Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Montana of the May 23, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the straight-line winds occurring July 24, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the Montana counties of Missoula and Powell.
Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature who suffered financial losses directly related to the disaster. Examples of eligible non-critical PNPs include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 3.25% and terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than May 23.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) hosted Louisiana State University (LSU) and several energy industry and critical infrastructure partners to train against simulated, high-impact cyberattacks on operational technology (OT) and traditional information technology (IT) at CISA’s Control Environment Laboratory Resource (CELR) in Idaho Falls, Idaho, last week. LSU is the first university in the U.S. invited to participate in the CELR exercise, as part of CISA and INL’s efforts to strengthen cyber talent development and research partnerships.
Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems. The potential incapacitation or destruction of assets, systems and networks, whether physical or virtual, could have a debilitating effect on national security, economic security and on public health and safety. As the nation’s cyber defense agency, CISA is committed to growing operational and strategic partnerships to increase collaboration across the OT and industrial control systems (ICS) community.
On April 15-17, energy industry partners and the CISA-INL-LSU team used the CELR chemical processing platform, located at and operated by INL on behalf of CISA. CELR platforms are benchtop models of critical infrastructure with integrated industrial processes to represent how real-world components and facilities might be compromised through cyber-physical attacks. The participants were positioned in a live environment with IT and OT traffic and attacked by a technical team posing as a sophisticated adversary. The training participants’ mission was to detect and respond to kinetic cyberattacks through ICS elements, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), OT and IT systems and other key components widely used in industrial facilities.
“Collaborating with LSU and industry partners is extremely beneficial in strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity knowledge and ability to respond to threats. This training is another step in our shared vision to expand the opportunity for critical infrastructure entities to strengthen their cybersecurity using CELR,” said Matt Hartman, CISA Deputy Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity. “Malicious cyber actors and nation-state adversaries are a persistent, highly capable threat to critical infrastructure operations, functionality and safety. CELR is a valuable resource for critical infrastructure owners and operators seeking to improve the security of their ICS/OT networks.”
“INL’s Controls Laboratory hosts five CISA-sponsored ICS testbeds, offering immersive environments for partners to experience realistic cyberattack scenarios against critical infrastructure,” said Tim Huddleston, INL’s Cybersecurity Program Manager. “We were proud to host industry partners and academia in this exercise, helping them improve their skills in cyber hunting and incident response, which reduces the risk from malicious cyber actors.”
INL leverages scientific expertise and unique controls environments to support the departments of Energy, Defense and Homeland Security in national security challenges, including critical infrastructure protection. Last week’s training is part of an ongoing collaborative effort by CISA, DHS S&T, INL and LSU to equip energy industry cyber defenders to protect ICS environments and develop deeply technical cyber talent for critical infrastructure. Under CISA and S&T oversight, INL is currently developing the first university-based CELR platform. DHS S&T and CISA plan to deliver an Oil and Natural Gas CELR platform to LSU by fall of this year.
Through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, LSU will operate and maintain the Oil and Natural Gas platform and host similar trainings for energy sector partners, state cyber defenders, and LSU faculty, staff and students. This agreement will provide government and industry security professionals in the Louisiana gulf region an extremely valuable, local opportunity to hone their OT/ICS cybersecurity skills.
“This partnership is a wonderful example of DHS S&T’s role in enabling effective, efficient, and secure operations by applying scientific, engineering, analytic, and innovative approaches to deliver timely solutions. The CELR platforms help ensure critical infrastructure is better positioned to detect, mitigate, or prevent cyber-attacks in the real world. By positioning a platform in close proximity to critical infrastructure owners and operators, as well as making it accessible to the next generation of oil refinery workforce through the university, DHS S&T and CISA are ensuring our nation’s oil supply remains secure and available to consumers,” said Jonathan McEntee,Acting Executive Director for S&T Office of Mission and Capability Support.
“As a leading energy and chemical manufacturing state, Louisiana’s cybersecurity posture around its critical infrastructure has national implications,” said Greg Trahan, director of economic development at LSU and special advisor to LSU President William F. Tate IV on cyber initiatives. “The invitation by CISA and INL to participate in this exercise underscores what we know: LSU has emerged as one of the most important and consequential cybersecurity schools in the country. The opportunity to be joined by our close industry partners means we can bring these skills and agency relationships home to support and protect Louisiana—that is the LSU Scholarship First Agenda and flagship mission in action.”
