Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, called for states to play a more active role in federal highway programming. Ricketts said the following:
“Transportation infrastructure, we’ve all said it, is incredibly important in my home state in Nebraska, just like it is where you all come from,” Ricketts said. “It’s important for our competitiveness, for our industrial opportunity, and really just our quality of life. And so it’s something that we want to make sure we’re doing to the best job possible. As we’re looking to reauthorize, toward Highway Reauthorization, states need to be playing a more active role in the programming.”
“The Department of Transportation should be doing something where we empower states through the formula funding to be able to let them make the decisions and not cherry-pick different ‘green’ projects that are discretionary grants,” Ricketts said.
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Click here to watch
Ricketts made the comments in a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. During the hearing, he also questioned the panelists on ways to improve efficiency and service quality through process improvement, similar to Nebraska’s successful process improvement when Ricketts was Governor.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Case study
weeHoloCam: DASA Funding Transforms Marine Biology with Revolutionary Underwater Imaging
The University of Aberdeen has developed a state-of-the-art underwater holographic camera with DASA support, enabling rapid real-time analysis of marine life in impressive detail
From Ship-Sized to Hand-Held
DASA funding and Dstl technical advice has helped the University of Aberdeen develop the world’s most compact and lightweight underwater holographic camera – the weeHoloCam
The holographic camera has vastly improved processing speed – what previously took months can now be done in hours
Added AI integration enables the automatic classification of millions of marine particles in real-time
The weeHoloCam’s evolution spans two DASA projects, the first focused on developing the camera and processor, the second project added AI classification capabilities
Plankton might be microscopic, but their importance to the planet is huge. These marine organisms produce half the world’s oxygen, form the foundation of ocean food chains, and play a crucial role in carbon absorption from the atmosphere. Marine biologists study plankton to better understand how the ocean’s food web is changing, and how climate change affects marine life. However, this process has always been a challenge – as traditional sampling methods are time-consuming and logistically difficult.
This was the reality for marine biologists until the University of Aberdeen, with DASA funding in 2019, revolutionised underwater imaging with their weeHoloCam.
“The holographic camera we used in the past was big in size and weighed more than 100 kilograms, making it very difficult to transport and deploy,” explains Dr. Thangavel Thevar from the School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen. “Now, with DASA funding, we have developed a very small version of the same that is 60 cm long and weighs just 3.5 kilograms – the frame for the camera is actually heavier than the camera itself!”
Technical Innovation
The weeHoloCam’s innovative design features two cylinders – one housing a pulse laser and optics while the other containing a sensor, mini-PC and electronics. “The camera can detect particles that are present between its windows, covering approximately 12 cm cube of water,” explains Dr. Thevar. “Within this volume, we can capture incredibly detailed holograms of particles as small as 50 microns.”
Breaking Speed Barriers
Using this advanced system, the team unlocked new capabilities in underwater imaging. “For example, in a single 3-hour dive, you can capture up to 200,000 holograms,” says Dr. Thevar. “Previously, processing each hologram took about two minutes, which meant 200,000 holograms will take more than 9 months to process.”
Using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology, the team dramatically reduced the processing time. “We’ve taken the processing time down from two minutes to just two seconds per hologram. What would have taken 100 days now takes just one day.”
Adding AI Intelligence
Building on this, the University of Aberdeen embarked on a second project with DASA in 2022 to make the process even quicker by integrating an AI classification system for the particles. “As engineers, we needed to make this useful for biologists,” explains Dr. Thevar. “When you’re dealing with millions of individual images from hundreds of thousands of holograms, manual classification becomes incredibly time consuming.”
The new AI classifier automatically labels the images in real-time. As soon as a hologram is recorded through the camera, it’s processed and classified automatically.
Real-World Applications and Impact
The weeHoloCam has been deployed more than 20 times across various marine environments, including regular work with Marine Scotland. “We hope to support their weekly vessel deployments for plankton monitoring,” explains Dr. Thevar. “While traditional net sampling provides valuable data, our holographic camera adds crucial information about vertical depth distribution that nets can’t capture. This complementary approach gives us unprecedented insight into marine health.”
The system has even attracted media attention, featuring on BBC’s One Show during a deployment in Loch Ness. “While we did not find Nessie we were afforded a rare opportunity to study plankton in a freshwater situation which was a first for us,” says Dr. Thevar.
From a defence and security standpoint, the WeeHoloCam project addresses a critical challenge in marine operations: monitoring microscopic sea life in real-time. This capability is essential for predicting harmful algal blooms and tracking changes in marine biomass that can affect underwater optical systems.
The innovation delivers two key advantages:
Its compact size enables deployment on the growing fleet of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, dramatically increasing measurement coverage
Its advanced AI algorithms automatically classify micro-organisms, significantly reducing the manual analysis time needed to produce biological tactical assessments
End of DASA project trial
In October 2024, at the end of their DASA project, the University of Aberdeen demonstrated their subsea holographic camera to technical Dstl partners. The lab-based trials proved highly successful. The team showcased the system’s real-time classification capabilities, using both previously collected sea-trial data and live samples containing tiny jellyfish. The demonstration highlighted the intuitive user interface, which allows operators to easily select and group different marine organisms for analysis, from bubbles to dinoflagellates (a planktonic single-celled organism) and copepods (a group of very small crustaceans).
Future Horizons
The team is now running at full capacity with several exciting developments:
Tackling sea lice detection in salmon farms, despite the challenging nature of identifying these sparse, elusive parasites
A new funded project to permanently deploy a system for harmful micro-jellyfish detection
Exploring mounting the technology on autonomous underwater vehicles
Supporting carbon transport research by tracking organic matter movement in oceans
The DASA Difference
The University of Aberdeen credits DASA’s support for the project’s success. “Working with DASA has been a very positive experience,” notes Dr. Thevar. “It’s always a two-way conversation where we help each other. They’ve pushed us forward, whether through commercialisation ideas or project development, and have been instrumental in providing further leads to follow.”
“From studying plankton populations to tracking carbon transport in our oceans, this technology is helping us understand our marine environments in ways we never could before,” concludes Dr. Thevar. “And with each new application we discover, the value of DASA’s early investment becomes even more apparent.”
Wisam sits in her classroom, absorbed in her work, her fingers gripping a blue-coloured pencil, carefully sketching a flower in her notebook, one of more than 100,000 displaced students in war-torn Sudan who have returned to classes, with the support of Education Cannot Wait for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) efforts to distribute urgently needed school supplies to help them get back to learning.
Despite the noise and bustle of classmates packing up, nine-year-old Wisam is focused on the picture she is bringing to life from her desk. When she’s finished, she puts her beloved pencils back into her bag.
The supplies in her new backpack are a constant reminder of the hope she carries, even in the face of extreme hardship. Wisam is just one of the millions of children that have been displaced by the brutal conflict.
I left my toys, books, uniform, bag and pencils. My uniform was beautiful.
The country is facing the world’s largest child displacement crisis, with more than 17 million school-aged children currently out of school. Hundreds of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war in Sudan in April 2023. Many others are being used as shelters.
With the reopening of 489 schools, nearly 119,870 children across Sudan’s Red Sea state have returned to class. ECW and partners like UNICEF continue to support girls and boys in the whole of Sudan to ensure that, even in the most challenging circumstances, displaced children can continue their education.
Wisam has already experienced more hardship than many will in a lifetime. Forced to flee her home in Sinnar when the armed conflict reached them, Wisam and her family sought safety in Port Sudan, leaving behind nearly all of their belongings, including Wisam’s school uniform.
Wisam takes part in a lesson at her new school in Port Sudan.
Backpacks for a brighter future
When schools finally reopened in Port Sudan, Wisam’s family could not afford the necessary school supplies. Thanks to UNICEF, with funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations – Wisam has received essential school supplies and even a new school uniform.
When Wisam and her siblings enrolled in their new school in Port Sudan, their excitement to learn again was tempered by their lack of necessary school supplies. The challenges of displacement meant that they didn’t have the means to purchase everything that would be needed to thrive in the classroom.
Fortunately, Wisam’s school is one of many in Sudan that is receiving vital school supplies thanks to ECW support. Through this initiative, which aims to ensure that all children have the tools they need to return to learning, Wisam and her siblings received new school uniforms and backpacks filled with notebooks, erasers, coloured pencils, chalk, rulers and more.
“I love my new bag,” she said. “It’s much bigger than the one I had at home.”
Thanks to UNICEF, with funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Wisam is among many children in war-torn Sudan that have received essential school supplies.
More than just school books
To Wisam, her new backpack contains more than just her school books and supplies. It carries her dreams for a brighter, more peaceful future in her homeland that allows her to learn, grow and reach her full potential.
Today, Wisam is a third grader that eagerly participates in class discussions and raises her hand confidently to answer questions. Her new uniform adds to her sense of pride and belonging.
But, it’s in her moments of quiet solitude amidst the chaos that has surrounded her since the war began that Wisam truly comes alive. After the school day ends, Wisam lingers in the classroom, absorbed in her drawings. The colourful flowers, sketched with so much care, are a testament to her creativity and determination to find beauty even in difficult circumstances.
With the new set of coloured pencils she’s received, Wisam can now express herself in ways she never could before.
“I will share the colours with my siblings,” she said.
In times of crisis, education is critical, not just for academic learning, but also for providing a sense of normalcy, stability and safety. Indeed, the school supplies initiative is part of ECW’s holistic response in Sudan and neighbouring countries, which is supporting the establishment of children’s safe spaces and temporary learning centres, teacher training, the provision of learning materials, mental health and psychosocial support and more.
Home is better than here, but we can’t go back because of the war. The war is very bad.
Schools offer displaced children like Wisam a safe space to heal from the trauma of conflict. They also help protect children from harmful practices such as child marriage, child labour and forced recruitment into armed groups, giving them the chance to pursue their dreams and build a better future.
“Home is better than here, but we can’t go back because of the war,” she said. “The war is very bad.”
Still, Wisam remains hopeful. With the support she has received, she now feels that education is her way forward.
To date, ECW support has reached 135,000 crisis-affected girls and boys inSudan. ECW investments in the country total $33.7 million and support the building and rehabilitation of classrooms, provision of learning and teaching materials, teacher training, improvement of access to drinking water, gender-sensitive water and sanitation facilities and improvement of access to quality, inclusive and child-friendly education.
But, the needs in Sudan, and in crises around the world, are only escalating. A recent report by ECW finds that 234 million school-aged girls and boys are affected by crises and need urgent support to access quality education. This is an increase of at least 35 million over the past three years.
For Wisam, her new backpack, once a reminder of everything she was forced to leave behind, now carries the weight of all she hopes to achieve. With each lesson, she’s stepping closer to the future she deserves, a future the nine-year-old is determined to create.
The Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit (PCISCEU) has charged three people as part of a drug trafficking investigation in Mountville.
On February 25, in relation to an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, the PCISCEU, assisted by RCMP Police Dog Services, the Stellarton Police Department, Pictou County District RCMP and the Antigonish/Guysborough County District RCMP Street Crime Enforcement Unit, executed a search warrant at a residence on Mountville Rd.
At the home, two women and a man were safely arrested.During a search of the property, officers located seizedlicense plates and cell phones.
As part of the investigation, officers then conducted a targeted traffic stop of a Honda Civic travelling nearby on Mountville Rd. Officers arrested the four occupants, a man and three women, and seized cocaine, methamphetamine, diazepam, drug paraphernalia, and cash during a search of the vehicle.
Justin Kenneth Coady, 42, John Gregory Gerrior, 34, and Katelyn Rose Kirk, 33, have been charged with:
Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking
Possession of Methamphetamine for the Purpose of Trafficking
Possession of Diazepam for the Purpose of Trafficking
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
The two women arrested at the home and two of the female occupants in the Honda were later released without charges.
Coady and Gerrior were released on conditions. They are scheduled to appear in Pictou Provincial Court on May 26, at 9:30 a.m.
Kirk was held in custody and released by the courts on conditions. She will also return in Pictou Provincial Court on May 26, at 9:30 a.m.
Note: The PCISCEU is made up of police officers from Pictou County District RCMP, Westville Police Service, and Stellarton Police Service.
MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kajeet®, a leader in IoT and private wireless connectivity solutions, today announced its selection as a Cisco Select Partner, joining forces to deliver a high-performance Private 5G Managed Service with Cisco’s Private 5G management platform to efficiently manage the private 5G network and Kajeet’s neutral host networks designed to solve in-building connectivity challenges for hospitals and healthcare systems. As a Select Partner in Cisco’s channel ecosystem, Kajeet is recognized for its specialized expertise in deploying secure, scalable, and intelligent networking solutions. The collaboration will be highlighted March 3-6 at HIMSS25 in Las Vegas, where Kajeet and Cisco will demonstrate hospital campus use cases and present Kajeet’s Healthcare oriented 5G solutions.
Addressing the Biggest Connectivity Gaps in Healthcare
Hospital CIOs face ongoing challenges with inconsistent cellular coverage, network security, and seamless access to critical applications. Traditional Wi-Fi and public cellular networks often fail to provide reliable, hospital-wide connectivity for medical staff, IoT devices, and guest access. The Kajeet Healthcare 5G solution offered with Cisco’s Private 5G solution for management of private networks bridges these gaps with:
Seamless, Always-On Connectivity: Secure private 5G delivers hospital-wide coverage, eliminating dead zones and ensuring clinicians, patients, and guests stay connected, by a combination of Cisco Private 5G management platform efficiently managing the hospital private network alongside Kajeet’s neutral host network solution efficiently managing the external hospital Private 5G connectivity.
Security & Compliance at the Core: Built-in HIPAA, SOC, and HITRUST compliance in Kajeet’s Sentinel platform for real-time policy enforcement paired with Cisco’s secure Private 5G for private network management.
Real-Time Data & Network Intelligence: Dynamic traffic prioritization ensures that EMR systems, telemedicine, and medical IoT devices receive uninterrupted bandwidth.
Carrier-Agnostic Flexibility: Unlike traditional telco-driven solutions, this private 5G network allows hospitals to control their connectivity and integrate with multiple carriers for failover support via Kajeet’s Sentinel platform and neutral host network solution.
“Kajeet’s partnership with Cisco marks a significant step forward in bringing secure, hospital-wide private 5G to the healthcare industry,” said Ben Weintraub, CEO of Kajeet. “This isn’t just about connectivity—it’s about ensuring that doctors have instant access to records, patients experience uninterrupted care, and hospital IT leaders gain full control over their networks.”
Live Demos at HIMSS25: Healthcare 5G in Action
Cisco and Kajeet will demonstrate Healthcare 5G solution various use cases live at Cisco Booth #1227 at The Venetian during HIMSS25, highlighting how hospitals can eliminate coverage gaps, strengthen network security, and enhance the patient experience. The demo will highlight:
Seamless clinician access to EMR systems, medical imaging, and telehealth applications utilizing Kajeet’s Sentinel platform and neutral host network solution.
Secure, priority-based network traffic for medical IoT devices in both an internal private network utilizing Cisco Private 5G, as well as external networks utilizing Kajeet’s IoT and private wireless connectivity solutions.
Automated security and compliance enforcement via Kajeet Sentinel platform.
