In order to achieve the target of “Housing for All” in rural areas, the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) with effect from 1st April, 2016 to construct 2.95 crore houses by providing assistance to eligible rural households with basic amenities. The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for “Implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) during FY 2024-25 to 2028-29” for construction of additional 2 crore rural houses.
The identification of beneficiaries under PMAY-G is based on the housing deprivation parameters and exclusion criteria prescribed under Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC)-2011 and due verification by the respective Gram Sabhas and completion of an Appellate Process. These parameters/criteria was applied on SECC 2011 database to identify eligibility of beneficiaries under PMAY-G.
There was a need to meet the new demand that arose during the intervening period and to meet gaps due to reduction in number of eligible beneficiary in SECC 2011 based Permanent Wait List (PWL). The Government conducted Awaas+ 2018 survey during January 2018 to March 2019 to identify those beneficiaries which claimed to have been left out under the SECC 2011 survey and thus prepared an additional list of potentially eligible beneficiaries. During Awaas+ survey, a total of 3.90 crore potentially eligible households were registered by the States/UTs and after remanding/verification by Gram Sabhas, a total of 2.79 crore were found potentially eligible by the States/UTs.
Of the overall mandate of 4.95 crore households, 2.105 crore beneficiary households have been allocated from SECC 2011 survey database and 1.688 crore households have been allocated from Awaas+ survey database after following due verification process by Gram Sabhas and Appellate Process thereafter.
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for implementation of the scheme for 5 more years during FY 2024-25 to 2028-29 to provide assistance for the construction of 2 crore additional rural houses. Approval has also been provided for updating the Awaas+ List for identifying eligible rural households using modified exclusion criteria under the scheme. In line with the approval of the Union Cabinet, a survey is being conducted for the identification of additional eligible rural households under the scheme. The survey is being conducted as per the modified exclusion criteria through Awaas+ 2024 Mobile App, which has already been launched on 17.09.2024.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Rural Development Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), inter-alia, is implementing Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana –National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in which Self Help Groups (SHGs) are involved. These Schemes are implemented through State Governments/UT Administrations. In addition, SHGs are being involved by other Departments/Ministries and State Government Departments dealing with rural development from time to time.
DAY-NRLM is being implemented across the country in a mission mode since 2011 with the aim to bring at least one-woman member from each rural poor household, as per the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data and process of Participatory Identification of Poor (PIP), into the fold of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and to support them to take up economic activities. As on 31st January, 2025 about 10.05 crore Women households have been mobilized into 90.90 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs). The State/UT wise details of the number of households mobilized into SHGs since 2011 under the Mission is attached at Annexure.
Under MGNREGA, SHG members are involved in the planning of works through participation in Gram Sabha projects, play the role of Social Auditors and are also engaged as worksite supervisors (mates). In addition, the Programme progressively engages Federations of Women Self-help Groups as Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) at the Gram Panchayat / Block / District level.
(b): Under DAY-NRLM, various sub-schemes like Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP), Deendayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI) are being implemented for enhancing the income on sustainable basis of the rural poor. The mission seeks to achieve its objective through investing in four core components viz., (i) social mobilization and promotion of sustainable community institutions of the rural poor (Self Help Groups-SHGs, Village Organisations-VOs, Cluster Level Federations-CLFs); (ii) financial inclusion, (iii) sustainable livelihoods; and (iv) convergence and entitlements. Accordingly, within the ambit of the mission and with the converging schemes of the other Ministries, SHG members are being facilitated for promotion of sustainable livelihoods, so that they may reach an aspirational goal of having minimum of one lakh rupee as annual income. For facilitating this initiative, a mobile application has been rolled out for surveying the income and activities of the SHG households.
The Ministry in collaboration with Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has created “SARAS Collection” as a Store Front in GeM for marketing of SHG products. Also, Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) have been entered on 2nd November, 2021 and 12th May, 2022 between Ministry and Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd. and Amazon respectively to allow the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) producers including the artisans, weavers and craftsmen to access national markets through the Flipkart Samarth programme and Amazon Saheli initiative. An MoU has also been signed by the Ministry with Patanjali on 2nd November, 2022 for collaboration in various fields including online marketing of SHGs products.
An e-Commerce platform (www.esaras.in) has also been launched by the Ministry for online marketing of SHG products. An MoU has been signed between MoRD and Fashnear Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Meesho) on February 16, 2023 and Jio Mart (Reliance Retail Ltd) on 8th Dec,2023 for onboarding and marketing of SHGs products.
Further, some States have also developed their own e-Commerce platform to support marketing of products of SHGs.
State/UT wise details of the number of households mobilized & SHGs Formed as on 31st January, 2025
Sl No
State
SHGs formed
Households Mobilized
1
Andhra Pradesh
855600
9075289
2
Assam
361516
4111020
3
Bihar
1097100
12713428
4
Chhattisgarh
276375
3068427
5
Gujarat
279758
2783006
6
Jharkhand
291601
3589607
7
Karnataka
360684
4207374
8
Kerala
271209
4002478
9
Madhya Pradesh
487291
5829972
10
Maharashtra
640719
6525549
11
Odisha
551141
5775035
12
Rajasthan
321875
3804161
13
Tamil Nadu
336764
4023939
14
Telangana
442979
4820573
15
Uttar Pradesh
842101
9509884
16
West Bengal
1192980
12251533
17
Haryana
60301
629094
18
Himachal Pradesh
45295
378542
19
Jammu & Kashmir
91445
797805
20
Punjab
52118
543246
21
Uttarakhand
65840
497777
22
Arunachal Pradesh
11730
91964
23
Manipur
11538
117457
24
Meghalaya
45312
444264
25
Mizoram
10291
85934
26
Nagaland
15419
135261
27
Sikkim
5915
56675
28
Tripura
51841
494675
29
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
1294
13194
30
Goa
3891
50735
31
Ladakh
1745
12230
32
Lakshadweep
348
4363
33
Puducherry
4744
59714
34
Daman DIU and NH
1645
16674
Total
9090405
100520879
This information was given by the Minister of State for Rural Development Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
In order to enhance the income of farmers, it is not only essential to enhance production and productivity of farm produce but also minimize the post-harvest losses and ensure better realization of prices for farmers through creation of modern post-harvest management infrastructure. With an objective to address the existing gaps in post-harvest management infrastructure in the country, the flagship scheme of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) was launched in 2020-21 to strengthen the infrastructure in the country through creation of farm gate storage and logistics infrastructure to enable farmers to store and preserve their farm produce properly and sell them in the market at better price with reduced post-harvest losses and lesser number of intermediaries. Improved post-harvest management infrastructure like warehouses, Cold stores, sorting and grading units, ripening chambers etc will allow farmers to sell directly to a larger base of consumers and hence, increase value realization for the farmers. This will improve the overall income of farmers. Further, AIF scheme aims to benefit all stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem by contributing in the holistic development of the agriculture sector. Under AIF, provision for Rs. 1 Lakh crore loan has been made through lending institutions with a interest rate cap of 9% on loans. The scheme is operational from 2020-21 to 2032-33.
All loans under this financing facility have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a loan limit of ₹2 crores. This interest subvention is available for a maximum period of 7 years. In case of loans beyond ₹2 crores, interest subvention is limited up to ₹2 crores. Credit guarantee coverage is also available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to ₹2 crores. The fee for this coverage is borne by the Government.
Budgetary support is being provided for interest subvention and credit guarantee fee as also administrative cost of PMU. This will be amount to Rs. 10,636 crores over a period of 10 years. The detailed break up is as below.
SL NO.
Name of Component
Allotted Fund Amount
1
Interest Subvention Cost
Rs. 7907Cr
2
Credit Guarantee Cost
Rs. 2629 Cr
3
Administration Cost of PMU
Rs. 100 Cr
Total
Rs. 10636 Cr
State/UT wise details of Projects approved under AIF scheme during the last three years is as below: –
(Amount in Rs Crore)
Sl.
State / UT
Sanctioned No
Sanctioned Amount
1
Madhya Pradesh
7,701
5,853
2
Maharashtra
6,860
4,151
3
Rajasthan
1,802
2,310
4
Gujarat
2,072
2,215
5
Uttar Pradesh
3,854
3,636
6
Haryana
2,704
2,108
7
Punjab
12,003
3,116
8
Telangana
1,662
2,178
9
Karnataka
2,208
2,148
10
Andhra Pradesh
680
1,116
11
West Bengal
2,537
1,441
12
Tamil Nadu
5,889
1,189
13
Chhattisgarh
814
1,008
14
Odisha
1,098
810
15
Assam
409
726
16
Bihar
848
680
17
Kerala
1,600
604
18
Uttarakhand
236
315
19
Jharkhand
225
255
20
Himachal Pradesh
347
137
21
Jammu And Kashmir
88
198
22
Delhi
7
10
23
Goa
19
10
24
Meghalaya
2
8
25
Chandigarh
2
8
26
Arunachal Pradesh
5
6
27
Tripura
5
10
28
Nagaland
0
0
29
The Dadra And Nagar Haveli And Daman And Diu
1
1
30
Puducherry
2
2
31
Manipur
3
1
32
Mizoram
0
0
33
Sikkim
0
0
34
Ladakh
0
0
35
Lakshadweep
0
0
36
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
0
0
Total
55,683
36,250
An impact assessment study of AIF was conducted by Agro Economic Research Centre, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune in December 2023 to evaluate overall performance of the scheme, primarily based on feedback from beneficiaries as well as farmers in selected states. The main findings of the study are as below.
1. Based on this study, till 26th January 2025, investment in the agri sector under AIF has generated more than 9 lakh employment opportunities. Out of the sanctioned projects, nearly 97% of the projects created are in rural areas promoting investment and employment opportunities in rural areas.
2. The average number of persons employed per unit in the peak season was found to be 11. The average was highest i.e. 27 in Rajasthan and lowest i.e. 5 in the state of Maharashtra.
