Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested three female youths in relation to an aggravated robbery on Mitchell Street last night.
About 9:30pm, a 101-year-old man was assaulted on his mobility scooter by the three females aged, 14, 15 and 19-years-old. The elderly man was held by the females and they removed his wallet and keys before decamping the area.
The victim suffered lacerations to his arms and was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital for treatment.
A short time later, police CCTV operators located offenders matching the description provided at a location nearby and members apprehended them.
They are expected to be charged later today.
Detective Senior Sergeant Trent Abbott said “This was a disgraceful attack on a vulnerable member of our society and the actions of these offenders was abhorrent.
“Thankfully the victim is expected to make a full recovery.
“I would also like to commend our vigilant CCTV operators and attending officers for their swift action to respond and apprehend the offenders nearby.”
Detectives from Serious Crime have carriage of the investigation.
If you have any information in relation to the incident, police are urging you to make contact on 131 444 and reference NTP2500023360.
Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) joined Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in introducing the Local Radio Freedom Act.
This bipartisan resolution states Congress should not impose new taxes or fees on locally owned radio stations and highlights their vital role for families, small businesses, and communities.
“Local radio keeps every corner of the Cowboy State informed, entertained, and safe,” said Lummis. “If broadcasters are forced to pay additional taxes and fees, vital programs get put on the chopping block. I am proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for rural Americans who rely on local programming.”
“People across Wyoming depend on local radio stations for timely information, news, and programming that impact their daily lives,” said Barrasso. “For decades, radio stations and the recording industry have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship: free airplay for free promotion. If forced to pay a performance royalty, broadcasters will have to make cuts to important programming to make ends meet. I’m proud to join Senator Hassan in introducing our bipartisan resolution to block any new performance tax on broadcasters in Wyoming and across the country.”
“Granite Staters regularly tune in to their local radio station to catch up on the news around the state, listen to music and stories, and get weather and emergency alerts,” said Hassan. “I am glad to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting listeners and broadcasters alike. We will keep working to ensure that our local radio stations are able to continue providing vital information and entertainment to communities across our country.”
Co-sponsors of this legislation include U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Angus King (I-Maine), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jim Justice (W.Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and John Hoeven (R-N.D.).
This legislation is supported by the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters, the National Association of Broadcasters and iHeartMedia.
“We are grateful for the support of our Wyoming Delegation and to Senator Barrasso for taking the lead on this important resolution that helps protect our local broadcasters from being imposed an additional fee to record labels and artists when they play their music.” – Laura Grott, President of Wyoming Association of Broadcasters
“For over a century, local radio stations have provided communities with trusted news, critical emergency information and the music and entertainment audiences rely on every day, free of charge. NAB thanks Sens. Barrasso and Hassan, and the over 140 members of the Congress who have already signed onto this resolution for recognizing the vital role of local radio across the country. Their support will help ensure that local radio stations can continue serving our communities for years to come.” – Curtis LeGeyt, NAB President and CEO
Full text of the resolution can be found here.
Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development
The transformation of the University of Tasmania (UTAS) Stadium has taken a giant leap forward, with a Development Application (DA) for main works now released.
The main works will include a brand-new centre-west stand for an upgraded spectator experience, expanded western infill seating and a revitalised eastern stand for ultimate comfort and atmosphere. The works will also create a dynamic south-east entry plaza.
These enhancements will elevate UTAS Stadium into a world-class destination for sports and entertainment, benefiting fans, athletes, and the entire Launceston community.
The DA is open for public exhibition, and community members are invited to review the plans and be part of this once-in-a-generation transformation.
With $130 million in joint funding—$65 million each from the Australian and Tasmanian governments—this project is set to make Launceston a powerhouse for national sporting and entertainment events, boosting business, tourism, and local pride.
The main works are set to commence in July and scheduled to be completed by early 2027.
Quotes attributed to Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:
“Upgrading existing facilities is the first step towards overhauling the stadium into a premier destination for fans and athletes.”
“We’re growing the economy and creating jobs in Northern Tasmania by investing in local sports infrastructure.”
“This investment is part of our Government’s commitment to creating a sustainable investment framework for growing cities such as Launceston.”
Quotes attributed to Tasmanian Minister for Sports and Events Nick Duigan:
“The Tasmanian Government is squarely focused on delivering the transformational infrastructure that will create jobs, economic growth and provide better opportunities for Tasmanians. “
“This revitalisation project ensures UTAS Stadium will continue to host world-class events, inspiring the next generation of sporting stars and reinforcing Tasmania’s status as a premier destination for major events and sporting excellence.”
“It will also support the Tasmania Devils Football Club.”
“Reaching this important milestone reinforces our government’s commitment to delivering a premier sports and entertainment venue for the region, enhancing the overall experience for visitors and the local community.”
“Our government is investing in sporting facilities right across the State as part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future to ensure locals have access to the facilities they need.”
Quotes attributed to City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood:
“This is an incredible opportunity for Launceston and Northern Tasmania and will ensure UTAS Stadium remains a premiere sporting facility for our community for future generations.”
“The redevelopment aims to attract national sporting and entertainment events to Launceston, supporting the City of Launceston’s vision to make the city a premier business, retail and lifestyle hub.”
Quotes attributable to CEO of Stadiums Tasmania James Avery:
“This development will make a significant difference to the northern Tasmanian sports and events community.”
“It will result in a host of new events coming to UTAS Stadium in addition to securing the future of those community, sporting and entertainment events that have become a mainstay on the Launceston calendar.”
The transformation of the University of Tasmania (UTAS) Stadium has taken a giant leap forward, with a Development Application (DA) for main works now released.
The main works will include a brand-new centre-west stand for an upgraded spectator experience, expanded western infill seating and a revitalised eastern stand for ultimate comfort and atmosphere. The works will also create a dynamic south-east entry plaza.
These enhancements will elevate UTAS Stadium into a world-class destination for sports and entertainment, benefiting fans, athletes, and the entire Launceston community.
The DA is open for public exhibition, and community members are invited to review the plans and be part of this once-in-a-generation transformation.
With $130 million in joint funding—$65 million each from the Australian and Tasmanian governments—this project is set to make Launceston a powerhouse for national sporting and entertainment events, boosting business, tourism, and local pride.
The main works are set to commence in July and scheduled to be completed by early 2027.
Quotes attributed to Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:
“Upgrading existing facilities is the first step towards overhauling the stadium into a premier destination for fans and athletes.”
“We’re growing the economy and creating jobs in Northern Tasmania by investing in local sports infrastructure.”
“This investment is part of our Government’s commitment to creating a sustainable investment framework for growing cities such as Launceston.”
Quotes attributed to Tasmanian Minister for Sports and Events Nick Duigan:
“The Tasmanian Government is squarely focused on delivering the transformational infrastructure that will create jobs, economic growth and provide better opportunities for Tasmanians. “
“This revitalisation project ensures UTAS Stadium will continue to host world-class events, inspiring the next generation of sporting stars and reinforcing Tasmania’s status as a premier destination for major events and sporting excellence.”
“It will also support the Tasmania Devils Football Club.”
“Reaching this important milestone reinforces our government’s commitment to delivering a premier sports and entertainment venue for the region, enhancing the overall experience for visitors and the local community.”
“Our government is investing in sporting facilities right across the State as part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future to ensure locals have access to the facilities they need.”
Quotes attributed to City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood:
“This is an incredible opportunity for Launceston and Northern Tasmania and will ensure UTAS Stadium remains a premiere sporting facility for our community for future generations.”
“The redevelopment aims to attract national sporting and entertainment events to Launceston, supporting the City of Launceston’s vision to make the city a premier business, retail and lifestyle hub.”
Quotes attributable to CEO of Stadiums Tasmania James Avery:
“This development will make a significant difference to the northern Tasmanian sports and events community.”
“It will result in a host of new events coming to UTAS Stadium in addition to securing the future of those community, sporting and entertainment events that have become a mainstay on the Launceston calendar.”
NASHVILLE – A federal jury on Friday convicted McKenzie McClure a/k/a Kalvin McClure, 31, of Franklin, Tennessee, of cyberstalking, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to the evidence presented at trial, the defendant, between February 2024 and April 2024, posted countless Tweets on X fixated on Christ Presbyterian Academy (“CPA”) and Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, school shootings, school lockdowns, guns, and other violent incidents. The defendant also visited the CPA school campus on Sunday, February 25, 2024, during the afternoon when almost no one would be present. During that time, the defendant was observed attempting to enter the locked doors of the church sanctuary three times, taking pictures of the maps of the school grounds, and flipping off the school campus while standing on the school crest. Then, on Sunday, March 24, 2024, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the day of the Covenant School shooting, the defendant then left a menacing five-minute voicemail on CPA’s main phone line. In the voicemail, the defendant referenced multiple historical violent incidents and expressed anger and hostility at the school. The voicemail also referenced the movie Deadpool 2 in which a former student attempts to go back to his school to exact revenge and kill the headmaster. Countless school officials and the headmaster die in that movie. As a result of the defendant’s conduct, CPA closed school on Monday, March 25, 2024.
“Children, parents, teachers, administrators and staff need to feel safe from harm while at school,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Our office, and our law enforcement partners, are fully committed to keeping our school communities safe and will have no tolerance for those who would put our kids at risk.”
“The defendant’s concerning actions and social media posts emotionally devastated the school and church community and threatened their safety,” said Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI and our partners are committed to protecting the communities we serve and we encourage the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious or threatening behavior to law enforcement.”
“No one should have to worry about their safety at school—students, parents, and teachers deserve peace of mind. Because of that, the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security is committed to protecting our communities and making sure threats like this are taken seriously,” said Commissioner Jeff Long, Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. “We’ll continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to hold individuals accountable and ensure Tennessee remains a safe place to live, learn, and work.”
McClure will be sentenced on Monday, July 7, 2025. At sentencing, McClure faces a maximum term of incarceration of five years in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office, and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katy Risinger and Joshua Kurtzman prosecuted the case.
