do “all the work and do it as an enlightened and disciplined people”. These contrasting assessments perhaps reflect Speke’s varying mood. However, the different way he wrote in public might also be part of an effort to emphasise the difficulty of the journey and his leadership qualities.
Yet explorers sometimes struggled to maintain control over the parties they led. One problem was the fact that, once away from the coast and the power of the Zanazibari state, expedition members could easily slip away. Understandably, porters were more likely to leave an expedition when conditions became bad and food scarce.
Violent punishments were also a common feature of expeditions in this region. The explorers did not invent them – such punishments were also used by Arabic or Swahili-speaking merchants travelling in the area – but they showed little hesitation in using them. In his book on their 1856-59 expedition, Burton boasted that the expedition’s porters referred to him as “the wicked white man”.
Porters referred to Richard F. Burton as ‘the wicked white man’. Hulton Archive
On Speke’s second expedition to Lake Victoria, his Scottish companion Grant described how one man “roared for mercy” when he was flogged 150 times after stealing cloth to buy food. In a letter to the Royal Geographical Society on February 17 1861, Speke wrote that this was the maximum number of lashes he would give out “for fear of mortal consequences”.
Later expeditions, such as those led by the Welsh-American explorer Henry Morton Stanley were even more violent.
During the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition (1887-89), Stanley decided to divide the party, leaving a “rear column” behind. Conditions in this group soon deteriorated, due to food shortages and disease. The column’s leader, the explorer Major Edmund Bartlott, carried out a string of violent punishments. One Sudanese porter was executed, while a Zanzibari man was flogged so many times that he died of the injuries.
Bartlott was only stopped from carrying out further acts of violence when he was killed by an African man fearful that he was about to attack his wife.
Women and girls on African expeditions
When Speke’s final expedition arrived in Cairo in 1863, having travelled from Zanzibar, the party also contained four young women who were photographed there. Their presence shows that African women often formed part of explorers’ expeditionary parties.
Sometimes the women joined voluntarily, often as the partners of porters. Others were enslaved women and girls purchased by other expedition members. One of the girls photographed in Cairo was named Kahala. Along with an older girl named Meri, she had been “given” to Speke by the queen mother of the African Kingdom of Buganda during Speke’s extended stay in the country.
Women and girls in Speke’s party in Cairo, from his Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile, 1863. CC BY-SA
Speke’s relationship with Meri took a remarkable turn. In an unpublished draft of his book, now held at the National Library of Scotland, he described her as “18 years or so” and “in the prime of youth and beauty”.
The manuscript also implies that their relationship had a sexual dimension, although it’s unclear if this was consensual. On April 12 1862, Speke claimed that he spent the night “taming the silent shrew” – alluding to a play by William Shakespeare in which a husband torments his strong-willed wife into submission. Even in his highly edited published account, Speke described himself as a “henpecked husband”.
His account then described the breakdown of their relationship in early May 1862. The breakup, Speke wrote in the unpublished draft of his book, “nearly drove my judgement from me” and left him with a “nearly broken … heart.” After this, Meri apparently showed “neither love, nor attachment for me”, suggesting she had shown some before this.
Speke eventually “gave” the younger girl, Kahala, to Bomaby because “she preferred playing with dirty little children to behaving like a young lady”. At first, Kahala was unhappy about this transfer and tried to run away. But she was soon found and returned to the party. She then stayed with the expedition to Cairo and travelled with Bombay when he returned to Zanzibar.
It was not unusual for women to try to join expeditionary parties. Explorers often had concerns about the presence of unmarried women within their ranks. For instance, in his book To The Central African Lakes and Back (1881) Joseph Thomson, who led an expedition to the Lake Regions of central Africa between 1878 and 1880, reported finding a woman in the expedition’s camp who was trying to reach the coast.
On the advice of the expedition’s experienced African headman James Chuma (who, like Bombay, became involved in multiple expeditions), Thomson forced the woman to marry one of the expedition’s porters. The woman does not seem to have been happy with this arrangement. While she stayed with the expedition for a while, she slipped away when they neared the coast.
We only know the names of a small fraction of the women involved in such expeditions. Grant wrote a book on their journey that gives further details about women in the party.
In it he noted that several of the porters travelled alongside female partners who were “generally carrying a child each on their backs, a small stool … on their heads, and inveterately smoking during the march. They would prepare some savoury dish of herbs for their men on getting into camp, where they lived in bell-shaped erections made with boughs of trees”.
Such passages give us only a tantalising glimpse of these women. We’re left without a detailed knowledge of their names or lives. But we do know that they contributed to these expeditions in important ways.
Isabella Bird and Ito
More well known are the stories of the growing number of British women who became explorers in the Victorian era. Foremost among them was Isabella Bird.
Isabella Bird wearing Manchurian clothing from a journey through China. New York Public Library
Born in 1831 to an upper-middle class family and less than 5ft tall, Bird did not begin her career as an explorer until middle age. She was also disabled. At the age of 18, Bird had a “fibrous tumour” removed from the base of her spine and afterwards lived with chronic back pain. She travelled, often on horseback, to every continent of the world except Antarctica. Bird was also one of the first women admitted to the then all-male Royal Geographical Society in 1892.
Bird’s gender and disability shaped how she travelled. Unable to walk for long distances, she often rode cross-saddle, rather than the more traditionally feminine side-saddle, which she found painful. In some places, she faced specific hostility because she was a woman.
Yet, in other ways, Bird’s journeys had shared similarities with those made by men. Like them, she often depended on local people during her journeys. When she travelled through Japan in 1878, she relied on the services of an 18-year-old Japanese man named Itō Tsurukichi. He played a vital role in her journey across the country, arranging much of her travel, translating conversation with local people and explaining what she was looking at.
In Bird’s published accounts, her descriptions of Tsurukichi are often laced with racial prejudice. She often referred to him as a “boy” and was disparaging about his physical appearance. Her perspective on him did soften a little, however, as their journey continued. She was impressed by his qualities as a translator and the fact that he was continually trying to improve his linguistic skills.
Tsurukichi’s essential role was also illustrated when Bird attended a Japanese wedding to which he was not invited. She complained that it was like being “deprived of the use of one of her senses”.
Bird’s account also raises questions of who the leader of their journey through Japan was. “I am trying to manage him, because I saw that he meant to manage me,” she wrote in her book Unbeaten Tracks in Japan (1880). Bird also reported an incident where a Japanese boy thought “that Ito was a monkey-player, ie. the keeper of a monkey theatre, I a big ape, and the poles of my bed the scaffolding of the stage!”
Bird viewed the child’s misunderstanding as amusing, but it does suggest that some outsiders thought Tsurukichi was leading the party. He was clearly a skilled guide and translator, and he went on to become one of the foremost tour guides in Japan, taking numerous western travellers around the country.
Like Burton and Speke, Bird often depended on guides on her journeys. Sometimes, she led much larger groups. In such situations, others cooked her food, packed her tent, and translated conversations with local people.
When she travelled in China in the 1890s, Bird was carried across much of the country in an open chair on the shoulders of three separate groups of chair-bearers. She often didn’t record the names of the men who did such work and only described their labour in quite general terms – though she did photograph some of them and her chair.
However little men like Bombay and Tsurukichi are remembered, it is at least possible to recover their names.
Scott and Antarctica – exploration in an unpopulated land
In the early 20th century, the exploration of Antarctica was a thoroughly masculine affair. Some women did apply to join Antarctic expeditions, such as those led by Ernest Shackleton, but their applications were turned down. Antarctic expeditions were also less ethnically diverse than those in the Arctic. In the north, explorers often relied on the skills and labour of Indigenous people. There were also Black explorers, including Matthew Henson, an African-American man who claimed to be one of the first men to stand on the North Pole.
Antarctica presented a unique challenge: it is unpopulated, and when British explorers made their first attempts to explore its interior in the early 20th century, they had no idea what to expect.
In contrast to diverse expeditions elsewhere in the world, Antarctic expeditions were comparatively homogenous undertakings. British expeditions, led by Robert Falcon Scott and Shackleton, mostly employed white men from within the British empire. Sledging journeys in Antarctica were quite egalitarian compared with expeditions in Africa and Asia. Sledging often required upper and middle-class officers and scientists to work collaboratively with working class sailors, who often pulled sledges forward by sheer force of muscle.
Shackleton, Scott and Edward Wilson before their march south during the Discovery expedition in 1902. Sledges visible in the background. National Library of New Zealand
On the British National Antarctic Expedition, Scott completed a long sledge journey to the Polar Plateau with stoker William Lashly and petty officer Edgar Evans. The men cooked, ate, slept and laboured together. Scott, an officer, found the experience revealing, learning much about the working-class men’s experiences in the Royal Navy. Antarctic explorers were more willing to acknowledge the manual labour that made their expeditions possible than Burton, Speke or Bird, partly because this work was done by white men.
Some working-class sailors – such as Edgar Evans, Tom Crean, or William Lashly – did achieve a certain degree of celebrity. But others figures are overlooked. On Scott’s expedition he employed two men from within the Russian empire to help care for and train the expedition’s ponies and huskies: Dmitrii Girev and Anton Omelchenko. Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the expedition’s assistant zoologist, noted that they “were brought originally to look after the ponies and dogs on their way from Siberia to New Zealand. But they proved such good fellows and so useful that we were very glad to take them on the strength of the landing party”.
Girev, from the far east of Russia specialised in looking after the expedition’s Siberian huskies, while Omelchenko, born in Ukraine, specialised in caring for the ponies who would haul Scott’s supplies towards the South Pole. They therefore played a vital role in the expedition. In their accounts, Scott and Cherry-Garrard referred to these adult men using the infantilising term “boys” – thereby stripping them of their status as full and equal members of the expeditionary party.