“Cisco and Kajeet are leveraging our combined strengths to bring consistent, high-performing mobile connectivity and private network management capabilities to the healthcare market,” said Masum Mir, SVP and General Manager, Provider Mobility, Cisco. “Our Cisco Mobility Services Platform enables a wide range of enterprise use cases including Private 5G, and together with Kajeet, we can deliver secure and more reliable mobile connectivity, improved experiences, and ultimately provide a better patient outcomes for healthcare providers.”
To see a live demonstration at HIMSS, stop by the Cisco-Kajeet booth to speak with Cisco representatives and Kajeet healthcare leaders or book an appointment here- Cisco-and-Kajeet-at-HIMSS25
Kajeet Connected Health Portfolio
Healthcare 5G is one of several solutions under the Kajeet Connected Health umbrella, which also includes:
Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): Secure, high-speed connectivity for virtual care and at-home patient monitoring.
Life Sciences and Clinical Trials: Reliable private networks for real-time data collection and research collaboration.
About Kajeet
Kajeet is a leading provider of private wireless solutions, offering secure, flexible, and fully managed private 5G networks for hospitals, schools, municipalities, and enterprises. The company’s carrier-agnostic approach, advanced Sentinel® platform, and expert deployment teams help organizations deploy reliable connectivity solutions tailored to their needs. To learn more, visit www.kajeet.com.
For media and analyst inquiries, please contact:
Linda Jennings, Director of Corporate Communications, Kajeet
Key to achieving this target will be decarbonizing the country’s energy grid.
Renewable energy sources will be an important aspect of these plans. But while these energy sources are both cheap and increasingly accessible, a problem they continue to face is variability. After all, the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow when power is needed.
Canada’s dominant renewable energy source — hydropower, which made up almost 62 per cent of Canada’s total renewable electricity generation in 2022 — is also highly vulnerable to climate change. Low precipitation in 2023 reduced reservoir levels in Canada below average. This led to a 25 per cent drop in electricity exports to the United States. The situation was even worse in British Columbia, where BC Hydro had to import electricity to meet provincial demand.
Given these challenges, critical questions arise about whether renewable energy sources will be able to cope with energy demands now and in the future.
One way of addressing these issue is by building large-scale energy storage systems. These would be capable of storing excess renewable energy when it’s abundant and deploying it when needed.
Storing energy
Around 90 per cent of global energy capacity is stored using pumped hydro energy storage systems.
This system stores energy by pumping water from a lower level reservoir to a higher one using electric pumps powered by a renewable energy source. To release this stored energy, the reverse process occurs — so the water in the high levels flows down through turbines, generating electricity.
Pumped hydro energy storage is currently the most desirable energy storage method. This is because it can have a lifespan of up to 100 years, is highly efficient and very cost-effective.
However, a major pitfall of these storage systems is the geographic conditions required for them to work. These systems rely on large amounts of water flowing through different elevations. This incurs a significant cost. There are also environmental concerns, since it needs a large infrastructure to be built.
But a type of water-based battery may, in some cases, offer a better way of storing renewable energy for large-scale use — all without requiring as much space and infrastructure as pumped hydro systems.
Aqueous redox flow batteries are a type of battery that store energy in external tanks filled with water-based solutions. These solutions are then pumped and cycled through the battery’s electrochemical cell, causing reactions which allow the battery to release and store energy until needed.
Aqueous redox flow batteris could help store renewable energy for decades. (Shutterstock)
These batteries are able to store and release energy for years. Some companies claim they can last up to 25 years.
Alongside their long life, aqueous redox flow batteries are potentially more cost-effective to scale-up compared to other batteries — such as the conventional lithium-ion batteries found in our phones and cars. They’re also a lot safer than conventional batteries, as the water-based electrolytes means there’s no risk of flammability.
Aqueous redox flow batteries are highly scalable due to their modular design. Increasing storage capacity can be done by building larger tanks without needing to change the entire system. This makes them useful for both small and large-scale projects — whether that’s powering a single home or an entire community.
These batteries have the potential to benefit the energy industry by providing a reliable way of managing fluctuating energy supply. They could also be well-suited for supplying reliable, renewable energy in rural communities and during disaster recovery.
The world’s largest aqueous redox flow battery was recently built in China. Assuming an average consumption of one kilowatt-hour per hour per household, this one battery alone would be able to supply electricity to approximately 58,000 homes for 12 hours.
Aqueous redox flow batteries can also be used in many other applications. For example, as electric vehicles become more prevalent, this technology could be suitable for supporting EV charging stations. South Korea even announced in 2021 that these batteries would be trialled to enhance EV charging infrastructure.
While commercial aqueous redox flow batteries have many advantages, their main limitation is cost.
Currently, commercial aqueous redox flow batteries rely on expensive and rare materials, such as vanadium. This makes them too costly for widespread adoption.
Cheaper, more abundant organic materials (such as anthraquinones) could replace the vanadium in these batteries. But organic materials come with their own challenges. Currently, some cost-effective organic redox flow batteries degrade much faster than versions made with vanadium, which can last for decades.
However, current research is making significant progress in improving the stability of organic materials- helping to extend the lifespan of cheap organic redox flow batteries, making them an increasingly viable alternative.
Given the current costs of the materials needed to make commercial aqueous redox flow batteries and the short lifespan of cost-effective organic compounds, this technology is not yet fully ready for widespread use. Continued investment in research and development will be crucial. If we can overcome these current challenges and unlock the full potential of aqueous organic redox flow batteries, they could become a key component of the global transition to renewable energy.
March 3: IAM Union, NFFE-IAM, Labor Allies to Celebrate Federal Workers Outside McPherson Square Metro Station
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2025—The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), along with the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), will host an event to celebrate the contributions of federal workers on Monday, March 3, 2025, during peak commute morning hours outside the McPherson Square Metro Station. The U.S. Veterans Affairs Department is housed directly above the station’s Vermont Avenue exit.
Federal workers are the backbone of our nation, providing essential services that keep our country running. They are healthcare professionals caring for our military veterans, wildland firefighters protecting our lives and property, and park rangers watching after our national treasurers. The IAM Union, America’s largest defense labor union, has the highest percentage of military veteran members in the labor movement.
Event Details:
What: IAM Union and NFFE-IAM to host a visibility event to thank federal workers
When: Monday, March 3, 2025 from 7 to 9 a.m.
Where: Outside the McPherson Square Metro Station (Vermont Avenue exit; Vermont & I “Eye” Streets NW)
Who: IAM Union, NFFE-IAM, labor allies, and community supporters RSVP: Reporters interested in attending can RSVP by emailing Bethany Shelton (bshelton@iamaw.org).
Volunteers will distribute informational materials, engage with commuters, and hold signs thanking federal workers. Members of Congress, elected officials, and local community leaders are invited to attend this event.
“The IAM Union is honored to represent dedicated federal employees and service contract workers who deserve our appreciation and support each and every day,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “This event will be one of many that will recognize federal workers for their contributions while we stand up for their rights in the workplace.”
The IAM Union invites members of the media to attend and cover this event. Visuals and interview opportunities will be available.
“We know that Federal Workers are committed to serving the American people and we value their work, as do hundreds of millions of other Americans,” said Randy Erwin, National President of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM). “We intend to show each and every one of those workers that we support them and will fight for them because it is the right thing to do.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
Garrett Williams Admits to Helping Plan Robbery that Led to Murder of Drug Supplier
ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke man involved in distributing large quantities of marijuana, has admitted to helping plan a robbery that ultimately led to the murder of his drug supplier
Garrett Isaac Williams, 22, pled guilty yesterday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery. Last month, Williams’ co-defendant, Joseph Walker, pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, beginning no later than January 2023, Walker and Williams conspired to distribute marijuana and marijuana wax they sourced from E.B., who periodically traveled from Pennsylvania to supply the pair at Mr. Walker’s residence in Roanoke, Virginia.
Eventually, the men fell into debt to E.B. Then, in an effort to collect money he was owed, E.B. attempted to phone Walker but instead inadvertently called Walker’s mother. This phone call caused Walker and Williams to set in motion a plan to end their relationship with E.B. However, instead of paying down their debt, they conspired to order more marijuana from E.B., rob E.B. of that marijuana upon delivery and, in so doing, scare him from returning to Virginia.
On April 17, 2023, E.B. traveled from Pennsylvania to Walker’s residence, bringing with him approximately 10 pounds of marijuana and two pounds of marijuana wax in a deal facilitated by Williams. During E.B.’s trip, Williams maintained communication with him and provided updates to Walker so that he was prepared for E.B.’s arrival. For his part, Walker concealed a Sig Sauer, .45 caliber pistol on his person, intending to use it as part of the robbery. Upon E.B.’s arrival, Walker invited him into his home where he confronted E.B. about the phone call E.B. made to his mother, before immediately shooting him twice, killing him. Walker then took the marijuana that E.B. had brought with him and, to conceal his crime, dragged E.B.’s body out of his residence, placed it in the trunk of E.B.’s car and drove to Bedford County, Virginia where he set the car on fire.
While not physically present at the time of the robbery, Williams admitted to planning to rob E.B by force.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division and Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Virginia State Police, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke City Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the City of Lynchburg Police Department, and the Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office are investigating the case.
The Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force also aided in the investigation and is comprised of officers from the Roanoke City Police Department, Roanoke County Police Department, City of Salem Virginia Police Department, the Vinton Police Department, and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Salem Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys M. Coleman Adams and Kelly McGann are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By James Clifford Kent, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Studies & Visual Culture, Royal Holloway University of London
The Face magazine had a revolutionary impact on contemporary culture. The legendary “style bible” launched in 1980 was known for its bold design, iconic covers and trailblazing photography.
As Sabina Jaskot-Gill, curator of The Face Magazine: Culture Shift at the National Portrait Gallery, observes, the Face was “not just documenting the contemporary cultural landscape, but playing a vital role in inventing and reinventing it”. This capacity to both document and actively shape cultural movements highlights the magazine’s enduring influence.
Art director Phil Bicker explains how the Face was “a catalyst that challenged and changed broader culture,” pioneering an approach that democratised information, anticipated cultural trends and inspired its readers. This ability to forge, rather than simply reflect shifts in music, fashion and youth culture, underscores why the Face remains so influential today. This is particularly so in an era dominated by digital and social media.
The exhibition features prints, magazine spreads, film and music. It uses portraiture to explore how the cult publication championed innovative photography, enabling image-makers to disrupt culture and redefine the spirit of the age.
Iconic magazine covers are on show featuring the model Kate Moss, the designer Alexander McQueen, the singer Kurt Cobain, electronic duo Daft Punk and many others. Among these are lesser-known images from the magazine, some exhibited for the first time. These pictures from the Face’s vast archive represent some of the most arresting photographs in this exhibition.
As a teenager, I was obsessed with the Face, drawn to its radical style and images bursting with energy and youth. Each issue felt exciting and unpredictable. I’d tear out pages, pin them to my bedroom wall, and paste them into sketchbooks and mood boards – a practice I’ve continued throughout my career. The exhibition was a reminder of how much the magazine informed my understanding of photography before I ever picked up a camera.
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Style bible for a new generation
The Face’s founder, Nick Logan – former NME editor and Smash Hits creator – recognised a gap in the market for a monthly in which art, fashion and music converged. From its earliest issues, the Face challenged the conventions of publishing.
It combined innovative editorial strategies with cutting-edge social commentary. Writing in The Story of The Face, journalist Paul Gorman describes how the so-called “style bible” propelled cover stars into the national consciousness, becoming a must-have publication for art directors around the world.
Far from occupying the margins, it became a core reference for those tracking 1980s and 1990s fashion trends. The Face fostered a collaborative culture that elevated photographers, stylists and designers.
It also spearheaded an experimental visual storytelling that shaped fashion, music and youth culture without traditional editorial constraints. This encouraged groundbreaking approaches that infused cutting-edge fashion with the raw energy of subcultures like punk, hip-hop and acid house.
Photographer Janette Beckman recalls a 1984 shoot with rap group Run-DMC in Queens, New York. After dialling a number she had been given, she ended up at Jam Master Jay’s mother’s house and captured a portrait of the American group whose stripped-back sound was about to revolutionise hip-hop.
As rap and rave culture thrived, the magazine’s raw, black-and-white photography by Corinne Day, Glen Luchford and Juergen Teller rejected high-fashion gloss in favour of authenticity. Stylists like Melanie Ward promoted casual youth style, launching a new wave of seemingly unconventional models, including Kate Moss (“the anti-supermodel”).
Ward later revealed: “We wanted to achieve an emotional response from the models … these were not cold hard fashion photos … I remember going to appointments with my book and them saying ‘These aren’t fashion photographs, these are documentary.’”
The Face was synonymous with Britpop’s rise and the hedonism of Cool Britannia in the mid to late 1990s. A visual language, crafted by photographers and stylists, defined the look and feel of a generation.
One striking example is Juergen Teller’s 1995 snapshot of music producer Goldie, slumped on the floor of a living room beside a TV set, a stack of VHS tapes and a Roman bust. A few years later in 2001, Gemma Booth photographed Ms. Dynamite for the Face just as the British singer and rapper exploded onto the UK garage scene.
Another picture from 2003, taken by Neil Massey, shows Girls Aloud sitting in a Paris cafe during the promo tour for their song Sound of the Underground. He told me: “They’d just gone platinum yet struck me as normal girls who’d been thrust into the limelight.”
Portraits such as these encapsulate the raw, unfiltered aesthetic of the time. They are visual records of cultural shifts, documenting artists who defined their eras and paved the way for future generations.
(Re)invention in the digital age
In the 1990s and 2000s, the Face embraced the shift from analogue to digital, developing a bold, hyperreal aesthetic that pushed the boundaries of photography and design.
Under art director Lee Swillingham, photographers such as Norbert Schoerner and Inez and Vinoodh experimented with emerging digital tools like Quantel Paintbox and Photoshop, blending photography with graphic design in a cinematic, futuristic aesthetic. This era marked a return to glamour but with a high-tech, avant-garde edge that transformed photographers into image-makers.
A striking example of this digital experimentation featured in the exhibition is Sean Ellis’s The Dark Knight Returns (1998). This is a darkly menacing portrait of Alexander McQueen, styled by fashion editor Isabella Blow. The dramatic lighting and theatrical composition captured McQueen’s rebellious spirit while reflecting the Face’s evolving visual identity, merging art, fashion and technology.
In the mid‑1980s, Logan considered closing the magazine, convinced he had reached the end of an era. But it was not until 2004, amid fierce competition, declining sales and shifting ownership, that the magazine eventually ceased publication.
Despite its closure, the Face remained influential and was revived as a print-online hybrid in 2019. Building on its legacy, the magazine continues to push visual boundaries and raise up emerging image-makers.
This timely exhibition celebrates the Face’s generational impact, highlighting the importance of authenticity, human connection and the radical potential of image-making.
James Clifford Kent 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 White House
ADDRESSING THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a memorandum to suspend security clearances for Covington & Burling LLP employees involved in the weaponization of government, pending a review of their roles and responsibility in the weaponization of the judicial process. This action also initiates a comprehensive review of all Federal contracts with the firm to ensure alignment with the interests of the American people.
Security clearances held by Peter Koski and potential other members of Covington & Burling LLP who assisted former Special Counsel Jack Smith will be suspended, pending a review of their roles and responsibility in the weaponization of the judicial process.
The Federal Government will review and terminate engagement of Covington & Burling LLP by the United States to the maximum extent permitted by law.