3. Further, the storage infrastructure created under AIF has added nearly 550 LMT of storage capacity which includes approx. 510.6 LMT of dry storage and nearly 39.4 LMT of Cold storage capacities (as on 26.01.2025). This additional storage capacity can save up to 20.4 LMT of food grains and 3.9 LMT of horticulture produce annually.
4. The Agro processing centres created under the scheme is promoting timely value-addition of farmer’s produce resulting in increase in farmer’s income up to 20% and reduction of post-harvest losses. Custom hiring centres set up under the scheme is boosting farm mechanization and adoption of better crop residue management practices.
5. 31 percent of the AIF units have availed of government subsidies also. Thus, they have been benefitted due to Convergence under AIF.
6. For around 85 percent of the total units, availability of AIF loan was the main reason for starting the unit.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Headline: FEMA Approves More Than $614.7 Million for Recovery in Georgia
FEMA Approves More Than $614.7 Million for Recovery in Georgia
In the months since the 2024 storms, FEMA has approved more than $614.7 million in federal disaster assistance to help homeowners, renters and communities recover from Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene.This includes:$308.6 million approved for individuals and households. $306.1 million approved for community recovery.Under FEMA’s Individual Assistance program, homeowners and renters affected by the storms have received assistance for housing if they couldn’t live in their primary residence, as well as basic home repairs, personal property losses and other uninsured disaster-caused expenses.Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA provides funding for communities that need help to cover their costs for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure.These numbers will increase as FEMA continues to process the nearly 400,000 applications it has received for individual assistance and the more than 1,900 projects submitted for Public Assistance.Although the deadline for submitting applications has passed, FEMA is committed to remaining in Georgia to ensure all who are eligible for assistance receive it. jakia.randolph Tue, 02/11/2025 – 13:27
As we head towards the federal election, both sides of politics are making a point of criticising universities and questioning their role in the community.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has accused unis of focusing on “woke” issues that “just aren’t cutting it around kitchen tables”.
The Albanese government has also accused universities of being out of touch. A Labor-chaired Senate committee has just set up an inquiry into university governance, pointing to “an extraordinary range” of issues, including executive pay.
Both the Coalition and Labor want to clamp down on international student numbers, arguing they drive up city rents and threaten the integrity of Australian higher education.
The criticism goes beyond politics. Recent media coverage called the sector a “mess” and asked “is a university degree still worth it?”
No wonder newsletter Future Campus says the “hottest topic” in Australian higher education is whether universities have lost their social licence.
What is social licence?
A social licence means a community has given tacit permission for an organisation to operate. It goes beyond simple laws or regulations, and extends to the idea that a community implicitly trusts and has confidence in an organisation.
A social licence means businesses, in particular, should not ignore their responsibility to provide a social benefit to their communities. This needs to go beyond providing commodities or generating profits.
In December 2024, a state parliament review expressed concern the University of Tasmania was prioritising “commercial over community interests in its core functions”.
So there are many reasons to ask how well our universities benefit the national community, beyond their economic outputs.
But while our politicians readily line up to express concern, it is highly disingenuous to only blame universities for their standing in the community.
The situation politicians now lament is the result of a long-term, bipartisan political project, prosecuted by successive federal governments.
As a 2023 Australia Institute report found, federal government funding for universities (excluding HECS/HELP) has fallen from 0.9% of GDP in 1995 to 0.6% of GDP in 2021. Both Coalition and Labor governments have sought to reduce the sector’s costs to the budget.
The federal policy settings have shown them the way to go.
Teaching foreign students is more profitable than teaching domestic students, research collaborations with business and industry are more profitable than collaboration with communities. Increasingly, in the search for new income sources, commercial, rather than academic, considerations have driven institutional decisions.
In a competitive market, the interests of individual institutions rather than those of the nation inevitably prevail.
There has been a succession of redundancies and knowledge, learning and personnel have been lost. The losses have wound back generations of accrued cultural and educational capital for the nation.
It is no surprise public confidence in universities’ utility and legitimacy has diminished.
The most significant problem
This is not to say universities are blameless. University leaders and academics acknowledge there has been a loss of public confidence. There is also acknowledgement some of the damage is due to internal issues – such as governance failures.
But the most significant problem is the corrosive effect of several decades of commercialisation, underpinned by a political disregard for the sector’s contribution to the public good.
If political leaders are serious about arresting the erosion of our universities’ social licence, it would be helpful if they stopped behaving as if it has nothing to do with them.
Graeme Turner’s book, Broken: Universities, politics and the public good, will be published by Monash University Press in July as part of its In the National Interest series.
Graeme Turner 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.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Banks, Lecturer, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology
Debris on the surface of Mars from the Perseverance mission, captured on April 19 2022. NASA/JPL-Caltech
In his inauguration speech in January, United States President Donald Trump declared the US would “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. In 2017, in Trump’s previous term of office, he promised to “establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars”. And his billionaire adviser Elon Musk is famously obsessed with colonising the red planet.
The first spacecraft to successfully explore another planet was NASA’s Mariner 2 mission. It passed within 35,000km of Venus on December 14 1962. Since then, there have been many successful missions to explore various planets, moons, asteroids and comets in the Solar System.
But in our quest to explore celestial bodies, we risk contaminating them. And if we were to inadvertently contaminate a world that has the potential to host life – either now or in the past – that could compromise all future scientific investigations. It could also affect any life that may currently exist there.
Because of this, space agencies such as NASA take the issue of interplanetary contamination very seriously. To decrease the risk, it uses a range of methods. And scientists are developing new ways to ensure biological material from Earth doesn’t make its way onto another planet.
Two types of contamination
Interplanetary contamination refers to a scenario in which a spacecraft carries biological material from one planetary object to another. Research indicates previous missions to Mars may have contaminated it with bacterial spores from Earth.
There are two types of interplanetary contamination.
The first is when biological material from Earth is transported to another planetary object, resulting in contamination. This is known as forward contamination.
The second type is when biological material from an extraterrestrial source is brought back to Earth and contaminates Earth’s environment. This is known as back contamination.
Even before the first successful launch of a human-made object to space, scientists were talking about the importance of mitigating interplanetary contamination.
For example, at the Seventh Congress of the International Astronautical Federation in Rome in September 1956, one year before the launch of Sputnik 1, concerns were raised about the possibility of contaminating the Moon and other planetary bodies in the Solar System.
Since then, space agencies across the world have implemented strategies to safeguard missions against interplanetary contamination.
High temperatures, clean rooms and death plunges
There are several strategies to minimise forward contamination – for example, using high temperatures or chemicals to sterilise the components of a spacecraft.
Scientists and engineers also assemble spacecraft in clean rooms before launching them into space.
However, these methods have limitations. In particular, spacecraft materials can be sensitive to high temperatures. Chemicals can also tarnish metals and break down essential coatings.
Strategies are also employed at the end of planetary missions to minimise the potential for forward contamination.
For example, at the end of its 13-year journey exploring the environment around Saturn and its moons, the Cassini space probe plunged into the depths of Saturn’s atmosphere.
This so-called “death plunge” alleviated the risks of contaminating moons that could potentially host life, such as Titan and Enceladus. The extreme heat experienced by Cassini essentially incinerated the probe. This likely sterilised any potential contaminants carried by the probe from Earth.
Biological barriers
Scientists must also reduce the risk of potential back contamination on sample return missions.
For example, in the recent OSIRIS-REx sample return mission, a sample collected from near-Earth asteroid Bennu was sealed in an airtight container on its return to Earth.
This ensured no extraterrestrial material could be released into Earth’s environment in an uncontrolled way. Once scientists retrieved the return capsule from the Utah desert, they carefully transported it to a specialised facility designed for handling potentially hazardous materials.
Facilities such as these are designed with biological barriers to prevent the escape of materials or organisms into Earth’s environment.
They also function as “cleanrooms” to prevent potential forward contamination of the samples from Earth-based organisms.
The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission pictured at the Utah Test and Training Range shortly after returning to Earth. NASA/Keegan Barber
New methods
Scientists are also developing new methods to reduce the risk of interplanetary contamination.
For example, a recent paper in Nature described a method known as the “active plasma steriliser”.
This system uses plasma at low temperatures to effectively decontaminate materials in as little as 45 minutes.
This novel technology works on short timescales. And unlike previous methods that use high temperatures, it can be used on materials and spacecraft components sensitive to temperature.
We can learn a lot about the potential impact of interplanetary contamination from present and future space missions by looking at our own backyard here in Australia.
European colonisation led to the introduction of numerous invasive species, such as European rabbits in the 1800s. In turn, this led to widespread environmental damage.
Similarly, the arrival of foreign diseases following colonisation caused devastating losses among Aboriginal communities.
This demonstrates why mitigating interplanetary contamination is so important – not only to advance our understanding of the origins of life, but to protect any extraterrestrial environments that could harbour life.
Kirsten Banks 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.
Question for written answer E-000472/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR), Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain (PfE), Christine Singer (Renew), Filip Turek (PfE)
Nutrition education is vital for fostering healthier lifestyles and addressing the growing challenges of eating disorders and diabetes. Nowadays, unfortunately, most people rely on social media for nutrition information.
Nordic countries include nutrition in health education and home economics classes, integrating practical skills and nutritional science.
Similarly, Japan’s shokuiku programme emphasises hands-on experience with food, instilling healthy habits from an early age.
Curricula that incorporate nutrition courses can equip students with the knowledge they need to make informed dietary choices, fostering long-term healthy living and reducing healthcare costs. Adopting nutrition education could help to:
– address disparities in dietary knowledge and access to information;
– effectively tackle obesity and food waste in Europe;
– support the EU’s commitment to promoting health and well-being under the Farm to Fork Strategy, which aims to create sustainable and equitable food systems;
– invest in Europe’s future, given that healthier children are more likely to succeed academically, thrive socially and grow into adults who contribute positively to their communities.
Can the Commission say:
1.whether it intends to promote the exchange of best practices in nutrition-related education in the EU, in accordance with Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union?
2.whether it is planning additional initiatives to promote education about healthy nutrition?