Even among the British expedition members, there were still significant disparities in how labour on polar expeditions was rewarded or reported. Working-class men, mostly sailors drawn from the Royal Navy, did much of the hard, unglamorous work. They were also paid much less than officers and scientists.
On Scott’s two Antarctic expeditions, much of the day-to-day work at base camp – such as cooking, cleaning, and collecting ice to melt into drinking water – was carried out by working-class sailors.
On his final expedition, the explorers spent the winter in a small hut on Ross Island. One man, Thomas Clissold, worked as the expedition’s cook. Frederick Hooper, a steward who joined the shore party, swept the floor in the morning, set the table, washed crockery and generally tidied things. “I think it is a good thing that in these matters the officers need not wait on themselves,” Scott commented in his diary. “It gives long unbroken days of scientific work and must, therefore, be an economy of brain in the long run.”
He had adopted a similar approach on his first expedition, which left some sailors frustrated. “We don’t have any idea of what has been done in the scientific work, as they don’t give us any information,” James Duncan, a Scottish shipwright on the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901-1904) complained in his diary. “It’s rather hard on the lower deck hands.”
Even memorials to Antarctic explorers perpetuate many of the heroic myths of exploration. If you walk around London today, you might stumble on the statue of Scott in Waterloo Place or one of Shackleton outside the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society in South Kensington. Such statues embody much of what we often get wrong about exploration, depicting explorers as solitary. Expeditions were collective projects, and many of the people involved haven’t had their contributions fully recognised.
In many parts of the world, expeditions were large, diverse undertakings. Yet many of the people who did most of the work have been forgotten. My research seeks to put them in the spotlight and recover something of their lives and experiences.
Expeditions are extreme situations in which human bodies are pushed to (and sometimes beyond) their limits. Because of this, they vividly illustrate the various ways humans depend on each other – for care, food, shelter, transport and companionship. Today, human societies are more complex and interdependent than ever. Though often in less extreme or dramatic ways, like explorers, we all depend on other people for survival.
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Edward Armston-Sheret has received funding from the Institute of Historical Research (via the Alan Pearsall Fellowship in Naval and Maritime History), the Royal Historical Society, The Royal Geographical Society, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (via the Techne Doctoral Training Partnership).
Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) released the following statements after the Senate passed their American Music Tourism Act to support and increase music tourism for both domestic and international visitors:
“The Volunteer State is home to so many iconic musical landmarks for tourists to experience – from Graceland in Memphis to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge,” said Senator Blackburn. “Music tourism has such a positive impact on Tennessee’s economy, and we need to ensure that fans from all over the world can continue to celebrate our state’s rich history of music for generations to come. The Senate’s passage of the American Music Tourism Act gets us closer to that by promoting and supporting the fast-growing music tourism industry.”
“Colorado’s vibrant music scene attracts artists and fans from around the world,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “Our bipartisan bill will help our local music venues thrive and expand.”
BACKGROUND
Music tourism – both the act of visiting sites important to the history of American music culture and the act of traveling for current concerts and music festivals – is a vital industry for American culture and an economic driver for our communities.
Music tourism has emerged as a top travel trend, with the market forecasted to reach $11.3 billion in revenue by 2032.
The United States, which boasts one of world’s largest music industries that generates over $43 billion in revenue each year, is one of the main beneficiaries of this international interest in music tourism.
The Commerce Department’s Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism is uniquely positioned to identify and promote sites of musical significance.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TOURISM ACT
The American Music Tourism Act would leverage the existing framework within the Department of Commerce to highlight and promote music tourism in the United States.
Specifically, this bill would require:
The Assistant Secretary to implement a plan to support and increase music tourism for both domestic and international visitors; and
A report to Congress on the successes and vulnerabilities of the Assistant Secretary’s goals to increase travel and tourism.
ENDORSEMENTS
The American Music Tourism Act is endorsed by the Recording Academy, Recording Industry Association of America, Nashville Songwriters Association International, American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, National Music Publishers Association, Society of Composers and Lyricists, Live Nation Entertainment, National Independent Venue Association, Broadcast Music Inc., American Alliance of Museums, Airbnb, Overton Park Shell, Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, Tennessee Entertainment Commission, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Memphis Tourism, Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, and Memphis Music Hall of Fame.
CO-SPONORS
The American Music Tourism Act is co-sponsored by Senators Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn,), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), and Ted Budd (R-N.C.).
The pressure of decarbonising industrial sectors is weighing on workers.
The UK’s Labour government seeks a low-carbon and homegrown energy supply by 2030. The scale and pace of this transformation is unprecedented in the country’s power sector, and will involve building twice as much transmission infrastructure (pylons, cables, substations) in the next five years as was built over the last decade.
Much of the workforce will be drawn from the construction sector, which employs 2.3 million people. Construction forms the dominant supply chain to the 17 major infrastructure projects involved in an overhaul of the electricity grid that will connect new wind farms in the North Sea and northern Scotland to homes and businesses across Great Britain.
The workers “on the tools” who will carry out much of this transformation are struggling. The latest analysis from the Office for National Statistics suggests that the suicide risk of construction workers is three times higher than the male national average. Scholars of construction project management have identified a toxic workplace culture in the industry, citing aggressive market competition and demanding performance metrics.
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This is a problem that is largely being ignored. When planners at the National Energy System Operator assessed the UK’s capacity to build a clean power sector by 2030, they considered the absolute number of workers needed, the skills required and how employment is changing in the sector.
Their assessment failed to consider the broader implications for workforce mental health and wellbeing of such a quick and comprehensive upgrade – but it is people who are going through a rapid transition, not just infrastructure.
Construction workers already endure long hours and stress due to tight deadlines. A rapid transition to green power will substantially increase their workload, unless managed carefully.
Our report, published July 2024, looked into wellbeing and suicide in the construction industry. We concluded that the UK government, major infrastructure owners such as National Grid and their supply chain partners who provide specialist design and construction services, must work together to solve this problem.
Major infrastructure owners offer mental health services, such as confidential counselling, legal advice and financial guidance, to help their own employees manage personal or work-related issues. But most workers on the tools are not directly employed by these owners. Most are self-employed, or hired by construction firms, of which 99% are small- and medium-sized enterprises.
More than 96% of construction firms have fewer than 15 employees. Smaller suppliers of specialist trade skills, like electrical and mechanical installation, have fewer employment protections and more compressed schedules, and are even less likely to have the capacity to provide these services.
Some infrastructure owners and big construction companies extend their health and wellbeing services to these smaller suppliers. However, in an industry that is dominated by competitive tendering, which favours suppliers that keep costs low, it is no surprise that uptake has been low.
Owners of infrastructure assets like electricity pylons and substations can drive workplace improvements by adopting procurement models that prioritise suppliers that are offering measures to improve worker wellbeing.
Research from one of us (Jing Xu) and fellow project management expert Yanga Wu, has shown that the top-down prescriptive approach traditionally applied to health and safety in construction does not work for wellbeing. This requires a bottom-up approach, that makes it easy for workers to tell managers what they are struggling with and what they think would help.
The construction sector also faces a shortage of workers and skills required for the green transition. The industry training board forecasts that the industry must attract the equivalent of 50,300 extra workers a year to meet expected levels of work over the next five years.
In the power sector, however, there is the additional complication of an ageing workforce, as well as differences in employment conditions between permanent and contract staff. Key expertise is at risk of being lost with retirements. Older workers often face additional pressure, not only to meet performance targets but also to compensate for gaps in expertise, and all within a fast-paced environment.
To improve mental health and wellbeing among a diverse workforce requires engaging with workers directly and ensuring their voices are heard. This involves more than upgrading technical skills. Research to better understand how organisations can care for their workforce in the context of increasing pressures due to achieving net zero is also vital.
Further research and collaboration with infrastructure owners and major construction contractors could help manage the risks and provide valuable insights for other sectors that will need to follow suit, such as heating, transport and agriculture.
It is imperative to consider what a transition means: the technical transition of replacing outmoded technology, as well as the social transition, which prioritises not only skills but workplace mental health. Without a focus on both policy and people, clean power will not be delivered.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
The line between entertainment and advertising is increasingly blurred thanks to social media. People no longer just consume content, they experience it – laughing, sharing and commenting. And brands have caught on.
The days when people sat through a 30-second TV ad because they had no choice are long gone. Now they can quickly swipe past anything that feels too much like selling.
Instead of posting directly to consumers, brands increasingly engage with each other. They crack jokes, offer praise and even poke fun at competitors. Brands are becoming more human in their interactions – especially with each other.
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Brand “banter” doesn’t feel like an ad (even though it has a commercial purpose). It can feel unscripted, human and weirdly fun, cutting through in a way traditional advertising can’t.
Our research shows that consumers are more likely to notice and engage with these interactions. The content feels less like marketing and more like shared digital culture. It can feel unexpected and entertaining, and invites audiences into a “moment”.
Humour, especially online, is a powerful emotional hook. It invites people to share the content – great news if you have a product to sell. In a noisy digital world where brands compete for eyeballs, humour helps to get people’s attention.
But it also fosters emotional connection, and can make brands feel human-like to consumers. When we see brands behaving playfully or being especially complimentary towards each other, our research shows they are more like to engage and remember them. It turns passive scrolling into active participation.
A good example is the Duolingo Death meme. The brand’s chaotic cartoon owl faked its death on Instagram and the result was viral engagement.
The post was liked by more than 2.1 million people. Other brands such as Walmart, FedEx, Kellogg’s and Five Guys joined in. Even pop star Dua Lipa paid tribute on X. What felt like spontaneous chaos was actually a smart, strategic move that tapped into meme culture, humour and community trends.
The same can be said for the caterpillar cake battle between supermarket Aldi and Marks & Spencer. This public brand-to-brand feud over their respective cakes exploded into a public spectacle and legal action from M&S. Despite being locked in a trademark row, Aldi and M&S ribbed each other with witty social media posts.