All contracts with Covington & Burling LLP will undergo a detailed evaluation to ensure agency funding decisions align with American citizens’ interests and the priorities of this Administration, as detailed in executive directives.
PRIORITIZING CITIZENS OVER PARTISAN GAMES: President Trump remains steadfast in his commitment to restoring trust in government by ensuring that public resources and privileges are not exploited for political gain.
Individuals who hold government-issued security clearances bear a responsibility to uphold impartiality and the national interest. These privileges should not be leveraged to interfere in U.S. elections or advance partisan objectives.
Covington & Burling LLP provided former Special Counsel Jack Smith with $140,000 in free legal services prior to his resignation from the Department of Justice.
Jack Smith and his staff spent more than $50 million in taxpayer dollars to target President Trump—an egregious misuse of judicial authority for political ends and part of the prior administration’s unprecedented weaponization of prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process.
A RETURN TO ACCOUNTABILITY: President Trump is sending a clear message that the Federal Government will no longer tolerate the abuse of power by partisan actors who exploit their positions for political gain.
President Trump is refocusing government operations to its core mission – serving the citizens of the United States.
President Trump revoked security clearances held by dozens of intelligence officials who falsely claimed in a 2020 letter, during the height of the U.S. presidential election season, that Hunter Biden’s laptop was tantamount to Russian disinformation.
President Trump signed an Executive Order to end the weaponization of the Federal Government on his first day in office after promising to “end forever the weaponization of government and the abuse of law enforcement against political opponents.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Beach recycling underway to strengthen Norfolk flood protection
An expected 14,000 tonnes of sand and shingle will be moved to protect 800 homes and 4,000 caravans.
Work is underway to bolster natural flood defences along the west coast of Norfolk as part of their yearly renewal.
Beach recycling will see an expected 14,000 tonnes of sand and shingle will be moved around the beach from where it’s been deposited by the tidal movement of the sea.
The aggregate is taken north to Heacham and South Hunstanton to restore the shingle ridge along a 5km stretch of coastline.
The shingle ridge is a natural flood defence protecting more than 800 properties and 4,000 caravans. The recycling will be completed in time for ground nesting birds and tourists to arrive.
To move thousands of tonnes of material, the Environment Agency uses three 30-tonne dumper trucks, two bulldozers and an excavator.
The recycling follows a report into the shingle ridge which was published in Summer 2024. The Environment Agency is set to begin updating the 2015 Wash East Coast Management Strategy (WECMS) for Hunstanton to Wolferton Creek later this year. The updated strategy will further assess the latest monitoring data and reflect the findings of the Initial Assessment report.
Sadia Moeed, Area Director for the Environment Agency said:
“Beach recycling is an incredibly important part of the work we do on the Norfolk coast. It’s vital the shingle ridge is kept in good condition to help reduce the risk of flooding to the communities behind it.
“It’s also important that property owners continue to refrain from digging into the ridge and approach the us if they wish to carry out works within 16m of it. This will also help preserve the integrity of the ridge and its ability to perform as a natural flood defence.
“People should know their flood risk and sign up for free flood warnings by going to https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188. You can also follow @EnvAgencyAnglia on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”
Both Natural England and the RSPB are consulted on the beach recycling to preserve the coastline’s environmental importance. The work is funded by the East Wash Coastal Management Community Interest Company which raises funds from the local community, caravan park owners and landowners. Anglian Water and the Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk also contribute to the project.
Cllr Sandra Squire, Cabinet Member for Environment at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, said:
“Restoring the shingle ridges between Hunstanton and Snettisham helps to protect people and wildlife living on the coast in west Norfolk.
“This important annual beach recycling programme, which is an effective means of undertaking important flood defence work to maintain the defences along the Snettisham to Hunstanton coastline, makes a real difference to the communities in the area.”
We are teaming up with Sustrans for a third year to encourage people to leave their cars at home for some of their everyday journeys and try cleaner, greener, healthier ways of getting from A to B.
The challenge starts on Saturday (1 March) and encourages people to choose active travel options like walking, cycling, scooting or skating for a month. It’s a great way of staying fit and healthy, saving money and helping to improve our air quality – so get those comfy shoes and bikes out!
As an extra incentive, there are three special prizes – a Raleigh bike worth £475, an adult micro scooter worth £175 and a gold level bike service worth £140 from Bikespace in Devonport – as well as shopping vouchers up for grabs. See the Sustrans website for full prize details.
Everyone who signs up will get online access to plenty of useful hints, tips and support and a personalised dashboard where they can log their progress. They can even set themselves targets, such as miles travelled, calories burned, or carbon emissions cut.
It’s all part of our ‘active travel social prescribing’ programme, funded by Active Travel England, where our transport and public health teams work with partners including Sustrans, as well as health providers, link workers (within GP practices and health and wellbeing hubs) and community groups to get more people enjoying active travel as a form of exercise.
Councillor John Stephens, our walking and cycling champion, said: “We know how important it is to keep active and this is such an easy way to do that. Making just a few of those regular trips – or even part of them – on foot or bike can make a really big difference to our health and wellbeing.
“It also helps to reduce the amount of traffic on our roads, which is good for us all. More than 450 people took part in last year’s challenge, recording over 6,000 trips and avoiding 1,861kg of carbon emissions. This year we hope to do even better.”
Everyone who lives or works in Plymouth is welcome to sign up to the challenge and you can go solo or team up with friends, family or colleagues.
Register now and get ready to start logging your journeys!
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis non-profit executive and business consultant pleaded guilty to leading a scheme to defraud a number of federal, state, local, private programs and other sources of funding, resulting in a loss of over $6 million, and also to illegally possessing a firearm after a felony, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, from 2020 until 2024, Tezzaree El-Amin Champion, 28, engaged in a fraud scheme through two Minneapolis-based entities he founded and controlled: a marketing company he owned, Futuristic Management LLC, and a non-profit organization he led, Encouraging Leaders.
Encouraging Leaders, under Champion’s direction, submitted at least 42 grant and public-contract applications with related follow-up correspondence containing material false misrepresentations, in order to obtain funding. Fraudulent applications were submitted to the U.S Department of Justice, Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, the Center for Disease Control Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Otto Bremer Trust, the Greater Twin Cities United Way, and others. False statements included false rosters of Encouraging Leaders’ board of directions; false assertions that Encouraging Leaders had been independently audited; false claims that certain local governments, companies, and community organizations had agreed to partner with Encouraging Leaders; requests for payment based on overstated hours of work; and false claims that Encouraging Leaders administered events that either never occurred or were organized by others. Champion misused significant portions of the funds that Encouraging Leaders received in response to the applications, for example by transferring funds to himself and using organizational funds for personal matters. Based on the fraudulent applications, Encouraging Leaders sought more than $3.8 million in funding through 42 grants, was awarded 27 grants for more than $2.7 million in funding. Encouraging Leaders actually received approximately $1.5 million in funding as part of the scheme.
Through Futuristic Management, Champion recruited and assisted clients in submitting fraudulent applications to Hennepin County’s Small Business Relief grant program as well as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs. The applications dramatically overstated applicant incomes and expenses, and were supported by fake tax records and fake lease documents that Champion obtained. Champion also submitted nine fraudulent applications on his own behalf. Simultaneously, Champion defrauded Hennepin County, for whom his company was serving as a business advisor under the County’s Elevate Business program. As part of the program, Champion agreed to provide free marketing services to local small businesses. But rather than provide free services, Champion billed and received payments from the County for services for which he had already been paid by his clients. Many of these clients were the same businesses and individuals Champion had assisted with false PPP, EIDL, and SBR applications. Champion also used his company to fraudulently obtain loans marketed by PayPal Business Loan and issued by WebBank. In the PayPal applications, Champion overstated his company’s gross sales and attached fake Wells Fargo bank statements inflating his bank balances and deposits. In total, the part of the scheme relating to Futuristic Management resulted in a loss of more than $2.1 million.
During the investigation of Champion’s offenses, law enforcement searched Champion’s home. Officers found Futuristic Management financial records, a safe containing $127,000 in U.S. currency, and a Ruger LCR .357 revolver with Champion’s DNA on it. Due to a 2018 conviction in Hennepin County for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, Champion is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
Champion pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court yesterday before Judge Katherine M. Menendez to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Champion agreed to pay restitution of at least $3,479,575 to the victims of his offenses. Earlier this month, Champion’s co-defendant Marcus A. Hamilton pleaded guilty to participating in the Futuristic Management part of the scheme. Sentencing hearings for both defendants will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis Police Department’s Special Crimes Investigations Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Forbes and Joseph H. Thompson are prosecuting the case.
REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Titan America, based in Norfolk, Virginia, has announced it will install cloud-based concrete dispatch from BCMI Corp., a software developer for the bulk construction materials industry based in Redmond, Washington.
Titan America, a leading building materials supplier in key urban markets spanning the U.S. East Coast, from New York to Miami, will add BCMI Dispatch to its existing suite of BCMI products, in all its U.S. operations including Titan Virginia Ready Mix, Powhatan Ready Mix, S&W Ready Mix and Titan Florida.
The cement and concrete producer is poised to support strong construction trends in infrastructure, residential and urban development, in part through its commitment to technology that boosts operational efficiency, performance and customer satisfaction.
“We are proud to partner with BCMI’s dispatch system to streamline order placement and the dispatching process,” Titan America Vice President of Logistics and Supply Chain Rod Cintra says. “To provide exceptional service, it’s critical that our dispatch team has real-time information to optimize delivery options, while enabling faster and better decisions.”
By adopting BCMI’s cloud-based dispatch, analytics and mobile app for customers, Titan America is leveraging best-in-class technology that will improve data flow. BCMI will integrate with other critical systems such as SAP to share business-critical information across the organization.
Titan America is a long-time advisor and contributor to the growth of BCMI’s software for ready mix, aggregates and cement producers.
“Titan was BCMI’s first supporter and customer back in 2013,” BCMI Co-founder and CEO Craig Yeack, says. “This milestone is the result of years of product refinement, support and relationship building. We are honored to support Titan America in its current operations and in its future growth.”
About Titan America
Titan America LLC and its family of companies are leading heavy building materials producers in the eastern United States. Titan America is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, and its subsidiary companies produce cement, aggregates, ready mixed concrete, concrete block and beneficiated fly ash. Titan America is a member of TITAN Cement Group, an international cement and building materials producer. For more information, visit www.titanamerica.com.
About BCMI
BCMI Corp.’s mobile software empowers bulk construction material producers to improve business processes. BCMI’s performance analytics, interactive communication tools and AI-assisted dispatch keep materials producers and contractors aligned with real-time business solutions. For more on our cloud-based BCMI Dispatch, Material Pro and Material Now apps, visit www.bcmicorp.com.
Following fighting and evacuation orders from the Mouvement du 23 Mars/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) group, hundreds of thousands of people have left the displacement camps around Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In response to this development, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has adapted our approach by sending mobile teams to support people who are, once again, on the move. The many people returning to hometowns they had previously fled face uncertain and perilous conditions.
Julien Binet explains the situation in and around Goma.MSF
The landscape of Goma, the capital city of the North Kivu province, has dramatically changed in just a few weeks. Before the M23/AFC seized the city at the end of January, Goma, hosted around 650,000 displaced people – most of them living in makeshift sites on the city’s outskirts – and was home to two million residents.
Some camps started to empty as fighting escalated in late January, and virtually all were abandoned after the de facto new authorities ordered people to return to their places of origin.
While some displaced people chose to stay near Goma, the majority left north or west toward neighbouring territories, unsure of what awaited them. Within days, endless lines of men, women, and children appeared on the roads, carrying what little they could by foot, motorbike or shared minibus. Some patients told us they sometimes walked for days without food or water.
“Given these massive movements, we deployed teams along the return routes to assess the health facilities that would be overwhelmed by this sudden influx of patients,” says Anthony Kergosien, head of MSF’s mobile activities around Goma. “Everywhere, we found the same reality: health facilities that were already barely functional before the crisis were either abandoned or, at worst, destroyed or looted.
“These facilities are now expected to cope – and there is risk that diseases such as cholera, mpox or measles, which were present in the camps, could spread,” he says.
A mother and her baby at a health consultation in Masisi territory, Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
Based on early assessments, MSF teams began providing equipment, medicines, and staff to more health centres in the territories of Nyiragongo and Masisi. Teams also set up mobile clinics in hard-to-reach areas to provide free medical care to people returning and passing through.
An urgent need to improve conditions for people returning
One of the facilities supported by MSF in this emergency response is the referral health centre in Sake, a small town located 25 kilometres west of Goma.
Sake has seen its share of intense fighting in recent years given its strategic location. The city serves as a critical crossroads for people travelling to Masisi town to the west, Kitchanga to the north, and further south to Minova and South Kivu.
“Residents come back to Sake, and the city is the only junction point for those returning to Masisi territory or South Kivu after leaving the camps in Goma,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we decided to carry out emergency repairs to the health centre, which had been severely damaged during the recent fighting. We also rebuilt the cholera treatment unit, which is currently treating around 20 patients daily.”
“Now, nearly 200 consultations are carried out in the health centre every day, mainly for respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases. But we’re also seeing cases of mpox and patients seeking care after experiencing sexual violence,” he says.
MSF teams move supplies to support the emergency response. Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
From Sake, MSF teams have launched mobile medical services and supported other health facilities along the mountainous roads. Access to free healthcare is crucial for people returning from the camps, now in an extremely vulnerable state, often without money, crops, and in some cases, without even tools to grow them.
“I’ve been back in Kabati for a week now. It’s peaceful, but hunger is a real problem,” says Bigirimana, who spent two years in the Bulengo camp before returning home. “We need medicine. Most of us are ill—there’s a lot of diarrhoea, especially among the children.”
“The risks linked to food insecurity are serious,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we’ve re-established several therapeutic nutrition units. On top of that, we face the threat of epidemics that have been concentrated around Goma. There’s an urgent need to improve living conditions and access to essential services in areas of return. And to ramp up humanitarian support. Sadly, very few organisations are currently operating in these areas.”
As of 26 February, MSF’s emergency mobile teams were supporting health facilities in the remote areas of Buhumba, Kilolirwe, Sake, Kingi, Luhonga and Makombo. Alongside these activities, MSF continues to provide care in several health centres and hospitals across North Kivu, as well as for the wounded at Kyeshero and Virunga hospitals. We are also supporting several facilities in Goma providing basic healthcare, malnutrition and cholera treatment, and care for victims of sexual violence.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, yesterday, where he took time to speak to service members who are currently supporting the illegal alien holding operations being led by the Department of Homeland Security.
This wasn’t Hegseth’s first visit to Cuba, as then-Army 2nd Lt. Hegseth was deployed to Guantanamo Bay from 2004 to 2005 with the New Jersey National Guard.
“I was here 20 years ago … I’ve been where you are, for a year, [and] I relate to the dynamics — the push and pull — and the sway of an operation; I get it,” Hegseth told the service members.
“The message that I have from [President Donald J. Trump] … to you is, we have your back. We’re going to back you up on what you have to do on behalf of the country,” Hegseth said.
He added that — in addition to hot meals, the opportunity to exercise and the availability of hot showers — what he valued most when he was stationed there 20 years earlier was the support from his chain of command.
Stating that the president was elected with “a mandate to get 100% operational control of our southern border,” Hegseth said the holding operations at Guantanamo Bay play a significant role in that process.