Executing initiatives to streamline priorities and drive approximately $30 million of annual cash operating expense reductions
Reschedules fourth quarter and full-year 2024 earnings conference call
CHICAGO, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LanzaTech Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNZA) (“LanzaTech” or the “Company”), a carbon management solutions company, today announced progress on strategic actions being taken to transition the Company from an innovation hub to a profitable enterprise. Additionally, the Company has rescheduled its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 earnings call to March 31, 2025, to more closely align with the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K.
“Over the last two decades, LanzaTech has been at the forefront of carbon management innovation, pushing the boundaries to establish new products and markets,” said Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, Chair and CEO of LanzaTech. “As we shift the Company’s focus from research and development to globally deploying our proven technology, we are pursuing partnership opportunities for technologies that are ready to stand on their own and sharpening our focus on high-impact commercial projects that align more with a path to profitability. As part of this transition, we continue to action plans to right-size our cost structure and expect to achieve significant annual cash cost savings as a result.”
Along with the recently announced intention to spin out the Company’s synthetic biology platform referred to as LanzaX, LanzaTech is evaluating scale up opportunities for its nutritional protein capabilities referred to as LanzaTech Nutritional Protein (“LNP”). This strategic approach is designed to enable these platforms to access the capital required to accelerate the development of their independent pipelines of existing projects. It will also enable LanzaTech to have a sharper focus on the growth priorities of the Company’s core biorefining operations, including the technology’s inclusion in integrated waste-based ethanol to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (“SAF”).
Examples of high-priority commercial projects under development include a project in the United Kingdom and a project in the European Union, each 30-million gallon per year, waste-based ethanol-to-SAF facilities that will leverage the LanzaTech and LanzaJet CirculAir™ solution to form an efficient and economically compelling offering that provides the aviation industry with a platform to produce waste-based SAF globally.
Additionally, the Company is implementing strategic measures to scale its business globally with greater cost efficiency. This includes evaluating its global footprint, with anticipated consolidations expected to reduce the workforce by approximately 10 to 15 percent. These measures, combined with the LanzaX and LNP strategic opportunities, and other cost savings plans, have the potential to result in approximately $30 million of annual cash operating expense reductions.
LanzaTech Reschedules Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2024 Earnings Call The Company announced today that it has rescheduled its previously announced earnings release and conference call. The Company now intends to release its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 earnings results on Monday, March 31, 2025, and host its conference call the same day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The change is to more closely align the Company’s earnings call with the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The conference call may be accessed via a live webcast on a listen-only basis through the Events and Presentations section of LanzaTech’s Investor Relations website. An archive of the webcast will be available for twelve months.
To attend the live conference call via telephone, domestic callers can access by dialing (800) 225-9448 and international callers can access by dialing (203) 518-9708, and using the conference identification code LANZA.
A replay of the conference call will be available shortly after the call ends and can be accessed by domestic callers by dialing (844)-512-2921 and by international callers by dialing (412)-317-6671, and entering the access identification code 11157950. The replay will be available until 11:59 pm Eastern Time April 14, 2025.
About LanzaTech LanzaTech Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNZA) is a leading carbon recycling company transforming waste carbon into sustainable fuels, chemicals, materials, and protein for everyday products. Using its bio-recycling technology, LanzaTech captures carbon generated by energy-intensive industries at the source, preventing it from being emitted into the air. LanzaTech then gives that captured carbon a new life as a clean replacement for virgin fossil carbon in everything from household cleaners and clothing fibers to packaging and fuels. By partnering with companies across the global supply chain like ArcelorMittal, Coty, Craghoppers, and LanzaJet, LanzaTech is paving the way for a circular carbon economy. For more information about LanzaTech, visit https://lanzatech.com.
Forward Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, the plans, strategies, and prospects, both business and financial, of LanzaTech. These statements are based on the beliefs, assumptions, projections and conclusions of LanzaTech’s management. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are outside LanzaTech’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. LanzaTech cannot assure you that it will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and you should not rely on forward-looking statements.
Generally, statements that are not historical facts, including those concerning possible or assumed future actions, business strategies, events or results of operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “plans,” “scheduled,” “anticipates,” “intends” or similar expressions. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: timing delays in the advancement of projects to the final investment decision stage or into construction; failure by customers to adopt new technologies and platforms; fluctuations in the availability and cost of feedstocks and other process inputs; the availability and continuation of government funding and support; broader economic conditions, including inflation, interest rates, supply chain disruptions, employment conditions, and competitive pressures; unforeseen technical, regulatory, or commercial challenges in scaling proprietary technologies, business functions or operational disruptions; and other economic, business, or competitive factors, and other risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors and other information contained in LanzaTech’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other existing and future filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Any forward-looking statement herein is based only on information currently available to LanzaTech and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. LanzaTech undertakes no obligations to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
The garage is an important site in the founding myths of many entrepreneurial adventures. Before a company becomes successful, where it starts out is as important as the visionaries who invest in it. And in addition to the specific space of the garage, the surrounding urban environment is also important. What a city offers, and the way it is organized, both contribute to innovation.
This article is part of our series Our cities from yesterday to tomorrow. Urban life is going through many transformations, each with cultural, economic, social – and, in this election year, political – implications. To shed light on these diverse issues, The Conversation Canada is inviting researchers to discuss the current state of our cities.
Multiplicity of creative spaces
There are many spaces specifically designed to support entrepreneurship today, including incubators, accelerators and collaborative workspaces. In addition to providing a place to work, these spaces facilitate both networking with potential partners and access to business opportunities.
It is also interesting to note how these creative spaces have multiplied in most cities, sometimes with a specialization. They can be found in the fields of health, social innovation and digital technologies.
The Apple garage, located in Steve Jobs’s childhood home, was a meeting place for Apple’s founders. (Shutterstock)
Yet, as important as they may be for some players, these spaces are not the only factors that contribute to entrepreneurial success. Other places, sometimes unexpected, such as the fast food restaurant where Nvidia was born or the Californian saunas that have replaced luxury hotels for business meetings between investors and entrepreneurs, also contribute to the creation and development of new companies. Nor can the success of an entrepreneurial venture be explained by a single place.
That raises the question: what do we know about how cities, and the variety of places within them, affect the development of entrepreneurial capacity?
As a postdoctoral researcher at HEC Montréal (MOSAIC) and a professor of innovation management at the IAE Nantes University, respectively, we have explored this question as part of our research in innovation management, particularly in a recent piece of research.
The city, an ecosystem
Research has long focused on specific types of places. The aim is both to understand what happens there and to extract lessons that can be replicated elsewhere. Accessing a shared workspace offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to socialize. This was also the great promise of the American company WeWork: to be a member of a community.
Specific technologies or tools for prototyping can be found in a fab lab or a collaborative manufacturing workshop. Presenting your project to investors is easier from an incubator or accelerator. For example, by presenting a project at Y-Combinator in California, an accelerator renowned for supporting promising projects, entrepreneurs know they’ll get noticed by investors.
Similarly, it is easier to meet potential partners or pick up on the latest trends in a market or technologies by spending the evening in a trendy café or bar. Informal exchanges are easier there and these play a big role in the entrepreneurial dynamics of a territory.
WeWork shared office space in Two Summerlin, Nevada, USA. (Shutterstock)
And then, quite simply, where does the initial idea come from? As the American columnist and writer Steven Johnson shows through the examples of Gutenberg and Darwin, it is clear this often happens at odd times and in unusual places.
As a result, whether innovators are entrepreneurs, artists or scientists, it is unlikely that all the resources they require will be available to everyone, all the time, in one place.
As the American urban planner and sociologist Jane Jacobs so aptly put it, individuals experience the city. They do not got to a single place: they visit or pass by a variety of places, each of which, in its own way, can nurture the creativity and career of an entrepreneur. Our research reveals that it is above all the combination of a city’s places – their diversity of size, function, purpose and location – that produces entrepreneurial capacity.
Observing artists to better understand entrepreneurship
Let’s take the example of creators who produce projection mapping works in Montréal. Thanks to a six-month survey of 21 Montréal artists, we were able to show the heterogeneity of places they visited regularly throughout the process of creation and development.
Firstly, depending on the profile of individuals and their creative approach, the places they visit regularly are different, and sometimes distinctive. This is the case, for example, of an artist who benefits from a residency in a printing workshop to create a projection on fabrics. It is also the case of a designer who goes to a fab lab to experiment with sensors.
This suggests that there are specific trajectories for each individual, and therefore, no single path that leads to innovation.
The need for structuring places
Secondly, this observation suggests that the convergence around certain places does not owe to chance: multiple resources, sometimes crucial for recognition in a field, are mobilized there.
For example, many of the artists in our study regularly visited Montréal’s Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), a renowned meeting place that has helped the careers of many artists. The artists we met go there to take courses, attend shows, and meet musicians with whom they may eventually collaborate.
That’s how a venue’s reputation is built. As we have shown, this can become essential at a particular stage of the entrepreneur’s journey.
But before or after this stage, other places may be more beneficial.
In fact, depending on the phase of the innovation project, the types of places visited and their number vary greatly. So, since needs are different, the capacity to innovate depends on the places and possibilities that exist in a city. For example, Montréal’s diverse cultural offerings, with its artist-run centres and performance halls, strongly inspire projection mapping artists.
Workshops are obviously important places for experimentation and creation, but they are only used when a prototype or final work is being produced.
The territory of innovation
In a more global context, where there are many technological, societal and environmental challenges, innovations are necessary.
Ideas and entrepreneurs are essential to make innovation happen. Entrepreneurs need skills and financial resources. They need to be part of collectives and communities. But also, and perhaps even above all, they need to be in territories that offer a wide range of places where they can take advantage of complementary resources to carry out their projects.
The city as a whole, and on a smaller scale, its neighbourhoods, are the melting pot from which ideas circulate and mix, where projects mature and take shape. The urban morphology, which can be seen as a particular arrangement of places and transport or travel infrastructures, then becomes a new deciding factor in entrepreneurial capacity.
Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
March 04, 2025
Durbin: Instead of improving the lives of and lowering prices for Americans, President Trump is doing the very opposite
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke out against President Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. As of today, President Trump has instituted a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, as well as an additional 10 percent on goods from China, bringing the total to 20 percent tariffs on China. In his remarks, Durbin underscored that the Trump tariffs would not lower prices, as he promised during his campaign, but instead spike prices for Americans.