But rather than harming either brand, the playful roasting humanised them, drawing attention and affection from consumers.
In on the joke
Our research also found that when brands talk to each other, (rather than just talking at consumers), it can be an effective marketing device. These exchanges are more engaging than traditional brand-to-consumer posts because they feel unexpected and unscripted.
We found that people don’t just enjoy the interactions. They walk away with more positive feelings towards the brand and are more likely to buy from them. These interactions break the “fourth wall” of advertising and let consumers feel like they’ve been let in on a joke.
Humour often works by violating expectations. But whether consumers find something funny or awkward depends on how we interpret that violation. And there’s a catch: it needs to feel benign rather than malign.
American fast food chain Wendy’s is renowned for its sharp-witted social media presence, often engaging in playful jabs at competitors like McDonald’s. But one post, in response to McDonald’s promise to use fresh beef in all of its quarter pounders, apparently went too far.
Wendy’s posted: “So you’ll still use frozen beef in MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? Asking for a friend.” While many customers found the remark humorous, others viewed it as mean-spirited and unprofessional.
So banter – when it verges on being aggressive – can risk alienating consumers who prefer respectful brand interactions.
Of course, the line between clever and cringe-worthy is thin. When brands try too hard to be funny or provocative, they risk being perceived as inauthentic, self-serving or out-of-touch. Worse, they can alienate audiences or trivialise serious issues. The performative nature of online branding means that missteps are both public and memorable.
And brands must be self-aware. It’s crucial that they understand their brand purpose and identity, their “cool” factor, and who their real customers are.
As brands seek their place in a saturated landscape, characterised by constant content overload and fleeting consumer attention, these moments of humour and light-hearted engagement can serve as relief valves. But they’re also strategic tools. Brands are using playfulness to build emotional connection, cultural relevance and visibility in an overcrowded digital space.
So the next time a brand makes you laugh, pause and consider: Was it just a joke, or was it also a very clever move?
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.
Each year on 17 May, the world marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) – a call to action to eliminate discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people in all aspects of life, including health care. It commemorates the day in 1990 when the World Health Assembly stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder.
Stigma and discrimination persist as powerful barriers to health access for LGBTQ+ people. This is especially harmful in the context of access to HIV and STI services, where fear of judgement or mistreatment can delay, or even prevent, individuals from seeking testing, treatment, and support. In several countries of the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines, these barriers have contributed to rising rates of HIV and other STIs, particularly among young key populations who are least likely to access services despite having the greatest need.
In the Philippines, a community-led organization called LoveYourself is breaking these barriers through a dual approach: providing inclusive, affirming health services for LGBTQ+ communities, and working with health-care providers from the public health sector to build understanding and reduce stigma and discrimination from within the system.
LoveYourself’s community-run clinics offer safe, judgment-free environments where individuals can access HIV services, mental health care, and peer support. LoveYourself has replicated their initiative by capacitating over 50 other community-based organizations across the country with financial support from the Global Fund. Some of these clinics are certified by the Department of Health and are included in the health insurance system, becoming an integral part of the national health system.
“If we make our spaces safe, communities will access them,” says Danvic Rosadiño, Head of Programmes and Innovations of LoveYourself Inc. “Beyond just medications and test results, people have psychosocial needs. We learn how to address both – without shutting down their stories or identities.”
Through partnerships with hospitals, private and community-run clinics, and the Department of Health, LoveYourself trains health professionals on topics such as sexual health, transgender care, and mental well-being. These sessions integrate conversations about stigma and discrimination, which are often overlooked in formal medical training. The organization also supports the development of HIV workplace policies and public health messaging and more recently has also focused on mpox prevention.
While LGBTQ+ people in the Philippines are not criminalized, social acceptance remains uneven and continues to evolve. “It’s more tolerated than embraced,” says Danvic. “But we’re seeing change, step by step, and that gives us hope.”
“Discrimination is not just a social issue – it’s a health systems issue,” says Dr Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes. “To end AIDS as a public health threat and work towards health for all, we must transform the way health services are delivered: with compassion, equity, and respect for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
This IDAHOBIT, WHO reaffirms that health is a human right. Acts of discrimination in health settings violate rights and must not be tolerated.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL)
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) and Budget Democrats successfully blocked the Republican Budget that would have slashed Medicaid, food assistance and other critical programs that Americans rely on. The Republican plan cuts over $880 billion in cuts that would decimate Medicaid, risking the health care coverage for over 13.7 million Americans to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and massive corporations. These cuts would put rural hospitals at risk of immediate closure due to these cuts, including many of Vermont’s hospitals.
“Budget Committee Republicans voted down their own bill because it wasn’t extreme enough to deny health care to 13.7 million Americans, they want to take it even further,” said Rep. Balint. “This failure means another opportunity to fight for what Americans need and want: affordable health care and an economy that works for all of us.”
The Republican Budget included:
$7 trillion in deficit-financed tax cuts: $5.5 trillion that Republicans fraudulently claim are free, plus another $1.5 trillion in additional revenue losses
$880 billion in cuts that will decimate Medicaid
$230 billion in cuts that threaten food assistance
More than $14 trillion in new debt over the decade
The Treasury Department found that the extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts would give an average annual tax cut of $32,118 for those in the top 1 percent (family income over approximately $750,000 a year) and an average annual tax cut of $314,266 for those in the top 0.1 percent (making more than $3.5 million a year). Meanwhile, working families will only get a few hundred dollars in tax cuts a year.
Read her opening remarks here:
“A budget is a reflection of our values, our priorities. What we view as the most important; and who we view as the most important. This Republican reconciliation package is cruel. It makes steep cuts to Medicaid. Millions and millions of people will lose their healthcare because of these cuts. Rural hospitals across this country will close because they won’t be able to make their margins to stay open. Medicaid is that margin.
“My Republican colleagues twice voted on the previous budget framework that made steep cuts to Medicaid. And they said over and over that there were not going to be cuts to Medicaid.
“And yet here we are. My Republican colleagues are making cuts to Medicaid. And millions and millions of people will lose their healthcare.
“But it’s not just a cruel budget. It’s also a cynical one.
“Why? Why do I use the word cynical? Because these cuts to Medicaid AND the billions of dollars in cuts to food programs are being made to help pay for a massive tax break for the wealthiest in this country. Food and healthcare versus even more money for people who don’t need Medicaid or food assistance. So, yes, I think it’s cruel and I think it’s cynical.
“And get this–despite being lectured repeatedly by Republicans about our country’s deficit, this bill actually adds trillions of dollars to the deficit. I’m serious. Trillions of dollars.
“So people will lose healthcare. Kids and veterans will go hungry. Rural hospitals face closures. And the very rich will get even richer at the expense of our children and grandchildren who will shoulder the burden of the additional debt.
“Americans overwhelmingly do not want cuts to Medicaid or to food programs. 81% And when we see the full impact—when folks realize what’s being done in their name—they will be outraged. Because it’s a betrayal.
“Americans can’t pay their rent right now. Grocery prices are too high. Prescription drug prices are too high. And costs will get higher because of Trump’s stupid tariff regime. And small businesses are really struggling. This is Trump’s economy and it’s rigged against working people.
“This budget is not for working people or the middle class. It’s not for folks living paycheck to paycheck. It’s not for rural communities where health outcomes are the worst.
“Our constituents are struggling. They feel that despite how hard they work, they can’t get ahead. They’re angry. They want fairness. They want a decent life for themselves and their families. We need to be their voices in this committee.
“Let’s not add to the struggles of our people back home. They deserve so much better than this. And Americans are fed up with the way that they are being treated.”
On February 26, 2025, I announced that I will step down from the Commission and retire from federal service. My final day at the Commission will be May 31. It has been a tremendous honor to conclude my 23 years of federal service at an agency with such an important mission to ensure that financial markets perform their critical role in the U.S. and global economies. At my confirmation hearing, I testified that my highest priority would be to ensure that markets work well. During my tenure, derivatives markets experienced significant growth, while remaining resilient and financially stable through times of market stress and volatility. For that, I am most proud of the CFTC’s work. I am also proud of the CFTC’s work to strengthen customer protection and market integrity. I want to recognize the wonderful CFTC staff who are dedicated public servants, especially the Division of Enforcement, who worked with me to strengthen market integrity and protect customers. I wish to also recognize the members of the CFTC Technology Advisory Committee, which I sponsored, for their landmark reports and public forums on future of finance issues. I reconstituted membership on TAC to focus on responsible innovation and emerging technology, adding well-regarded experts in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital assets, and FinTech. Under my sponsorship, TAC released landmark reports on Responsible AI in Financial Markets and on Decentralized Finance, and sponsored public forums on AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, digital identity, and digital assets. It has been a privilege and joy to work with my fellow Commissioners. The same is true of my current and former staff in my office whose intellect, professionalism, and deep caring about the financial system and all who benefit from it were evident every day of their service. Finally, I am grateful to President Biden for my multiple nominations, to the U.S. Senate for my two unanimous confirmations, and to the four Presidents under which I served.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined Congressmen Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) and Rich McCormick (R-GA) in calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to provide eligible H-1B and other low-risk category visa holders with the option to renew their visas from within the United States. Under current practice, H-1B visa holders are required to return to their home countries in order to renew their visas, a time-consuming process that forces visa holders to travel internationally.
Allowing visa holders to renew their paperwork in the U.S. would alleviate the burden on U.S. embassies and consulates, which often face backlogs, and ensure that skilled workers, critical to industries like technology and health care, can continue to contribute to the U.S. economy without disruption, ultimately benefiting American businesses and communities. The bipartisan letter comes on the heels of a highly successful domestic renewal pilot program in 2024 run by the State Department that allowed 20,000 H-1B visa holders to renew their forms in the U.S.