“Part of that [process] is mass deportations of folks — wherever they came from — who came here illegally, and Guantanamo Bay is a big part of that,” he said.
In explaining the vast breadth of the U.S. border enforcement mission, Hegseth told the service members that the character of the overall mission starts with them.
“The way you operate and the way you execute sets the tone for how the entire U.S. government and the American people are represented, so thank you on behalf of a grateful nation,” he said.
Hegseth also addressed the negative sentiment surrounding the Guantanamo Bay holding mission.
“We know what’s real, we know you’re professionals, we know how you operate, and we’re going to have your back in the execution of this mission across the spectrum,” he added.
Hegseth told the troops that their efforts were recognized throughout the chain of command.
“When you send the data and the stats up, and you wonder where [they go], it lands on my desk every day. I see and understand and know what you are doing here,” Hegseth said.
“That’s how important it is to the president and to [DOD, DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection] as we ramp up and execute this mission,” he added.
Hegseth also said that the work being done at Guantanamo Bay is central to the current administration’s overall message concerning the border.
“From our view, [Guantanamo Bay holding operations are] central to what we’re doing and [to] the message we’re sending to the world — which is that our border is closed,” he said, adding that the current administration “means business,” and that the service members at Guantanamo Bay are at “the tip of the spear” to make that happen.
“[So], keep executing [and] keep driving on with the professionalism that I know you will display,” he said.
Hegseth announced that Guantanamo Bay would be used for illegal alien holding operations Jan. 29, 2025, following a presidential announcement earlier in the day.
According to the U.S. Southern Command, more than 150 Marines and soldiers were at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay supporting holding operations as of Feb. 3, 2025.
NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Blockgraph, the privacy-first data collaboration platform designed to fuel the future of connected TV advertising, today announced the successful integration of its identity and data collaboration platform with VideoAmp, a leader in cross-platform media measurement and optimization. The integration provides a streamlined, high-fidelity approach that allows VideoAmp and their clients to leverage first and third party data to enable more accurate planning and measurement, and ultimately, drive better business outcomes.
VideoAmp’s integration is one of the largest and most advanced measurement implementations of Blockgraph’s Identity Platform to date and strengthens VideoAmp’s measurement offerings, enabling seamless, privacy-compliant identity resolution with media publishers, agencies, advertisers and partners. Blockgraph will also now be a foundational component of VALID™, which powers all of VideoAmp’s industry-leading Big Data and technology solutions. With the integration, VideoAmp’s clients will be able to utilize the recently launched Blockgraph OnDemand offering so advertisers of all sizes can use their first party data in VideoAmp solutions in a privacy centric manner.
“The combination of VideoAmp’s cross-platform measurement expertise and Blockgraph’s household identity and data collaboration platform will deliver more comprehensive and powerful planning and measurement solutions for advertisers and publishers,” said Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph. “This new integration reflects our commitment to enabling solutions that allow all parties to more easily, quickly and accurately move data in a privacy compliant manner.”
Key benefits of the integration include:
Enhanced Speed and Accuracy: Blockgraph’s identity platform facilitates accelerated campaign measurement and optimization for VideoAmp customers while providing a direct high-fidelity household-level match between advertiser audiences and video viewing data.
Easy First-Party Data Deployment: Advertisers of any size can upload their first-party data with ease via the Blockgraph OnDemand product, resulting in more precise planning and measurement when using VideoAmp products.
Reduced Friction and Privacy Compliance: Blockgraph’s platform makes data collaboration and measurement more efficient, eliminating many of the traditional operational and technical challenges while maintaining rigorous privacy safeguards.
“VideoAmp’s new integration with Blockgraph and Blockgraph OnDemand will enable our customers and partners to more easily and effectively leverage their first-party data for both planning and measurement of their target audiences,” said Randy Laughlin, SVP Business Development at VideoAmp. “As a result, they can quickly assess what is working and optimize cross platform campaigns to maximize reach, ROI, and business outcomes.”
Blockgraph’s relationship with VideoAmp ultimately allows publishers and advertisers to extract more insights from their multiscreen measurement, delivering a more transparent and unified view of audiences across connected TV, digital, and linear environments and unlocking data-driven insights that inform smarter media investment.
About Blockgraph Blockgraph is a leading privacy-centric identity and data collaboration platform designed to fuel the future of connected TV advertising. The world’s leading media, technology, and information services companies collaborate with trusted partners using Blockgraph’s privacy-focused platform to create and implement identity-based targeting and measurement solutions for multiscreen advertising. Blockgraph is owned by Charter Communications Inc., Comcast NBCUniversal, and Paramount. For more information, please visit Blockgraph a www.blockgraph.co.
About VideoAmp VideoAmp is a media measurement company transforming advertising. By leveraging the power of currency-grade, big data, VideoAmp’s solutions allow clients to access advanced audiences and real-time insights to plan, optimize and measure media investments across platforms. With these solutions, media sellers can maximize the value of their inventory, while advertisers can benefit from increased return on investment. VideoAmp has seen incredible adoption for its measurement and currency solutions with 13 major linear and streaming publishers on board, along with all major media holding companies and several independent agencies, with hundreds of advertisers now utilizing VideoAmp to guarantee their media investments. VideoAmp is headquartered in Los Angeles and New York with offices across the United States. To learn more, visit www.videoamp.com.
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ASUS today announced that the new Zenbook DUO (UX8406CA) and Zenbook 14 (UX3405CA), are now available in Canada. These new additions join the recently launched Zenbook A14, the lightest 14-inch Copilot+ PC on the market, further expanding ASUS’s lineup of AI-powered Zenbook laptops.
Designed for power, portability, and next-level AI capabilities, the latest Zenbook models feature extended battery life, premium designs, and a customizable Copilot key, delivering an effortless blend of speed, creativity, and productivity. With cutting-edge AI tools at their core, these laptops streamline tasks, enhance security, and supercharge performance for work and play.
Next-Gen AI Power with Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) Processors
At the heart of these two new 2025 ASUS Zenbook laptops are the new Intel® Core™ Ultra processor (Series 2), featuring integrated AI acceleration, next-gen Intel Arc™ graphics, and an upgraded core architecture. Built for the AI era, this powerhouse processor boosts gaming, content creation, and multitasking to new heights, delivering exceptional speed and efficiency in a slim and stylish package.
ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406CA)
The revolutionary dual-screen Zenbook DUO (2025) features twin 14-inch 16:10 OLED HDR NanoEdge touchscreens with up to 3K 120Hz resolution, seamlessly blending AI-powered performance with versatile multi-mode functionality — Dual Screen, Desktop, Laptop, and Screen Sharing — and superb mobility. Measuring just 14.6mm (0.57″) at its thinnest and weighing only 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs)1, it’s powered by up to the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285H with integrated NPU, unlocking enhanced AI capabilities. It also features a large-capacity 75Wh battery and includes a comprehensive array of I/O ports. The easy-to-use Zenbook DUO maximizes productivity, with zero fuss.
ASUS Zenbook 14 (UX3405CA)
Zenbook 14 (UX3405CA) takes sophistication to a whole new level, with an environmentally-conscious thin-and-light design. It amplifies AI efficiency with its Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285H and Intel Arc graphics, and offers an immersive experience with its vivid 14-inch 16:10 ASUS Lumina OLED touchscreen and powerful super-linear speakers.
Later this year, an AMD-powered variant, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406KA), will join the lineup, featuring the new AI-enabled AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with a 50 TOPS NPU for accelerated AI performance.
AVAILABILITY & PRICING
The Zenbook DUO and Zenbook 14 are now available in Canada. The Zenbook DUO is available at the ASUS Store, Best Buy, Amazon, and Canada Computers, with Costco joining later this year. The Zenbook 14 is available at the ASUS Store, Amazon and Shi, with Canada Computers, Costco, and Staples set to carry it later this year. The Zenbook 14 (UM3406KA) will also be available later this year.
For detailed specifications, availability, pricing, and where to buy links, please see below.
Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.
SPECIFICATIONS2
ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406CA)
Model
UX8406CA-BS91T-CB
UX8406CA-DS91T-CA
UX8406CA-CS71-CB
Marketing Name
ASUS Zenbook DUO (2025)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Color
Inkwell Gray
Weight
1.65 kg (3.64 lbs)
Weight without keyboard: 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs)
Weight of keyboard: 0.30 kg (0.66 lbs)
Dimensions
31.35 x 21.79 x 1.46 ~ 1.99 cm (12.34″ x 8.58″ x 0.57″ ~ 0.78″)
Keyboard Dimensions
31.28 x 20.90 x 0.51 ~ 0.53 cm (12.31″ x 8.23″ x 0.20″ ~ 0.21″)
ASUS is a global technology leader that provides the world’s most innovative and intuitive devices, components, and solutions to deliver incredible experiences that enhance the lives of people everywhere. With its team of 5,000 in-house R&D experts, the company is world-renowned for continuously reimagining today’s technologies. Consistently ranked as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, ASUS is also committed to sustaining an incredible future. The goal is to create a net zero enterprise that helps drive the shift towards a circular economy, with a responsible supply chain creating shared value for every one of us.
1 Without keyboard 2 Price and specifications and subject to change without notice. For the latest information please visit https://www.asus.com/ca-en/
Following fighting and evacuation orders from the Mouvement du 23 Mars/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) group, hundreds of thousands of people have left the displacement camps around Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In response to this development, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has adapted its approach by deploying mobile teams to support people who are, once again, on the move. The many people returning to hometowns they had previously fled face uncertain and perilous conditions.
Julien Binet explains the situation in and around Goma.MSF
The landscape of Goma, the capital city of the North Kivu province, has dramatically changed in just a few weeks. Before the M23/AFC seized the city at the end of January, Goma, hosted around 650,000 displaced people – most of them living in makeshift sites on the city’s outskirts – and was home to two million residents.
Some camps started to empty as fighting escalated in late January, and virtually all were abandoned after the de facto new authorities ordered people to return to their places of origin.
While some displaced people chose to stay near Goma, the majority left north or west toward neighbouring territories, unsure of what awaited them. Within days, endless lines of men, women, and children appeared on the roads, carrying what little they could by foot, motorbike or shared minibus. Some patients told us they sometimes walked for days without food or water.
“Given these massive movements, we deployed teams along the return routes to assess the health facilities that would be overwhelmed by this sudden influx of patients,” says Anthony Kergosien, head of MSF’s mobile activities around Goma. “Everywhere, we found the same reality: health facilities that were already barely functional before the crisis were either abandoned or, at worst, destroyed or looted.
“These facilities are now expected to cope – and there is risk that diseases such as cholera, mpox or measles, which were present in the camps, could spread,” he says.
MSF teams have organised mobile clinics in several remote areas in North Kivu to assess the needs and provide support to displaced people who have returned to their villages of origin from camps in Goma. Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
Based on early assessments, MSF teams began providing equipment, medicines, and staff to more health centres in the territories of Nyiragongo and Masisi. Teams also set up mobile clinics in hard-to-reach areas to provide free medical care to people returning and passing through.
An urgent need to improve conditions for people returning
One of the facilities supported by MSF in this emergency response is the referral health centre in Sake, a small town located 25 kilometres west of Goma.
Sake has seen its share of intense fighting in recent years given its strategic location. The city serves as a critical crossroads for people traveling to Masisi town to the west, Kitchanga to the north, and further south to Minova and South Kivu.
“Residents come back to Sake, and the city is the only junction point for those returning to Masisi territory or South Kivu after leaving the camps in Goma,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we decided to carry out emergency repairs to the health centre, which had been severely damaged during the recent fighting. We also rebuilt the cholera treatment unit, which is currently treating around 20 patients daily.”
“Now, nearly 200 consultations are carried out in the health centre every day, mainly for respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases. But we’re also seeing cases of mpox and patients seeking care after experiencing sexual violence,” he says.
MSF teams have organised mobile clinics in several remote areas in North Kivu to assess the needs and provide support to displaced people who have returned to their villages of origin from camps in Goma. Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
From Sake, MSF teams have launched mobile medical services and supported other health facilities along the mountainous roads. Access to free healthcare is crucial for people returning from the camps, now in an extremely vulnerable state, often without money, crops, and in some cases, without even tools to grow them.
“I’ve been back in Kabati for a week now. It’s peaceful, but hunger is a real problem,” says Bigirimana, who spent two years in the Bulengo camp before returning home. “We need medicine. Most of us are ill—there’s a lot of diarrhoea, especially among the children.”
“The risks linked to food insecurity are serious,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we’ve re-established several therapeutic nutrition units. On top of that, we face the threat of epidemics that have been concentrated around Goma. There’s an urgent need to improve living conditions and access to essential services in areas of return. And to ramp up humanitarian support. Sadly, very few organisations are currently operating in these areas.”
As of 26 February, MSF’s emergency mobile teams were supporting health facilities in the remote areas of Buhumba, Kilolirwe, Sake, Kingi, Luhonga and Makombo. Alongside these activities, MSF continues to provide care in several health centres and hospitals across North Kivu, as well as for the wounded at Kyeshero and Virunga hospitals. We are also supporting several facilities in Goma providing basic healthcare, malnutrition and cholera treatment, and care for victims of sexual violence.
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Self-employment is often championed as a route out of poverty for the unemployed and those on low incomes, offering independence, flexibility and financial autonomy. However, for informally self-employed women in the UK, the reality is very different to these kinds of entrepreneurial success stories.
These women, working for themselves and “off the books”, can find they are trapped in a grey area – neither fully unemployed nor officially self-employed. And as such, they can struggle against a welfare system that both stigmatises and penalises their efforts to make a living.
My recent research along with my co-researcher Sara Nadin, sheds light on these often overlooked women, who work informally while claiming state benefits. It shows the precarious and gendered nature of informal self-employment and the difficulties of transitioning into formal work.
Informal self-employment is not an entrepreneurial aspiration but a necessity for the women in our study. Domestic responsibilities, a lack of formal qualifications and limited job opportunities can force these women into work that fits around their caregiving roles. From cleaning and childcare to sewing and catering, these women engage in work that remains invisible and unrecognised.
Their earnings – often meagre and inconsistent – help cover basic necessities, yet they live in constant fear of exposure and “getting caught by the taxman”.
The UK’s welfare system, with its strict and punitive conditions, places them in an impossible situation. If they declare their income, they risk losing benefits essential for survival. If they continue working informally, they face criminalisation and stigma as “benefits cheats”.
Angela (not her real name) is an unregistered child minder. She told us she recognises the drawbacks for everyone involved. She said: “I think it’s a shame that people have to go to these lengths to be able to cope financially. There should be better laws regarding employment, pay and conditions, so people choose that option instead of doing it unregistered or make a living on benefits. It is not good for anyone, the person doing it is under stress of being caught and the government and the country lose out on money.”
There is a paradox of visibility here too. On one hand, these women need to remain hidden to avoid welfare sanctions. On the other, they rely on word-of-mouth to attract business. This delicate balancing act forces them into an in-between space, where they can neither fully integrate into the formal economy nor retreat into unemployment.
And this is no short-term situation. The women we interviewed had been informally self-employed for an extended period – one for more than ten years.
While some women did say they wanted to formalise and grow their businesses, they felt the risks were too high. The unpredictability of their earnings, coupled with the loss of benefits, can make it financially unviable.