Democracy is a core value of the EU with free and fair elections at its heart. Member States are responsible for organising elections according to national constitutional rules, legislation, international obligations, and EU law.
The Digital Services Act (DSA)[1] contains regulatory means for scrutinising the risks around the design, functioning, or the use made of very large online platforms and search engines , including the dissemination of illegal content, or to any negative effects on civic discourse and electoral processes.
In the context of the Romanian Presidential elections, following the analysis of TikTok’s risk assessment reports, TikTok’s replies to the Commission’s requests for information[2], as well as third-party reports and internal Commission testing and evidence collection, the Commission opened a third set of proceedings against TikTok[3] based on suspected infringements of the DSA concerning systemic risks to civic discourse and electoral processes.
Additionally, the Commission issued a ‘retention order’ to TikTok[4], ordering to freeze and preserve data related to actual or foreseeable systemic risks its service could pose on electoral processes and civic discourse in the EU.
In these proceedings, the Commission will investigate TikTok’s compliance with DSA obligations on the assessment and mitigation of systemic risks[5] related to civic discourse and electoral processes stemming from the intentional manipulation of TikTok’s services, including its recommender systems, and the dissemination of political advertisements and paid-for political content, despite prohibition of such advertisements and content in TikTok’s terms and conditions.
[1] Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market for Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act) (Text with EEA relevance) PE/30/2022/REV/1. OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1-102.
[2] The Commission sent requests for information on 2 October, 29 November and 5 December 2024 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses
with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
Diana Riba i Giner, Catarina Vieira, Maria Ohisalo, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Ville Niinistö on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.
B10‑0128/2025
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities in particular
–having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,
A.whereas the National Assembly approved a constitutional reform establishing a co-presidency, eliminating all guarantees of separation of powers and political pluralism, eliminating the right to strike, the explicit prohibition of torture and weakening essential procedural guarantees;
B.whereas the ongoing deterioration of fundamental rights takes place in a context of an increasingly repressive regulatory framework, systematic persecution, criminalization, harassment, police hounding and acts of repression; whereas attacks on freedom of expression, conscience and religion have intensified;
C.whereas over 450 people have been deprived of Nicaraguan nationality;
D.whereas since April 2018, the Nicaraguan authorities have cancelled over 5,600 NGOs;
1.Is deeply concerned by the changes introduced by the constitutional reform which seriously impacts the guarantees of future free and fair elections; urges the authorities to review this reform in order to guarantee rule of law and the separation of the executive, legislative, electoral and judicial branches;
2.Condemns the systematic repression against the opposition, indigenous people, students, NGOs and religious leaders; condemns the use of the criminal law to persecute opponents, to suppress any criticism or opposition; calls on the Nicaraguan authorities to cease politically motivated persecution, criminalization, arbitrary detention;
3.Condemns the provisions institutionalizing the state’s power to strip citizens’ nationality for the broadly defined crime of treason; condemns the arbitrary deprivation of Nicaraguan citizenship for at least 450 individuals; urges the Nicaraguan authorities to ensure full access to and enjoyment of the right to nationality to all, and to take measures to prevent and eradicate statelessness; urges the Nicaraguan authorities to guarantee family reunification, facilitating the issue and validity of basic official documentation in order for those affected by the violations to be able to exercise citizenship rights;
4.Calls for the immediate release of the 45 remaining political prisoners;
5.Supports the renewal of the Human Rights Council’s Group of Expert on Nicaragua;
6.Calls on the Nicaraguan authorities to guarantee the life and integrity of human rights defenders who remain in Nicaragua; highlights the key role played by civil society, human rights defenders, journalists and religious leaders in Nicaragua; calls on the EU to increase support for those still in the country and currently in exile;
7.Is particularly worried by the impact of the US aid freeze on programs and NGOs in Nicaragua;
8.Urges the EU to hold the Nicaraguan authorities accountable including through Universal Jurisdiction cases, for repression in the country and to explore international mechanisms to hold Nicaraguan authorities accountable for violations of the 1961 convention on the reduction of statelessness and the 1984 convention against torture;
9.Supports the efforts of the EU Delegations to closely monitor developments that are taking place in Nicaragua, including trial monitoring and visiting political prisoners in prison or under house arrest;
10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, the Central American Parliament and the authorities of the Republic of Nicaragua.
with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law pursuant to Rule 150 of the Rules of Procedure
Sebastiaan Stöteler, Marieke Ehlers, Jaroslav Bžoch, Roberto Vannacci, Susanna Ceccardi on behalf of the PfE Group
NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.
Document selected :
B10-0115/2025
Texts tabled :
B10-0115/2025
Texts adopted :
B10‑0115/2025
Motion for a European Parliament resolution onthe recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Türkiye
having regard to its previous resolutions on Türkiye,
–having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,
whereashuman rights and the rule of law continue to deteriorate in Türkiye; whereas Turkish authorities have increasingly dismissed and replaced elected mayors and stepped up investigations and detentions of opposition figures, raising concerns about a growing crackdown on dissent against the government; whereas increasingly CHP and pro-Kurdish DEM Party mayors have been arrested and ousted, including for alleged terrorism ties and for alleged tender rigging;
whereas a judicial probe has been launched against the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), a reported future presidential challenger; whereas Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a prison term of up to seven years and four months, for charges including insulting a public official and threatening and targeting people tasked with counter-terrorism;
whereas the CHP has criticised the Istanbul prosecutor and the judiciary of being a tool used by President Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (AKP) to silence opposition; whereas in the municipal elections held in March 2024, the AKP suffered heavy losses; whereas Türkiye’s Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc has dismissed the accusation that the judiciary is politicised;
whereas President Erdogan and Turkish senior officials have met with senior members of EU-listed terror organisations, such as Hamas, andTürkiyehas provided passports and identity cards to Hamas members;whereas Türkiyehas openly expressed support for Hamas’ mission and movement;whereasTürkiyehas donated hundreds of millions of euros to Hamas and has increased its support tothe organisation since the 7 October 2023 Hamas massacre and kidnapping of Israelis;
D.whereas in 1987, Türkiye applied to join the European Economic Community, and in 1999 was eligible to join the EU; whereas Accession negotiations started in 2005, but have been stalled by the Council due toTürkiye’s continued backsliding in the functioning of the democratic system, respect for fundamental rights and judicial independence; whereas in 2013, a visa liberalisation dialogue was launched, however, several outstanding benchmarks byTürkiye still remain;
Expresses concern about the dismissal and arrests of mayors in Türkiye and calls on the Turkish government and authorities to cease its practice, including the end of judicial harassment against critics of the Turkish government and authorities;
Stresses thattheTurkish authorities must respect the democratic outcomes of elections andcalls for the politically motivated charges againstarrested mayors to be dropped;
Calls on the Commission and the Council to consider terminating negotiations regarding Türkiye’s accession to the EU and ceasing all pre-accession funding; stresses thatTürkiyeis not a European country;
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Parliaments of Member States and the Turkish Government and Parliament.
with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
Sebastião Bugalho, Željana Zovko, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Gabriel Mato, David McAllister, Vangelis Meimarakis, Wouter Beke, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Tomáš Zdechovský, Mirosława Nykiel, Jessica Polfjärd, Luděk Niedermayer, Jan Farský, Andrey Kovatchev, Inese Vaidere on behalf of the PPE Group
NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.
B10‑0126/2025
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities in particular
–having regard to its previous resolutions on Nicaragua, in particular, the one of 15 September 2022 on the arrest of the bishop Rolando Álvarez,
–having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A.whereas since 2018, the Nicaraguan regime systematically and arbitrarily incarcerated and persecuted presidential pre-candidates, opposition leaders, religious leaders – mainly Catholic-, journalists, human rights defenders, civil society organisations (CSOs), business representatives, among others; whereas since 2018, 245 members of the clergy were either arbitrarily arrested or expelled, including Bishop Rolando Álvarez, Sakharov Prize finalist;
B.whereas on August 2024, the Ortega-Murillo regime disbanded 1,500 CSOs, among those affected are numerous religious groups mainly Catholic, bringing the total number of organisations that the regime has shut down by the regime to over 5000 since 2018;
C.whereas on 30 January 2025, constitutional reforms were approved, giving the Ortega-Murillo regime absolute power and further dismantling the separation of powers; whereas this reform allows the regime to strip the nationality dissident voices within the country and to impose tighter control over the media and the Church;
1.Strongly condemns the Nicaraguan regime’s widespread perpetration of systematic human rights violations against its population, democratic opposition, students, CSOs, and the persecution of the Catholic Church;
2.Rejects the constitutional reform, as it is regressive in terms of human rights, institutionalising a totalitarian regime that is incompatible with the characteristics of a modern democratic state;
3.Requests the Nicaraguan regime to implement the recommendations made by the GHREN, as well as those of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;
4.Calls for the EU and its Member States to include specific guarantees of compliance with human rights regarding European funds allocated, including through multilateral and financial institutions such as the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, and to carry out strict monitoring to ensure that they do not contribute to strengthening the Nicaraguan regime;
5.Urges the EU to increase support for members of the Nicaraguan opposition and CSOs in exile, and to support countries receiving migrants fleeing Nicaragua, like Costa Rica;
6.Highlights the key role played by CSOs, human rights defenders, the Church and journalists in Nicaragua; asks the EU to reinforce their regular dialogue with them and strengthen mechanisms to support their vital work;
7.Calls on the EU Member States and the UN Security Council, in accordance with the Rome Statute, to open investigations through the International Criminal Court into Nicaragua and Daniel Ortega for crimes against humanity;
8.Reiterates its demand that the democratic clause of the Association Agreement be triggered; rejects any prospect of holding any dialogue thought the Joint-Parliamentary Committee that includes members of the regime-controlled Nicaraguan National Assembly;
9.Reiterates its call to expand the list of sanctioned individuals and entities to include Ortega and his inner circle;
10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, Commission, the VP/HR, EU Member States, the Organization of American States, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, the PARLACEN, and the Nicaraguan authorities.