“The 2024 pilot program for domestic visa renewals was a commonsense success, and now it’s time to build on that momentum,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “Expanding and formalizing this program will reduce red tape, strengthen our economy, and help ensure that the United States continues to attract and retain the best and brightest talent from around the world.
“The current process to renew H-1B visas is cumbersome and needs to be modernized,” Congressman Subramanyam said. “This bipartisan proposal, based on a successful bipartisan 2024 pilot program, will help streamline the H1-B process and avoid unnecessary processing delays.”
“Building upon the 2024 pilot program for domestic visa renewals will demonstrate that we can modernize our immigration system while maintaining security and efficiency,” Congressman McCormick said. “As a fiscal conservative, I believe expanding and formalizing this initiative is crucial. It will alleviate the strain on American businesses, bolster our high-skilled workforce, and cut through the red tape holding back our economic edge. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in pushing the administration to take this vital step toward a streamlined, future-focused visa process.”
“Reinstating the domestic visa renewals pilot program, expanding it beyond the H-1B visa category, and clarifying the eligibility rules is an important step in the effort to modernize the immigration system,” Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director for American Immigration Lawyers Association, said. “It provides an opportunity for the Department of State to alleviate the visa backlog, increase efficiency, stimulate economic growth, and strengthen America’s ability to retain talented individuals.”
“The United States is currently relying on an immigration system designed for a different country at a different time. Expanding the domestic visa renewal pilot will allow us to maintain our leadership in the global race for talent, reduce excessive wait times, alleviate processing backlogs, and provide certainty for immigrants working in the U.S. and their employers,” Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us, said. “It is in our country’s best interest to have a more efficient legal immigration system that improves its ability to attract and retain top talent from around the world and maximizes their contributions in critical industries. We thank Representatives Krishnamoorthi, Subramanyam, and McCormick for their leadership and the 17 members who signed this letter.”
“Domestic visa reissuance has been suspended since 2004,” Jeremy Neufeld, Director of High-Skilled Immigration Policy at Institute for Progress, said. “A successful pilot program last year showed that it’s time to bring it back. IFP thanks lawmakers for their leadership in working to make visa processing more efficient and less disruptive.”
“Consular officers stationed across the globe are tasked with vetting new travelers seeking entry into the United States,” Sam Peak, Policy Manager for the Economic Innovation Group, said. “However, much of their caseload consists of reviewing visa renewals for professionals who have already been approved and have resided in the country for many years. This reform helps ensure that the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs can provide more efficient and thorough vetting of higher-risk visa applicants. EIG applauds this bipartisan group for championing this effort.
In the letter to Secretary Rubio, the lawmakers strongly urged the administration to build upon the successful 2024 pilot program for domestic visa renewals and quickly take the necessary steps to formalize and expand the initiative with clear eligibility rules. The pilot program allowed certain eligible H-1B visa holders to renew their visas within the United States, an important first step in modernizing our visa processing system. The lawmakers urged Secretary Rubio to ensure that the program not only continues but is expanded to include additional E, H, I, L, O, and P visas to ease unnecessary burdens on workers and businesses alike.
Up until 2004, the United States allowed E, H, I, L, O, and P visas holders to renew their visas domestically. This practice was discontinued by the State Department in response to the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. While this change was not legislatively required by Congress, the 2002 law mandated stricter biometric screening for visa applicants. At the time, the State Department had more capacity to collect this information in embassies and consulates abroad than domestically. The 2024 pilot program was limited to those individuals who had already had their biometrics captured overseas and whose biometrics can be reused. Expanding the pilot program and making it permanent would align with the findings of the Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee, convened by President George W. Bush, that recommended reinstating domestic renewals for low-risk visa categories in 2008.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and residents in Louisiana of the June 16 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms and flooding occurring March 29–April 2.
The disaster declaration covers the Louisiana parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry and Vermilion.
Small businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.
“One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s physical damage loans.”
SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.
Interest rates can be as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for nonprofits, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to return physical damage applications is June 16.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Montpelier, Vt – Governor Phil Scott issued the following statement in response to housing bills, S.127 and H.479:
“For the last eight years, I’ve been sounding the alarm about our housing crisis. Vermonters across the state are impacted by a lack of housing options – from renters, to first time homebuyers, and retirees looking to downsize. That’s why, in January, I proposed legislation to move the needle on the housing we desperately need.
“This included expanding infrastructure for housing and flood recovery by modifying the existing TIF program to include a project-based option – so smaller towns with fewer resources can access this economic tool as easily as larger cities and towns.
“We proposed changes to our permitting process, because it’s difficult to navigate, which has led to project costs skyrocketing and fewer homes being built because it doesn’t make financial sense.
“We also asked the legislature to expand and extend the Act 250 exemptions that are expiring soon, to give rural communities opportunities to thrive and grow. In addition, we proposed reforms to the wetlands permitting and appeals process which will help places like Barre, Montpelier and Plainfield, as they recover from recent flooding.
As the legislative session comes to a close, I’m concerned we have not done nearly enough on housing. With 41,000 more homes needed by 2030 (just to catch up) we cannot afford to kick the can down the road again. Last session, the Legislature passed 70 bills in three days, so I’m confident there is still time to pass a housing bill that actually helps Vermont, because without action, we will fall further behind.”
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON – As Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues its purge of federal programs, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is cautioning the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) against prematurely eliminating government contracts that protect millions of federal employees whose personal information was compromised in massive data breaches nearly 10 years ago.
In 2015, OPM announced two separate cybersecurity incidents attributed to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that compromised the Social Security numbers, birthdates, and addresses of approximately 21.5 million individuals.
“The federal workforce was dangerously exposed by the 2015 OPM breach, and millions of impacted individuals will continue to be at risk because of the breach, likely for the remainder of their lives. In addition to Social Security numbers, birthdates, and addresses, there were also 1.1 million sets of fingerprints and detailed financial and health records exposed—some of the most valuable information today on the dark web,” wrote Sen. Warner.
In the immediate aftermath of the breach, Sen. Warner introduced legislation to protect federal workers affected by the attacks and eventually secured OPM-contracted identity protection services for those impacted by the breach. However, despite previous efforts by the Trump administration to protect federal workers whose data was compromised, DOGE has signaled that these protections may be in jeopardy.
Sen. Warner continued, “Given the recent personnel cuts to OPM and Elon Musk’s imminent departure from the Trump administration, I am deeply concerned that OPM is planning to curtail identity theft monitoring for millions of public servants and their families whose information was compromised in 2015. I urge you to ensure that identity theft protection services for the impacted individuals from the 2015 OPM breach continue, as required by law.”
A copy of letter is available here and text is below.
Dear Mr. Ezell:
I write to bring your attention to a vital issue affecting the federal workforce, past and current, and their families. In 2015, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced two separate cybersecurity incidents. The Social Security numbers, birthdates, and addresses of approximately 21.5 million individuals were compromised in the breaches, including 19.7 million individuals who applied for background investigations and 1.8 million non-applicants (predominantly spouses or cohabitants of applicants). In response to this massive security compromise, I co-sponsored the RECOVER Act, the original bill for OPM-contracted identity protection services for the impacted individuals. Congress appropriated funds in section 633(a) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017. The Act and appropriation protected the 21.5 million impacted individuals with identity protection coverage and identity theft insurance. This appropriation was “effective for a period of not less than 10 years,” and expires at the end of fiscal year 2026, on September 30, 2026.
The 2015 OPM cybersecurity breach was attributed to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the decade since the breach, the PRC has mounted additional attacks to steal information about America’s leaders and public servants to disrupt and endanger the lives of everyday Americans, including recent cyber, critical infrastructure, and telecom security breaches. The federal workforce was dangerously exposed by the 2015 OPM breach, and millions of impacted individuals will continue to be at risk because of the breach, likely for the remainder of their lives. In addition to Social Security numbers, birthdates, and addresses, there were also 1.1 million sets of fingerprints and detailed financial and health records exposed—some of the most valuable information today on the dark web.
The risks and appropriate remedies for the compromise of sensitive information about public servants are well known to this administration. In March 2025, the Trump administration acknowledged the improper disclosure of sensitive information to former public servants when it disclosed the Social Security numbers, birthdates, and other sensitive information of hundreds of individuals in the release of the files pertaining the death of President John F. Kennedy. To protect those compromised individuals, the Trump administration is reportedly providing credit monitoring and, in some cases, has issued new Social Security numbers to the impacted individuals. While the March 2025 disclosure was a staggering unforced error, I applaud the administration’s swift response to protect the victims. Current and former public servants should not be abandoned to bear the risks of the federal government’s failure to protect their sensitive information.
It was not practicable to issue millions of new Social Security numbers to the Americans impacted by the 2015 OPM data breach, which is why the federal government responded at the time, followed by Congress appropriating funds to OPM to contract for identity theft protection services. Given the recent personnel cuts to OPM and Elon Musk’s imminent departure from the Trump administration, I am deeply concerned that OPM is planning to curtail identity theft monitoring for millions of public servants and their families whose information was compromised in 2015. I urge you to ensure that identity theft protection services for the impacted individuals from the 2015 OPM breach continue, as required by law. Any attempt to prematurely phase out services to the victims of the 2015 OPM breach will introduce tremendous risk to former and current federal employees and create an opportunity for America’s adversaries and criminals to target and potentially further compromise millions of Americans.
If you do decide to alter or terminate the current contract(s) protecting over 21 million Americans from identity theft as a result of the 2015 OPM breach, please inform my office and the relevant committees of Congress as soon as you make any such determination.
Sincerely,
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), as well as Congressmen Jim Himes (D-CT) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s artificial intelligence deals that were announced with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week:
“Democrats and Republicans have long agreed that American companies must remain the undisputed leader in AI, a rapidly developing technology critical to the future of everything from our national security to manufacturing, finance to health care. We have worked hard to ensure the most powerful AI systems are built here, and we have fought to restrict the most sophisticated chips from reaching China – or those who would grant remote access to China – given Beijing’s use of AI to strengthen its military, crack down on domestic dissent, and compete with the U.S.