Another outcome from this collaborative effort, LSU and Battelle Energy Alliance, the company that manages INL, recently signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize their partnership in areas of mutual interest, including cybersecurity and advanced nuclear technology. Over the past year, INL has hosted six LSU cybersecurity interns and successfully hired two LSU graduates. This collaboration exemplifies INL’s commitment to expanding partnerships with other industry and academic entities, fostering an environment to develop cyber resilience skills.
“On Yom HaShoah, a day of remembrance and introspection, we vow to never forget the victims of the Holocaust. More than six million Jewish men, women and children were imprisoned, tortured and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.”
“In the years following the Second World War, the world committed to ‘Never Again’ stand by without fighting against such heinous atrocities. Never again would evil be permitted to go unchecked, and never again would the Jewish people be left alone to struggle against antisemitism.
“There is no room for hatred in Alberta and Alberta’s government will always condemn terrorism and hate. Together, we will stand against antisemitism, stand with the Jewish people, and stand for the province we love. I invite all Albertans to act in solidarity with the Jewish community and commemorate Yom HaShoah.
Organizations in British Columbia will benefit from simplified reporting requirements when lobbying government.
Amendments to the Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA), passed in April 2024, will officially come into force on May 27, 2025. The changes were informed by concerns from smaller organizations, such as non-profits, about the administrative burden they bear when complying with the act’s reporting requirements. These amendments will apply to all organizations covered by the act.
The LTA requires individuals and organizations that engage in lobbying activities and meet specific criteria to register their efforts in an online public registry, ensuring citizens can see who is attempting to influence government decisions. The changes to the act are not intended to curb transparency, but to make compliance more manageable.
The amendments remove the requirement to report funding requested from a government body, reduce the reporting frequency for funding received from monthly to every three months, and clarify reporting requirements for organizations that lobby as part of an informal group.
These changes were designed to help smaller organizations more easily comply with the law and express their views, needs and concerns through open lines of communication with government.
Separately, a parliamentary committee must undertake a review of the act every five years and submit a report with recommendations for future reform within one year of beginning its review. A committee is expected to be appointed for this purpose in the coming weeks. Information about the work of this committee and potential opportunities to engage in its work will be available on the legislative assembly’s website following its appointment and initial meetings.
Learn More:
To learn more about the online lobbyists registry, visit: https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/
To learn more about parliamentary committees, visit: https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/committees
People in the northern rural communities of the province will have access to reliable, safe and affordable regional transportation options with eight community shuttles.
“People with limited transportation options rely on the Northern Community Shuttle Program to get them around and connect to their friends and family,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit. “This program ensures people in communities can continue to access the services they need and when they need them in small northern communities.”
The Northern Community Shuttle Program enables local governments, First Nations communities and not-for-profit organizations to develop small-scale transportation solutions that connect to services, amenities and long-haul transportation services, such as BC Bus North. Shuttle services in and between communities support the mobility of people who live and work in northern B.C., allowing them to visit family and friends and access the services they need.
“Having eight organizations support their communities through the operation of inter-community shuttle services is an important piece of supporting the social fabric of northern B.C.,” said Ben Campbell, CEO, Northern Development. “Reliable, affordable and safe transportation options between rural communities is crucial to the well-being of individuals for social, economic and health reasons. The continuation of seven services and addition of Yekooche First Nation as a shuttle operator demonstrates the value of this work for residents and visitors of northern B.C.”
Northern Development Initiative Trust manages the Northern Community Shuttle Program, which provides grants to communities and organizations to operate community shuttles. This program will ensure the continuation of services provided by seven organizations and the addition of one new service provider. Funding of more than $1.3 million is allocated to the eight approved shuttles for a two-year operating term until 2027.