In January 2025, short-range drones caused more casualties than any other weapon in Ukraine, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said in a new report released on Tuesday.
With increasing reports of these drones striking civilians in cars, on buses and on public streets, UN monitors have raised serious concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law.
According to HRMMU’s latest monthly update on the protection of civilians, at least 139 were killed and 738 injured in Ukraine last month. Attacks using short-range drones accounted for almost 30 per cent of these incidents.
“Short-range drones now pose one of the deadliest threats to civilians in frontline areas,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU.
Terror in the skies
The mission reports that 95 per cent of casualties from short-range drones in January occurred in territory controlled by Ukraine, with the remaining five per cent in areas occupied by Russia.
Many of the attacks involved first-person-view drones, that is, drones equipped with real time cameras, allowing operators to identify and track their targets with precision.
While such technology should, in theory, enable drone operators to distinguish between military and civilian targets, the UN’s findings suggest otherwise.
“Our data shows a clear and disturbing pattern of short-range drones being used in ways that put civilians at grave risk,” Ms. Bell noted.
Deadly incidents on the frontline
The new year brought no respite in frontline regions but rather an escalation and even expansion of the fighting.
Casualties due to short-range drones were responsible for 70 per cent of civilian deaths in the Kherson region, which suffered the highest number of casualties.
One of the most shocking incidents took place on 6 January, when a drone targeted a public transit bus in Kherson City during rush hour. The attack killed a man and a woman and injured eight others.
HRMMU also recorded an increase in drone-related casualties in other frontline regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
First-hand account of strikes
Survivors have described the moments leading up to these attacks with harrowing detail.
A civilian from Mykolaiv recounted how a small drone circled above his head before diving directly at him while he was working in his home’s garden.
“I realised that I did not have time to hide. I dropped to the ground and covered my head with my hands,” he told HRMMU.
“The blast wave tore off all my clothes. I somehow instinctively tried to protect my eyes. This saved my eyesight, because after the drone explosion, the backs of my palms were covered with small metal fragments, which surgeons later removed.My wedding ring was so pressed into my finger that they had to saw it off to remove it from my finger,” he continued.
A disturbing trend
HRMMU’s data shows a sharp increase in civilian casualties from short-range drones throughout 2024, with a particularly alarming spike in the last six months.
“The on-board cameras should allow operators to distinguish with a higher degree of certainty between civilians and military objectives”, Ms. Bell said, “yet civilians continue to be killed in alarming numbers”.
As Ukraine’s conflict continues, UN monitors have reiterated calls for all parties to take immediate measures to safeguard civilians, in line with international humanitarian principles.
The Government will prioritise delivery of upgrades to SH76 Brougham Street in Christchurch as a Road of Regional Significance, including an overbridge between Collins and Simeon Streets, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.
“The Government is committed to delivering transport infrastructure that boosts economic growth and productivity, reduces congestion, and creates a safer and more reliable transport network for people, vehicles, and freight,” Mr Bishop says.
“Carrying over 45,000 vehicles per day, SH76 Brougham Street is a critical route servicing the commercial, industrial, and residential areas south of Christchurch. It is also the main freight route to the South Island’s largest port at Lyttleton.
“In May last year, the Government confirmed funding for the pre-implementation phase only for this project. This funding ensured a no-frills and value for money approach to design could be completed by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), and strategic property purchases and consenting work could continue in parallel.
“Cabinet has now confirmed funding will be provided by the Crown to NZTA to deliver this important Road of Regional Significance, with construction to begin by mid-2025, subject to statutory approvals. The overbridge is expected to be completed within two years, and wider improvements started once property and consenting requirements are completed.
“The intersection upgrades and other interventions along the corridor will improve efficiency and safety as well as making travel times more reliable.
“Once completed, the overbridge will enable local residents and school children to safely cross over the highway, rather than using the existing level crossing, as well as improving travel time reliability for freight going to and from the port.
“Prioritising the delivery of roading investment across New Zealand is part of our plan to boost economic growth, and I look forward to construction starting on the SH76 Brougham Street upgrades as soon as possible.
“Overall funding will be confirmed once a contractor has been appointed.”
Notes to Editor
Cabinet has confirmed funding will be provided by the Crown to the NZ Transport Agency to deliver the SH76 Brougham Street upgrades.
This funding will be a drawn down from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2024 to enable the NZ Transport Agency to bring forward priority projects that would otherwise be phased to begin from 2027 onwards.
Overall funding to deliver the SH76 Brougham Street upgrades will be confirmed publicly once a contractor is in place to deliver the project.
The Delhi Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate had seized 203 sheets of high-quality paper with embedded security thread having inscriptions of ‘RBI’ and ‘Bharat’. The consignment had arrived from Hong Kong in on 24.01.2025 at New Courier Terminal (NCT), Delhi. Considering the economic security ramifications, the case was taken over by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on 03.02.2025 for further investigation.
In a swift follow up action, the DRI arrested two persons found to be the actual importers of such currency paper in Ghazipur District, Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru, Karnataka. The intended recipient/buyer of such paper was also apprehended by the DRI in Rajasthan on 09.02.2025, who admitted to having previously purchased currency paper from the importer for the purpose of printing fake Indian Currency Notes. Search of his residential premises in Bhiwani district, Haryana led to recovery of various incriminating evidences including a printer and partially printed fake Indian currency notes. Accordingly, the matter was handed over to the Haryana Police for further action and investigation for offences under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
As part of the same operation, the DRI intercepted two more persons in Thane district, Maharashtra, along with various incriminating evidences such as photoshop files with different typeset of the Rs. 500 currency notes, currency paper with security thread etc. The matter was handed over to the Maharashtra Police for further action under BNS.
Both the persons in Thane and one person in Haryana, who were found to be engaged in printing FICN, have been arrested by the Maharashtra and the Haryana Police respectively. FIRs have also been registered in both cases under BNS on the basis of complaint made by DRI officers.
Exciting news for artisans! Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is opening doors for weavers and rural entrepreneurs from every corner of India to showcase their work at Bharat Tex 2025 From aspiring artists to skilled artisans: DIC provides a platform for you to shine at Bharat Tex 2025 with innovative digital tools & eCommerce marketplace.
If you’re a modern-era creative with a passion for weaving, Computer-Aided Textile Designing (CAD) software is here to transform your craft
Posted On: 11 FEB 2025 6:57PM by PIB Delhi
If you have a passion for Indian craftsmanship but struggling to find a platform, this is your moment!
Whether you’re a budding artist with a creative vision or a skilled artisan looking to expand your reach, these tools and platforms by Digital India Corporation (DIC) will bridge the gap, giving you the opportunity to showcase your talent and thrive in the digital era.
Digital India Corporation (DIC),under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is featuring its initiatives at Bharat Tex 2025, India’s largest global textile event.
Through three key projects and the BharatKeKaarigar campaign, DIC is helping artisans reach a larger audience, celebrate their craft and share the stories behind their handmade products.
Bharat Tex 2025 will take place from February 12–15, 2025 at India Exposition Mart, Greater Noida and February 14–17, 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Please join the occasion to celebrate the fusion of tradition and technology, empowering artisans and weavers for a brighter, more inclusive future.
Empowering artisans through digital transformation
Digital India Corporation (DIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has been at the forefront of India’s digital transformation. By leveraging the latest technology and fostering digital empowerment, DIC has strengthened the nation’s e-commerce landscape and enhanced opportunities for artisans, weavers and rural entrepreneurs in the handloom and handicraft sector.
Three major projects will be highlighted at Stall No. 12-A27 in Hall No. 12, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, underscoring the government’s dedication to innovation, sustainability and economic empowerment in the textile sector:
Indiahandmade.com
Indiahandmade.comis an eCommerce marketplace exclusively for Indian handloom and handicraft products. Its user-friendly interface, secure transactions and seller support mechanisms promote ease of doing business. The platform has a listing of more than 2,500 artisans and weavers and 15,000 products, providing them with an exclusive e-marketplace to sell their products directly across India.
DigiBunai™
This is an open-source CAD software, facilitating digital transformation of textile design processes. Offering learning and usability platforms free of cost optimises pre-loom design creation, enhances livelihood opportunities and promotes self-employment in the handloom industry. Currently, DigiBunai™ boasts over 7,000 beneficiaries across 28 States and 6 Union Territories in India.
CAD bridges the gap between artistry and innovation, empowering weavers to bring their creative visions to life.
eSaras.in
This isan eCommerce platform designed to uplift rural livelihoods by showcasing authentic handcrafted products from self-managed Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and federated institutions. With categories ranging from home and living to personal care and food items, eSaras ensures fair remuneration to artisans and eliminates price manipulation by middlemen.
BharatKeKaarigarsocial and digital media campaign
As Bharat Tex 2025 approaches, Digital India Corporation has also begun a #BharatKeKaarigar social and digital media campaign that connects consumers with the stories and traditions behind each handmade piece, fostering a sense of pride and appreciation for Indian craftsmanship.
Digital India Corporation (DIC)
Digital India Corporation (DIC) is a not-for-profit organization established by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013. IC plays a pivotal role in advancing India’s digital transformation by developing and deploying Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions aimed at benefiting the common man.
Financial regulators will update their guidance to make it easier for Australians with a HELP debt to responsibly take out a mortgage and buy a home, and also unlock the construction of more units, following a request from the Albanese Government.
We’re tackling this housing challenge from every possible angle.
These are commonsense changes that will help more Australians into a home.
I’ve agreed these changes in discussions with regulators and convened the banks to discuss them.
People with a HELP debt should be treated fairly when they want to buy a house and we’re working with the regulators to make sure they are.
By unlocking more finance from the banks we’ll see more housing projects get off the ground more quickly.
Currently, a barrier for young Australians to get into the housing market is the reluctance of banks to give them a mortgage.
The ABA has indicated that one reason for this uncertainty is the interpretation of lending regulations and guidance by APRA and ASIC.
APRA has confirmed it will start consultation soon on the treatment of HELP debts in serviceability requirements and debt reporting.