“President Trump announced deals to export very large volumes of advanced AI chips to the UAE and Saudi Arabia without credible security assurances to prevent U.S. adversaries from accessing those chips. These deals pose a significant threat to U.S. national security and fundamentally undermine bipartisan efforts to ensure the United States remains the global leader in AI. Rather than putting America first, this deal puts the Gulf first.
“The volume of AI chips Trump is offering for export would deprive American AI developers of highly sought-after chips needed here and slow the U.S. AI buildout. Under this deal, data centers and AI systems that would otherwise be built in America will be built in the Middle East – at the exact time that President Trump says he wants to bring jobs and key industries back home. This deal would incentivize U.S. firms to build the factories of the future overseas, creating significant vulnerabilities in our AI supply chain. If our leading AI firms offshore their frontier computing infrastructure to the Middle East, we could become as reliant on the Middle East for AI as we are on Taiwan for advanced semiconductors – and as we used to be on the Middle East for oil. We should not foster new dependencies on foreign countries for this premier technology.
“Additionally, these deals will provide our highest end chips to G42, a company with a well-documented history of cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. We applaud the administration’s efforts to limit exports of advanced AI chips to China, including recent actions to further restrict exports of Nvidia chips. However, these efforts will be for nothing if G42 or other companies with ties to China are given large quantities of our most advanced chips.
“Proponents of the deal argue that China will fill the gap if we do not sell substantial quantities of advanced chips to these countries. This is false. China cannot and will not because China makes fewer chips as a nation than these deals offer, and each is inferior to their U.S.-designed equivalent. This is thanks to the bipartisan efforts under both the Trump and Biden administrations to cut off China’s access to advanced chip manufacturing equipment. These efforts have worked, and we should double down on this success rather than squander the leverage we have won.
“If this deal succeeds, the offshoring of frontier American AI will be recorded as an historic American blunder. People around the world deserve to enjoy the benefits we will reap from AI. However, AI chips must only be exported to trusted companies, in reasonable numbers, and in concert with credible security standards and assurances. We welcome the opportunity to work with the administration to meet these objectives and urge our colleagues in Congress to do the same.”
Senator Warner is Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senator Coons is Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Senator Shaheen is Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Reed is Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Kelly is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Congressman Himes is Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman Krishnamoorthi is Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Zebra and Quagga mussels destroy ecosystems, threaten shorelines and can cause hundreds of millions in damaged infrastructure. Alberta is currently 100 per cent free of zebra mussels and quagga mussels, but reports are increasing across Canada and the United States.
To protect our borders, Alberta is introducing mandatory inspections for anyone travelling with a boat, jet ski, kayak or other watercraft across the province’s southern or eastern borders. By defending water bodies, ecosystems and infrastructure, Alberta’s government is protecting jobs, businesses and recreation opportunities across the province.
A watercraft is inspected in Alberta (Credit: Alberta government)
“Alberta is the first province in Canada to make watercraft inspections mandatory when travelling from high-risk areas to fight these tiny invasive species. With boating season now underway, we are stepping up to defend our water bodies and ecosystem to continue to protect Alberta jobs, businesses, and the water infrastructure we rely on.”
“I’m proud to support our government’s commitment to keep protecting Alberta’s waterways and water infrastructure. These mandatory stops are part of a broader plan to safeguard our province against environmentally and financially devasting aquatic invasive species. Ensuring mandatory inspections further strengthens our mission to catch and stop any invasive mussel trying to enter our province.”
Invasive mussels and other species are rapidly increasing across Canada and North America. Zebra mussels alone cause up to $500 million annually in damages to power plants, water systems, and industrial water intakes in the Great Lakes region. One study estimated that introducing invasive mussels into Alberta’s Lake McGregor alone could cost $284 million a year in damages.
“Our government is taking the threat of aquatic invasive species seriously. The added safeguards of mandatory inspections and proof-of-inspection stickers are critical for defending Alberta’s waters. Communities in my constituency of Chestermere-Strathmore will particularly benefit from these measures, and I know they are ready to do their part to defend our lakes, rivers, water and irrigation infrastructure.”
“Preventing the introduction of invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels requires proactive action. The Alberta Invasive Species Council supports the Government of Alberta’s strengthened efforts, including mandatory boat inspections. These measures are essential to avoid long-term, costly ecological and economic impacts and to protect our waters and aquatic ecosystems before irreversible damage occurs.”
From June 1 until Sept. 30, it is mandatory for all motorized and non-motorized watercraft to be inspected at one of Alberta’s inspection stations when crossing from the eastern or southern borders. If the closest inspection station is closed, Albertans and visitors must get their watercraft inspected within seven days and before launching into Alberta’s waters.
To help with these changes, Alberta is also launching a new proof-of-inspection sticker. Inspectors will provide a sticker to display once a watercraft has been inspected. Whether it is a paddleboard or a powerboat, failing to stop for a mandatory watercraft inspection could result in a $4,200 fine.
Alberta’s government continues to step up in the fight against zebra mussels, quagga mussels and other invasive species. A record 11 inspection stations are being opened this year, with increased staff and extended operating hours, along with K-9 detection and mobile decontamination units.
Albertans travelling with watercrafts can find information on stations, operating hours and more at alberta.ca/watercraftinspections.
Over the next year, even more work will be done to support aquatic invasive species prevention and response efforts, including implementing all the recommendations made by the Provincial Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force.
Quick facts:
Mandatory inspections are required from June 1-Sept. 30, 2025.
Starting in 2026 and every year after, inspections will be mandatory from May 1 to Sept. 30 for anyone entering Alberta with watercraft through the eastern and southern borders.
It also remains mandatory for anyone travelling with a watercraft to stop when passing an open station.
In 2024, 13,408 watercraft inspections were completed – the most since 2019 – and 15 watercraft were confirmed positive for invasive mussels.
About 20 per cent of drivers transporting watercraft attempted to bypass watercraft inspection stations in 2024.
Budget 2025 is investing $18 million over five years to expand Alberta’s aquatic invasive species inspection, detection and rapid response programs.
SANDY, Utah, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mountain America Credit Union has been named the recipient of the Amazing Workplace Culture Award by the prestigious Ragan Employee Communications Awards, recognizing the credit union’s exceptional rollout of its Team Member Experience (TMX) Blueprint—a transformative strategy aimed at building a thriving workplace rooted in purpose, trust and holistic well-being.
The award ceremony, held in Chicago on April 9, 2025, celebrated organizations nationwide that are redefining what it means to engage, inspire and support their team members. Mountain America stood out for its comprehensive and intentional approach to fostering a world-class culture, centered around six key drivers: meaningful work, productive environment, trusted leaders, growth and development, workplace culture and holistic well-being.
“Receiving this national recognition affirms that our focus on people and purpose is creating real impact,” said Trent Savage, chief human resources officer at Mountain America. “The TMX Blueprint isn’t just a set of values. It’s a living framework that shapes how we support our team members each day. It ensures that culture is not left to chance but deliberately built.”
The TMX Blueprint was introduced through an engaging, multi-phased internal campaign designed to spark curiosity, reinforce shared purpose and drive accountability. The launch included interactive communications, leadership alignment, and team-based discussions to bring the blueprint to life. Following the launch, a tailored culture survey measured progress and identified opportunities for improvement. The initiative culminated in action planning sessions across all levels of the organization, translating insights into meaningful change.
Ragan’s judges highlighted Mountain America’s ability to not only define its desired team member experience but to act on it, making the abstract idea of “great culture” tangible, trackable and deeply personal for team members.
This honor reflects Mountain America’s enduring commitment to cultivating a workplace where every individual feels empowered to grow, contribute and thrive.
To learn more about Mountain America’s community involvement, visit macu.com/newsroom.
About Mountain America Credit Union With more than 1 million members and $20 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 100 branches across multiple states, and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain America—guiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
GABORONE, Botswana, May 16, 2025/APO Group/ —
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has approved a $304 million loan to Botswana to support the southern African country in managing mounting fiscal challenges and implementing key governance and economic reforms.
The funding, approved by the Bank Group’s Board of Directors on Wednesday, will finance the Governance and Economic Resilience Support Programme (GERSP), a one-year general budget support operation covering the 2025/2026 fiscal year.
The facility aims to cushion Botswana from the financial shock triggered by declining diamond revenues, while advancing critical reforms to enhance fiscal transparency, boost revenue collection, and promote private sector-led growth.
Botswana’s economy contracted by 1.7% in 2024, primarily due to weak global demand for diamonds, which account for approximately 80% of the country’s exports. The country’s fiscal deficit widened — from a balanced budget in 2022/23 to 4.7% of GDP in the 2023/24 financial year–– and is projected to reach 6.7% in the current fiscal year.
“This operation comes at a critical time for Botswana,” said Moono Mupotola, Deputy Director General for Southern Africa and Country Manager at the African Development Bank Group. “We will work with the new administration to implement reforms that will deepen fiscal sustainability, strengthen transparency, and create a more business-friendly environment for economic diversification.”
The GERSP is structured around two main pillars: Strengthening fiscal sustainability and transparency, and stimulating economic growth. It includes measures to increase domestic revenue mobilization, curb illicit financial flows, and enhance public expenditure efficiency and accountability.
The program also targets support for micro, small, and medium enterprises, particularly those led by women and youth, to create jobs and reduce inequality.
The operation is a transitional measure to address short-term budget pressures while engaging with Botswana’s new government, elected in November 2024, on long-term development goals.
“The African Development Bank is committed to supporting Botswana’s ambitious socioeconomic development agenda through credible and transformational reforms, project and program financing, and continuous policy dialogue”, said Abdoulaye Coulibaly, the Bank’s Director of Governance and Economic Reforms.