“Instead of improving the lives of or lowering prices for Americans, we are seeing policies of the Trump Administration do exactly the opposite. The President has spent his time trying to systematically dismantle the federal government, creating rifts with our closest allies, and now, imposing destructive tariffs on our biggest trading partners. The tariffs that he has unleashed… will hurt American consumers and supply chains and undermine American manufacturing.”
Durbin pointed to the harm that will come to Illinois’ economy as a result of the Trump tariffs, as Illinois relies on Canada and Mexico to purchase the state’s goods and agricultural products. In 2023, Illinois, which ranks first among the 50 states in imports from Canada, exported a total of $20.55 billion in products to Canada. Additionally, Illinois exports to Mexico in 2023 totaled $12.93 billion.
“Illinois is the fourth largest exporter in the nation… These tariffs will hurt Illinois’ farmers, workers, and manufacturers—not to mention consumers,” Durbin said. “Additional tariffs on our three biggest trading partners will add to the economic strain that is already beginning to show under the new Administration. A survey of consumer sentiment published last month recorded its largest monthly decline in four years, due in large part to concerns about trade and tariffs. Tariffs are taxes and they are taxes that the consumers of America will have to pay. These levels of concern have not been seen since the trade wars in President Trump’s first term.”
Durbin concluded, “While the President claims that foreign countries will pay for U.S. tariffs, that isn’t the truth and we know what the truth is—the burden of tariffs is carried by American companies and passed on to American customers. Indiscriminately slapping tariffs on the goods American consumers need will mean higher costs—higher costs on groceries, gas, and cars, while inspiring retaliatory tariffs, and even boycotts, on American-made products, further hurting our economy.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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DLNR News Release- Film and TV Stars Ignite Social Media Furor with Turtle Touching, Mar. 3, 2025
Posted on Mar 4, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
KA ‘OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA
JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR
DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON
FILM AND TV STARS IGNITE SOCIAL MEDIA FUROR WITH TURTLE TOUCHING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2025
(HONOLULU) – Two actresses and their father/manager contacted the DLNR this afternoon, to apologize for creating a social media outburst by posting one of the women touching a sea turtle, while the other videotaped.
The Instagram post by actress China McClain was taken down as of midday, after garnering tens of thousands of likes and more than, 2,000 comments, many of which pleaded for the video to be taken down and for them to apologize for potential cultural insensitivity. That included Governor Josh Green, M.D.
China McClain told the DLNR, “I was not fully aware of the situation until today, and I certainly wasn’t aware of the laws. The video was from two years ago when we visited Hawai‘i and I came across it in my phone and decided to post it.” McClain has more than seven million followers on Instagram.
China and Sierra McClain both say they are sorry, as they didn’t understand the impact the video had. “It’s the people I don’t want to hurt. I understand respecting culture, and I understand the pain that comes with not having your culture respected. Those are never lines that we cross intentionally, so that part of this situation is hurting us right now. I adore these beautiful turtles, and the people of Hawai‘i. We’re very sorry,” China said.
“We have an immense amount of respect for the residents of Hawai’i and their intent to safeguard their land & their wildlife, and we plan to take the necessary precautions in the future when traveling,” Sierra said.
State and federal agencies charged with protecting marine species like Hawaiian sea turtles became aware of the post on Monday. The DLNR made multiple phone calls and sent e-mails to the McClain sisters, their managers, publicists, record labels and production companies to ask that the post be taken down.
Michael McClain, the sister’s father and manager said, “We want people to know that China was not aware of the laws, and we appreciate that people and the agencies reached out.”
“All our family loves and respects Hawai‘i and we apologize for inadvertently causing this pain,” he added.
Touching turtles is not necessarily breaking the law, unless law enforcement agencies determine that the actions are a “take.” For example, if a person’s actions in some way harm a turtle or alter a turtle’s behaviors, there are a variety of state and/or federal laws that a person could be charged with.
The DLNR said, “On its face their activity may not have been a violation of state or federal rules that protect endangered or threatened species like turtles, but it certainly ignored wildlife viewing guidelines developed by NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the DLNR.”
Keep at least 10 feet away from sea turtles
Avoid touching, chasing, feeding, or interfering with adults and hatchlings
Avoid blocking their access to or from the ocean
As this was not directly witnessed or reported by someone, it is difficult for state or federal conservation law enforcement agencies to establish intent.
For many years, the agencies have conducted extensive outreach on Hawai‘i wildlife viewing protocols.
Brian Neilson, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources Administrator said, “Although we understand it was probably not intentional, this is not a pono way to interact with Hawaiian wildlife. We encourage the sharing of positive behaviors on social media to inspire others to appreciate and protect our beautiful surroundings.”
# # #
RESOURCES
Learn how you can help protect Hawaiʻi marine wildlife through reporting:
The WAVES India: A Bird’s Eye View Challenge, part of the Create in India challenges, invites drone pilots and filmmakers to capture the breathtaking beauty and diversity of India through aerial cinematography. Participants are tasked with creating a 2–3-minute video showcasing the country’s landscapes, heritage, and vibrant life from a bird’s-eye perspective. Organised by Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the challenge has already garnered 956 registrations as of 15th February 2025
This initiative is part of the run-up activities for the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), scheduled to take place from 1st to 4th May 2025 at Jio World Convention Centre and Jio World Gardens in Mumbai. WAVES, in its first edition, is a unique hub-and-spoke platform poised for the convergence of the entire Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector. As a premier global event, it aims to bring the focus of the international M&E industry to India and connect it with the Indian M&E sector and its vast talent pool. WAVES is structured around four key pillars i.e. Broadcasting & Infotainment, AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality), Digital Media & Innovation, and Films. The India: A Bird’s Eye View Challenge is part of the first pillar, Broadcasting & Infotainment, which focuses on the evolving landscape of media, information dissemination, and entertainment.
The Create in India Challenges, part of WAVES, boost creativity in the M&E sector with over 73,000 registrations so far. This initiative engages creators globally, offering a platform to showcase talent. It reinforces India’s role as a media and entertainment hub.
Participation Categories
Suggested Themes
Evaluation Criteria
Submission Guidelines
At present, the challenge is only opened for participants of Namo Drone Didi category and the deadline for submission of the videos is 15th March, 2025.
The video should be masterfully captured using cutting-edge drone technology, delivering stunning, high-definition visuals.
It should feature a compelling voice-over and a professionally crafted musical score to enhance the overall cinematic experience.
The video must be original and created specifically for this challenge.
It should showcase the breathtaking beauty and diversity of India or align with the themes required by the competition.
The video must not be copied, modified, or reproduced from any other source.
The file format should be MP4/MPEG-4 or MOV.
The copyright of the work developed during the competition will rest with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting/WAVES.
Rewards and Recognition
Conclusion
The WAVES India: A Bird’s Eye View Challenge is a unique opportunity for drone pilots and filmmakers to showcase India’s breathtaking landscapes, cultural heritage, and modern advancements through aerial cinematography. As part of the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), this challenge not only fosters creative storytelling but also highlights the evolving landscape of media and entertainment in India. With an overwhelming response from participants, the competition promises to be a celebration of innovation and artistic excellence. By recognising and rewarding exceptional talent, the challenge reinforces India’s position as a global hub for media, technology, and creativity.
Question for written answer E-000570/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE), Dolors Montserrat (PPE)
The Spanish Government has allocated over EUR 117 million in Recovery and Resilience Facility funding to the Spanish broadcasting company Radio Televisión Española (RTVE). This would make RTVE, a public entity, one of the main beneficiaries of those EU recovery funds.
The various projects RTVE has financed using those EU funds have not had the impact expected – they have actually been very controversial owing to breaches of regulatory requirements, the return of some of the funding, and the state of RTVE’s finances.
In light of the above:
1.Does the Commission know the total amount of EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding that has been allocated to RTVE, the names of the companies subcontracted to carry out the projects, and how much money each subcontractor received? Does the Commission know how much progress was ultimately made on the projects?
2.Has the Spanish Government provided the Commission with an assessment of the various RTVE projects funded via the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the viewing figures, the airtime and the targets achieved?
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the union for voice actors and creatives, recently circulated a video of voice actor Thomas G. Burt describing the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on his livelihood.
Voice actors have been hit hard by GenAI, particularly those working in the video game sector. Many are contract workers without ongoing employment, and for some game companies already feeling the squeeze, supplementing voice-acting work with GenAI is just too tempting.
Audio work – whether music, sound design or voice acting – already lacks strong protections. Recent research from my colleagues and I on the use of GenAI and automation in producing music for Australian video games reveals a messy picture.
Facing the crunch
A need for greater productivity, increased turnarounds, and budget restraints in the Australian games sector is incentivising the accelerated uptake of automation.
The games sector is already susceptible to “crunch”, or unpaid overtime, to reach a deadline. This crunch demands faster workflows, increasing automation and the adoption of GenAI throughout the sector.
The Australian games industry is also experiencing a period of significant contraction, with many workers facing layoffs. This has constrained resources and increased the prevalence of crunch, which may increase reliance on automation at the expense of re-skilling the workforce.
One participant told us:
the fear that I have going forward for a lot of creative forms is I feel like this is going to be the fast fashion of art and of text.
Mixed emotions and fair compensation
Workers in the Australian games industry have mixed feelings about the impact of GenAI, ranging from hopeful to scared.
Audio workers are generally more pessimistic than non-audio games professionals. Many see GenAI as extractive and potentially exploitative. When asked how they see the future of the sector, one participant responded:
I would say negative, and the general feeling being probably fear and anxiety, specifically around job security.
Others noted it will increase productivity and efficiency:
[when] synthesisers started being made, people were like, ‘oh, it’s going to replace musicians. It’s going to take jobs away’. And maybe it did, but like, it also opened up this whole other world of possibilities for people to be creative.
Regardless, most participants expressed concerns about whether a GenAI model was ethically trained and whether licensing can be properly remunerated, concerns echoed by the union.
Those we spoke with believed the authors of any material used to train AI data-sets should be fairly compensated and/or credited.