ASIC has confirmed it will move to quickly implement changes to its guidance on the treatment of HELP debts, following targeted consultation.
The government has also asked APRA to update and clarify its regulatory guidance to help unlock the construction of more units.
Some lenders have interpreted advice issued by APRA in 2017, that finance for construction of new unit blocks should depend on all properties being pre-sold. Lenders have indicated this is a barrier to financing.
The interpretation of this guidance as “100% pre-sales” by some lenders has limited housing supply, as smaller developers often don’t have the capital to finance the start of construction without support from the banks.
APRA has confirmed it will communicate to banks that while it expects banks to consider the extent of presales as part of prudent credit risk management, APRA does not expect 100% pre-sales.
ASIC has confirmed it will move to quickly implement changes to its guidance on responsible lending laws.
Helping more Australians into homes is one of the Albanese Government’s highest priorities.
This is all part of our comprehensive Homes for Australia plan which includes the biggest home building program of any government in history.
Peter Dutton’s cuts to housing would mean fewer homes when Australia desperately needs more.
Work is progressing well on eight former garage sites across Coventry.
Housing association, Citizen, is working with Excelsior Land and LoCaL Homes with support from Coventry City Council to build 19 properties at eight sites across the city including Whoberley, Stoke Aldermoor, Bell Green, Holbrooks and Cheylesmore.
The homes are being built using timber frames which is a modern method of construction. The frames are built in the LoCaL factory in Walsall and are transported to the sites in Coventry where they are then assembled and built by Excelsior Land.
There are several benefits to using timber frames including speed of build and sustainability – a new tree is planted for every tree that is felled to build the timber frame and there is very little waste.
Councillor Naeem Akhtar from Coventry City Council said: “I was really impressed when I saw the way the homes are built. I visited the site on Henley Road in Bell Green and saw a derelict site now set to provide homes for families in Coventry.
“There is a real need for good homes in Coventry, and as a partnership with Citizen, this highlights our commitment to find innovative ways of building houses where they are most needed.
“Social housing is a real priority for the Council, and I’m delighted to see the progress that Citizen and other partners are making on the garage sites. I spoke to the workers on the site, and they are impressed with speed the properties go up and how little waste is generated.”
Executive Director of Development at Citizen, Nick Byrne, said: “Work is progressing really well on our garage sites across Coventry.
“We’re working with our partners to provide much needed housing in the area alongside transforming former garage sites.
“Using timber frames as a Modern Method of Construction at this site will help produce less carbon dioxide emissions as opposed to traditional brick. The homes are also assembled on site quickly which means they can be built at a much faster pace compared to traditional build.
“We also chose timber frames for the garage sites as they have limited access and space to store materials, so by using this construction method the homes were able to be built effectively.
“At Citizen we are committed to working with our partners to make a positive difference to our customers and are looking forward to seeing these homes progress.”
The homes at the sites will be a mix of one and three bed houses as well as one and two bed bungalows.
Katie O’Cearbhhaill from Excelsior Land said: “Excelsior Land are delighted to be partnering with Citizen to provide much needed homes in the Coventry area. All of the homes we create are low carbon and this scheme is no exception.
“We pride ourselves on working with our clients to regenerate local communities, and reduce crime hotspots by transforming these challenging garage sites into first class accommodation for the local residents. We are currently running 13% ahead of our programme schedule and attribute this to the positive partnership and proactive collaboration between Citizen Housing Group, LoCaL Homes and Excelsior Land.
“Regenerating local communities using brown field sites is important to Excelsior Land and we look forward to carrying out many more projects like this!”
Mike Doolan, Sales and Partnership Manager at LoCaL Homes added: “We are delighted to be working with Citizen, Coventry City Council and Excelsior Land to deliver 19 new, thermally-efficient home which will meet a variety of housing need across the city.
“Our off-site manufactured Eco-200 timber frame solutions, complete with brick slips, reduce construction time on site and produce less waste when compared to traditional building methods. This brings both environmental benefits and results in quicker handovers. The future occupants will be paying, on average, lower fuel bills thanks to the thermal-efficiency of our fabric-first approach.”
Professor Tania N. Valdez, a George Washington University Law School faculty member and an attorney who has represented immigrants for more than a decade, will speak about “Immigration Law and the New Presidential Administration’’ next month.
Her March 11 virtual presentation is part of the School of Business’ Equity Now speaker series and it will be livestreamed at 6 p.m. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the university are welcome to participate.
“Our nation’s focus on immigration enforcement has increased in the last few decades, and although I’m not sure I would have predicted it being this dramatic, it has all been leading to this moment,’’ Valdez said.
More Immigrants Moving to America in Last 60 Years
Professor Tania Valdez (Contributed Photo)
For decades, the U.S. has welcomed more immigrants than any other country, and is currently home to approximately one-fifth of the world’s international immigrants, according to the Pew Research Center. The U.S. foreign-born population reached more than 47 million in 2023, composing about 14 percent of the total population. In contrast, in 1970, the immigrant population was about 4.7 percent of the total population. According to 2022 records, the largest population of U.S. immigrants were from Mexico, India, China, the Philippines, and El Salvador.
While the Biden Administration had a more immigrant-friendly policy, President Trump campaigned on a platform of immigration reform and deportation. Since taking office in January, he has essentially shut down the American asylum system, empowered ICE agents to make sweeping arrests, and assigned the Pentagon to assist with border enforcement.
Birthright Citizenship, ICE Enforcement, and Business Impact
Valdez will examine myths and truths about immigration policy, explore current events relating to immigration, including birthright citizenship, and identify the consequences of an aggressive immigration policy on individuals, businesses, and the American economy.
One of the topics that Valdez is passionate about is birthright citizenship, a constitutional right that guarantees that most people born in the United States automatically become U.S. citizens, regardless of their parents’ country of origin. A recent executive order by the Trump administration attempts to repeal that policy. Valdez will address the constitutionality of that order and the likely effects it will produce.
She will also speak about mass deportation and detention. Her research highlights the inadequacies of protections for noncitizens in removal proceedings, particularly in the current era of aggressive immigration enforcement.
“We’ve all heard about ICE enforcement and raids, and I’d like to talk about what it means for the immigration system as a whole and what rights and protections are afforded to immigrants through proceedings,’’ she said. “In the last month, there has been a ratcheting up of public displays of immigration enforcement and widespread fear about raids. By March 11, we will probably know more about the extent to which it’s actually happening.’’
Valdez also hopes to address the impact of immigration enforcement on business, such as agriculture. “To date we’ve seen masses of people not showing up for work because they are afraid,’’ she said. “We have crops rotting in the fields. Agriculture did not have enough workers to begin with, and now it is far, far worse.’’
The Equity Now Speaker Series is produced by the UConn School of Business in coordination with the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, Virginia Tech, Indiana University, and Temple University. This is the third of five programs during the 2024-25 academic year. To register for the program, please visit our Webex registration link
In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia on Feb. 01, 2025. The joint airstrikes targeted senior ISIS-Somalia leadership in a series of cave complexes approximately 50 miles southeast of Bosaso.
The command’s current assessment is that approximately 14 ISIS-Somalia operatives were killedand no civilians were harmed. Among those killed was Ahmed Maeleninine, a key ISIS recruiter, financier, and external operations leader responsible for the deployment of jihadists into the United States and across Europe.
Degrading ISIS and other terrorist organizations’ ability to plot and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our partners, and civilians remains central to U.S. Africa Command’s mission.
WASHINGTON – Christina Marie Chapman, 48, of Litchfield Park, Arizona, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. in connection with a scheme that assisted overseas IT workers—posing as U.S. citizens and residents—in working at more than 300 U.S. companies in remote IT positions. The scheme generated more than $17 million in illicit revenue for herself and for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea).
The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; FBI Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Perez of the Phoenix Field Office, and IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office.
Chapman pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2025. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the parties will jointly recommend that the Court impose a sentence of 94 to 111 months in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, Chapman, an American citizen, conspired with overseas IT workers from October 2020 to October 2023 to steal the identities of U.S. nationals and used those identities to apply for remote IT jobs and, in furtherance of the scheme, transmitted false documents to the Department of Homeland Security. Chapman and her coconspirators obtained jobs at hundreds of U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 corporations, often through temporary staffing companies or other contracting organizations.
Chapman received and hosted computers from the U.S. companies, creating a “laptop farm” at her home, so that the companies would believe the workers were in the United States. As a result of Chapman’s assistance, the overseas IT workers gained access to the internal systems of the U.S. companies.
Chapman’s overseas IT workers received more than $17.1 million for their work. Much of the income was falsely reported to the IRS and Social Security Administration in the names of actual U.S. individuals whose identities had been stolen.
As a result of the conduct of Chapman and her conspirators, more than 300 U.S. companies were impacted, more than 70 identities of U.S. person were compromised, on more than 100 occasions false information was conveyed to DHS, and more than 70 U.S. individuals had false tax liabilities created in their name.
This case was investigated by the FBI Counterintelligence Division, the FBI Phoenix Field Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and IRS Criminal Investigation Phoenix Field Office with assistance from the FBI Chicago Field Office.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Prosecutors Joshua Rothstein, Karen Seifert, Thomas Gillice, and Trial Attorney Ashley Pungello of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section provided valuable assistance.
Headline: Safer Internet Day 2025: Tackling abusive AI-generated content risks
Every year, Safer Internet Day provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on the state of online safety – how far we’ve come and how we can continue to improve. For almost a decade, Microsoft has marked the occasion by releasing research on how individuals of all ages perceive and experience risk online.Last year, we highlighted the growing importance of AI. This year, in our ninth Global Online Safety Survey, we’ve dug deeper to understand how people view and are using this technology, plus how well they can identify AI-generated content.
Our findings show that while there has been a global increase in AI users (51% have ever used compared to 39% in 2023), worries about the technology have also increased: 88% of people were worried about generative AI, compared to 83% last year. Further, our data confirms that people have difficulty in identifying AI generated content, which may amplify abusive AI content risks.