The new loan builds on the Bank’s prior support to Botswana, including the Economic Recovery Support Programme implemented in 2021-2022, which had $200 million cofinancing from the OPEC Fund for International Development.
The current program aligns with the Bank’s Country Strategy Paper for Botswana (2022-2026), which prioritizes building economic resilience through support for economic governance and private sector development.
This Global Report on Food Crises reflects a world dangerously off-course.
Hunger is not a crisis bound to one place or time: it’s a chronic catastrophe.
Fueled by conflict, geopolitical tensions, climate chaos, and economic upheaval – food and nutrition crises are rampant and rising.
Over 295 million people faced hunger in 2024, the sixth year in a row of rising need.
From Gaza and Sudan, to Yemen and Mali, conflict-driven hunger is shattering records.
And climate change is accelerating the crisis, wiping out harvests, livelihoods, and hope.
Weather extremes are pushing nearly 100 million people to the brink of hunger.
Just as food insecurity and malnutrition are gaining pace, our ability to respond is hitting the brakes.
The dramatic reduction in lifesaving humanitarian funding is compounding the hunger crisis.
And the prospect of a trade war will only make things worse.
Ensuring a food-secure future means rallying financial resources and driving innovation.
It calls for fair, transparent trade systems that ensure food can move where it’s needed, especially during crises.
And it requires global solidarity to build resilient, inclusive and sustainable food systems for all.
The UN Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, reignites momentum for this vital mission.
My message is clear: we must heed the dire warnings in this report.
This July, the Second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake – taking place in Addis Ababa – will be an opportunity for all of us to unite and boost our efforts.
The time to act is now. Let’s end hunger, together.
In 1954, the Finnish artist Tove Jansson was commissioned by the Evening News in London to draw comic strips about the Moomintrolls. The strip was syndicated by hundreds of newspapers, introducing the Moomins to an international audience and marking a dramatic turning point in her career.
Between 1954 and 1959, Tove Jansson drew 21 comics, some in collaboration with her brother Lars Jansson, who continued to draw the comic strip until 1975.
The success of the Moomin in the Evening News brought Tove Jansson economic security and helped her with the mortgage of her studio in Helsinki. However, over time, the assignment also became a burden on her creative work – a time-consuming and demanding obligation.
Perhaps because of this personal conflict, the comics often explore themes such as the struggle of artistic creation, the role of the artist and the value of art. Jansson had previously created humorous and satirical commentaries on the art world in various artists’ magazines in Finland, but here she places the Moomin at the heart of the creative process.
Unlike the novels and picture books, the Moomin comic strips were created for adults and can be described as satire. Jansson uses the compact format to comment on society, including the art world. The growing conflict in her own life, between the Moomintrolls and her artwork, is brought into focus in the comic strips.
This is part of a series of articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. Want to celebrate their birthday with us? Join The Conversation and a group of experts on May 23 in Bradford for a screening of Moomins on the Riviera and a discussion of the refugee experience in Tove Jansson’s work. Click here for more information and tickets.
The theme of the purpose of art and artistic creation is playfully introduced in one of the first comic strips, Moomin and the Brigands. Here Moomin and his friend Sniff embark on a quest for fortune. They engage in several schemes, including capturing rare creatures and selling them to the zoo, marketing magic rejuvenation potions and creating modern art.
While visiting a Hemulen (a really uptight counterpart to the Moomintrolls who love rules), Moomin and Sniff accidentally break several precious items in her home. Among the broken objects is a large statue of Rebecca at the Well, which falls from its pedestal and shatters. Rebecca at the Well is a classic biblical motif, which often portrays a model of feminine virtue, symbolising divine guidance and exemplifying ideals of hospitality and moral character.
The friends awkwardly attempt to reassemble the statue by gluing it together. The result is a strangely angular and expressive piece of art, referencing fragmented cubist portraits. Cubism, which emerged around 1907 to 1908, aimed to represent reality in a radically new way by bringing together subjects and figures, resulting in objects that appear fragmented and abstracted.
Sniff immediately sees the potential of the new Rebecca. “She’s more modern now,” he exclaims joyfully. The friends carry the statue to an enthusiastic art dealer who sells it for £500 in his gallery.
The episode with the deconstructed Rebecca is, of course, a funny caricature of the trend-sensitive art market. But the shattered statue with its intricate shapes was also a commentary on the debates about the “incomprehensible” and “obscure” nature of modernist art in Nordic countries during the time.
The destruction of the Rebecca can also be seen as an act of iconoclasm – the breaking of icons or monuments – or rather, a parody of it. While usually associated with vandalism, here, the iconoclastic act leads to the creation of something new. This expresses a desire for renewal and a liberation from restrictive conventions. It is, however, worth noting that Rebecca retains her symbol of virtue – the water jug – even after this pivotal encounter.
Drawing on the work of French philosopher and anthropologist Bruno Latour, iconoclasm can be understood as both destructive and constructive – an ambiguity that also applies to Jansson’s interpretation of the motif.
Later in the story, the money offered by the modernist Rebecca lures Moomin to the field of the arts. For a brief moment, he assumes the role of a painter and wholeheartedly embodies the romanticised ideal of the poor, misunderstood artist.
Moomin dons a Rembrandtian black velvet beret, but despite this, appears lost and bewildered in his new role, muttering: “I only want to live in peace and plant potatoes and dream!”
In a scene of self-parodying metafiction, he is blinded by his oversized beret and ends up tumbling down a cliff, abruptly ending his artistic career.
Tove Jansson’s Moomin comic strips for the Evening News use satire to explore artistic creation, the role of the artist, and the art world.
Through Moomintroll’s and Sniff’s pursuit of fame and fortune via the accidental modernist deconstruction of Rebecca, Jansson satirises romantic notions of the artist, the commercialisation of art and the professions surrounding artistic production. These themes are deeply connected to Jansson’s own experiences as an artist and author, constantly balancing between various professional and artistic demands, between children’s books, public obligations and painting.
Elina Druker is employed as a professor and researcher at Stockholm University, Sweden.
The UK government has unveiled plans to reform the migration system, making it more restrictive with the aim of reducing the level of net migration into Britain.
Immigration provides economic opportunities for a country – for example, migration enables employers to recruit the workers they need. This is particularly true in essential but low-paid sectors such as social care and agriculture. Reducing net migration may mean trading off some of these economic benefits.
The UK government’s official economic forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility, tends to assume that higher net migration has a positive impact on economic growth and tax receipts.
We have just published new research that partly explains this decision. We conducted a survey of 103 MPs and 1,757 local councillors, and compared the attitudes of British politicians with those of members of the public.
We polled Westminster MPs on what they think about the level of migration into the UK. The timing of this polling matched up exactly with a public poll YouGov had conducted. This enabled us to draw a direct comparison between the two groups.
We found that broadly, MPs and the public are in agreement on this issue. Both clearly tend to think immigration has been too high in recent years. However, the public (70% support) are even more inclined towards this view than MPs (just under 60% support), and less likely than MPs to think that immigration levels have been “about right” in recent years.
Despite these results, the long-term trend on public attitudes to migration has moved in a more liberal direction. Over decades, the British public has generally become more positive about the benefits of migration.
However, this is complicated by the fact that anti-immigration voters are often more exercised about the issue than pro-immigration voters. Anti-immigration voters are also more efficiently distributed across a large number of constituencies, whereas more liberal pro-immigration voters are often more concentrated in seats in larger cities.
Reform UK’s performance in the recent local elections demonstrates the electoral potency of anti-immigration sentiment among some voters.
Ipsos also recently published some interesting polling of MPs and the public. This showed that when it comes to issues such as increased housebuilding and immigration, MPs tended to be more willing than the public to prioritise boosting economic growth over other objectives (such as limiting immigration). Although, MPs were more willing than the public to prioritise protecting the environment over economic growth.
When Labour was elected into government in 2024, Keir Starmer emphasised the party’s focus on boosting growth. A whole tranche of new Labour MPs were elected with an apparent commitment to this, and many subsequently joined the Labour Growth Group caucus.
Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.
Such a shift in the composition of who is in the Westminster parliament has enabled substantial policy shifts in a pro-growth direction. For example, some recent Conservative prime ministers would arguably have liked to implement the type of reforms in the current government’s planning and infrastructure bill, but were unable to principally because of resistance among their backbench MPs.
However, as we’ve explained, polling shows that the public is not always as willing as the current crop of MPs to sign up to things just because they might boost economic growth. There is also a substantial section of the population who would like to see immigration reduced.
The government’s new white paper setting out its proposed immigration reforms eschews a simple relationship between higher immigration and greater economic prosperity. It emphasises the difference between boosting overall GDP and the size of the labour market versus productivity and per capita GDP, and criticises an economic model reliant on record levels of net migration into the UK.
Nonetheless, it appears that Labour has diluted its attempt to govern in a purely pro-growth manner in order to respond to public opinion.
Mitya Pearson the University of Warwick. He has received funding from the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust.
David Jeffery 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.
Keir Starmer became the first British prime minister to visit Albania since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1921. During the visit, he announced that the UK plans to set up “return hubs” for asylum seekers whose claims are rejected by the UK.
Just days after announcing his plans to reduce legal migration to the UK, this move on irregular migration is more evidence of the prime minister’s concern about losing voters to anti-immigration Reform UK.
Before meeting with Albanian prime minister Edi Rama to sign a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries, Starmer said that the UK has begun formal talks with several countries to set up return migration hubs to send asylum seekers abroad. The specifics are yet to be announced, but it has been reported that these would probably be in the western Balkans.
The plan has drawn comparison to the Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme, but is different in a number of ways.