An “opt-in” licensing model has been proposed by unions as a compromise. This states a creators’ data should only be used for training GenAI under an opt-in basis, and the use of content to train generative AI models should be subject to consent and compensation.
Taboos, confusion and loss of community
Some audio professionals interested in working with GenAI do not feel like they can speak openly about the subject, as it is seen as taboo:
There’s like this feeling of dread and despair, just completely swirling around our entire creative field of people. And it doesn’t need to be like that. We just need to have the right discussions, and we can’t have the right discussions if everyone’s hair is on fire.
Several participants expressed concerns the prevalence of GenAI may reduce collaboration across the sector. They feared this could result in an erosion of professional community, as well as potential loss of institutional knowledge and specific creative skills:
I really like working with people […] And handing that over to a machine, like, I can’t be friends with the machine […] I want to work with someone who’s going to come in and completely shake up the way, you know, our project works.
The Australian games sector is reliant on a highly networked but often precarious set of workers, who move between projects based on need and demand for certain skills.
The ability to replace such skills with automation may lead to siloing and a deterioration of greater professional collaboration.
But there are benefits to be had
Many workers in the games audio sector see automation as helpful in terms
of administration, ideation, workshopping, programming and as an educational tool:
In terms of automation, I see it as, like, utilities. For example, being a developer, I write scripts. So, if I’m doing something and it’s gonna take me a long time, I’ll automate it by writing a script.
Over half of participants said AI and automation allows more time for creativity, as workers can automate the more tedious elements of their workflow:
I suffer like anyone else from writer’s block […] If you can give me a piece of software that is trained off me, that I could say, ‘I need something that’s in my house style, make me something’, and a piece of software could spit back at me a piece of music that sounds like me that I could go, ‘oh, that’s exactly it’, I would do it. That would save me an incalculable amount of time.
Many professionals who would prefer not to use AI said they would consider using it in the face of time or budget constraints. Others stated GenAI allows teams and individuals to deliver more work than they would without it:
Especially with deadlines always being as short as they are, I think a lot of automation can help to focus on the more creative and decision-based aspects.
Many workers within the digital audio space are already working hard to create ethical alternatives to AI theft.
Although GenAI may be here to stay, a balance between the efficiencies provided should not come at the cost of creative professions.
Sam Whiting receives funding from RMIT University and the Winston Churchill Trust. Dr Whiting received funding from APRA/AMCOS and Creative Australia for the project discussed in this piece.
Headline: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 arrives on July 11 with new skaters, parks, music and more
Multiple new skaters are joining the original line-up, and you’ll also be able to create your own skater, not only customizing their appearance, but their hometown, skating style, and more. And of course, no Tony Hawk game would be complete without music, and you’ll be skating along to tracks from the original soundtrack, as well as new tracks.
THPS 3+4 builds on the work started by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, bringing the easy-to-learn, hard-to-master controls and handling you’d expect – and for those taking on the series for the first time, an in-depth tutorial from Tony Hawk himself will walk you through exactly how to play.
Welcome to Waterpark
You may have caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar location in today’s reveal trailer – this is Waterpark, a new level added to THPS 3+4. Introduced as part of the revamped THPS 4 Tour, this is a broken-down, dried-out park in the heart of the Mojave desert – perfect for budding skaters.
The rides might not be functional any more, but they’re more than open for finding lines and trick opportunities. Six rides are open for you to try and trick off of – Down the Drain, Peak Cyclone, Twisted Vipers and more offer challenging trips down to ground level. Just skate to the entrance of each one, and you’ll be transported to the top to try your luck.
If you’re looking for something a little more chill, take a trip down the Lazy River, which snakes around the entire map, head to the Marquee for a ramp-filled area perfect for combos, or find a way to open up the Castle Slide for even more opportunities to earn points.
Pre-Order Now for Early Access and More
Pre-orders for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 open today, and will give you access to the Foundry Demo (not available on Nintendo Switch). Kicking off in June, this demo will include two skaters and two parks to try out – and your pre-order will also net you an extra in-game shader for Tony Hawk at full game launch.
Pre-ordering the Digital Deluxe Edition will give you three days of Early Access to the full game – as well as some far more unexpected bonuses. Play as both the Doom Slayer (with two outfits, two unique tricks, and a hoverboard) or a Revenant (with its own two unique tricks), not to mention themed skate decks, Create-a-Skater items and bonus soundtracks.
And if you want to go all-out, the Collector’s Edition of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will come complete with a limited-edition, full-size Birdhouse skateboard deck (deck-only, other skateboard components not included) featuring a reissued version of the iconic Wings graphic and a printed Tony Hawk autograph. The Collector’s Edition includes a physical copy of the game, and all the Digital Deluxe Edition benefits.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 launches on July 11. Pre-orders open today. Learn more ontonyhawkthegame.com.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 – Digital Deluxe Edition
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kirsty Pringle, Atmospheric Scientist and Project Manager, Software Sustainability Institute, University of Edinburgh
Netflix’s new drama Toxic Town tells the true story of a group of women from Corby in Northamptonshire, UK, who gave birth to children with limb differences in the 1980s and 90s. The children were born with shortened arms or legs or missing fingers. The drama follows their battle to uncover the cause and their subsequent fight for justice.
This skilful portrayal of a real-life tragedy isn’t just compelling drama, it’s a stark warning about the dangers of weak environmental protections. With the UK no longer following EU environmental standards and the US rolling back key pollution regulations and scaling down environmental enforcement, the issues at the heart of Toxic Town feel more urgent than ever.
As two atmospheric scientists, we were pleased to see Netflix taking on this recent event in UK history.
Corby’s industrial heritage mirrors that of many English towns: for decades, the town’s steelworks provided jobs. Then in the 1980s they were decommissioned, leaving behind high unemployment and thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste. While many areas have decommissioned steelworks, the difference here is that environmental procedures for decommissioning hazardous waste appear not to have been followed.
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Waste from the steelworks was transported through town in lorries to sites for long-term storage. Despite government advice to ensure their lorries were cleaned and their loads covered to prevent contamination, dirty, uncovered lorries carrying hazardous waste were repeatedly driven through the area, allowing toxic sludge to spill out on to the roads.
Drivers were also paid bonuses for extra loads, which encouraged them to ignore regulations and cut corners. And, as the sludge spilled from their lorries dried, it turned into dust that was carried through the air and inhaled by residents, including pregnant mothers.
Crucially, this dust was not typical air pollution which, while harmful, doesn’t usually come from contaminated land so doesn’t contain high concentrations of heavy metals and industrial chemicals. Yet, to the naked eye, Corby’s toxic dust would have been pretty indistinguishable from everyday grime.
What is clear, however, is that there was a lot of it. During the 2009 court case against what was then Corby Borough Council, which was responsible for the steelworks’ decommissioning, residents recalled the orange dust coating surfaces and filling the air. Many stressed the need to wash their cars frequently as they quickly became coated in dust.
As the show depicts, in 1999 concerns were raised about the impact of the pollution by mothers in the area who had given birth to children with upper limb differences. Northamptonshire Health Authority conducted an initial investigation and concluded the problem was no worse than elsewhere in England and Wales.
Inexplicably, even among environmental researchers, the Corby toxic waste case remains relatively unknown despite being a landmark legal case. It was the first time a link between airborne pollution and limb differences in children was officially established.
The council lost the case and was found liable for public nuisance, negligence and breach of statutory duty. It disputed the verdict but reached a confidential private settlement with the families.
Corby’s story has been dubbed the “British Erin Brockovich”. This is due to its parallels with the famous US environmental lawsuit in which Erin Brockovich, a legal clerk, helped build a case against Pacific Gas and Electric who were fined US$330 million (£415 million) for contaminating the water supply in Hinkley, California.
Why environmental regulation matters
It’s tempting to watch Toxic Town with the reassurance that such a disaster couldn’t happen again. Surely, with modern environmental monitoring and stronger regulations, we are now better protected?
Environmental protections are only as strong as the political will to enforce them. History has repeatedly shown that weak or poorly enforced regulations can lead to catastrophic consequences. For example, the Bhopal gas disaster in India in 1984 saw a toxic gas leak that killed thousands.
The Love Canal incident in the US in the 1970s exposed residents to hazardous waste, causing birth defects and illness. And the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the US in 2010, which became one of the largest marine oil spills in history.
Despite such repeated events, environmental regulation is increasingly dismissed by some politicians and industry leaders as red tape –a bureaucratic burden that hampers industrial and economic growth.
The UK’s exit from the EU means that it no longer needs to adhere to EU environmental regulations, including the Reach law which mandates the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, It’s the main EU law that governs chemicals to protect both the environment and human health. While not flawless, Reach is considered to be the most robust chemicals regulation in the world and because of global supply chains, it often encourages manufacturers beyond Europe to comply.
The attitude of the new administration in the US to environmental protection laws has caused considerable concern across the global scientific community. There has been a rollback of more than 100 environmental regulations, including 39 relevant to air and water pollution. Most of these rule reversals have already been enacted, just over a month into the new administration.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has had 168 staff placed on leave and environmental groups have warned “that these cuts put minority and lower income families living close to polluting sites at risk”. In parallel, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), another federal agency which monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions, is facing drastic cuts to it’s staff and budget. These cuts harm the capacity of the US to monitor and enforce environmental regulations.
What happens in the US often sets a precedent for other countries. It is worrying that reducing environmental protection in the US may encourage other countries, including the UK, to follow suit.
So, far from being a thing of the past, we could be witnessing a return to the toxic times seen in Corby if we fail to prioritise stringent environmental safeguards. As solictor Des Collins starkly reminds us at the end of the drama: “A town that is made by burning up red tape and using it as fuel does so much damage.”
Kirsty Pringle receives funding from UKRI.
Jim McQuaid receives funding from UKRI, Horizon Europe, The Royal Society and Defra
The Met has launched a murder investigation after a boy was shot in Stockwell.
Police were called at around 14:30hrs on Tuesday, 4 March to reports of a shooting in Paradise Road, SW4.
Officers attended the scene along with London’s Air Ambulance and London Ambulance Service.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of paramedics, the 16-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers are working at pace to identify the teenager and contact his next of kin.