Learn More:
For a backgrounder about the eight community shuttles, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Northern_Community_Shuttle_Backgrounder.pdf
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that earlier today, after a five-week trial before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss, a federal jury convicted Serhat Gumrukcu, 42, of Los Angeles, California, of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gumrukcu remains in jail pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Gumrukcu has been held in custody since his arrest in May of 2022.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Gumrukcu solicited the murder of Gregory Davis due to Davis’s threats of legal action related to Gumrukcu’s role in a failed oil commodities transaction. Gumrukcu’s conviction for wire fraud stemmed from his fraudulent activities in relation to this failed oil deal. Gumrukcu was particularly motivated to silence Davis due to his negotiations of a multi-million-dollar biotech merger involving Gumrukcu’s alleged discovery of a cure for HIV. Gumrukcu relied on his close friend, Berk Eratay, to arrange through a second intermediary, Aaron Ethridge, the hiring of a hitman to kill Davis. Ethridge recruited Jerry Banks for the hitman role, who on January 6, 2018, posed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, and abducted Davis from his Danville, Vermont home. On January 7, 2018, Davis’s deceased body was located in a snowbank a short distance from his home. Investigators quickly discovered emails and messaging indicating the tension between Gumrukcu and Davis over the failed oil deal, resulting in Gumrukcu being interviewed twice by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gumrukcu made false statements during each interview. Cellphone location information, purchase records, banking documentation, emails, and messaging discovered during the investigation led to the identification of the four conspirators who caused the kidnapping and death of Davis.
Based on the jury’s verdict, Gumrukcu faces a statutorily mandated sentence of life imprisonment.
“Serhat Gumrukcu tried to hide his role in the murder of Greg Davis by paying one man to pay another man to pay the hitman, who shot and killed Greg Davis on a January night in Vermont. Uncovering Gumrukcu’s responsibility for this murder involved years of determined investigation by the men and women of Vermont’s United States Attorney’s Office, working closely with the FBI and the Vermont State Police,” stated Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher. “Holding Gumrukcu responsible for this murder also required the work of an extraordinarily talented trial team, consisting of Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig, with tremendous courtroom support from Erin Thompson-Moran and Karen Arena-Leene.” Drescher also thanked the numerous law enforcement entities across the country who worked to identify Banks as the hired hitman, Ethridge and Eratay as middlemen, and Gumrukcu as the financier and benefactor of the murder scheme.
FBI Special Agent in Charge, Craig L. Tremaroli stated, “Serhat Gumrukcu is a ruthless criminal whose greed drove him to order the death of his own business partner. Today, our thoughts are with Gregory Davis’s family. We are proud to have brought them justice and are incredibly grateful to our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office, and all our law enforcement partners across the country who assisted with this complex investigation.”
“We join our federal partners in thanking the members of the jury for their careful deliberations and verdict convicting Serhat Gumrukcu of all charges,” said Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police. “The jury’s determination of guilt reflects the diligent police work and the copious evidence collected during what would become one of the most sweeping, comprehensive and complex investigations in Vermont State Police history. Starting on the day more than seven years ago that Gregory Davis’s body was discovered on a snowy, remote road in Barnet, the state police, along with our investigative partners including the FBI, focused on identifying those responsible for his senseless killing and bringing them to justice. We hope that with today’s verdict, Mr. Davis’s family may be able to find a small measure of comfort knowing the person who bore ultimate responsibility has been held accountable.”
At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig represented the government, with supported from Karen Arena-Leene and Erin Thompson-Moran. Gumrukcu was represented by Susan K. Marcus, Esq., and Ethan A. Balogh, Esq.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on April 22, 2025, to 252 months of incarceration, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, on his conviction of coercion and enticement of a minor, and production and receipt of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Shayne A. Clapper, 31.
According to information presented to the Court, in January 2023 through February 2023, Clapper initiated a sexual relationship with a minor known to him. Clapper provided the minor with a cell phone that he used to communicate with the minor, including requesting and receiving nude images from the minor. Clapper also induced the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Ellwood City Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Clapper.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh returned a Superseding Indictment against three residents of the Pittsburgh area on charges of conspiracy, defacing and damaging a religious building, making false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Executive branch of the United States, and possession of destructive devices, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The nine-count Superseding Indictment named Mohamad Hamad, 23, of Coraopolis, Tayla A. Lubit, 24, of Pittsburgh, and Micaiah Collins, 22, of Pittsburgh, as defendants. Hamad and Lubit were previously indicted for their roles in defacing Jewish religious property with pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist graffiti (read the Indictment news release here).