As one woman put it: “I’d like to make a proper go of it, but it’s really scary. What if I can’t get enough clients?”
A broken system
Successive UK governments have promoted self-employment as a route out of poverty and worklessness, yet welfare policies often work against women trying to become financially independent. The introduction of Universal Credit has exacerbated the issue, imposing strict minimum-income thresholds that self-employed workers can struggle to meet. This primarily affects women, who are less able to work full-time and more likely to be found in low-paid sectors of self-employment.
In fact, it has been argued that the UK’s Universal Credit welfare scheme actively limits claimants’ ability to get into formal self-employment. Instead of supporting entrepreneurship, the system has been found effectively to discourage it.
Policy changes could help break this cycle. Introducing an “earnings disregard”, where informal workers can earn a set amount without affecting their benefits, would provide a crucial safety net. And supporting women transitioning from informal to formal self-employment – through grants, tax breaks and accessible business education – could empower them to grow their businesses formally and sustainably, without fear of financial ruin.
Rather than criminalising those struggling to make ends meet, policymakers should recognise the valuable role these women play in their communities. Whether they’re caring for children, cleaning homes or helping busy families with their ironing, their services provide affordable options for other low-income families. This creates a grassroots support network for the formally employed that is overlooked and undervalued.
For real change to happen, the conversation around informal self-employment must shift. Instead of treating this work as a problem to be eradicated, it should be acknowledged as part of the broader economic fabric – one that deserves protection and support.
The women in this study are not merely informal workers. They are survivors navigating an unforgiving system. Their experiences challenge the simplistic notion that self-employment is a solution to poverty. Without changes to both welfare and self-employment policies, they will remain in the shadows – enterprising but invisible, offering valuable local services but criminalised.
It’s time for a policy rethink that values and supports all workers, regardless of where they fall on the economic spectrum.
Sally Jones 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.
Thanks to the Alliance for Innovative Regulation for organizing this event and for bringing together banks, fintechs, and regulators to collaborate and foster responsible innovation.1 Innovation, when done responsibly, brings tremendous benefits to consumers, financial institutions, and the economy at large. Innovation can make financial products and services better, cheaper, and safer. It can make banking accessible to more consumers, advancing financial inclusion. It can modernize our financial infrastructures, creating efficiencies and providing new tools for banks to manage risk. Innovation also comes with risks that need to be managed responsibly. Responsible innovation is in everyone’s interest. Consumers want the benefits of innovation through products and services they can trust. Banks have an interest in managing the complexities of innovation responsibly, ensuring that they recognize new and evolving risks to safety and soundness, follow relevant laws, and protect and serve their customers. Fintechs often play a key role in offering products and services that allow banks to meet these needs. And regulators and supervisors should develop regulatory and supervisory frameworks that allow banks to clearly understand and manage the risks associated with innovative activities. To achieve that, regulators should provide ongoing transparency and clarity on our approach. Today, I’d like to share how the Federal Reserve’s Novel Activities Supervision Program, launched in the summer of 2023, plays an important role in supporting responsible innovation at our supervised institutions.2 Prior to this program, the Federal Reserve established temporary working groups and task forces to better understand evolving technologies to inform supervision. Ultimately, though, we determined we needed a dedicated supervisory function for novel activities. There were a number of factors driving that decision that guided how we designed the Program. First, we understood that the pace of innovation was rapid. And we knew there would, of course, be benefits and risks stemming from innovation in the financial system. So we tasked the Novel Program with monitoring and understanding how these innovations and associated novel activities are used in banking and what benefits and risks they would pose. We gave them the mandate to keep up with the expertise related to use of new technologies and to employ new tools and data analytics in supervision. We invested time and research in understanding new technologies and businesses because we understood the importance of allowing innovation in the sector and avoiding excessively rigid stances on risk that don’t take into account the potential to make advancements in the sector and economy that benefit all of society. Second, we recognized that many financial institutions across the country are exploring and using many of the same technologies and similar novel business models. We felt it was important to create a coordinated approach to supervising novel activities across the Federal Reserve System. We initially identified two dozen firms, including firms of all sizes, for supervision by the Novel Activities Program. Firms are added or removed from the Program based on their engagement in novel activities. The supervisory program is designed to build a broad-based perspective of novel activities, the benefits and risks, and how those risks are managed. In this way, the Novel Program helps to enable similar supervision of similar risks, in a manner that reflects our current understanding of those activities in a variety of contexts. Third, while the technologies and products used by banks may be similar, their application and thus the benefits and risks may vary across business models. We understand the importance of tiering supervision to the type, extent, and level of risk posed by the novel activities and varied business models of supervised institutions and not imposing undue burden on firms. The Novel Activities Program employs a risk-based approach to supervision—meaning that the intensity of supervision is commensurate with the risk and scale of the activity. There is no one-size-fits-all model. Experts from the Novel team join the traditional supervisory teams that banks are used to working with on a regular basis, so there is no disruption or change in how we engage with banks. The Program is dynamic. As a bank changes its activities in this space, the rigor of the supervision similarly changes.3 The Novel Activities Program serves as a central point of expertise on new and innovative activities, supporting coordinated and risk-based supervision, and facilitating collaboration and communication between supervisors and stakeholders, all of whom contribute to supporting responsible innovation. Next, let me speak to two important principles in our Novel Program—clarity and collaboration. ClarityStarting with clarity: for banks beginning to explore new technologies, supervisors should engage early in the process to understand the technology and the risks and provide a clear sense of their expectations along the way. Engagement allows for banks and their supervisors to share perspectives on effective risk management practices and the application of new technologies. Early and open dialogue creates opportunities for supervisors to provide feedback to banks on necessary risk management frameworks early on in their innovation process and to have an open dialogue that builds trust as products go to market. As novel activities become more developed, we can issue guidance, resources, and other types of communications to further disseminate information, gather input, and provide clarity on effective risk management for novel activities. For example, in May 2024, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation released a guide to assist community banks in developing and implementing third-party risk management practices, which could be a useful resource for banks seeking to engage in novel, technology-based partnerships.4 A few months later, the agencies issued a joint statement on arrangements with third parties to deliver bank deposit products and services, which discusses the risks these arrangements can present, offers examples of practices to manage those risks, and reminds banks of existing requirements and supervisory expectations.5 There is no-one-size-fits-all approach in how we engage and communicate guidance to our firms, but it is essential that engagement happen to provide clarity to both sides. I have said it before many times and want to reiterate it here: the Federal Reserve neither prohibits nor discourages banking organizations from providing banking services to customers of any specific class or type, as permitted by law or regulation. It is up to banks to choose their own customers, and not supervisors. That has been and will continue to be our practice. In fact, banks supervised by the Federal Reserve provide material and important services to the crypto-industry. For example, banks supervised by the Fed operate real-time, 24/7 payment platforms that serve as a primary mechanism for companies to exchange dollars to settle crypto-asset transactions. We monitor that activity from both a safety and soundness and financial stability lens, but we do not tell banks to serve or not serve those customers. CollaborationTurning to collaboration, the private sector is at the forefront of innovation and that ongoing engagement and collaboration with industry gives supervisors insight into the evolving nature of novel innovations and developments. Insights gathered from supervision, analysis, and monitoring activities, and industry engagement, can identify real improvements to how financial services are delivered to households and businesses and how risks are managed by banks. Collaboration can also reveal areas where we can provide regulatory clarity for banks looking to engage in new activities. I want to emphasize the importance of hearing from the public through tools like requests for information, or RFIs. The bank regulatory agencies published an interagency RFI on bank-fintech arrangements last July.6 The purpose of the RFI was to build on the agencies’ understanding of these arrangements by soliciting updated input on the nature of bank-fintech arrangements. This included effective risk management practices regarding those arrangements, and the implications of such arrangements for bank risk management, safety and soundness, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We were also interested in understanding whether enhancements to existing supervisory guidance would be considered helpful in addressing the risks associated with these types of arrangements. We received over 100 comments. Respondents shared their insights on many topics, including the risks and benefits of these arrangements and how the agencies can bring additional clarity to our supervisory expectations. Some in the banking sector commented that the Novel Activities Program is an example of how cross-team collaboration might deepen an agency’s understanding of technology and innovation. The Federal Reserve and the other agencies are carefully considering the feedback we received as we consider how we can continue to support responsible innovation. We will continue to invest time and resources learning more about innovative technologies such as distributed ledger technology and bank-fintech partnerships to understand how they may benefit the institutions we supervise and their customers. Moreover, interagency coordination and knowledge-sharing with federal and state regulators and the private sector continue to be critical sources of discussion, engagement, and knowledge-building. In ClosingIn closing, thank you for this opportunity to outline the Fed’s Novel Activities Program, which I believe has already improved the clarity and consistency of our supervision related to innovative technologies and fostered collaboration as banks and supervisors seek to better understand the risks associated with these activities. I believe this approach will support innovation that benefits consumers while supporting safety and soundness. Thank you.
1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text 2. See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Creation of Novel Activities Supervision Program,” SR letter 23-7 (August 8, 2023). Return to text 3. As of today, there are 22 Federal Reserve supervised firms in the Novel Activities Supervision Program. Return to text 4. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Third-Party Risk Management: A Guide for Community Banks (PDF),” SR letter 24-2 / CA letter 24-1 (May 7, 2024). Return to text 5. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Joint Statement on Banks’ Arrangements with Third Parties to Deliver Bank Deposit Products and Services,” SR letter 24-5 (July 25, 2024). Return to text 6. Request for Information on Bank-Fintech Arrangements Involving Banking Products and Services Distributed to Consumers and Businesses, 89 Fed. Reg. 61,577 (July 31, 2024). Return to text
Headline: Microsoft AI ignites telecom innovation and growth
The telecommunications industry is experiencing significant AI advancements, emerging as the leading adopter of generative and agentic AI to drive automation, personalization, and data-driven decisions. According to a recent IDC white paper, telecom and media companies are seeing nearly four times the return on investment (ROI) on every dollar invested in AI. Additionally, by 2027, almost 90% of telecom providers are expected to use generative AI to improve customer experiences, up from 62% today.
96% of our tier-1 telecom customers are already adopting Microsoft AI solutions. Our ecosystem of customers and partners are harnessing the power of AI to reimagine customer experiences, modernize networks, automate business operations, and drive growth.
Ahead of Mobile World Congress 2025 (MWC), we’re sharing new capabilities and customer momentum that show how telecoms are adopting the Microsoft Cloud and AI capabilities to support their AI journey and empower the next generation of telecom solutions.
We invite you to join us next week at MWC to learn more about our new announcements and see firsthand how Microsoft AI is transforming the telecom industry. Experience live demos, attend insightful sessions, and meet our experts to learn how you can drive innovation and growth with Microsoft AI technologies.
Data is the fuel that powers AI: Telco data model
Telecom networks are recognized for their complex, data-rich environments. This data is the fuel that powers AI and forms the foundation upon which next-generation telecom systems are built. To convert this massive potential into actionable intelligence, organizations need a unified platform that can seamlessly connect, manage, and analyze their data. Microsoft Fabric is the end-to-end data platform designed to power customer AI transformation and help organizations reimagine how they unlock value from their data and revolutionize the services they offer.
Today we announce the Telco industry data model in Microsoft Fabric, designed to unify all data—from network performance metrics to customer interactions, within a single analytics environment. As an integral Fabric workload, telecom providers can use the Telco industry data model to manage and streamline how all their data is ingested, modelled, and analyzed through:
Native Fabric integration—a unified pipeline within Fabric’s analytics, governance, and visualization framework means faster time to market, with better insights.
Expanded data model—pre-built telecom-specific schemas covering network data, customer insights, and operational metrics drives operational efficiency.
Developer and visualization tools—simplified, AI-ready solution building that dramatically reduces development and testing time, making networks more resilient.
More than 50% of our telecom customers are leveraging Fabric for real-time business insights to optimize business and network operations. Leading customers like Telefónica, KPN, One NZ, and partners like Accenture, Infosys, and LigaData are using Fabric to achieve business results. The broader customer adoption for Fabric is more than 19,000 customers, including 70% of the Fortune 500. The Telco industry data model in Microsoft Fabric enables telecoms to establish a strong data foundation to unlock AI-powered insights that fuel innovation, operational efficiency, and greater value across the entire organization.
“Microsoft Fabric, powered by Telco data model and AI capabilities, has revolutionized our solutions by providing real-time insights throughout the customer journey, potentially increasing operational efficiency by 40%. Our solution offers preventive insights across the entire order lifecycle and its auto-healing capability for enhanced jeopardy management, significantly improving the management of complex B2B orders and enhancing the customer experience.”
The Telco industry data model in Microsoft Fabric will be available early in April 2025.
Telecom customers around the world are taking advantage of the cloud and AI in new and innovative ways. The collaborations we recently announced with KT Corporation, Lumen, Telstra, and Vodafone demonstrate how telecoms are innovating to elevate customer experiences, streamline business operations, modernize networks, and unlock new revenue streams. Additionally, we’re introducing new collaborations with top telecom providers that exemplify how they’re building the foundation to successfully implement AI, benefiting their organization, employees, and customers.
Spark, New Zealand’s leading telecom provider, is joining forces with Microsoft in the country’s largest Microsoft public cloud partnership, highlighting how AI and the Cloud are helping to transform telecom worldwide. Spark will migrate a portion of its workloads to Microsoft Azure and roll out one of New Zealand’s largest Microsoft 365 Copilot deployments. For more, read the press release.
Microsoft and Telefónica are extending their strategic collaboration to co-develop digital solutions using Open Gateway, a GSMA-led initiative that transforms communication networks into programmable platforms via Telefónica’s AI platform, Kernel. Both companies will work together to migrate Kernel’s capacities to Azure as part of a software as a service (SaaS) offering. The collaboration also encompasses a joint go-to-market strategy, which will bring a suite of digital products and services to other telecoms, developers, and telecom entities—available on Azure Marketplace and integrated into Microsoft’s overall telecom solutions. For more, read the press release.
We are also announcing that Surface for Business with 5G devices and Microsoft 365 Copilot will be available in all Verizon Business channels starting in April 2025. This launch marks a decade of partnership between Microsoft and Verizon Business, offering cellular connected Surface for Business devices and Microsoft services. Customers are choosing Surface Copilot+ PCs today for their exceptional performance, battery life, and security. Now, with the Verizon 5G network, the combination of Surface and Microsoft 365 Copilot offers an unparalleled mobile experience for business customers. For more, read the Surface IT Pro blog.
Telecoms accelerate growth in the next wave of AI: Agentic AI
As the AI platform shift accelerates, it’s inspiring to see customers and partners harness AI, generative AI, and agentic AI to drive transformation—reshaping both their businesses and the industry at large.
Elevating customer experiences
A recent IDC white paper showed AI-powered customer engagement is a top priority for businesses, with 92% of organizations currently using AI for marketing and public relations (PR) and 77% using it for customer service. Telecom providers are delivering frictionless customer experiences with AI-infused customer care at-scale with Dynamics 365. With a comprehensive view of the customer, telecoms obtain real-time insights into accounts and next-best actions to take. They also enable their customers through AI-powered automation for self-service. Additionally, Amdocs has created the Customer Engagement Platform that is fully integrated with Dynamics 365, to reimagine customer experience and identify new revenue opportunities for telecoms.