Superintendent Gabriel Cameron,who is leading the local policing response, said:
“This is an enormously shocking incident which I imagine will cause huge distress to the local community.
“Our thoughts are with the young boy’s family at this devastating time.
“Local officers are on the scene gathering CCTV and speaking to witnesses to piece together what has happened. They will be supported by specialist homicide investigators shortly.
“Please rest assured we will work around the clock to identify and find those responsible.”
No arrests have been made at this early stage of the investigation.
A crime scene and cordons remain in place while emergency services undertake their enquiries, which are ongoing.
If you were a witness or have any information, please call police on 101 with the reference 4116/4MAR.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 if you want to remain anonymous.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Behr, Senior Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, Newcastle University
“In any civilised community the arts … serious or comic, light or demanding, must occupy a central place. Their enjoyment should not be regarded as something remote from everyday life.” This was a central statement in the white paper (a statement of policy intent) issued 60 years ago by Jennie Lee, the UK’s first minister for the arts under Labour prime minister Harold Wilson in 1965.
Outlining A Policy for the Arts – The First Steps was the first white paper for the arts (and the only one until 2016), and suggested that the arts should be publicly supported, also arguing for increased local and regional support besides national institutions.
Many of Lee’s assertions still ring true today, not least that, “Today’s artists need more financial help, particularly in the early years before they have become established”. There were echoes of that 1965 statement of support for the arts in Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy’s recent announcement of a £270 million funding package. Indeed, the timing was no accident, Nandy explicitly referenced Lee’s “vision for accessibility in the arts”.
This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.
It’s a broadly welcome intervention for a sector in straitened circumstances. A drop of more than 30% investment through local authorities in England since 2010, and of 21%, overall has left organisations struggling to maintain infrastructure, creating a drag on new developments. So an injection of government support for public assets like museums and libraries is a necessary step to stem the decline.
Much, though, has changed since 1965. Absent from Lee’s communitarian account of governmental support for the arts is the language of economic return. The intervening decades have seen a sea change in the logics of arts funding.
While the stated benefits of arts to society – and particularly education – remain salient, the emphasis has shifted over time from support to “investment”, with the arts and culture increasingly recognised and valued for, as Nandy puts it, “their growth potential to drive our economy forward”.
This rhetorical and practical co-mingling of “culture” with the “creative industries” is a longitudinal shift. In political terms this was made clear by the 1997 rebranding of the Department for National Heritage (the first “culture” department, founded by Conservative prime minister John Major in 1992) as the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) the last time Labour returned from a long spell in opposition.
This defence of arts funding in “instrumental” terms (its economic return, or value in bumping up educational achievements) is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there’s a risk of losing sight of culture’s intrinsic value as something worthy of support – art for art’s sake.
At the same time, it has been accompanied by a move away from the more patrician conception of what merited state support. National institutions and the “high arts” were the main focus in the birth of the arts councils as part of the major overhaul of the role of the state – the postwar consensus – after the second world war.
This points towards wider tensions in arts funding and the DCMS portfolio that derive from the evolving landscape since 1965. There was a strong emphasis in Lee’s paper, and in Nandy’s recent announcement, on buildings, infrastructure and established spaces. Vital as these are, the idea of what counts as culture has moved on and expanded since then.
Even beyond their economic potential, the cultural value of practices more traditionally associated with commercial activity has become more central to the national conversation.
Arts education has also become strategically important in both economic terms and in supporting widening access to opportunities across society, requiring a broad conception of “the arts”. The barriers between high art and popular culture have become porous, and this has a bearing on state support, especially when cultural activity overall is reeling from a pandemic and years of austerity.
This is at the heart of those sectors left out of the current largesse. Drawing on both economic and cultural arguments Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, has noted the absence in Nandy’s proposal of live music venues, nightclubs and festivals.
“The government has placed traditional and heritage culture at the forefront while completely ignoring the vital creative spaces that fuel innovation, inspire younger generations, and contribute significantly to our economy,” he wrote recently.
DCMS funding is also a microcosm of any government spending in that it also comes with questions around opportunity cost (as the recent announcement about boosting the defence budget and immediate ramifications for foreign aid also make clear). Here too, the grassroots are a factor.
Mark Davyd of the Music Venue Trust, for instance, has pointed out that his suggested “£20m to open 40 new grassroots music venues” was derided, but that there’s “£15m to build yet another hall for the National Railway Museum and £5m to build a poetry centre, and nobody thinks that £20m is funny.”
Also rising rapidly up the agenda are concerns about the longer term impact of AI on creative careers, another area in which the DCMS – and the Department of Science Innovation and Technology – might see their plans for growth at odds with those in the creative industries and organisations.
Artists are objecting to a suggested exception to copyright restrictions that would require them to actively “opt out” of their work being used to train AI models, and which benefit AI companies with the presumption that works can be used for that purpose.
None of this is easy, especially after a long period of austerity in the arts, and a context of global uncertainty. But Nandy’s recent announcement of funding can only be seen as a holding action to halt the deterioration.
To realise Jennie Lee’s vision, a more substantive, structural approach is needed, one that brings those activities at the grassroots, and at the margins of traditional views of “culture” under the umbrella of funding.
Adam Behr has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.
RCI Banque: ‘’1stSupplement to the 2024 Base Prospectus EMTN’’
A first supplement to RCI Banque Base Prospectus, dated December 30th, 2024, is now available on the Mobilize Financial Services website www.mobilize-fs.com
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
March 03, 2025
The bill could potentially subject women and girls to physical inspection by an adult if someone from an opposing team accused them of being transgender
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor against the so-called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act—a Republican bill that would revoke federal funding from schools with athletic programs that allow trans girls to participate on sports teams for women or girls. The bill—which lacks a clear enforcement mechanism—could subject women and girls to physical inspection by an adult if someone from an opposing team accused them of being transgender. It infringes on the privacy of girls and women and is a dangerous use of the powers of government to target student athletes of all ages.
Durbin said, “Put yourself in the shoes of these families for just a moment. Imagine being the parent of a trans kid and telling your child they are not allowed to play on the same sports team as their friends at school because a politician said they couldn’t.”
During his remarks, Durbin spoke about Harleigh Walker, a transgender teenage girl from Alabama, who, at 16 years old, spoke with an unwavering voice in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about what it is like to be one of the children who are affected by these laws targeting transgender kids. Her home state of Alabama had enacted a law threatening her ability to access the care she needs to be happy and healthy. Harleigh told the Senate Judiciary Committee, “I want all of you to look at me, here and now, and hear my words. I am a very happy 16-year-old. I have wonderful friends who accept me for who I am. I’m active in my school’s debate team and other extracurricular[s]. I’m just trying to be a teenager in America. Same as any other teen, but I keep having to jump through hoops that other people my age don’t have to. I’m here in front of this Committee instead of enjoying summer vacation, just to try and ensure that my right to exist isn’t taken away.”
“It’s that personal, it’s that important, and [because of Republicans,] we’re going to vote to give someone unspecified the right to physically inspect a girl or a young woman if the other opposing team accuses them of being transgender. My goodness,” Durbin concluded.
During his remarks, Durbin recalled a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where he asked NCAA President Charlie Baker how many transgender collegiate athletes there are. Mr. Baker responded that there are less than 10 transgender athletes out of more than 500,000 total NCAA athletes.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
March 03, 2025
On Illinois’ Pulaski Day, Durbin condemns President Trump’s shameful outburst toward Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, slammed President Trump and Vice President Vance’s tense and embarrassing meeting in the Oval Office on Friday with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Durbin began his remarks by reflecting on Casimir Pulaski Day—a local holiday observed in Illinois on the first Monday of March in memory of Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War cavalry officer born in Poland. This morning in Chicago, Durbin attended an event honoring Pulaski Day with the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. He also attended a large rally in support of Ukraine yesterday. During his speech, Durbin also highlighted the critical relationship between Poland and the United States and how strengthening the NATO alliance is more important now than ever in light of Russian President Putin and Trump’s actions.
“As I said today, it was a Pulaski moment. The United States and Poland stand together again for the future of both their nations. I believe in NATO, and I don’t know what we’ll do without it, but now we have to consider that. This new President [Trump] just a few weeks into his presidency is threatening the very future and existence of NATO. If we walk away from it, if the United States disengages from NATO, the question is whether or not Europe can stand on its own feet. I think they will eventually, but in the meantime, countries like Poland, the Baltic nations, and many others are vulnerable to Putin’s aggression,” Durbin said.
“I am saddened, shocked, stunned at what happened in the Oval Office last week with President Zelenskyy. To have that display on live television breaks my heart. To think that… we would humiliate our ally in Ukraine and at the same time talk about the greatness of Vladimir Putin—I just find it disgusting,” Durbin continued.
Three years after Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, approximately 46,000 Ukrainians have died defending their country. Durbin detailed how President Trump has spewed outrageous comments when talking about Ukraine. Trump has claimed Ukraine started the war with Russia and attacked the legitimacy of Zelenskyy—who was democratically elected in a free and fair election. Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections.” Both comments are similar to propaganda lies said by Putin.
“What in the world is he [President Trump] talking about? These people have been fighting to the death, millions have been displaced, and they have been standing up for the values we cherish in this country. To walk away from them and subject their leader to what we saw last Friday in the Oval Office is disgusting. [It’s] humiliating and below the dignity of the United States,” Durbin said.
“I stand behind Ukraine because I believe those people are fighting for the very values that we treasure. And they stood by the United States and they said ‘thank you’ many, many times to me and to others. We need to stand behind NATO and Ukraine and stand for the values that are important. Hitching our star to Vladimir Putin is a fool’s errand. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. I hope to goodness we don’t reach that point,” Durbin concluded.
Last week, Durbin introduced the Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act, legislation that would provide temporary guest status to Ukrainians and their immediate family members who are already in the United States through the “Uniting for Ukraine” parole process. The bill allows Ukrainians to stay and work in the U.S. until the Secretary of State determines that hostilities in Ukraine have ceased and it is safe for them to return. U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) are cosponsors of the legislation. Bill text can be found here.