According to the Superseding Indictment, Hamad enlisted with the United States Air Force, Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PAANG) in 2023. Hamad was assigned to the 171st Maintenance Squadron of the PAANG, stationed in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, near the Pittsburgh International Airport. The 171st Maintenance Squadron is a part of the 171st Air Refueling Wing, the primary mission of which is to provide in-flight refueling to Department of Defense (DoD) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aircraft.
In connection with his enlistment, Hamad sought a Top-Secret security clearance. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) investigated Hamad to determine if he should be granted that clearance. Hamad had three in-person interviews as part of his background investigation and, as alleged in the Superseding Indictment, made a series of false statements as part of that process.
The Superseding Indictment also alleges that, during this same time period, Collins conspired with Hamad to manufacture and possess a destructive device, and discussed the potential uses for the devices that they were building and testing. After Hamad and Collins detonated a device, Hamad built additional destructive devices, including two pipe bombs, and detonated those as well.
“As alleged in the Superseding Indictment, Mohamad Hamad lied about his loyalty to the United States, among other false statements, in an attempt to obtain a Top-Secret security clearance,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti. “During that time, he openly expressed support for Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Hamas. In addition to his previously charged role in defacing Jewish religious property, he also conspired with others named in this Superseding Indictment to manufacture and detonate destructive devices. Our office remains resolute in its commitment to working alongside federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate crimes like these and to safeguard both the Jewish community and the public at large.”
“Protecting the American people is spelled out in the Mission of the FBI. That includes all our communities,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “The FBI and our partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who reportedly choose to lie about being loyal to this country and instead engage in dangerous, menacing, and illegal activities.”
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of, for Hamad, 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; for Collins, five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and for Lubit, one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Vasquez Schmitt and Carolyn J. Bloch are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government, with assistance from the Department of Justice National Security Division, Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the Superseding Indictment.
A Superseding Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man who was employed as a New Jersey high school teacher, admitted to producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Michael Hamilton, 53, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court to one count of producing child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Hamilton admitted to meeting a minor victim and engaging in sexual conduct with that victim, which Hamilton recorded on video. Law enforcement seized a copy of that video during the search of his home in October 2023. Hamilton also admitted to receiving and possessing sexually explicit messages, pictures, and videos of two other minor victims.
The charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for September 9, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Habba also thanked the Springfield Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The government is represented by Rebecca Sussman and Robert Taj Moore of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Tanitiã Munroe, PhD candidate (ABD) and researcher, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
The report’s title reflects a painful truth: the dreams of Black students have too often been deferred by persistent barriers in classrooms, hallways and boardrooms.
For generations, Black families, students and community advocates have chronicled these injustices. By weaving their testimonies with data and legal analysis (including 83 reports), Dreams Delayed brings their struggle into sharp focus and translates it into a concrete policy blueprint.
Its benchmarks are for measurable improvement in graduation rates, fewer suspensions, an elimination of biased academic streaming and an increase in Black teacher representation within four years.
I am a doctoral researcher specializing in the kindergarten to Grade 12 experiences of Black students and their families. I also serve as senior research co-ordinator at the the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement (CEBSA) with the Toronto District School Board.
I’ve seen the very principles this report highlights in action at CEBSA. By grounding our work in evidence and partnering closely with students, families and communities, sustained effort can transform long‑deferred dreams into meaningful, lasting change. In this process, students’ voices and agency must be at the heart of every decision.
Researchers found that Black students were often treated differently by teachers and administrators, leading to feelings of not belonging at school. They noted a lack of Black teachers and lessons that did not include Black history or contributions, which made it hard for Black youth to see themselves reflected in their education.
Black students and their families have consistently described varied unfair treatment. Discipline is one major example. For a long time, Black children have been punished more harshly at school. One Toronto study found that between 2006 and 2011, 42 per cent of Black high school students were suspended at least once, compared to 18 per cent of white students. This huge disparity showed that Black youth were far more likely to be removed from class for what educators judged as misbehaviour.
They’ve endured racial slurs like the “n-word” from peers (and occasionally staff), and too often these incidents were not taken seriously by schools. Being one of the few Black students in a classroom, or studying a curriculum focused almost entirely on European or white perspectives, can make school feel alienating.