Announcing new resources to empower the responsible use of AI
At Microsoft, we are committed to advancing AI responsibly to realize its benefits. Fundamental to this is the work we do to build a strong safety architecture and to safeguard our services from abuse. Unfortunately, we know that the creation of harmful content is one of the ways in which AI can be subject to abuse, which is why we are taking acomprehensive approachto addressing this issue. That approach includes public awareness and education – and this year’s research underscored the need for media literacy and guidance on the responsible use of AI. Building on the launch of ourFamily Safety Toolkitlast year, we’re pleased to announce new resources:
Partnership with Childnet: We are proud to partner with Childnet, a leading UK organization dedicated to making the internet a safer place for children. Together, we are developing educational materials aimed at preventing the misuse of AI, such as the creation of deepfakes. These resources will be available to schools and families, providing valuable information on how to protect children from online risks. This partnership underscores our comprehensiveapproachto tackling non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) risks, including through education for teens.
Minecraft “CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper”: We are thrilled toannouncethe release of“CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper,”a new educational game in Minecraft and Minecraft Education that focuses on the responsible use of AI. This game is designed to engage young minds and foster curiosity while teaching important lessons about AI in a safe and controlled game environment. Players will embark on exciting adventures, solving puzzles and challenges that highlight the ethical considerations of AI and prepare them to navigate real-world digital safety scenarios at home and at school. While the player doesn’t engage with generative AI technology directly through the game, they will work through challenges and scenarios that simulate use of AI and learn how to use it responsibly. “Dig Deeper” is the fourth installment in a series of CyberSafe worlds from Minecraft created in partnership with Xbox Family Safety that have been downloaded more than 80 million times.
AI Guide for Older Adults: We are also proud to partner with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP, whose programs and partners collectively engage over 500,000 older adults each year with free technology and AI training. As part of the partnership, OATS released an AI Guide for Older Adults that helps people age 50+ understand the benefits and risks of AI, including guidance on staying safe. Training for OATS call center staff to handle AI-related questions is also helping increase older adults’ confidence in their ability to use the technology and spot scams.
Additional resources for educators to help students navigate the digital world can be foundhere.
A deeper dive into this year’s Global Online Safety Survey findings
As the digital landscape evolves, we adapt our global survey questions to reflect these changes. This year, we identified an opportunity to quiz people on their ability to identify AI-generated content using images fromMicrosoft’s “Real or Not” quiz. We asked respondents about their confidence in spotting deepfakes before and after looking at a series of images. We found 73% of respondents admitted that spotting AI-generated images is hard, and only 38% of images were identified correctly. We also asked people about their concerns: common worries about generative AI included scams (73%), sexual or online abuse (73%) and deepfakes (72%).
Our research also shows that people worldwide continue to be exposed to a variety of online risks, with 66% exposed to at least one risk over the last year. You can find the full results, including additional data on teen and parent experiences and perceptions of life onlinehere.
Reaffirming our commitment to online safety
Our approach at Microsoft is centered on empowering users by advancing safety and human rights. We know we have a responsibility to take steps to protect our users from illegal and harmful online content and conduct, as well as to contribute to a safer online ecosystem. We also have a responsibility to protect human rights, including critical values such as freedom of expression, privacy, and access to information. At Microsoft, we achieve this balance through carefully tailoring our safety interventions across our different consumer services, depending on the nature of the service and of the harm.
Our approach to advance online safety has always been grounded in privacy and free expression. We advocate for proportionate and tailored safety regulations, supporting risk-based approaches while cautioning against over-broad measures that hinder privacy or freedom of speech. We will continue to engage closely with policymakers and regulators around the world on ways to tackle the biggest risks, especially to children, in thoughtful ways: productivity software like Microsoft Word, for example, should not be subject to the same requirements as a social media service. And finally, we will continue our advocacy for modernized legislation toprotect the public from abusive AI-generated contentin support of a safer digital environment for all.
Global Online Safety Survey Methodology
Microsoft has published annual research since 2016 that surveys how people of varying ages use and view online technology. This latest consumer-based report is based on a survey of nearly 15,000 teens (13-17) and adults that was conducted this past summer in 15 countries examining people’s attitudes and perceptions about online safety tools and interactions. Responses to online safety differ depending on the country. Full results can be accessed here.
Tags: AI, deepfakes, Microsoft Global Online Safety Survey, Online Safety, Responsible AI, Safer Internet Day
Over the past couple of years, the seemingly steady rightward drift of Elon Musk has culminated in actions and statements that have sparked broad controversy. Musk – visionary CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and founder of X Corp – is a man on a mission to get humanity to Mars. He is also the wealthiest person on the planet.
In January, sales of Tesla cars slumped across five European countries – the UK, France, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. Sales were down too in California – the US state with the largest car market. And according to at least one survey, Musk and his politics could be a significant part of the problem.
When CEOs are in the public eye, their personal brands and values, and those of the companies they represent, can be hard to separate. Our research has found that, often, human identity and reputation will influence the CEO’s brand identity and reputation – and vice versa. As a human being, Musk’s personal actions and statements directly affect the companies he represents. His high-profile persona makes it difficult to separate the two.
This is why Musk’s controversial comments and political endorsements have alienated some Tesla consumers, particularly in progressive markets such as Europe and California. In these places, Tesla has historically been popular with environmentally aware consumers. When the profiles of a CEO and his or her brand are not aligned, it’s a problem that can undermine the brand value of both the CEO and the company.
Artists, politicians, CEOs and other public figures tend to attract fans whose personal values can at times deviate from those of the figurehead. Where this happens, devoted fans might be left at an impasse on how to respond to these figures or the products of companies or businesses they are associated with.
A common misconception is that smitten fans are too obsessed to express their distaste. Instead, they are likely to follow blindly and defend the actions of their heroes. Intense actions of “fan armies” on social media platforms have not helped with these assumptions.
But in fact, our research has shown that devoted fans can be critical. We found they are more likely than less devoted consumers to respond in extreme opposition when they feel betrayed by the behaviour of personalities they identify with or hold in high regard.
In the case of personalities like Musk, whose companies produce physical products, loyal fans and consumers could respond in a number of ways. A few hardcore Tesla fans and Musk loyalists might dismiss critiques against his behaviour as attacks against free speech or their own beliefs. They are likely to continue buying Teslas regardless – and may even adjust their own beliefs to align with those of their “hero”.
Out of step
For other consumers, owning a Tesla may no longer signal purely their beliefs about sustainability. There may be a nod to political or ideological affiliations that do not align with their own.
Some consumers may want to dissociate with Tesla if Musk’s behaviour is seen as problematic in their social circle. However, as a purchase requiring high involvement and commitment, switching from Tesla to another EV might be difficult. The recent trend of Tesla owners placing apology stickers on their vehicles is a way of negotiating the tension between owning a Tesla and the behaviour of the CEO they do not agree with.
The stickers provide a means of separating themselves from Musk’s actions while managing the fear of being perceived negatively within their social groups. This is likely to result in a gradual brand erosion rather than an immediate sales drop.
On the other hand, customers of companies such as craft beer brand BrewDog – a firm that has in the past been accused of fostering a culture of fear – may be more responsive to bad CEO behaviour. They at least can switch to an alternative brand at little cost. (BrewDog, for its part, apologised and said it was “committed to doing better”.)
And if Remain voters dislike inventor James Dyson’s stance on Brexit, they might be annoyed but still able to justify keeping a mid-value item like a vacuum cleaner (that is used privately in the home after all) until it breaks, perhaps switching for future purchases rather than abandoning outright.
Consumers can respond in a variety of ways when a figurehead CEO disappoints them. But brands taking blind, uncritical loyalty as a given – even from devoted fans – do so at their peril.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
(Portsmouth, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (NH-01) delivered remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s new Waterfront Production Facility. The facility will house training and production facilities at the shipyard and construction was funded through the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP). This and other projects under SIOP will increase maintenance capacity at public shipyards. Shaheen secured full authorization for SIOP projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NDAA. You can view photos from the event here.
“One of the real advantages we have over our adversaries is our attack submarines, and we want to make sure that those nuclear submarines are on the water as much as possible. This new facility makes our shipbuilding workforce more efficient, saving time and money, which is exactly what we need to strengthen our national security,” said Senator Shaheen. “It also reaffirms the key role that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard plays not only in our local economy, but also in our nation’s shipbuilding industry, bringing and keeping good-paying jobs for Granite Staters.”
“With the construction of the new Waterfront Production Facility, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard remains equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” said Senator Hassan. “The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is an indispensable pillar of our national security and today’s ribbon cutting marks the latest chapter in the history of Portsmouth helping keep America safe, secure, and free.”
“I was pleased to take part in the ribbon cutting of this state-of-the-art facility that will help the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard continue to achieve America’s national security goals well into the future while preserving this installation’s storied history. It is an honor to represent the Shipyard and the men and women who serve there in Congress, and I remain committed to ensuring that they always have the support and resources needed to do the job and complete the mission,” said Congressman Pappas.
Senator Shaheen has long advocated for New England’s shipbuilding industry and workforce, including through authorizing funding and workforce development for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Through the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Shaheen secured full authorization for the Shipbuilding Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which will expand the Shipyard’s capacity to maintain America’s fast-attack submarine fleet. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, Senator Shaheen helped secure this funding beginning in the FY 2019 funding legislation, which she has continued in ensuing years. Additionally, in the FY 2025 government funding bills, Shaheen worked to include a $9.5 million Congressionally Directed Spending add for a new parking structure at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard—which will contribute to quality of life for Shipyard’s workforce.
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined “The Will Cain Show” on Fox to recap attending Super Bowl LIX with President Trump and react to President Trump’s announcement that he will be deputizing IRS agents to help with immigration enforcement. Senator Tuberville also discussed President Trump’s dismissal of the Board of Visitors for each of the U.S. military service academies.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s interview can be found below, and his full interview can be found on YouTube or Rumble.