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Under the Rwanda scheme, people who arrived in the UK illegally would have been sent straight to Rwanda where their asylum claims would be processed. If accepted, they’d be offered asylum in Rwanda, not the UK. Starmer cancelled the plan in one of his first moves as prime minister.
With Labour’s plan, people would only be sent to another country if their asylum claim is rejected and they’ve exhausted all legal options to stay in the UK. The rationale is that they would not be able to disappear into the informal economy and illegal actives in the UK after an asylum claim was not successful.
The goal of both plans is to act as a deterrent to irregular migration, and to cut the high cost of hosting undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in the UK, which has become a major political issue.
The return hubs plan also has the approval of the UN refugee agency, which condemned the legality of and the practically of the Rwanda scheme.
However, it has already hit a roadblock. Albania was one of the UK’s preferred options for a return migration hub. But during a joint press conference with Starmer, Rama said thatAlbania will not take part in such a scheme.
This is probably because a similar set-up with Italy has so far been unworkable, legally and politically .
Under the Italy-Albania migration agreement signed in November 2023, Albania is meant to play host to two Italian processing centres, where they planned to send asylum seekers intercepted at sea. But after facing numerous legal challenges, Italy is instead using them as repatriation facilities to hold those whose claims have already been rejected while they await deportation.
Partnership with Albania
The UK has maintained a successful returns arrangement with Albania, set up by the last government.
In 2022, Albanians accounted for over one-third (around 12,500) of all small boat entries, more than any other country. Arrivals from Albania have dropped by 95% in the last three years. And the number of Albanians returned to the country has more than doubled in the last two years, with 5,294 Albanians returning in 2024.
The two countries set up a joint task force to tackle organised crime networks that were facilitating the illegal entry of Albanian nationals to the UK. Starmer began his visit at the Port of Durres, where British and Albanian law enforcement officials are stationed as part of the Joint Migration Task Force with Albania.
Starmer indicated that the task force will be expanded to include the other western Balkan countries. This is because the western Balkan route is one of the main migratory paths into Europe. It was estimated that in 2023, 100,000 people used this route to come to the UK.
The visit, which comes days after Albania’s parliamentary election, shines a light on some of the political tensions between the UK and Albania.
The Albanian diaspora community in the UK in recent years has expressed feeling stigmatised and targeted due to inflammatory rhetoric of the last government.
Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, called Albanians “criminals” while claiming migrants were “invading” the UK. Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, posted videos telling police to find Albanians and “lock them up” and “deport” them.
In 2024, Albanians made up the highest percentage (13%) of foreign nationals in UK prisons, with over 1,272 people in custody. Along with Albanians, Polish (9%), Romanian (7%), Irish (6%) and Jamaican (4%) nationals account for around 12% of the overall prison population.
Rama, who just won the election, was fully aware of voters’ sentiment towards the UK. There have also been protests in the country against the current migration arrangement with Italy. Any new agreement, particularly with the UK, could be politically damaging for the Albanian government.
This visit could be a turning point for mending relations. Starmer declared that his government is fully committed to strengthening ties with Albania, and signed a strategic partnership agreement, with a focus defence and security.
Starmer and Rama both said that the partnership will expand at the UK-Western Balkan Summit that Starmer will host in London in autumn, and it will include increasing trade, economics investment, education and managing migration.
Andi Hoxhaj 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.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to growing concern over the spread of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico and its impact on cross-border livestock trade, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) issued a statement today outlining his leadership on the issue and calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take immediate steps to protect New Mexico’s ranchers and while balancing the interests of New Mexico’s small businesses.
New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly that can cause fatal infestations in livestock, has recently led the USDA to restrict cattle, bison, and horse imports from Mexico. This has shuttered multiple U.S. ports of entry and stalled cattle crossings that border economies rely on. The three agriculture ports in New Mexico are among those affected, including Santa Teresa Port of Entry which is the largest cattle crossing in the U.S., and tens of thousands of cattle that would normally cross into the U.S. remain stranded.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez has proactively recognized the threat the screwworm poses to the agricultural economy:
Earlier this year, Vasquez sent aletterto the USDA urging them to address the issue before it escalated further.
Vasquez signed onto an appropriations letter supporting funding for a sterile fly facility within the U.S. to strengthen biosecurity and prevent future outbreaks.
Most recently, Vasquez introduced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) and Senators Cornyn and Cruz to combat the NWS outbreak and begin production on a sterile fly facility in the US.
“I’ve been raising the alarm about the New World Screwworm threat because I know what it means for our ranchers, ports, and rural economies,” said Vasquez. “That’s why I introduced this bipartisan bill to fight this outbreak and protect our livestock industry. I was one of the first lawmakers to urge the USDA to take this seriously. Livestock auctions in New Mexico are already feeling the squeeze, and ranchers who depend on cross-border cattle trade are being left in limbo. USDA must be transparent about the timeline for reopening ports of entry, and they need to address the staffing and operational issues that are slowing things down. Our border economies can’t wait.”
Rep. Vasquez continues to work with border community stakeholders, producers, and the USDA to ensure ports of entry can reopen as safely as possible, while supporting long-term investments to keep U.S. livestock herds protected.
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), as well as Congressmen Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s artificial intelligence deals that were announced with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week:
“Democrats and Republicans have long agreed that American companies must remain the undisputed leader in AI, a rapidly developing technology critical to the future of everything from our national security to manufacturing, finance to health care. We have worked hard to ensure the most powerful AI systems are built here, and we have fought to restrict the most sophisticated chips from reaching China – or those who would grant remote access to China – given Beijing’s use of AI to strengthen its military, crack down on domestic dissent, and compete with the U.S.
“President Trump announced deals to export very large volumes of advanced AI chips to the UAE and Saudi Arabia without credible security assurances to prevent U.S. adversaries from accessing those chips. These deals pose a significant threat to U.S. national security and fundamentally undermine bipartisan efforts to ensure the United States remains the global leader in AI. Rather than putting America first, this deal puts the Gulf first.
“The volume of AI chips Trump is offering for export would deprive American AI developers of highly sought-after chips needed here and slow the U.S. AI buildout. Under this deal, data centers and AI systems that would otherwise be built in America will be built in the Middle East – at the exact time that President Trump says he wants to bring jobs and key industries back home. This deal would incentivize U.S. firms to build the factories of the future overseas, creating significant vulnerabilities in our AI supply chain. If our leading AI firms offshore their frontier computing infrastructure to the Middle East, we could become as reliant on the Middle East for AI as we are on Taiwan for advanced semiconductors – and as we used to be on the Middle East for oil. We should not foster new dependencies on foreign countries for this premier technology.
“Additionally, these deals will provide our highest end chips to G42, a company with a well-documented history of cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. We applaud the administration’s efforts to limit exports of advanced AI chips to China, including recent actions to further restrict exports of Nvidia chips. However, these efforts will be for nothing if G42 or other companies with ties to China are given large quantities of our most advanced chips.
“Proponents of the deal argue that China will fill the gap if we do not sell substantial quantities of advanced chips to these countries. This is false. China cannot and will not because China makes fewer chips as a nation than these deals offer, and each is inferior to their U.S.-designed equivalent. This is thanks to the bipartisan efforts under both the Trump and Biden administrations to cut off China’s access to advanced chip manufacturing equipment. These efforts have worked, and we should double down on this success rather than squander the leverage we have won.
“If this deal succeeds, the offshoring of frontier American AI will be recorded as an historic American blunder. People around the world deserve to enjoy the benefits we will reap from AI. However, AI chips must only be exported to trusted companies, in reasonable numbers, and in concert with credible security standards and assurances. We welcome the opportunity to work with the administration to meet these objectives and urge our colleagues in Congress to do the same.”
Senator Coons is Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Senator Shaheen is Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Reed is Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Warner is Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senator Kelly is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Congressman Himes is Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman Krishnamoorthi is Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, on Friday put forth a five-point global action plan to protect fragile mountain ecosystems, while representing India at the inaugural Sagarmatha Sambaad in Kathmandu, Nepal. The high-level global dialogue, themed “Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity”, brought together ministers, climate leaders, and policymakers from across the world.
Speaking at the summit, Yadav reaffirmed India’s commitment to global climate action and emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to safeguard the Himalayas and other mountain regions. “It is a profound honour to represent India at this historic gathering. The name Sagarmatha, meaning ‘Head of the Sky,’ aptly captures the majesty and responsibility we share in protecting our mountain ecosystems,” he said.
The Minister acknowledged Nepal’s initiative in hosting the event and highlighted the deep ecological and cultural ties India shares with its Himalayan neighbours. He pointed out that despite South Asia comprising nearly 25% of the global population, it accounts for just 4% of historical global CO₂ emissions. However, he stressed that developing countries continue to bear the brunt of the climate crisis while developed nations fall short on their climate finance and technology transfer commitments.
Underscoring the ecological richness of high-altitude regions, Yadav called for enhanced transboundary conservation and urged Himalayan nations to collaborate under the International Big Cats Alliance. This alliance, he said, can help conserve iconic species like snow leopards, tigers, and leopards by fostering shared expertise, funding, and knowledge sharing.
Referring to India’s efforts under Project Snow Leopard, Yadav cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the 13th COP of the Convention on Migratory Species in 2020, where the significance of preserving snow leopard habitats was emphasized. He shared findings from India’s first Snow Leopard Population Assessment, conducted between 2019 and 2023, which recorded 718 snow leopards—representing 10–15% of the global population.
During his address, the Union Minister outlined a five-point call for global action:
Enhanced Scientific Cooperation – Strengthening research and monitoring of cryospheric changes, hydrology, and biodiversity.
Building Climate Resilience – Investing in adaptation measures, disaster early warning systems such as for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Empowering Mountain Communities – Placing local communities at the heart of policy-making and promoting green livelihoods, sustainable tourism, and the integration of traditional knowledge.