Durbin also joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and others in leading a simple resolution last week that expresses continued solidarity with the people of Ukraine and condolences for the loss of thousands of lives to Russian aggression; rejects Russia’s attempts to militarily seize sovereign Ukrainian territory; reaffirms U.S. support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine; and states unequivocally that Ukraine must be at the table for negotiations on its future.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is availablehere.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is availablehere.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is availableherefor TV Stations.
In a series of meetings in Nairobi, Kenya, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed spearheaded discussions on fortifying global food systems and advancing sustainable development, setting the stage for the upcoming fourth UN Food Systems Summit.
Ms. Mohammed’ s high-level meetings, which took place between 22 and 25 February, aimed at addressing one of the most pressing issues of our time: the transformation of global food systems.
These discussions are a precursor to the much-anticipated UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4), scheduled for July 28-30, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and co-hosted by the governments of Ethiopia and Italy.
Ms. Mohammed emphasized the critical need for a holistic approach to food systems. “Transforming our food systems is essential to driving progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and delivering for everyone, everywhere,” she stated.
Her words resonated deeply with the diverse group of stakeholders present, including government officials, private sector leaders, and representatives from civil society.
‘We need all hands on deck’
The meetings in Nairobi were not just about dialogue; they were a call to action. Ms. Mohammed highlighted the importance of public-private-community partnerships in achieving sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems. “We need all hands on deck to reach food systems transformations with the impact to advance on the 2030 Agenda,” she urged.
One of the key themes of the discussions was the urgent need to enhance financial mechanisms to support food systems transformation. The UN deputy chief underscored the significance of securing concessional finance, investments, budget support, and debt restructuring. She pointed to the proposed SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year as a potential game-changer, offering fiscal space and resources to drive this transformation.
Ms. Mohammed also addressed the challenges posed by rising living costs, social inequalities, climate change, and geopolitical tensions. She stressed that these global issues require a coordinated and comprehensive response. “Our efforts must be integrated and inclusive, ensuring that no one is left behind,” she said.
During her visit, Ms. Mohammed engaged with member states, private sector leaders, and National Convenors of Food Systems Pathways from 27 countries, both in person and virtually. These sessions, held over two days, emphasized the urgency of collective action to transform food systems.
Food security and education for all
As part of her engagements in Nairobi, the Deputy Secretary-General visited Giga Kitchen, an initiative by Food4Education led by Wawira Njiru, the UN in Kenya Person of the Year in 2021.
Food4Education has demonstrated the power of innovation and collaboration in tackling food insecurity. In just two years, the organization has scaled up from feeding 10,000 children per day to 500,000, proving that community-driven initiatives, when supported by strategic partnerships, can achieve transformative impact at scale.
By leveraging technology, efficient supply chains, and innovative community engagement, Food4Education has not only expanded access to nutritious meals but also created a sustainable ecosystem that benefits both children and small-scale farmers. Through direct sourcing from smallholder farmers, the initiative has ensured a consistent market for local producers, strengthening food systems while promoting economic empowerment.
This model highlights how innovative, community-driven solutions can effectively and sustainably address food insecurity when integrated with government support and multi-stakeholder collaboration. By rethinking traditional approaches and embracing scalable, technology-driven solutions, initiatives like Food4Education set a precedent for sustainable development in food security and nutrition.
Looking ahead to the UNFSS+4, Ms. Mohammed expressed optimism about the potential for meaningful progress. “We have the opportunity to reshape the global narrative around food systems, making them a key lever to accelerate and reinforce SDG progress,” she remarked.
The summit, she noted, will build on the momentum generated by previous efforts and set the stage for a new era of food systems transformation.
In concluding her mission, the Deputy Secretary-General convened a kick-off meeting hosted at AGRA Headquarters in Nairobi to launch the preparatory process for the UNFSS+4.
AGRA, an agency driving a food system-inspired inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa, brought together the UN Food Systems Advisory Group, high-level experts, and thought leaders to define the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the Summit. National convenors in participation shared insights on breakthroughs, priority needs, and expectations, shaping the direction of the UNFSS+4 programme.
While still at AGRA, Ms. Mohammed engaged with more than 200 staff members, commending them for their commitment to transforming African agriculture. She acknowledged AGRA’s African-led approach, which has been instrumental in scaling agricultural innovations to improve the lives of smallholder farmers.
“AGRA stands as a beacon of innovation and resilience, offering uniquely African solutions to the challenges faced by smallholder farmers,” she remarked. “Your work is not just about increasing agricultural productivity – it is about empowering communities, ensuring food security, and building sustainable livelihoods.”
Reflecting on AGRA’s achievements since its inception in 2006, she noted that its proven solutions have played a pivotal role in strengthening African food systems, improving farmer incomes, and fostering economic growth. She urged continued innovation, investment, and collaboration to accelerate progress toward sustainable agriculture and food security across the continent.
As the world faces increasing challenges in food security, UNFSS+4 represents a critical opportunity to rally global action, foster innovation, and strengthen partnerships to create sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems for the future.
The Met has launched a murder investigation after a boy was shot in Clapham.
Police were called at 15:21hrs on Tuesday, 4 March to reports of a shooting in Paradise Road, SW4.
Officers attended the scene along with London’s Air Ambulance and London Ambulance Service.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of paramedics, the 16-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers are working at pace to identify the teenager and contact his next of kin.
Superintendent Gabriel Cameron,who is leading the local policing response, said:
“This is an enormously shocking incident which I imagine will cause huge distress to the local community.
“Our thoughts are with the young boy’s family at this devastating time.
“Local officers are on the scene gathering CCTV and speaking to witnesses to piece together what has happened. They will be supported by specialist homicide investigators shortly.
“Please rest assured we will work around the clock to identify and find those responsible.”
No arrests have been made at this early stage of the investigation.
A crime scene and cordons remain in place while emergency services undertake their enquiries, which are ongoing.
If you were a witness or have any information, please call police on 101 with the reference 4116/4MAR.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 if you want to remain anonymous.
COFACE SA: Disclosure of trading in own shares (excluding the liquidity agreement) made on February 24, 2025 to February 28, 2025
Paris, 4 March 2025 – 17.45
Pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of 16 April 2014 on market abuse1
The main features of the 2024-2025 Share Buyback Program have been published on the Company’s website (http://www.coface.com/Investors/Disclosure-requirements, under “Own share transactions”) and are also described in the 2023 Universal Registration Document.
Q1-2025 results: 5 May 2025 (after market close) Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting: 14 May 2025 H1-2025 results: 31 July 2025 (after market close) 9M-2025 results: 3 November 2025 (after market close)
FINANCIAL INFORMATION This press release, as well as COFACE SA’s integral regulatory information, can be found on the Group’s website: http://www.coface.com/Investors
For regulated information on Alternative Performance Measures (APM), please refer to our Interim Financial Report for H1-2024 and our 2023 Universal Registration Document (see part 3.7 “Key financial performance indicators”).
Regulated documents posted by COFACE SA have been secured and authenticated with the blockchain technology by Wiztrust. You can check the authenticity on the websitewww.wiztrust.com.
COFACE: FOR TRADE As a global leading player in trade credit risk management for more than 75 years, Coface helps companies grow and navigate in an uncertain and volatile environment. Whatever their size, location or sector, Coface provides 100,000 clients across some 200 markets. with a full range of solutions: Trade Credit Insurance, Business Information, Debt Collection, Single Risk insurance, Surety Bonds, Factoring. Every day, Coface leverages its unique expertise and cutting-edge technology to make trade happen, in both domestic and export markets. In 2024, Coface employed ~5,236 people and registered a turnover of €1.84 billion.
COFACE SA is listed in Compartment A of Euronext Paris ISIN: FR0010667147 / Ticker: COFA
1 Also in pursuant to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016 (and updates); Article L.225-209 and seq. of the French Commercial Code; Article L.221-3, Article L.241-1 and seq. of the General Regulation of the French Market Authority (AMF); AMF Recommendation DOC-2017-04 Guide for issuers on their own shares transactions and for stabilization measures.
San Francisco, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LambdaTest, a leading cloud-based unified testing platform has announced a strategic partnership with KineticSkunk™, a pioneer in DevOps, DevSecOps, and Observability solutions. This collaboration is set to enhance software testing capabilities, improve product quality, and streamline digital transformation processes for businesses globally.
By combining LambdaTest’s cutting-edge cloud testing infrastructure with KineticSkunk™’s expertise in DevOps and DevSecOps, the partnership will empower organizations with advanced, efficient, and scalable testing solutions. The alliance also underscores a shared commitment to innovation and social responsibility, ensuring that businesses not only achieve operational excellence but also contribute to a more inclusive digital future.
“At LambdaTest, we believe that great software is built on a foundation of seamless testing and continuous innovation. Partnering with KineticSkunk™ allows us to bring that vision to life by combining our strengths in cloud testing with their deep expertise in DevOps and security. Together, we’re not just optimizing testing—we’re helping businesses ship quality software faster, smarter, and with confidence,” said Mohit Juneja, VP Strategic Sales and Partnerships, LambdaTest.
Echoing this sentiment, Donovan Mulder, Chief Executive Officer, KineticSkunk™, stated, “At KineticSkunk™, we are committed to driving innovation in DevOps, DevSecOps, and Observability to help businesses achieve seamless digital transformation. Partnering with LambdaTest allows us to extend our expertise and deliver cutting-edge testing solutions that enhance software quality, security, and speed to market. Together, we are not just shaping the future of testing—we are enabling organizations to build resilient, high-performing software ecosystems with confidence.”
As part of this strategic collaboration, LambdaTest and KineticSkunk™ hosted an exclusive round-table event in Cape Town, bringing together industry leaders to discuss key trends and challenges in software testing, automation, and DevSecOps. The event provided valuable insights into how organizations can future-proof their software development and testing strategies.
Customers and affiliates of both companies will benefit from a seamless integration of advanced testing frameworks and DevSecOps solutions, ensuring faster release cycles, enhanced security, and improved software reliability. By leveraging each other’s strengths, LambdaTest and KineticSkunk are poised to set new benchmarks in software testing and development.
About LambdaTest LambdaTest is an AI-native, omnichannel software quality platform that empowers businesses to accelerate time to market through intelligent, cloud-based test authoring, orchestration, and execution. With over 15,000 customers and 2.3 million+ users across 130+ countries, LambdaTest is the trusted choice for modern software testing.