Since last MWC, we announced Dynamics 365 Contact Center, a powerful solution that works with existing customer relationship management systems (CRMs) and unifies interactions, streamlines support, and boosts customer satisfaction. With this solution, consumers can engage and self-serve in their channel of choice while reps can handle billing and tech issues faster with a single view. Built-in Copilot capabilities and real-time analytics drive improvements and upselling, enhancing loyalty, and revenue.
Leading telecoms are also reimagining how they connect with customers by harnessing Microsoft 365 Copilot to capture real-time transcripts, gain contextual insights, and automate repetitive tasks. This reduces handling times, freeing representatives to tackle more complex customer needs.
Here are some examples of how telecoms customers are using Microsoft AI technologies to transform their business and reimagine customer experiences:
Telkomsel’s AI-powered solution Veronika, built on Azure and introduced at the end of 2023, is delivering impressive results. Telkomsel has increased self-service interactions by 62% and cut escalations to agents by 38%. The average monthly active users of Veronika also grew by 67%, rising from 1.3 million in the first half of 2023 to 2.2 million in the second half. These improvements have boosted agent productivity and service quality, making for a smoother, more efficient customer experience.
Vodafone is harnessing Microsoft 365 Copilot to empower 68,000 employees to boost productivity, innovation, and quality. They are also leveraged Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Studio, Kubernetes Service to develop Tobi and SuperAgent to empower their agents with real-time AI support to improve customer experience, decrease churn, and provide competitive advantage. This improved first-time resolution from 70% to 90%.
Lumen is leveraging Microsoft AI solutions to empower their employees and improve customer service.
“Lumen is building the trusted network for AI. By scaling our AI capabilities with tools like Copilot, Azure AI, and Azure ML, we’re empowering our employees to tackle complex challenges and prioritize high-impact activities that enhance customer experiences and satisfaction. As we navigate our transformation, Microsoft’s AI tools are essential in supporting our objectives and sustaining our competitive advantage.”
Ryan Asdourian, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Lumen Technologies
Optimizing operations and modernizing networks
To keep pace with increasing business demands, leading telecoms are optimizing business operations and modernizing their networks with AI and an integrated data backbone.
Here are examples of how customers are using Microsoft AI capabilities to drive operational efficiency, innovation and growth:
AT&T automates code conversion and human resources (HR) inquiries with Azure OpenAI Service, improving employee experience, cutting costs and boosting customer service.
KT Corporation is leveraging Microsoft AI to drive efficiency and innovation.
“The Microsoft AI-driven solutions have enabled KT Corporation to improve its work efficiency and drive significant work innovation. By introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot, KT Corporation empowered over 11,000 employees with the latest AI solutions. Additionally, by developing AI agents built on solutions such as Microsoft Sustainability Manager and Copilot, KT reduced task completion time by 50% and improved infrastructure efficiency by 20%.”Phil Oh, CTO, KT Corporation
Proximus and TCS’s GitHub Copilot journey showcases how Microsoft generative AI accelerates IT delivery in telecom, improving productivity, code quality, and developer experience.
“In terms of developer experience, that’s where we got phenomenal, satisfactory feedback from developers—about 90% plus positive feedback from all categories of developers.”
Muralidharan Murugesan, Head – AI, Telco, Media & Information Services Industry, TCS
NTT DATA is leveraging Microsoft AI to build agentic AI workloads.
“NTT DATA leverages Microsoft Copilot Studio to deliver agentic AI advisory, implementation, managed services, and connectivity. By providing industry-specific automation and utilizing our integrated managed services platform, we support clients throughout their agents’ lifecycle. This collaboration is pivotal in achieving our clients’ outcomes, enabling us to deliver tailored, efficient, and innovative solutions that drive business success and enhance decision-making processes.”
Aishwarya Sing, SVP, Global Head of Digital Collaboration, NTT
One NZ is using Microsoft Fabric for real-time analytics from unified data sources. With the integration of multiple systems and visualizing insights on a single pane, One NZ has rapidly streamlined processes and proactively addressed growth opportunities:
“Previously, you needed to be a data engineer or scientist to access and understand customer information. Now we’re making it user-friendly, so anyone can easily make data-driven decisions.”
Strathan Campbell, Channel Environment Technology Lead, One NZ
Telstra scales in-house generative AI tools, saving 90% of employees’ time and reducing follow-up contacts by 20%.
Unlocking new revenue streams in the enterprise
A recent IDC white paper reports that 63% of telco and media companies say they are currently monetizing or using AI to boost revenue. As a trusted partner, beyond supporting their own transformation, we equip telecom providers with comprehensive business-to-business (B2B) offerings to drive topline growth and better serve their enterprise customers.
For example, AT&T’s collaboration with Microsoft is reimagining enterprise connectivity. AI applications and AT&T’s connectivity are tackling the USD112 billion annual retail shrinkage issue head-on. By integrating Azure IoT with AT&T’s 5G network and leveraging Teams Phone Mobile for notifications, retailers receive alerts that minimize loss and ensure safer shopping experience. AT&T’s move into AI-powered connectivity has created new revenue streams, spanning cost savings, compliance, and collaboration.
“AT&T is a leader in enabling innovative AI solutions and continues to expand capabilities through our relationship with Microsoft. We’re excited to integrate Microsoft’s AI capabilities into our retail crime intelligence platform, which utilizes near real-time notifications via Teams Phone Mobile. This collaboration underscores the commitment of both companies to enhance retail security and contribute to a safer shopping environment for both employees and customers.”
Another partner, Norwood Systems, is extending traditional voice services with Voice AI, opening up a new revenue stream for telecoms. Its OpenSpan solution, built on Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Speech, enables telecoms to bridge public switched telephone network (PSTN) and mobile services, to deliver advanced features like real-time recording, transcription, and summarization. This provides seamless call management for users and deeper insights for the telecom providers:
“By integrating Norwood’s OpenSpan with our mobile and voice networks, BT is unlocking new possibilities in voice technology. This innovation bridges our award-winning networks with AI, creating opportunities to enhance customer experiences, drive new efficiencies, and shape the future of voice communications.”
Jon Martin, Senior Director, Unified Communications, BT
To continue our mission to help telecoms succeed in this era of AI platform shift, Microsoft is enabling telecoms to further capitalize on AI by offering generative AI-powered managed security services. This allows tier-1 telecoms to generate new revenue from reselling, implementation, and managed services, while also reducing security operations center (SOC) costs and accelerating threat responses.
AI-powered Microsoft platforms and capabilities for co-innovation
Microsoft offers arguably the most comprehensive AI solutions. As a platform-first company, we also provide extensive tools to empower partners, developers and customers to build innovative cloud and AI solutions that meet the needs of telecom businesses.
Our adaptive cloud approach unifies hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge infrastructure through a single Azure Arc platform. We enable customers to build distributed, low-latency, high-performance applications and establish a common data foundation for current and future AI investments. For ultra-low latency or regulatory scenarios, we’re expanding Azure withAzure Local—cloud-connected infrastructure deployable at edge locations like retail sites and central offices. We continue to support existing Azure Operator Nexus customers as the solution evolves as part of our overall approach for Azure at the edge.
Accenture is spearheading an enterprise-ready private multi-access edge compute (MEC) solution built on Azure Local to deliver low latency, localized data processing, and meet regulatory requirements. Tejas Rao, Accenture, Managing Director, Accenture says, “Private 5G and edge computing are no longer experimental technologies, they are catalysts for enterprise transformation. By leveraging Azure Local, we help organizations harness ultra-low latency and localized data processing to unlock real-time insights, automate critical operations, and meet industry-specific compliance needs.”
Another partner,
Microsoft has also performed an initial integration of Project Janus into Academic institutions, such as the To learn more about how telecoms can modernize their networks with Project Janus, read this blog.
Vice President WW Telecommunications, Media and Gaming, Microsoft
Silvia Candiani leads Microsoft’s Worldwide Telecommunications, Media and Gaming Industry, overseeing industry strategy, go-to-market plan, ecosystem growth, and solution development. Silvia was formerly CEO of Microsoft Italy, focused on accelerating digital transformation. Prior to Microsoft, Silvia led Consumer Marketing for Vodafone in Italy and was previously a consultant at McKinsey in the Media and Telecommunication industries. She has a BA from Bocconi University and an MBA from INSEAD. Silvia is also a member of the Bocconi University Alumni Advisory Board and Lavazza Group.
Mati Diop has cinema in her blood. The 42-year-old Senegalese-French actress launched her feature film directing career in spectacular fashion with Atlantics, which took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and won a string of awards.
Her documentary Dahomey has made similar waves and was longlisted for the 2025 Oscars. We asked Senegalese film scholar David Murphy to tell us more.
Who is Mati Diop?
Mati Diop is a hugely talented and innovative film director. She is also an accomplished actor who has starred in a number of French films, in particular Claire Denis’s 35 Shots of Rum.
She was born in Paris in 1982 and was raised in France, but frequently visited Senegal during her childhood, as she comes from a Senegalese cultural dynasty.
Her father is Wasis Diop, an inventive and experimental musician who fuses Senegalese folk music with western pop and jazz. Her uncle was the maverick Senegalese filmmaker, Djibril Diop Mambéty. He directed classics like Touki Bouki and Hyenas. For good measure, her mother, Christine Brossard, is involved in the French art world and is a photographer.
Although she had previously made short films, Diop gained global attention in 2019 when she won a prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival for her first feature-length fiction film, Atlantics.
Her documentary Dahomey won the top award at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. Over the past few years, Diop has become established as one of the most creative artistic voices making films about contemporary Africa.
What’s Dahomey about?
Dahomey is a documentary about a contentious issue, the repatriation of looted African art works from western museums.
The objects – 26 royal treasures – were taken from the pre-colonial kingdom of Dahomey (in today’s Benin). President Emmanuel Macron of France has voiced his support for the return of such objects and a slow, piecemeal process of repatriation has now begun.
On the surface, the story of Dahomey might not seem to be particularly dramatic. Taking objects from a museum in Paris and sending them to a museum in Benin might be politically important and symbolic. But how do you make a creative, insightful and entertaining film about it that also appeals to a wide audience? Well, essentially, Diop weaves a tale that seeks to explore what it means for Africans that this heritage is being returned. To do that, she gives voice to Africans, whether heritage professionals, students or the general public.
In her most daring creative gesture, she also gives voice to one of the objects being returned, a magnificent, life-sized wooden statue of King Ghézo (who ruled Dahomey in the 1800s), depicted as half-man, half-bird. Many of the items that are displayed in European museums as beautiful but inanimate objects in fact played a highly significant spiritual role in precolonial societies. Essentially, they formed a bridge between the living and the spirit world, and Diop is interested in exploring what it might mean to these spirits to return to an Africa that has been transformed in their absence.
So, Dahomey is not your average documentary. There’s no narrative voiceover that explains the context of the journey home for these objects. Apart from a few on-screen captions explaining the big picture, viewers must piece together the story and decipher its meaning by themselves.
In the first half of the film, we see the curators from Benin and French workmen moving through the Quai Branly Museum in Paris. They assess the condition of the fragile objects as they make an inventory of them and box them safely for the trip. At first, theirs are the only voices we hear.
But then we begin to hear the deep, electronically distorted voice of the statue of King Ghézo who awakens from a long slumber. In this voiceover (written by the Haitian author Makenzy Orcel), Ghézo reflects on the sense of dislocation and confusion at being taken from Africa, his journey over the sea to be exhibited in a museum in Paris, his memories of the continent he left behind.
Once the objects arrive in Benin, the film follows a reverse process. The camera dwells on the African workmen overseeing their installation, interspersed with the voice of the statue trying to make sense of the Africa to which he has returned.
The longest section of the film gives voice to local university students debating what it means to return this heritage. While some view the process as vital, others see it as a distraction from the major issues facing the continent. The film does not seek to nudge the viewer to take sides. What is important is that different African voices are heard so that Africans can reach their own informed decisions.
What’s Atlantics about?
Atlantics is a film about the migration crisis that sees many young Senegalese men (and some women) set off from the coast on dangerous journeys in small fishing boats to try and reach the economic promised land of Europe (in this instance, the Canary Islands). But the film is also a love story about a young couple, Ada and Souleiman.
With a group of young men, many cheated of their wages by a corrupt local businessman, Souleiman embarks on the dangerous journey. The bereft girlfriends and sisters wait for news of their boyfriends and brothers and ultimately take revenge on the businessman. I can’t tell you precisely how this is done without spoiling the plot but let’s just say that the film is a striking mix of social drama and supernatural thriller.
Why is her contribution to film important?
Above all else, Mati Diop is a great storyteller. Atlantics and Dahomey are films that take important current affairs as their starting point, and they weave passionate, complex and strange stories around them.
They’re strange not because Diop is trying to be artistically eccentric, but because life is fundamentally strange and defies easy explanation. This is an artistic standpoint that her uncle would have understood.
Like his work, Diop’s fiction films contain long sections dwelling obsessively on the detail of “real” life while her documentaries contain many fictional elements. In fact, her short 2013 documentary A Thousand Suns is a wonderful homage to the beautiful strangeness of Mambety’s work. In a remarkable blend of fact and fiction, she traces the story of the actors who played the young couple in his avant-garde masterpiece, Touki Bouki.
In the work of both uncle and niece, the real and the fictional, the strange and the mundane are mixed together to make a mysterious and strikingly original body of work that defies categorisation.
David Murphy 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.
Pope Francis remains in a critical condition and hospitalised as he battles pneumonia in both lungs. The first pope from the Americas and also the first to come from outside the west in the modern era, the Argentinian was elected leader of the Catholic church on 13 March 2013. At the time, the church was beset by crises, from corruption to clerical sexual abuse. Stan Chu Ilo, a Catholic priest and a research professor of African studies and world Catholicism, examines the milestones in the life, work and legacy of Pope Francis.
What did Pope Francis inherit when he took over in 2013?
By the time the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013 there was a general feeling that the Catholic church was reaching the end of an era.
By the end of 2012 what was in the news about the church included the revelation of papal secrets by the papal butler. These details were published in a book by the Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, titled His Holiness: The Secret Files of Pope Benedict. The book portrayed the Vatican as a corrupt hotbed of jealousy, intrigue and underhanded factional fighting.
The revelations caused the church a great deal of embarrassment.
Some of the challenges facing the church which the ageing Pope Benedict XVI could no longer handle included:
the confusion created in the English-speaking world with the translation of the New Roman missal into English.
Cardinal Bergoglio was elected by the Catholic cardinals with a mandate to clean up the church and reform the Vatican and its bureaucracy. He was to institute processes and procedures for transparency, accountability and renewal of the church and its structures, and address the lingering scandals of clerical abuse.
What is his global papal role and legacy?
Three key things have defined his papal role and legacy.
First is concentrating on the core competence of the church: serving the poor and the marginalised. This is what the founder of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ, did.
Francis has focused the Catholic church and the entire world on one mission: helping the poor, addressing global inequalities, speaking for the voiceless, and placing the attention of the world on those on the periphery.
He also chose to live simply, forsaking the pomp and pageantry of the papacy.
Secondly, he changed the way the Catholic church’s message is communicated. In his programmatic document, Evangelii Gaudium, he called the church to what he calls “missionary conversion”. His thinking is that everything that is done in the church must be about proclaiming the good news to a wounded and broken world.