CAIN: “Coach joins us now. Coach, great to have you again here on the Will Can Show. You were there. You were in the stadium with President Trump. There’s a headline today from CBS with a new approval poll out that shows that Donald Trump is doing overwhelmingly well, record-setting approval ratings with not just men, which is to be noted. Both virtually, everyone in America setting records, energetic first weeks doing what he promised. Did you feel that last night at the Superdome?”
TUBERVILLE: “Oh, a hundred percent. There was there was two winners last night—Donald Trump and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles just totally dominated the line of scrimmage, Will. It was just unbelievable. I would’ve never believed it, but they did. And as you said, you well noticed this, they didn’t even blitz. They didn’t blitz one time, and he still controlled the line of scrimmage. But Donald Trump was a huge hit there last night, first president ever to go to a Super Bowl, amazing feat there, but as you said, the loser also was the halftime show.” […]
CAIN: “Thank you for your editorial judgement, Coach—who has asked me to call him Coach, it’s not an act of lack of self-respect. It’s he said, ‘Will, I prefer you to call me ‘Coach’ instead of ‘Senator.’’ So I am gonna move to your other job now, Coach, and that is this. This is notable on the to do list. President Trump deputizing IRS agents to enforce under DHS illegal immigration. This is quite a move to think that 80,000—by the way—IRS agents were hired under Joe Biden. Donald Trump redeploys them to fight illegal immigration.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, get them out of their house. They’re sitting at home, harassing the American citizens about their taxes. President Trump’s gonna get them off the couch, get them out of out the front of the television, and send them on the road to help where they actually can help, what an idea. Right? We’ve got way too many IRS agents. The American people need a break here, but we need we do need a lot of help at the border.”
CAIN: “Imagine that. How about law enforcement folks on those that break the law, those that are in this country illegally and aid going to actual Americans and not to people of foreign countries. You sit on the Armed Services Committee, Senator, and I found this very notable today. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, then President Trump pointed out they’re gonna dissolve the Board of Visitors for the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Coast Guard academies. They don’t like what they’ve seen become of these academies.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, we’re having a lot of problems with academies. Some are better than others, Will. I’m the Chairman of the Personnel [Sub]committee on Armed Services and we’re gonna get to the bottom of it. But President Trump just basically let all the Board of Visitors go…. He will replace everybody on there. We’ll put some good people, people that really love the military, wanna build a fighting machine along with Pete and work well together. But, you know, the Air Force Academy is having huge problems. The Naval Academy is having not quite as many. West Point is doing pretty good, but we still got a lot of work to do. But, we need to be one hundred percent teaching these young men and women how to control and fight a war, and it all starts there with our leaders in the military academies.”
CAIN: “We’ve seen the numbers on the recruiting increases over the last couple of months with the appointment of the new Secretary of Defense. And it’s looking to put the United States military back on the right foot that attracts the best young men and women of merit into serving this country. Senator, Coach, it’s always good to see you. Thank you for being with us today.”
TUBERVILLE: “You too, Will. I saw Jerry Jones last night, our team’s owner. He said he’s coming back.”
CAIN: “Oh, well, that’s good. I need somebody to put a good word for our Dallas Cowboys. Thank you, Coach.”
TUBERVILLE: “You got it.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced new steps to protect consumers from sky-high utility costs that are making New York less affordable. In a letter to Public Service Commission Chair and Department of Public Service CEO Rory Christian, Governor Hochul calls for the rejection of Con Edison’s proposed rate hike. Governor Hochul also directed the Department of Public Service to conduct a statewide audit of utility company salaries and compensation, to ensure New York ratepayers are getting a fair deal.
“The cost of living is too damn high and New Yorkers need more money in their pockets,” Governor Hochul said. “Of course we need safe, reliable energy sources to power our homes and businesses. But utility companies shouldn’t be jacking up costs unnecessarily – especially if they’re paying their own staff too much.”
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To address the immediate threat of Con Ed’s proposed rate hikes, which would cost New Yorkers hundreds of dollars each year, Governor Hochul today sent a letter to Public Service Commission (PSC) Chair and Department of Public Service (DPS) CEO Rory Christian urging action on behalf of New York consumers. The Governor called on DPS to act in the best interest of New Yorkers by closely scrutinizing this rate case and rejecting Con Ed’s unconscionable request to increase electricity rates by 11.4 percent and natural gas rates by 13.3 percent.
Governor Hochul also directed DPS to conduct a first-of-its-kind audit of utility management compensation. The audit will focus on compensation for non-union utility management employees statewide and the results will inform future rate cases to protect New Yorkers from unfair rate hikes. Numerous recent management and operations audits of large, investor-owned electric and gas utilities have highlighted meaningful concerns with how utilities administer their programs. For example, in a recent audit of Central Hudson, the auditor concluded their bonus structure rewarded financial performance, but only set reliability and service quality metrics at the bare minimum.
Over the last four years, Governor Hochul has prioritized energy affordability by:
Affordability policy enhancements to expand eligibility in the Energy Affordability Program and creating the Energy Affordability Guarantee, the first-in-the nation pilot program that ensures low-income New Yorkers participating in the EmPower Plus program never pay more than 6 percent of their incomes on electricity and incentivizes them to fully electrify their homes.
Budget appropriations to reduce ratepayer costs of EAP that provides critical utility bill relief to low-income New Yorkers.
Providing arrears forgiveness of more than $1 billion.
State procurements of renewable generation to offset ratepayer costs of developing new clean generation resources
$300 million to create power-ready sites for attracting new businesses through the Promote Opportunity with Electric Readiness for Underdeveloped Properties (POWER UP) Fund.
The cost of living is too damn high and New Yorkers need more money in their pockets.”
Governor Hochul
Governor Hochul has prioritized affordability and helping New Yorkers with the high cost of living. To address rising costs related to home heating, Governor Hochul recently added $35 million to fund the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) which supports low-income New Yorkers who need help paying utility bills; the Governor also signed legislation in 2024 to help senior citizens access this vital program. New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) administers the Weatherization Assistance Program which helps HEAP-eligible households reduce energy costs, conserve energy, and improve safety and health standards.
In her 2025 State of the State, Governor Hochul prioritized passing an affordability agenda that puts money back in the pockets of middle-class New Yorkers. Governor Hochul proposed New York’s first-ever Inflation Refund, which would give eligible New Yorkers checks of up to $500. The Governor is also calling for a tax cut that would reduce rates for middle-class families to the lowest levels in nearly 60 years and proposing a massive expansion of the Child Tax Credit.
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AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel said, “By opposing Con Edison’s latest rate hike proposal, Governor Hochul is again standing up for New Yorkers who are struggling simply to pay for their basic living expenses such as rent, food and prescription drugs. That includes the many older New Yorkers living on fixed incomes who can’t afford to have their utility bills go up even higher. New York’s population is aging rapidly, and far too many older adults are already living in poverty. The Governor is prioritizing making New York a more affordable place to live for people of all ages, and we support her in these efforts.”
Community Service Society of New York Senior Director Carrie Tracy said, “We thank Governor Hochul for her strong defense of working families in New York and for opposing the proposed rate hikes, which would be disastrous for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. The Community Service Society of New York has been dedicated to promoting economic opportunity for over 180 years, and we appreciate the Governor’s commitment to building a more equitable city and state.”
Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, “In the last two years alone, we have seen eight double digit utility rate increase requests across New York State, including this most recent one from Con Ed. These rate increases are simply unsustainable for already cash-strapped New Yorkers. I thank Governor Hochul for focusing on utility affordability and I support her call for a compensation audit, increasing transparency and holding utilities accountable to our constituents.”
As the granddaughter of immigrants from Lithuania and Poland who spoke little English, I understand what it’s like to be treated as a stranger in America.
As a journalist, I covered stories of war and trauma in the 1990s, including the crushing of Chinese protests in Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, followed by the Soviet Union’s collapse two years later. I covered the war between Iraq and Iran. I witnessed ethnic strife in South Africa and the toll poverty takes in Mexico.
And having worked in senior levels of the U.S. government for Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama on international conflict resolution, I have learned that compassion is a key ingredient of peacemaking.
Perhaps that all explains my curiosity about a new study on the state of compassion in America – part of the glue that holds communities together.
Defining compassion
Sociologists define compassion as the human regard for the suffering of others, and the notion of using action to alleviate this pain.
The report that caught my eye was issued in January 2025 by the Muhammad Ali Center, which the late boxer co-founded 20 years ago in Louisville, Kentucky, to advance social justice.
As the Ali Center explains, compassion starts with the individual – self-care and personal wellness. It then radiates out to the wider community in the form of action and engagement.
You can see compassion at work in the actions of a Pasadena, California, girl, who started a donation hub for teens affected by fires that ripped through the Los Angeles region in early 2025. She began collecting sports bras, hair ties and fashionable sweaters – helping hundreds of her peers begin to recover from their losses in material and emotional ways.
It’s also visible in the estimated 6.8 million people in the U.S. who donate blood each year, according to the American Red Cross.
The researchers who worked on the Ali Center report interviewed more than 5,000 U.S. adults living in 12 cities in 2024 in order to learn more about the prevalence of compassionate behaviors such as charitable giving, volunteering and assisting others in their recovery from disasters.
They found that the desire to help others still animates many Americans despite the nation’s current polarization and divisive politics.
The center has created an index it calls the “net compassion score.” It approximates the degree to which Americans give their time and money to programs and activities that nurture and strengthen their communities.
Cities with high compassion scores have more community engagement and civic participation than those with low scores. A higher-scoring community performs better when it comes to things like public housing and mental health resources, for example. Its residents report more career opportunities, better communications between local government and citizens, more community programs and more optimism around economic development where they live.
The report provides some clues as to what drives compassionate behavior in a city: a sense of spirituality, good education, decent health care, resources for activities like sports, and opportunities to engage in local politics.
All told, Americans rate their country as a 9 on a scale that runs from minus 100 to 100.
The report also identified some troubling obstacles that stand in the way of what it calls “self-compassion” – meaning how volunteers and donors treat their own mental and physical health. Frequent struggles with self-care can lead to rising levels of isolation and loneliness.