Browser & App Testing Cloud: Enables manual and automated testing of web and mobile apps across 5,000+ browsers, real devices, and OS environments, ensuring cross-platform consistency.
HyperExecute: An AI-native test execution and orchestration cloud that runs tests up to 70% faster than traditional grids, offering smart test distribution, automatic retries, real-time logs, and seamless CI/CD integration.
KaneAI: The world’s first GenAI-native testing agent, leveraging LLMs for effortless test creation, intelligent automation, and self-evolving test execution. It integrates directly with Jira, Slack, GitHub, and other DevOps tools.
About KineticSkunk™ KineticSkunk™ is a leader in DevOps, DevSecOps, and Observability, offering tailor-made solutions for business efficiency and security. With a strong commitment to social responsibility, KineticSkunk™ develops talent from disadvantaged backgrounds into top professionals while delivering cutting-edge technology solutions that drive business success.
WASHINGTON, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A group of influential economists, entrepreneurs, and academics announced today the formation of the Private Economic Council, an organization that will advocate for small businesses and taxpayers in consultation with the Trump administration and Congress. These are high-profile supporters who will use their respective platforms as influencers to help President Trump and the GOP majority deliver for the American people.
“This is a pivotal moment in American history, and the decisions our leaders make in the coming months and years will influence the lives of the American people for generations,” said renowned economist Steve Moore. “For the first time in our lives, we have a chance to enact meaningful spending cuts, permanently reduce taxes for working Americans, and take the federal government’s thumb off the scale of our economy.”
Members of the Private Economic Council will work together to advocate for policies that expand economic freedom, incentivize growth, and reduce the burden of government on workers and business owners alike. In addition to weighing in on hot-button topics, they will propose additional policy innovations designed to advance their shared goals of economic freedom and prosperity.
“There is a genuine appetite for change in Washington right now, but we need to move quickly and decisively before this window of opportunity closes,” said Julio Gonzalez, founder and CEO of Engineered Tax Services.
“I’m pleased to be a part of this group,” said Barry Habib, a longtime entrepreneur who currently serves as CEO of MBS Highway. “We will work hard to make improvements and increase economic growth.”
“I’m proud to be a S.O.B. (son of a butcher). Only in America can sons of butchers become successful,” said Wayne Allyn Root. “This is the land of opportunity — but only because of capitalism, limited government, and low taxation and regulation. I am honored to join this prestigious group to help keep it that way.”
“Corporations spend millions of dollars on lobbyists to make sure elected officials are aware of their interests; we’re going to make sure Congress knows just as much about the interests of the workers and small business owners who are the real engine of our economy,” said Papa John’s founder John Schnatter.
About the Private Economic Council
Steve Mooreis a Senior Visiting Fellow in Economics at The Heritage Foundation. He is the founder and former president of the Club for Growth, and a former member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board. He served as a senior economic advisor to President Trump’s 2016 campaign, helping create the blueprints for the policies that unleashed a historic era of prosperity, including the Trump tax cuts.
Dave Bratis a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia who won his first term in office after defeating sitting House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the primary election. He currently serves as Dean of the Liberty University School of Business.
Barry Habibis an award-winning economist and entrepreneur who is widely credited with saving the mortgage industry from margin calls by persuading the Federal Reserve to avoid actions that could have created severe instability during the COVID pandemic in 2020. He has been a longtime contributor to both Fox News and CNBC.
Julio Gonzalezis the founder and CEO of Engineered Tax Services, the country’s largest specialty tax engineering firm. Julio helps small and mid-sized businesses take advantage of the same tax loopholes used by major corporations, and is a tireless advocate for small businesses.
Wayne Allyn Root is a CEO, businessman, best-selling author, and national conservative TV and radio host who has interviewed President Trump 16 times. He is also a nationally syndicated columnist who helped originate and popularize some of President Trump’s most popular campaign promises, such as “No Tax on Social Security benefits” and “No taxes on overtime.” Root was the 2008 Libertarian Vice-Presidential nominee.
John Schnatteris the founder of Papa John’s International, which he started in a broom closet and grew into one of the largest pizza chains in the world. He is a prolific philanthropist and outspoken advocate for entrepreneurs.
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Syncfusion®, Inc., the enterprise technology provider of choice, today announced its sponsorship of the .NET Foundation, furthering its support of open-source development and the global .NET community.
“We are thrilled to support the .NET Foundation and its mission to foster a strong and open .NET ecosystem,” said Daniel Jebaraj, CEO of Syncfusion. “We believe in the power of open-source software to drive innovation, build community, and enable developers to build exceptional applications. This sponsorship aligns with what our mission has been since the beginning: to equip developers with the best tools and resources available.”
The .NET Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that champions an innovative, commercially friendly, open-source ecosystem around the .NET platform. By supporting open-source projects with free administrative services, networking events, and educational resources, the .NET Foundation fosters sustainability, development, and collaboration within the .NET community. As a sponsor, Syncfusion will actively contribute to the foundation’s initiatives to enhance the open-source ecosystem millions of developers rely on daily.
“Syncfusion has been a key player in the .NET development space for over two decades,” said Mitchel Sellers, vice president of the .NET Foundation. “It’s contributions from sponsorship organizations like Syncfusion that help the .NET Foundation build the programs that enable our open-source project communities to grow and thrive.”
Syncfusion provides a robust suite of UI controls, data visualization tools, and enterprise-grade solutions that help developers accelerate their projects. Recently, the company announced the release of twosets of open-source .NET MAUI controls to enhance cross-platform development, with more planned for the future. The Syncfusion Toolkit for .NET MAUI, available for free in NuGet and GitHub repositories, provides developers with 19 controls to build beautiful, responsive, feature-rich applications quickly and easily. Syncfusion engineers have already strengthened the .NET MAUI platform, having resolved dozens of issues and accounted for over half of all community contributions in the first three months of their involvement.
For more information about Syncfusion and its developer tools, visit www.syncfusion.com.
About Syncfusion, Inc. Headquartered in the technology hub of Research Triangle Park, N.C., Syncfusion®, Inc. delivers an award-winning ecosystem of developer control suites, embeddable BI platforms, and business software. Syncfusion was founded in 2001 with a single software component and a mission to support businesses of all sizes—from individual developers and start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Though its pilot product, the Essential Studio® suite, has grown to over 1,900 developer controls, its mission remains the same. With offices in the U.S., India, and East Africa, Syncfusion prioritizes the customer experience by providing feature-rich solutions to help developers and enterprises solve complex problems, save money, and build high-performance, robust applications.
MIAMI, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kandji, the Apple endpoint security platform, today announced the opening of its new East Coast headquarters to further the company’s global scaling efforts, attract world-class talent, and support rapid customer growth. In addition to the East Coast headquarters in Miami, Kandji has offices in California, London, Sydney, and Japan.
Located at The Plaza Coral Gables, 2811 Ponce de Leon in Coral Gables, Fla., Kandji’s East Coast headquarters boasts nearly 30,000 square feet to accommodate the company’s sizable recruiting efforts. More than 100 new openings are available to support Kandji’s mission of empowering secure and productive global work.
“Miami is fueling the next frontier for technology advancement,” said Adam Pettit, co-founder and CEO of Kandji. “We’re thrilled to immerse ourselves in this dynamic community and look forward to welcoming its world-class talent to our expanding team. Our East Coast headquarters will not only allow us to contribute to the local economy, but will provide the space, talent, and resources to accommodate Kandji’s growth and ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to manage and secure their Apple device fleets at scale.”
Kandji’s dedication to supporting local talent development in Miami-Dade County is evident through its alignment with organizations such as: The Beacon Council, Creative Hub, Miami Tech Works, eMerge, Opportunity Miami, Miami Dade College, and more. Through these partnerships, Kandji has participated in community events, workforce development programs, and initiatives that drive local innovation.
“Miami-Dade County is redefining what it means to be a global tech hub, and Kandji’s decision to open their East Coast headquarters in Miami-Dade is proof of that transformation,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Our strategic location, diverse talent pool and pro-business environment make Miami-Dade a natural home for innovators. Collaboration with companies like Kandji drive our county’s continued growth and continue to strengthen our competitive edge as a premier tech hub.”
The opening of the East Coast headquarters follows continued company momentum for Kandji. In July 2024, the company raised $100 million in capital from General Catalyst – with $50 million allocated to equity financing for its Series D, and $50 million for go-to-market investment – bringing its total funding to over $280 million and its valuation to $850 million. Kandji has over 4,500 customers across 40+ industries, with 1,300 new customers signed in 2024. Notable customers include Canva, Deel, Twilio, Notion, and Wiz, and the company has partnerships with such industry giants as ServiceNow, AWS, and Okta. In addition, Kandji was recognized today on Forbes’ America’s Best Startup Employers 2025 list, which identified the top performing startups in the United States based on employer reputation, employee satisfaction and company growth.
Along with corporate and customer growth, Kandji continues to bring new solutions to the market to further its mission of creating an integrated platform for enterprise Apple device management and security. Most recently, Kandji announced Vulnerability Management, a new security product that helps organizations identify and remediate security vulnerabilities due to out of date software on their Mac computers, Kai, a first-of-its-kind AI device management assistant for Apple devices, and Device Management for Apple Vision Pro, a groundbreaking solution that revolutionizes how businesses deploy and manage Apple Vision Pro devices at scale.
“Kandji’s decision to establish its East Coast headquarters in Greater Miami is a testament to our region’s dynamic tech evolution,” said Rodrick T. Miller, President & CEO, Miami-Dade Beacon Council. “As one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in the country, Miami continues to attract top investors, startups, and global leaders like Apple and Kandji who are fueling this momentum. By creating 200 high-value jobs and investing in our innovation ecosystem, Kandji is further strengthening Miami’s reputation as a pro-business community where talent and companies thrive. We look forward to continuing to partner on their growth as they make themselves at home in South Florida.”
Kandji is actively recruiting for a variety of roles across engineering, product, and go-to-market. To learn more about employment opportunities at Kandji, visit https://www.kandji.io/company/careers/#open-roles.