His central message has been that of mercy towards all, an end to wars, our common humanity and the closeness of God to those who suffer. The suffering in the world continues to grow because of injustice, greed, selfishness and pride. He has also focused on symbols and simple style to press home his message, like celebrating mass at a wall that divides the United States and Mexico.
In 2015 he made a risky trip to Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, during a time of war and tension between the fighting factions of the Muslim Seleka and the Christian anti-balaka. He drove on the Popemobile with both the highest ranking Muslim cleric in the country and his Christian counterpart and visited both a Christian church and a mosque to press home the message of peace.
The third strategy is restructuring the church and reforming the Vatican bank.
He created the G8 (a representative council of cardinals from every part of the world) to advise him, calling the Catholic church to a synod for dialogue on every aspect of the life of the church. This effort was unprecedented.
He also overhauled the procedures for the synod of bishops, making it more participatory, and gave women and the non-ordained voting rights. He has also shaken up the membership of the Vatican department that picks bishops to include women. He appointed the first woman (Sr Simone Brambilla) to lead a major Vatican department and to have a cardinal as her deputy. Another woman (Sr Raffaella Petrini) was named the first woman governor of the Vatican City State.
What has he done to strengthen the Catholic church in Africa?
Three things stand out.
First, he reflected the concerns of people on the continent with his message against imperialism, colonialism, exploitation of the poor by the rich, global inequality, neo-liberal capitalism and ecological injustice. Pope Francis became a voice for Africa. When he visited Kenya in 2015, he chose to visit the slums of Nairobi to proclaim the gospel of liberation to the forsaken of society. He called on African governments to guarantee for the poor and all citizens access to land, lodging and labour.
In a sense, Pope Francis embodies the message of decolonisation and is driven in part by the liberation theology that developed in Latin America. This theology tied religious faith with liberation of the people from structures of injustice and structural violence.
Secondly, he has encouraged African Catholics to develop Africa’s own unique approach to pastoral life and addressing social issues in Africa. Particularly, Pope Francis believes in decentralisation and local processes in meeting local challenges. He has said many times that it is not necessary that all problems in the church be solved by the pope at the Roman centre of the church.
In this way, he has encouraged the growth and development of African priorities and cultural adaptation to the Catholic faith. He has also encouraged greater transparency and accountability among African bishops and given African Catholic universities and seminaries greater autonomy to develop their own educational priorities and programmes.
Thirdly, Pope Francis has a very deep connection to Africa’s young people. He has encouraged and supported initiatives and programmes to strengthen the agency of young people, to give them hope and support their personal, spiritual and professional development. For the first time in history, on 1 November 2022, Pope Francis met virtually with more than 1,000 young Africans for an hour. I helped organise this meeting. He answered their questions and encouraged them to fight for what they believe.
What’s gone wrong, what’s gone well under his watch?
Pope Francis’s reform could be termed a movement from a church of a few where priests and bishops and the pope call the shots to a church of the people of God where everyone’s voice matters and where everyone’s concerns and needs are catered to.
He has quietly changed the tone of the message and the style of the leadership at the Vatican.
Granted, he has not substantially altered the content of that message, which is often seen as conservative, Eurocentric, and resistant to cultural pluralism and social change. But he is chipping away at its foundations through inclusion and an openness to hearing the voices of everyone, including those who do not agree with the church’s position. In doing this, he has shifted the priorities and practices of the Catholic church regarding such core issues as power and authority.
He has opened the doors to the voices of the marginalised in the church — women, the poor, the LGBTQi+ community, and those who have disaffiliated from the church. Many African Catholics would love to see more African representation at the Vatican, and many of them also worry about the widening division in the church, particularly driven by cultural and ideological battles in the west that have nothing to do with the social and ecclesial context of Africa.
Why does his papacy matter?
Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, the first to choose the name Francis and the first to come from outside the west in the modern era. He chose the name Francis because he wanted to focus his papacy on the poor, emulating St Francis of Assisi.
In a sense, Pope Francis has redefined what religion and spirituality mean for Catholicism. It’s not laying down and enforcing the law without mercy, it is caring for our neighbours and the Earth. This is the kind of religion the world needs today.
Stan Chu Ilo 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.
Incest porn is finally facing long overdue scrutiny. The government’s porn review recommends strengthening the extreme porn law to include incest porn and mandate its removal. The review also calls for much more proactive regulation of the porn industry, and bans on misogynistic, degrading and violent pornography, including sexual strangulation.
These proposed changes address a glaring gap in regulation. While pornographic videos depicting incest porn are unlawful offline, there are no controls over its online distribution or possession. Strengthening extreme porn laws to include incest would signal a shift towards a society no longer willing to normalise and trivialise child sexual abuse and incest.
Any cursory visit today to the most popular porn websites reveals a continuous stream of incest material.
To be clear, I’m talking about porn depicting sexual activity between family members, particularly the vast swathes of material with (step)fathers and (step)brothers having sex with very young-looking girls. They may be actors over 18, but they are often in children’s clothes, surrounded by children’s toys, with pigtails, braces and other markers of childhood.
The scenarios are often about creeping into young girls’ bedrooms, coercing or grooming them into sex. The graphic titles of videos describe sex between (step)fathers and daughters. Alarmingly, they often reproduce the justifications of real-life abusers, such as “little secret between daddy and his girl”. These videos are viewed and given the thumbs up online by millions.
The new proposals target the depiction of unlawful sexual activity between family members. This includes any daddy-daughter or brother-sister scenarios as this is always a sexual offence. But it would not cover consensual sexual activity between step-parents and step-children over 18, as this is not currently unlawful. Nor would it cover instances where terms like daddy or stepmom are simply used as descriptors for older actors.
Growing popularity
Incest porn wasn’t always so common. In the 1980s, porn content studies found only 3% of material was incest-related. One of the first studies of internet porn, in 2006, found only 1% portrayed incest. But by 2014, incest porn was on Pornhub’s list of most popular searches.
My own research with colleagues revealed that one in eight titles on the homepages of the most popular porn websites described sexual violence, with sexual activity between family members the largest category of abusive content. Professor Elaine Craig’s recent study also confirms the prevalence of incest-related themes on the most popular porn platforms.
The changing business model of porn in the internet age means that the prevalence of incest porn is as much about platforms promoting it, as it is about users seeking it out. The largest porn websites use algorithmic models to maximise user engagement, keeping users hooked, collecting more data and selling more advertising. Just like social media, porn websites prioritise extreme, shocking, exploitative and divisive material, such as incest content.
Pornography writes our sexual scripts
Porn, therefore, shapes our sexual scripts, the norms we internalise about what is expected, normal and acceptable in sexual relationships. Research on sexual strangulation, for example, finds that more frequent consumption of porn leads to greater exposure to pornographic depictions of sexual strangulation which, in turn, predicted a higher likelihood of strangling sexual partners.
The largest study to date of men who have sexually offended against children found that they were 11 times more likely to watch violent porn and 27 times more likely to view bestiality porn.
Porn consumed by millions (there are 130 million visitors a day to Pornhub) necessarily shapes our social environment, and in turn our attitudes and sexual practices.
The prevalence of incest-themed content matters, as it normalises and legitimises ideas of sexual activity between family members – particularly involving young girls. When these messages are consumed by millions every day, the influence extends beyond individual users and filters into broader cultural attitudes.
In time, we may become desensitised, less likely to understand the prevalence of child sexual abuse, or its seriousness. The claim that incest porn is fantasy without real-world effects assumes incest is rare, abhorrent. But it’s not.
It’s commonplace, with 500,000 children in England and Wales sexually abused each year. These are predominantly girls, with (step)fathers accounting for up to half of the perpetrators.
From my work in this field, it is clear to me that these sexual scripts influence society in various ways, including making us less likely to believe survivors. We may blame the victims, having internalised that girls entice family members into sex. And it seems we become less concerned about government inaction on child sexual abuse as it no longer seems serious.
Time for change
Critics demand evidence of direct causation, asking for proof that watching specific videos of incest porn leads to specific acts of incest. But this narrow framing (I argue, deliberately) misses the point. Sexual violence is complex and influenced by a range of factors. No study can isolate porn as the sole cause of any particular act, nor should we expect it to.
Rejecting a direct causal relationship is not the same as rejecting any relationship. We need to ask, in a culture saturated with incest porn, are we more likely to tolerate, excuse or dismiss the realities of incest and sexual abuse? Probably – and I would argue that is enough.
If we continue to allow incest porn to proliferate, we risk perpetuating a culture that trivialises abuse, undermines survivors and distorts our understanding of what is acceptable in sexual relationships. It is time to stop debating whether pornography causes direct harm in a narrow sense, but to confront the broader reality that it is shaping our attitudes and society in profoundly damaging ways.
Clare McGlynn 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.
Several weeks ago, I visited a local NHS urgent care centre with my toddler on what might be called a semi-annual pilgrimage related to having a child in nursery. Owing to what is now a typical three- or four-hour wait, during which he made a recovery, I had the time to notice the hospital’s waiting room cleaning practices. They amounted to someone pushing a mop around the floor and in the process moving, rather than removing, various fluids and items that had probably amassed over the preceding several hours.
About 36 hours later, our toddler woke up with a stomach bug. The cleaning practices I saw – coupled with my inability to keep him from touching a lot of surfaces in the hospital, including the floor – suggested to me that this was not a coincidence.
Individual behaviour and practices play a role in the spread of disease. And many times it is our collective actions that lead to contagion, even if our goal is to prevent it.
Given the NHS has recently recorded its highest ever rate of norovirus cases – with the bug making up more than one in 100 hospitalisations in the country – we are due for a rethink about how we understand the social elements of illness.
As a social scientist working in public health, I’ve learned that diseases conform to our behaviour, which can keep us one step ahead – or leave us one behind.
How we develop policy around contagion is one example. Recently, NHS England published new national standards of cleanliness for NHS Trusts – the most recent update since 2021. These standards define cleanliness, what materials should be used and the frequencies necessary for adequate cleaning.
The guidelines are, unsurprisingly, very boring, but what stands out to me is the emphasis on which spaces and surfaces are the most likely to be contaminated, rather than taking a contextual approach to the relationship between people, germs and spaces.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by contrast, uses a more complex function. Risk is evaluated by combining the probability of contamination of an item or surface, the vulnerability of patients and the potential for exposure within the space.
A waiting room where people have been vomiting, for example, would be taken more seriously as a risky area using these guidelines than the brute force approach taken by the NHS.
Another important element of risk, though one not evaluated explicitly in any policy guideline, is how germs evolve in response to our efforts against them.
Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, for example, are typically treated by antibiotics, though the rise of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) subtype has complicated patient care around the world.
More recently, bacteria called carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales (CPEs) have started spreading in hospitals, and are both highly contagious and difficult to treat.
Both MRSA and CPEs are, however, direct results of our efforts to combat bacteria: our use of antibiotics selects, evolutionarily speaking, for resistance to our treatments.
Imperial College London’s Fleming Initiative, named after the discoverer of the first antibiotic, penicillin, is an international effort that aims to stymie the spread of these germs, but they nonetheless present a real and serious risk to patients everywhere.
Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium linked with painful stomach bugs, has also shown increasing resistance to antibiotics, particularly strains found in hospitals. What’s worse, evidence from 2023 suggestsC difficile may even be resistant to bleach, which is typically successful at killing almost all germs and was found, in the past, to work against this bacterium, too.
Everyone plays a role
Blunt policies specifying cleaning schedules without reference to context are unlikely to be effective in a world of fast-evolving germs. What’s needed, instead, is a population-level understanding about how everyone plays a role in contagion and in its containment. We’re part of a broader ecosystem that bacteria and viruses live within, and which evolve to thrive when we become complacent in our behaviour.
The CDC’s guidelines embrace context, but the work doesn’t stop with hospital cleaning staff – who in the UK, by the way, earn an average of £21,000 a year for the critical work they do. Anyone who works in or visits a healthcare space has a responsibility to those nearby, whether that involves maintaining distance between people or shielding others from their own illness.
We can’t expect stretched systems and overworked employees to prevent the spread of germs. And the UK’s massive norovirus outbreak is a symptom itself of how bad we are at preventing viral contagion.
Yet people – including patients and their carers like me – can do a lot more than just idly watch dirty mops float by in waiting areas. We can educate ourselves about current risks, avoid where possible spaces with a high risk of contamination, and stay home to prevent infecting others, for example in the workplace.
Social approaches should be built into any framework that aims to combat disease. Knowledge, unlike antibiotics and bleach, is free – and the spread of information about how to help prevent contagion can only be good for healthcare systems and society more broadly.
Jonathan R. Goodman 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.
When Donald Trump called Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” for his failure to hold elections, it was a shocking moment. Even by the topsy-turvy standards of the current US administration, this looked like deliberate ignorance of the facts. Ukrainian law and the electoral code state that elections cannot be held while martial law is in place. That leaves aside the practical impossibility of ensuring fair, free and secure elections during war on the scale Russia is inflicting on Ukraine.
In making this dangerous intervention, the US president was simply repeating a well-established trope of Russian propaganda. For some time, the Kremlin has been casting aspersions on the legitimacy of Zelensky. Vladimir Putin has been using this as a pretext to allow him to sidestep any direct contact with the (legitimately elected) Ukrainian president.
It is not the first time that Russia has cited a concern for constitutional propriety in its Ukraine policy. The Kremlin condemned both the orange revolution of 2004 (which forced a rerun of a rigged presidential election) and the Euromaidan protests of 2013-14 (which chased out the Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych) as cases of anti-constitutional mob rule ousting a legitimately elected leader.
Russia’s defence of constitutional legitimacy has been selective and self-interested. For two decades, it has energetically – and often unconstitutionally – meddled in the political processes of Ukraine and other neighbouring states. Electoral outcomes are sacrosanct only when they confirm pro-Russian candidates in power. No matter if these results were secured by massive fraud and intimidation.
Meanwhile, when Putin found his own constitution an inconvenience, he had it changed in a referendum which handed him the opportunity to retain power until 2036.
Making things ‘legal’
But there is more than pure cynicism to the Russian government’s embrace of constitutional rhetoric. This belief in the need for power to have a legal framework has a long tradition behind it. Russia imposed rapid-fire referendums in Crimea in 2014 and then in four regions of occupied Ukraine in 2022 in an attempt to give a legal basis to its military occupation of these territories.
There were echoes of the shotgun plebiscites conducted in 1939-41 in eastern Poland, Bessarabia and the Baltic states. Almost immediately after it annexed these territories, the Soviet state forced the population into participating in the Stalinist version of democracy. These were votes with only one candidate on the ballot paper. The Soviet Union was desperately poor, its state apparatus was overstretched and underresourced – but money and personnel were found for these choreographed elections.
The same logic applied in the Soviet Union “proper”. In 1918, at the very start of the civil war that followed the October revolution, the Bolsheviks adopted a constitution for the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. This was amplified by a Soviet constitution in 1924 that established the elected Congress of Soviets as the supreme organ of state power (even if the Communist Party really pulled the strings).
Just over a decade later, Stalin found it necessary to update the constitution. He wanted it reflect what he saw as the progress made towards socialism in the first two decades after the revolution. The result, after extensive if largely orchestrated public discussion, was the 1936 constitution. This, among other things, enshrined universal suffrage elections to a national representative body: the Supreme Soviet.