Providing Green Finance – Ensuring adequate and predictable climate finance in line with the Paris Agreement to support mountain nations in adaptation and mitigation.
Recognizing Mountain Perspectives – Ensuring that the unique vulnerabilities and contributions of mountain ecosystems are reflected in global climate negotiations and development agendas.
“India stands ready to partner with Nepal and all mountain nations to protect our shared ecological heritage. In the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world is one family—we must ensure our sacred mountains continue to stand tall as symbols of hope and sustainability,” Yadav concluded.
The event was attended by several global dignitaries, including Nepal’s Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, Vice Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Xiao Jie, and COP29 President and Azerbaijan’s Ecology Minister Mukhtar Babayev.
Washington, DC: Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced today senior leadership changes at the Fund, including the planned retirement of a long serving department head and a leadership rotation across two departments.
Dominique Desruelle, Director of the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD), will retire from the IMF in October. He will be succeeded by Catriona Purfield, currently Director of the Human Resources Department (HRD). Brian Christensen, currently Director of the Corporate Services and Facilities Department (CSF), will in turn succeed Ms. Purfield as Director of HRD.
“These changes reflect our ongoing strategy of rotating senior leadership within the Fund — providing opportunities for career development while also preserving institutional knowledge,” said Mr. Georgieva. Ms. Purfield and Mr. Christensen will transition to their new departments on September 1, 2025.
“As Director of ICD, Dominique has strengthened the IMF’s capacity development (CD) work by improving governance, external delivery, partnerships, and internal economics training — integrating it more effectively with surveillance and lending,” said Ms. Georgieva. “His tireless commitment to serving the Fund’s membership ensured that ICD consistently brought world-class training and technical assistance to our member countries.”
Mr. Desruelle, a French national, joined the Fund in 1993 after a period in academia and worked as Advisor to the Executive Director for France. Over the years, he has served in a range of senior-level roles in several departments—including the African; European; Western Hemisphere; and Strategy, Policy and Review Departments — as well as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Managing Director. During his 32 years of service to the Fund, Mr. Desruelle also helped to establish and oversee the Knowledge Management Unit and led work in other key areas of Fund policy and operations, including surveillance, debt policies, and engagement in fragile states.
“Dominique will leave ICD in excellent standing to continue building the capacity of both staff and our membership,” Ms. Georgieva added. “We thank him for his many years of dedicated service and unwavering commitment to the Fund’s mission.”
Source: US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC
WASHINGTON – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today announced the retirement of Arthur J. (Art) Murton, Deputy to the Chairman for Financial Stability and Director of the Division of Complex Institution Supervision and Resolution (CISR) on May 31, 2025, following a distinguished 39-year career at the agency.
The FDIC Board of Directors appointed Mr. Murton as Deputy to the Chairman for Financial Stability in October 2019. In that role, he advised FDIC Chairmen and Board members on key policy issues affecting the FDIC and the banking system. Mr. Murton was also named Director of CISR in October 2023, where he oversaw the FDIC’s responsibilities related to systemically important financial institutions and insured depository institutions with assets above $100 billion. Mr. Murton held several other leadership roles at the agency over his career, including as Director of the Division of Insurance, the Division of Insurance and Research, and the Office of Complex Financial Institutions.
“Art’s experience and depth of knowledge have helped navigate the FDIC through critical times in our agency’s history,” said Travis Hill, FDIC Acting Chairman. “He is also a valued colleague who has mentored and helped further the careers of those who have worked with him. We are grateful for his dedication and exemplary service to the FDIC.”
Mr. Murton joined the FDIC in January 1986 as a financial economist in the former Division of Research and Statistics. His time at the agency spanned the banking crises of the 1980s, the 2008 global financial crisis, and the regional bank failures in the spring of 2023. In each of these, Mr. Murton played a significant role in handling bank failures and in maintaining the liquidity and solvency of the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF). Additionally, during the global financial crisis, he led the design and implementation of the Temporary Liquidity Guaranty Program.
Mr. Murton also helped shape the reforms that followed these crises. For example, following the 1980s, the FDIC established a risk-based premium system to maintain the adequacy of the DIF. Following the 2008 crisis, the FDIC began requiring the largest banks to develop resolution plans and establishing tools to resolve the largest financial firms in an orderly way without taxpayer funds. Mr. Murton was instrumental in the implementation of these and other reforms.
Mr. Murton also helped to establish the International Association of Deposit Insurers and was the FDIC’s first representative to that group. He has also worked extensively with the Financial Stability Board and has helped the FDIC develop strong bilateral relationships with key resolution authorities around the world.
Mr. Murton holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Virginia.
In its effort to achieve peace, the European Union will increase pressure on President Putin. The European Commission will propose a new package of sanctions against Russia, including measures targeting the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, as well as financial sanctions.
It is time for the super-rich to pay their fair share.
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The Sunday Times Rich List shows that the extremely wealthy must be fairly taxed to save our public services, say the Scottish Greens.
The call comes from the party’s finance spokesperson Ross Greer MSP, as the Sunday Times list put the combined wealth of the richest 350 people – including King Charles – at £772.8 billion.
According to research from the Tax Justice Network, a 1% annual wealth tax on net assets over £10 million could raise almost £10 billion a year while only impacting the richest 0.4% of the population.
Mr Greer said:
“Over the last year Labour have used claims about the lack of money to justify cuts to pensioners’ Winter Fuel Payments and essential support for disabled people. At the same time, they are refusing to act while bills for everything from food to fuel skyrocket.
“This Rich List shows this claim of a lack of money for what it is, a lie designed to protect the extremely wealthy from paying their fair share. The UK is one of the richest countries in the history of the world, but Westminster governments allow that wealth to be concentrated in the hands of a handful of elites instead of serving the public good.
“This is wealth they couldn’t spend in a hundred lifetimes, but which we could use to fund our hospitals, schools and the services needed to end the scandal of child poverty. Instead, it’s spent on yachts, private jets and buying up land which should belong to communities.
“In Scotland, Green MSPs have already delivered the most progressive income tax system in the UK, asking those who can afford it to pay a little more and delivering an extra £1.7 billion a year for the essential services we all rely on.
“But the most important tax powers, which could be used to fairly redistribute the wealth of the super-rich, are still held at Westminster. And Labour have shown that they’d prefer to take food from the mouths of children and heating from the homes of the elderly than touch the assets of their billionaire friends and donors.
“Future generations will look back at this absurd concentration of wealth and the displays of excess and greed that come with it, and ask why it was allowed to get so out of control. There’s no better time than now to start reversing course. That begins by taxing wealth fairly and using the money to build a fairer, greener society.”
XRP Makes Headlines Again — But the Smart Money Is Watching Kaanch
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — XRP is back in the spotlight after its futures launch on the CME and renewed ETF speculation. As institutional interest returns to the Ripple ecosystem, crypto investors are reevaluating their positions — not just in XRP, but in undervalued Layer 1 opportunities with far more upside.
That’s where Kaanch Network is quietly turning heads.
Now live in Stage 5 of its presale, Kaanch is positioning itself as the top crypto to buy today — combining Solana-grade speed with real-world utility, decentralization, and an active leadership team that recently appeared at TOKEN2049 Dubai.
What Is Kaanch Network?
Kaanch is a fully public, non-anonymous Layer 1 blockchain aiming to redefine what it means to build in Web3 — fast, interoperable, secure, and developer-ready from day one.
1.4 Million TPS – Handles massive transaction volumes, ensuring smooth and scalable operations.
3600 Active Validators – Robust decentralization ensures network security and trustless validation.
0.8-Second Block Time – Near-instant transaction finality for a seamless user experience.
Ultra-Low Fees – Near-zero gas costs make transactions affordable for all users.
Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenization – Enables secure and transparent digital asset creation.
Interoperability – Bridges blockchain networks for seamless cross-chain transactions.
DAO Governance – A decentralized decision-making framework for sustainable growth.
Staking & Rewards – Real-time incentives for network participants and validators.
.knch Domains – Decentralized identity solutions for the Kaanch ecosystem.
All of this is now available to early investors through the presale at presale.kaanch.com.
XRP’s Momentum & Kaanch’s Timing
With XRP futures listed on the CME and ETF chatter increasing, institutional players are coming back to the crypto space. But for those seeking 100x+ potential, the window for XRP is narrowing — its market cap is already in the tens of billions.
Kaanch, meanwhile, is early, underpriced, and actively building.
It offers the infrastructure layer to power:
DeFi platforms
NFT and gaming ecosystems
Cross-chain identity and finance protocols
Real-world asset tokenization
And it’s gaining traction quickly — with over $1.12 million already raised and a strong presence at global blockchain events like TOKEN2049 Dubai.
Presale Opportunity: $0.16 Now, $0.32 Next Stage
Kaanch is currently in Stage 5 of its presale, offering $KNCH tokens at just $0.16. The next price jump is already scheduled — doubling to $0.32.
Kaanch Network ($KNCH) is a high-probability candidate. With its 1.4M TPS capacity, non-anonymous founders, and token utility in staking, governance, and dApps, it has both infrastructure and investor momentum.
How does Kaanch compare to XRP?
XRP is built for specific cross-border payments. Kaanch is a general-purpose Layer 1 that supports payments, DeFi, NFTs, gaming, identity, and more — all with higher scalability and openness.
Is Kaanch backed by a real team?
Yes. Kaanch’s founders are not anonymous and recently appeared at TOKEN2049 in Dubai, reinforcing their commitment to transparency and long-term leadership.
How can I buy Kaanch tokens?
You can purchase $KNCH directly through the official presale at presale.kaanch.com using ETH, SOL, BNB, USDT, or card.
What rewards do I get for staking?
Early-stage staking offers up to 119% APY, allowing investors to compound returns even before token listings go live.
Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Kaanch Network.The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented.We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article.This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.
Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital.It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.
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