Helpful Links
About Kandji Kandji is the Apple endpoint security platform. Kandji empowers companies to manage and secure Apple devices in the enterprise and at scale. By centrally securing and managing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, IT and InfoSec teams can save countless hours of manual, repetitive work with features like one-click compliance templates and more than 150 pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Learn more at http://www.kandji.io.
Derby City Council’s Family Hubs are holding a fantastic free event for children and young people. The first Family Hubs Festival takes place on Monday 10 March at the Museum of Making.
During the day, there’ll be loads of free fun for families with under-fives. Then, from 4pm, there will be youth activities galore for older children to enjoy.
The event kicks off at 11am in the beautiful surroundings of the Museum’s Italian Mill. There’s no need to book – parents, carers and little ones can just turn up and join in with whatever they fancy.
Together with our partners, we’ve planned a full programme of activities that will run until 3pm. These include:
Storytelling with Derby Libraries
Family Hub Programme information and taster sessions with our teams
Nature Connect Sessions with the University of Derby and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
A Family Hub treasure hunt around the museum
Creative literacy sessions with Bridge the Gap
Sensory Stay and Play for neuro-diverse children
Move Me! taster sessions with CANVAS
Health drop-in sessions with midwifery, health visitors and the infant feeding teams
Plus much more – so why not drop in and join in with the fun? Children will also be provided with a free lunch, while parents and carers can relax with a free hot drink.
Our Family Hubs aren’t just for younger children. From 4pm until 5.30pm you can discover what’s on offer for older ones too. The activities are aimed at 11-19-year-olds, but younger children are welcome to come along with their parents and carers.
There’ll be performances and a variety of workshops including music, sport, breakdancing, wellbeing, art and theatre – and it’s all free. You can even get free chips and hotdogs!
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills, said:
The Family Hubs Festival is a brilliant opportunity for Derby families to come together and discover the wealth of free support and activities available right here in our city, for our youngest children right up to teenagers.
The sheer variety of activities on offer is testament to the strength of our partnerships. From storytelling to breakdancing, health drop-ins to nature sessions, this event shows the comprehensive support our Family Hubs provide. Come along and find out what’s on offer!
The Family Hubs Festival takes place on Monday 10 March at the Museum of Making on Silk Mill Lane, Derby DE1 3AF. Families with under-fives are welcome from 11am until 3pm. From 4pm until 5.30pm, the activities will be aimed at 11-19-year-olds, but younger children can attend with a parent/carer. The free sessions are drop-in – no booking is required.
TORONTO, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iLobby, a global leader in enterprise facility and visitor management solutions, today announced the acquisition of SCLogic, a leading logistics management solution provider, and its rebrand to FacilityOS.
For over two decades, SCLogic has been at the forefront of last-yard logistics, delivering innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency, reliability, and customer satisfaction. By integrating SCLogic’s proven technology and expertise into the FacilityOS platform, the combined company is now positioned as the most comprehensive solution for facility management.
“Bringing SCLogic into FacilityOS is a game-changer for the industry,” said Ariel Mashiyev, Chairman and CEO of FacilityOS. “Facility management is evolving, and organizations need an integrated, intelligent platform to streamline operations and drive better outcomes. The addition of SCLogic’s expertise in logistics and asset management strengthens our ability to provide end-to-end solutions that improve efficiency, security, and compliance for our customers worldwide.”
“This acquisition is a significant step forward in accelerating SCLogic’s growth and enhancing the value we deliver to our customers,” said Mike Saldi, CEO of SCLogic. “Integrating our Intra solution into the FacilityOS platform creates a more robust and comprehensive offering, allowing both existing and future customers to benefit from expanded capabilities.”
A New Era: iLobby Rebrands as FacilityOS
Alongside the acquisition, iLobby has officially rebranded as FacilityOS. Originally launched in 2022, the FacilityOS platform was designed to unify iLobby’s suite of products into a single, cohesive interface. Adopting FacilityOS as the company’s name marks a pivotal milestone, reinforcing its expanded vision of delivering end-to-end facility management solutions.
“iLobby has experienced remarkable growth since its inception, evolving from a niche visitor management solution into a comprehensive, modular facility management platform,” said Mashiyev. “With offices in the United States, Canada, and Europe, we now serve over 25% of Fortune 500 companies. FacilityOS better reflects the breadth of our solutions and the dynamic, innovative company we’ve become.”
Introducing LogisticsOS & ContractorOS
Coinciding with the rebrand, FacilityOS has launched two new platform modules:
LogisticsOS – An evolution of SCLogic’s Intra platform, LogisticsOS streamlines operations across mailroom handling, central receiving, and asset management, enhancing transparency and eliminating inefficiencies.
ContractorOS – A contractor compliance management solution that centralizes documentation, automates key workflows, and ensures audit readiness, providing organizations with improved visibility and compliance confidence.
New Website & Expanded Resources
To support this transformation, the company has launched a new corporate website, www.facilityos.com. The new site provides a centralized resource for facility, asset, and visitor management, while also incorporating insights from the SCLogic acquisition.
Deployed across more than 7,000 sites worldwide, FacilityOS powers complex work environments by optimizing and automating key facility processes to achieve regulatory compliance, enforce safety protocols, improve operational efficiencies, and drive site security requirements.
The integrated FacilityOS platform is supported by robust reporting, turnkey onboarding, and extensive configurability that ensures a strong impact in many industries, such as manufacturing, industrial, healthcare, higher education, and other mission-critical environments. Each module within FacilityOS is designed to work standalone or together with other modules to maximize the impact of the platform.
FacilityOS is a global company with offices in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Learn more at www.facilityos.com.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Fitch, Lecturer and PhD Candidate in Comics and Architecture, University of Brighton
The ultimate villain of DC Comics, the Joker, has been brought to screen many times. From Cesar Romero’s 1960s camp prankster in Batman: The Movie (1966), to Jack Nicholson’s villain-with-flare in Tim Burton’s iconic Batman (1989) and Heath Ledger’s wonderfully textured psychotic criminal in The Dark Knight (2008).
Though he’s never the hero, the “crown prince of crime” usually dominates whatever film he’s in.
Other versions of the character have been less well received. Critics disliked Jared Leto’s take in Suicide Squad (2016), calling the film “shallow”, and many fans loathed his gang-style tattoos and makeup.
Joaquin Phoenix’s downtrodden schizophrenic Arthur Fleck in Joker (2019) was initially championed by audiences and critics. But the film felt disconnected from Joker’s history and more like a critique of poverty and social isolation than a comic book movie.
Phoenix’s reappearance in sequel Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) was widely panned, due to an incoherent plot and unusual choice of the jukebox musical genre.
This is the landscape that welcomes The People’s Joker, a parody film with an LGBTQ+ twist. Written by Vera Drew and Bri LeRose, and directed by and starring Drew in the lead role, it has just started a screening tour of the UK.
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Set in an alternate (unaffiliated and unofficial) DC universe, this semi-autobiographical dark comedy explores Drew’s real-life gender transition, using a fictional alter-ego, “Joker the Harlequin”. This character is used as a metaphor for the difficulties of transgender adolescence.
The film is a re-imagining of Drew’s coming of age story. She moves to Gotham City, trying to launch a comedy act in a place where comedy has been outlawed. After a poor audition, she decides to create “anti comedy”, supported by a slew of recognisable Batman villains such as the Riddler, Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy.
Alternate versions of famous characters
As the film conjures provocative versions of familiar characters – both similar and radically different to previous incarnations seen on screen – The People’s Joker is well timed to compete with changes to the official cinematic superhero universes made by Marvel and DC.
These film universes have leant into multiverse storytelling, with different versions of the same characters (such as Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland’s Spider-Men) leaving their respective universes to team-up or cause havoc.
As such, it seems apt that The People’s Joker name-checks multiple versions of Batman characters, and includes them in the same film.
The trailer for The People’s Joker.
Drew’s character is a mix of both Harley Quinn and the Joker, while a former comic-book Robin, Jason Todd, becomes a Leto-style Joker. The film uses this opportunity to satirise Leto’s characterisation including the “damaged” forehead tattoo that annoyed fans.
Drew dances to a song called Party Woman, a not-so-subtle reworking of Party Man by Prince, which soundtracked the arrival of Nicholson’s Joker in Batman (1989). The film also satirises Phoenix’s dance on a flight of steps in both of his Joker movies.
Reimagining continuity
The People’s Joker mines Batman comic lore and gleefully stirs it up. Todd announces: “Before I was Jason Todd my name was Carrie Kelley” (a young, female iteration of Robin who appeared in Frank Miller’s landmark graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns).
Old speculation around the nature of Batman and Robin’s relationship is also referenced when Todd notes that after he transitioned, Batman made a pass at him.
These name-checks and motifs are cleverly used and a perfect fit for their new context. Smylex (the Joker’s rictus grin inflicting poison) becomes a teen medication riffing on Ritalin, and metaphor for the repression of identity. This ironically also leads Drew to discover that she can use Smylex-induced humour to deflect attention from her secret identity and transition.
A film starring two different versions of the Joker has a surprising precedent. DC Comics has run a storyline since 2016 that suggested Batman had actually come up against three different Jokers. All three then teamed up in a 2020 mini-series.
This goes hand in hand with Joker: Folie à Deux, and the Gotham TV series which both suggest a new Joker will arrive when a previous one dies.
A clip from The People’s Joker.
The People’s Joker matches its anarchic content with stylistic surrealism: blurred backgrounds, extensive use of green screen, bargain basement makeup, periodic slips into animation or action figures, and CGI effects to create the rictus grins. These all give the film a hallucinogenic feel, culminating in an ending where Drew sails through the sky with fifth-dimensional imp Mister Mxyzptlk, floating between an infinite number of possible timelines.
With various superhero franchises leaning into different media, continuities and multiverses, The People’s Joker follows in the tradition of previous re-imagingings of Batman.
As many authorised comic book films are starting to feel like they’re retreading too familiar ground, hopefully the critical appreciation of this film will point towards stranger and more unique comic adaptations yet to come.
Alex Fitch previously received funding from Design Star for PhD research.
Julia Round 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.