This was not to be the end of the Soviet constitutional road. A generation later, in the early 1960s, the post-Stalin leadership felt the need to refresh and amplify the 1936 document. It took until 1977 for a new constitution finally to be agreed and adopted, but it was clear that this authoritarian state took “socialist legality” very seriously indeed. Constitutional law might have been considered malleable by the Communist party, but it was important for it to exist and to withstand challenge, whether from internal dissidents or from cold war adversaries.
Why have a constitution?
To understand the significance of constitutions and political institutions in the USSR and post-Soviet Russia, it’s worth considering what function constitutions actually perform. Western nations tend to think of them as documents setting out the relationship between different branches of government: executive, legislative, judicial. They contain some limitation on the powers of the executive. Certainly, this is how the US constitution – which is often seen as the archetype of a western state constitution – is most commonly viewed.
Defining a new country: the US constitution. https://pixy.org/1262083/
But there has long been another way of viewing constitutions: as a symbol of the integrity and robustness of the state. As British historian Linda Colley has shown, between the mid-18th and the early 20th centuries, constitutions became perhaps the main currency of legitimacy for a nation state. To have a constitution was, above all, a way to stake a claim to exist in a dangerous world inhabited by predatory empires.
For some of those empires, constitutions served as a way of holding together their own large and disparate territories. This tended to work by, for example, conceding a degree of representation to minority groups in the hope of preempting separatist movements. On close inspection, this was also true of the US constitution. It was a document designed to bring and hold the original 13 states together and establish the US as an international power.
Constitutions and elections have always been as much about power, legitimacy and state integrity as about representation – democratic or otherwise – or limitations on government. For states that are not major powers, the legitimacy needs to be projected externally as much as internally.
Ukraine now finds the legitimacy of its constitution under threat from both the dominant regional power – Russia – and the world power of the US. It falls on Europe – a region almost defined by its commitment to constitutional democracy – to articulate and defend an alternative vision.
European leaders – and their electorates – need to act on the belief that democracy and sovereignty are not on separate tracks but belong together. Ukraine deserves to retain its free elections, but it also deserves a state.
Stephen Lovell is currently at work on a project on the history of voting in the Russian Empire and USSR funded by a Major Research Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David Murphy, Professor of French and Postcolonial Studies, University of Strathclyde
Mati Diop has cinema in her blood. The 42-year-old Senegalese-French actress launched her feature film directing career in spectacular fashion with Atlantics, which took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and won a string of awards.
Her documentary Dahomey has made similar waves and was longlisted for the 2025 Oscars. We asked Senegalese film scholar David Murphy to tell us more.
Who is Mati Diop?
Mati Diop is a hugely talented and innovative film director. She is also an accomplished actor who has starred in a number of French films, in particular Claire Denis’s 35 Shots of Rum.
She was born in Paris in 1982 and was raised in France, but frequently visited Senegal during her childhood, as she comes from a Senegalese cultural dynasty.
Her father is Wasis Diop, an inventive and experimental musician who fuses Senegalese folk music with western pop and jazz. Her uncle was the maverick Senegalese filmmaker, Djibril Diop Mambéty. He directed classics like Touki Bouki and Hyenas. For good measure, her mother, Christine Brossard, is involved in the French art world and is a photographer.
Diop poses with her Golden Bear for Best Film for Dahomey on the red carpet at the Berlinale International Film Festival.Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Although she had previously made short films, Diop gained global attention in 2019 when she won a prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival for her first feature-length fiction film, Atlantics.
Her documentary Dahomey won the top award at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. Over the past few years, Diop has become established as one of the most creative artistic voices making films about contemporary Africa.
What’s Dahomey about?
Dahomey is a documentary about a contentious issue, the repatriation of looted African art works from western museums.
The objects – 26 royal treasures – were taken from the pre-colonial kingdom of Dahomey (in today’s Benin). President Emmanuel Macron of France has voiced his support for the return of such objects and a slow, piecemeal process of repatriation has now begun.
On the surface, the story of Dahomey might not seem to be particularly dramatic. Taking objects from a museum in Paris and sending them to a museum in Benin might be politically important and symbolic. But how do you make a creative, insightful and entertaining film about it that also appeals to a wide audience? Well, essentially, Diop weaves a tale that seeks to explore what it means for Africans that this heritage is being returned. To do that, she gives voice to Africans, whether heritage professionals, students or the general public.
In her most daring creative gesture, she also gives voice to one of the objects being returned, a magnificent, life-sized wooden statue of King Ghézo (who ruled Dahomey in the 1800s), depicted as half-man, half-bird. Many of the items that are displayed in European museums as beautiful but inanimate objects in fact played a highly significant spiritual role in precolonial societies. Essentially, they formed a bridge between the living and the spirit world, and Diop is interested in exploring what it might mean to these spirits to return to an Africa that has been transformed in their absence.
So, Dahomey is not your average documentary. There’s no narrative voiceover that explains the context of the journey home for these objects. Apart from a few on-screen captions explaining the big picture, viewers must piece together the story and decipher its meaning by themselves.
In the first half of the film, we see the curators from Benin and French workmen moving through the Quai Branly Museum in Paris. They assess the condition of the fragile objects as they make an inventory of them and box them safely for the trip. At first, theirs are the only voices we hear.
But then we begin to hear the deep, electronically distorted voice of the statue of King Ghézo who awakens from a long slumber. In this voiceover (written by the Haitian author Makenzy Orcel), Ghézo reflects on the sense of dislocation and confusion at being taken from Africa, his journey over the sea to be exhibited in a museum in Paris, his memories of the continent he left behind.
Once the objects arrive in Benin, the film follows a reverse process. The camera dwells on the African workmen overseeing their installation, interspersed with the voice of the statue trying to make sense of the Africa to which he has returned.
The longest section of the film gives voice to local university students debating what it means to return this heritage. While some view the process as vital, others see it as a distraction from the major issues facing the continent. The film does not seek to nudge the viewer to take sides. What is important is that different African voices are heard so that Africans can reach their own informed decisions.
What’s Atlantics about?
Atlantics is a film about the migration crisis that sees many young Senegalese men (and some women) set off from the coast on dangerous journeys in small fishing boats to try and reach the economic promised land of Europe (in this instance, the Canary Islands). But the film is also a love story about a young couple, Ada and Souleiman.
With a group of young men, many cheated of their wages by a corrupt local businessman, Souleiman embarks on the dangerous journey. The bereft girlfriends and sisters wait for news of their boyfriends and brothers and ultimately take revenge on the businessman. I can’t tell you precisely how this is done without spoiling the plot but let’s just say that the film is a striking mix of social drama and supernatural thriller.
Why is her contribution to film important?
Above all else, Mati Diop is a great storyteller. Atlantics and Dahomey are films that take important current affairs as their starting point, and they weave passionate, complex and strange stories around them.
They’re strange not because Diop is trying to be artistically eccentric, but because life is fundamentally strange and defies easy explanation. This is an artistic standpoint that her uncle would have understood.
Like his work, Diop’s fiction films contain long sections dwelling obsessively on the detail of “real” life while her documentaries contain many fictional elements. In fact, her short 2013 documentary A Thousand Suns is a wonderful homage to the beautiful strangeness of Mambety’s work. In a remarkable blend of fact and fiction, she traces the story of the actors who played the young couple in his avant-garde masterpiece, Touki Bouki.
In the work of both uncle and niece, the real and the fictional, the strange and the mundane are mixed together to make a mysterious and strikingly original body of work that defies categorisation.
– Mati Diop is a new star of African cinema – what her award-winning movies are about – https://theconversation.com/mati-diop-is-a-new-star-of-african-cinema-what-her-award-winning-movies-are-about-250417
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stan Chu Ilo, Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University
Pope Francis remains in a critical condition and hospitalised as he battles pneumonia in both lungs. The first pope from the Americas and also the first to come from outside the west in the modern era, the Argentinian was elected leader of the Catholic church on 13 March 2013. At the time, the church was beset by crises, from corruption to clerical sexual abuse. Stan Chu Ilo, a Catholic priest and a research professor of African studies and world Catholicism, examines the milestones in the life, work and legacy of Pope Francis.
What did Pope Francis inherit when he took over in 2013?
By the time the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013 there was a general feeling that the Catholic church was reaching the end of an era.
By the end of 2012 what was in the news about the church included the revelation of papal secrets by the papal butler. These details were published in a book by the Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, titled His Holiness: The Secret Files of Pope Benedict. The book portrayed the Vatican as a corrupt hotbed of jealousy, intrigue and underhanded factional fighting.
The revelations caused the church a great deal of embarrassment.
Some of the challenges facing the church which the ageing Pope Benedict XVI could no longer handle included:
Cardinal Bergoglio was elected by the Catholic cardinals with a mandate to clean up the church and reform the Vatican and its bureaucracy. He was to institute processes and procedures for transparency, accountability and renewal of the church and its structures, and address the lingering scandals of clerical abuse.
What is his global papal role and legacy?
Three key things have defined his papal role and legacy.
First is concentrating on the core competence of the church: serving the poor and the marginalised. This is what the founder of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ, did.
Francis has focused the Catholic church and the entire world on one mission: helping the poor, addressing global inequalities, speaking for the voiceless, and placing the attention of the world on those on the periphery.
He also chose to live simply, forsaking the pomp and pageantry of the papacy.
Secondly, he changed the way the Catholic church’s message is communicated. In his programmatic document, Evangelii Gaudium, he called the church to what he calls “missionary conversion”. His thinking is that everything that is done in the church must be about proclaiming the good news to a wounded and broken world.
His central message has been that of mercy towards all, an end to wars, our common humanity and the closeness of God to those who suffer. The suffering in the world continues to grow because of injustice, greed, selfishness and pride. He has also focused on symbols and simple style to press home his message, like celebrating mass at a wall that divides the United States and Mexico.
In 2015 he made a risky trip to Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, during a time of war and tension between the fighting factions of the Muslim Seleka and the Christian anti-balaka. He drove on the Popemobile with both the highest ranking Muslim cleric in the country and his Christian counterpart and visited both a Christian church and a mosque to press home the message of peace.
The third strategy is restructuring the church and reforming the Vatican bank.
He created the G8 (a representative council of cardinals from every part of the world) to advise him, calling the Catholic church to a synod for dialogue on every aspect of the life of the church. This effort was unprecedented.
He also overhauled the procedures for the synod of bishops, making it more participatory, and gave women and the non-ordained voting rights. He has also shaken up the membership of the Vatican department that picks bishops to include women. He appointed the first woman (Sr Simone Brambilla) to lead a major Vatican department and to have a cardinal as her deputy. Another woman (Sr Raffaella Petrini) was named the first woman governor of the Vatican City State.
What has he done to strengthen the Catholic church in Africa?
Three things stand out.
First, he reflected the concerns of people on the continent with his message against imperialism, colonialism, exploitation of the poor by the rich, global inequality, neo-liberal capitalism and ecological injustice. Pope Francis became a voice for Africa. When he visited Kenya in 2015, he chose to visit the slums of Nairobi to proclaim the gospel of liberation to the forsaken of society. He called on African governments to guarantee for the poor and all citizens access to land, lodging and labour.
In a sense, Pope Francis embodies the message of decolonisation and is driven in part by the liberation theology that developed in Latin America. This theology tied religious faith with liberation of the people from structures of injustice and structural violence.
Secondly, he has encouraged African Catholics to develop Africa’s own unique approach to pastoral life and addressing social issues in Africa. Particularly, Pope Francis believes in decentralisation and local processes in meeting local challenges. He has said many times that it is not necessary that all problems in the church be solved by the pope at the Roman centre of the church.
In this way, he has encouraged the growth and development of African priorities and cultural adaptation to the Catholic faith. He has also encouraged greater transparency and accountability among African bishops and given African Catholic universities and seminaries greater autonomy to develop their own educational priorities and programmes.
Thirdly, Pope Francis has a very deep connection to Africa’s young people. He has encouraged and supported initiatives and programmes to strengthen the agency of young people, to give them hope and support their personal, spiritual and professional development. For the first time in history, on 1 November 2022, Pope Francis met virtually with more than 1,000 young Africans for an hour. I helped organise this meeting. He answered their questions and encouraged them to fight for what they believe.
What’s gone wrong, what’s gone well under his watch?
Pope Francis’s reform could be termed a movement from a church of a few where priests and bishops and the pope call the shots to a church of the people of God where everyone’s voice matters and where everyone’s concerns and needs are catered to.
He has quietly changed the tone of the message and the style of the leadership at the Vatican.
Granted, he has not substantially altered the content of that message, which is often seen as conservative, Eurocentric, and resistant to cultural pluralism and social change. But he is chipping away at its foundations through inclusion and an openness to hearing the voices of everyone, including those who do not agree with the church’s position. In doing this, he has shifted the priorities and practices of the Catholic church regarding such core issues as power and authority.
He has opened the doors to the voices of the marginalised in the church — women, the poor, the LGBTQi+ community, and those who have disaffiliated from the church. Many African Catholics would love to see more African representation at the Vatican, and many of them also worry about the widening division in the church, particularly driven by cultural and ideological battles in the west that have nothing to do with the social and ecclesial context of Africa.
Why does his papacy matter?
Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, the first to choose the name Francis and the first to come from outside the west in the modern era. He chose the name Francis because he wanted to focus his papacy on the poor, emulating St Francis of Assisi.
In a sense, Pope Francis has redefined what religion and spirituality mean for Catholicism. It’s not laying down and enforcing the law without mercy, it is caring for our neighbours and the Earth. This is the kind of religion the world needs today.
– Pope Francis: why his papacy matters for Africa – and for the world’s poor and marginalised – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-why-his-papacy-matters-for-africa-and-for-the-worlds-poor-and-marginalised-251059
Oxford City Council, and its partner ODS, are taking decisive steps to improve their bulky waste collection service.
To ensure the service operates at a manageable and sustainable level, the Council is implementing the following improvements:
These measures will allow the Council to clear any existing backlog and reduce collection waiting times to within improved level of seven days.
Comment
Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies, said: “Oxford City Council and ODS remain committed to continuously improving our bulky waste collections to help ensure a cleaner, more efficient and cost-effective service for all residents.
“Now, these measures will cut the collection response times to make it easier for everyone to get rid of their bulky waste items quickly, and at a low cost.”
Background
Charges for bulky waste collections were introduced in 2021 (£30 for white goods and £20 for other bulky items) bringing the City Council’s policy in line with other districts in Oxfordshire. A discount is available for those receiving housing benefit, council tax support, or universal credit with a housing element. The discount for bulky waste furniture is £10 per item and for large electrical items and white goods, £15 per item.
In January 2023, Government regulations required that waste items containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) such as fire-retardant upholstery be collected and processed separately. This statutory requirement has increased operational costs and decreased capacity, as separate waste streams must now be managed.
Currently, white goods bulky waste collections take place one day a week and are disposed of at Redbridge. POPs and other bulky furniture collections take place on two days a week and are taken to either Sutton Courtney or Redbridge.
With an increased collection schedule and route optimisation, the Council aims to ensure a faster service for residents.
Looking ahead
In the longer term, the Council is working on making the bulky waste collection service even better by:
evaluating the impact of Simpler Recycling legislation and Extended Producer Responsibility payments, which indicate that Councils may be required to offer free domestic bulky waste collections in the future
Booking a bulky waste collection
Residents can book a bulky waste collection by calling 01865 249811. For further inquiries, contact the Recycling and Waste Team.