Jeni Stepanek, left, chair of the Muhammad Ali Index; Lonnie Ali, co-founder and vice chair of the Muhammad Ali Center; and DeVone Holt, the center’s president and CEO, at the launch of the Muhammad Ali Index on Jan. 16, 2025. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Muhammad Ali Center
Doubting their own capacity
The 2025 Compassion Report’s findings show that many Americans still want to live in a compassionate country but also that Americans view the country as less compassionate today than four years ago.
The report delves into gaps in compassion. About one-third of those interviewed acknowledged that there are groups toward whom they feel less compassionate toward, such as people who have been convicted of crimes, immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization and the rich.
Only 29% said they feel compassion toward everyone.
The report also identifies gender gaps. Despite expressing greater awareness of systemic challenges, the women surveyed reported less self-compassion than men.
It’s not the first compassion study ever done. But I believe that this one is unique due to its focus on specific cities, and how it assessed limits on the compassion some people feel toward certain groups.
Helping health and humanity
The Compassion Institute, another nonprofit, seeks to weave compassion training into health care education to “create a more caring and humanitarian world.” It cites the benefits of compassion for human beings, with everything from reducing stress to alleviating the effects of disease on the mind and body.
Academic institutions, including Stanford University, have conducted many studies on how teaching compassion can guide health care professionals to both treat patients better and achieve better outcomes.
A team of Emory University researchers examined how training people to express more compassion can reduce stress hormones levels, triggering positive brain responses that improve immune responses.
Offering an advantage
Although there are plenty of adorable videos of dogs and cats behaving kindly with each other or their human companions, historically compassion has differentiated humans from animals.
Human beings possess powers of emotional reasoning that give us an edge.
Scholars are still working to discover how much of human compassion is rooted in emotional reasoning. Another factor they’ve identified is the aftermath of trauma. Studies have found evidence that it can increase empathy later on.
You might imagine that in a world of hurt, there’s a deficit of compassion for others. But the Ali Center’s report keeps alive the notion that Americans remain compassionate people who want to help others.
My experiences around the world and within the U.S. have taught me that human beings both have the power to be violent and destructive. But despite it all, there is, within all of us, the innate ability and desire to be compassionate. That is a net positive for our country.
Tara Sonenshine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Antoinette T. Bacon, the Supervisory Official for the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the filing of charges against DANIEL SIKKEMA in connection with his role in a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of his husband in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The charges are contained in a Superseding Indictment unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. SIKKEMA was previously charged in the Southern District of New York for passport fraud. The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos.
U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said: “As alleged, Daniel Sikkema and his co-conspirator planned and carried out a cold-blooded plot to murder Sikkema’s husband, a United States citizen, in Brazil. This Office will doggedly pursue justice against those who murder United States citizens, whether at home or abroad.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said: “In the midst of a tense divorce, Daniel Sikkema allegedly financed the premature death of his estranged husband. The defendant allegedly hired a hitman to facilitate the international murder of his husband, and attempted to conceal his involvement in this callous plan. The FBI will continue to vigorously investigate any individual who selfishly and mercilessly orders the end to another’s life, regardless of where the crime may occur.”
According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment:[1]
In 2023, SIKKEMA agreed with another individual (“CC-1”) that SIKKEMA would pay CC-1 to kill SIKKEMA’s estranged husband (the “Victim”) in Brazil. At that time, SIKKEMA and the Victim were engaged in contentious divorce proceedings and the Victim regularly traveled to Brazil and owned property in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To facilitate the murder-for-hire plot, SIKKEMA, a U.S. and Cuban citizen, sent multiple payments to CC-1 and CC-1’s romantic partner in Cuba. SIKKEMA also concealed the source of each of these payments by using either a stolen identity or an intermediary to send them.
On January 14, 2024, CC-1 murdered the Victim in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the days that followed, SIKKEMA and CC-1 continued to communicate and SIKKEMA arranged for a payment of approximately $5,000 to be made to CC-1 and promised to make an additional payment at a later date.
On January 18, 2024, CC-1 was arrested by Brazilian law enforcement for his involvement in the commission of the Victim’s murder.
* * *
SIKKEMA, 54, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of murder-for-hire conspiracy resulting in death, one count of murder-for-hire resulting in death, one count of conspiracy to murder and maim a person in a foreign country, and one count of passport fraud. If convicted, he faces a mandatory penalty of life in prison or death.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Sassoon praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Field Office.
The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith C. Foster and Remy Grosbard for the Southern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.
The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment and the description of the Superseding Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact descried therein should be treated as an allegation.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sebastian Smart, Senior Research Fellow in Access to Justice, Law and Technology, Anglia Ruskin University
Brazil’s president Lula da Silva is one of the Latin American leaders who are concerned about misinformation being used to undermine democracy.Focuspix/Shutterstock
Bosses of tech giants Meta, Google and X had front row seats at Donald Trump’s recent presidential inauguration. This special treatment highlighted the increasingly cosy relationship between leaders of technology companies and the White House.
Just a few weeks before the ceremony, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg had pledged to “work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more”.
Zuckerberg also highlighted, and criticised, the restrictions that the European Union and Latin American nations had put in place to legally restrict the social media giants. These include liability for moderation and limiting targeted advertising.
However, Latin America is emerging as the region which is moving fast to protect democratic institutions from misuse of social media, and other technology.
For instance, Brazil’s proposed fake news bill (Lei das Fake News) seeks to regulate social media and curb misinformation. It has faced strong opposition from Google. The bill is still under consideration by Brazil’s Congress.
Other examples include how, in August 2024, Brazil’s Supreme Court temporarily banned X for failing to comply with legal requirements, including blocking social media accounts accused of spreading misinformation linked to the 2022 election. X had also failed to appoint a local legal official.
The platform remained suspended until October 8 2024, when X complied with the court’s orders, paid fines totalling 28 million reals (£3.9 million), and appointed a legal representative.
Brazil temporarily banned social media network X.
The court decision has been part of a broader effort in Brazil to protect its democracy and restrict potential disruption from use of technology or social media.
This push intensified after allies of then president Jair Bolsonaro used social media to spread misinformation (ahead of the 2022 elections), and then attack democratic institutions, and mobilise supporters in the lead-up to the January 8 2023 attacks on government buildings.
Digital platforms were used to spread false claims of voter fraud and discredit mainstream media as well as spread misinformation about Bolsonaro’s opponents. These efforts fuelled conspiracy theories and protests, which later turned violent. In response, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court tightened regulations, ordering platforms to remove false election claims.
But the region’s regulatory efforts extend beyond social media into other emerging technologies. Colombia, Ecuador and Chile – among others – are currently debating regulations of artificial intelligence (AI) and looking at AI’s human rights and environmental impact.
Chile was the first country to recognise neurorights (brain rights) in its constitution, ensuring protections against the misuse of neurotechnology, such as brain-computer interfaces that could read or manipulate thoughts, emotions or cognitive processes. These developing technologies could be used in medicine, but also raise ethical concerns about privacy and cognitive freedom.
Political leaders across Latin America also regularly challenge global technology leaders over their effect on society. Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, has criticised Elon Musk’s support for far-right movements. Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva, said the world did not have to put up with Musk’s “far-right free-for-all just because he is rich”. Brazil’s first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, was even more direct. During a global summit on social media regulation, she declared: “I’m not afraid of you, fuck you, Elon Musk.”
History of authoritarianism
Many people in Latin America remember how political power was abused in the recent past to undermine democracy. During the military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s in countries such as Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, many businesses supported repressive regimes.
In the early 1970s, Chilean president Salvador Allende had tried to establish the Cybersyn Project, an ambitious initiative to create an economic planning system using networked telex machines and an early form of algorithmic decision-making. It was designed to enhance state control over the economy, while reducing dependence on foreign corporations. But Cybersyn was dismantled after the US-backed military coup that installed Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Today, Latin America may be better positioned to counter foreign influence than it was in the 1970s. Brazil’s leadership at the recent G20 global summit, where it successfully pushed for social media and artificial intelligence regulation, showed that there is a regional will to push back against the demands, and power, of Silicon Valley’s technology giants.
The question is whether these countries can sustain their efforts against pressure from big companies, economic pressure (such as tariffs) and shifting geopolitical alliances. If they do, Latin American nations could provide a much-needed counterweight to corporate influence, and an example to the rest of the world of what could be achieved.
Sebastian Smart receives funding from FONDECYT-Chile
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
Will airports expansion drive regional economic growth?
Whether expanding airports in the south east of England can benefit the rest of the UK economy will be the focus of a Transport Committee evidence session.
MPs will question Aviation Minister Mike Kane MP and a senior Department for Transport official, following a panel with economists and industry experts.
It comes after the Government recently announced support for a third runway at Heathrow and proposed expansions at Gatwick, Luton and other airports.
Witnesses may be asked to consider economic factors linked to airport expansion such as: the tourism industry, tax revenues generated, the UK’s large aircraft manufacturing sector, increased capacity for air freight, and catalytic effects on other businesses.
The New Economics Foundation, which is represented among witnesses in this session, has said it has been “some time” since the Government has assessed the “marginal economic impact” that airports expansion may have. The think tank has also pointed to varying methods of calculating the net economic impact that increased air travel has on the UK economy. For example, whether greater outbound travel by Brits could see a larger proportion of consumer spending happen abroad rather than at home, and to what extent that is offset by money spent in the UK from international tourists.
Heathrow has itself previously said that expansion would mean growing its workforce of 28,600 people to over 100,000. The cross-party Committee will question a representative of Frontier Economics, a think tank commissioned by Heathrow Airport to look into the potential economic benefits of building a third runway.
There will also be questions about the capacity of airports around the UK, whether they are surpassing or failing to meet demand, forecasts on future demand, and the role that larger ‘hub’ airports could play with smaller regional ones – a ‘hub and spoke’ model.
The Minister and DfT will be asked to explain how airport expansion will fit into a wider national strategy for the aviation sector, and how air travel strategically links with other transport networks such as roads and railways.