This decision came after Black students, families and advocacy groups like Black Lives Matter, Education Not Incarceration and Policing-Free Schools voiced concerns about the program’s harmful and criminalizing impact on Black and racialized youth.
This decision underscored the power of organized resistance and the importance of listening to students’ lived experiences.
Dreams Delayed outlines specific recommendations across three main areas: accountability, data monitoring and student well-being.
Accountability and transparency: Under accountability, the report emphasizes openly recognizing anti-Black racism. It recommends creating human rights offices in school boards to handle discrimination complaints effectively. Schools and teachers’ unions must hire more Black educators and address workplace racism to create representative and supportive environments. The Ministry of Education must establish clear anti-racism frameworks and hold schools accountable for human rights standards.
Monitoring and evaluation: Monitoring data is crucial because we can’t fix what isn’t measured. The OHRC recommends standardized data collection across all school boards, tracking suspensions, academic outcomes and incidents of discrimination. Publicly available data allows communities to hold schools accountable and track progress transparently. An innovative recommendation is implementing early intervention systems to identify and address patterns of racial harassment proactively.
Student well-being is central. Ultimately, the goal is for Black students to feel fully supported and able to succeed. The Dreams Delayed plan calls for expanding initiatives that directly support Black youth, including the graduation coach for Black Students. This program places dedicated coaches (often Black mentors) in schools to help Black students with academics and career planning, and has shown promise in improving graduation rates.
By acting on the report’s key recommendations — building accountability, collecting race‑based data, transforming curriculum and expanding student supports — those long‑deferred dreams can finally begin to materialize.
Meaningful progress, however, will demand collective resolve and sustained action. Educators, policymakers and communities must move beyond acknowledging the problem and dedicate themselves to reshaping the system so every Black student is seen, heard, valued and afforded an equal chance to succeed.
The next few years will be critical. The measure of success will be simple: when Black students across Ontario no longer have to fight for the basics — dignity, safety, respect — but can focus fully on learning, growing and pursuing their futures with confidence.
Dreams Delayed offers a pivotal opportunity to transform Ontario’s schools into spaces of belonging and possibility.
Embracing its recommendations with urgency and sincerity would honour generations of advocacy and finally create an education system where every student, especially every Black student, is empowered to thrive.
Tanitiã Munroe is a Senior Research Coordinator at the Toronto District School Board.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
GABORONE, Botswana, April 23, 2025/APO Group/ —
Botswana’s Vice President and Finance Minister Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe has urged African leaders to build an economically viable and resilient continent amid global funding challenges, geopolitical tensions, and increased tariff regimes.
Speaking at an event marking the African Development Bank Group’s 60 years of transformative impact across Africa and 53 years of its operations in Botswana, Gaolathe envisioned a new Africa as a “value definer” rather than a “price taker” in finance, energy, minerals, and technology.
He highlighted the African Development Bank Group’s development impact, noting it has remained the continent’s partner of choice not merely as an institution but “a beacon of Africa’s own dream.”
“We have seen the Bank not only as a builder of roads and dams, but also as a partner in thinking, reforming, and reimagining. Whether through technical assistance in procurement reforms, lines of credit to our development institutions, or policy advisory during our most difficult transitions, the African Development Bank has walked quietly, consistently, and strategically with us,” Gaolathe stated.
“From the construction of the Lobatse-Kanye Road in the 1970s to the Nata-Maun Road, the Gaborone-Lobatse Water Supply, and the Morupule B Power Plant, this Bank’s footprint is woven into the story of our progress,” he said. “As we celebrate these past six decades, I am especially inspired by the bold and courageous conversations that the African Development Bank is leading today, which challenge the world to rethink Africa, not as a continent of scarcity, but as the richest cradle of life on earth.”
Gaolathe expressed concern about the “systematic undervaluation of Africa’s natural resources.” “When African carbon credits are traded for a fraction of their true value, that is not commerce; it is quiet violence,” he stated, echoing African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina’s call to stop “carbon grabs” across the continent.
Since 1972, the Bank Group has supported transformative projects in Botswana across multiple sectors, including agriculture, finance, power, transport, and industry, with investments exceeding $2.6 billion across 67 projects.
Gaolathe praised a proposal by the Bank for a Critical Minerals-Backed African Currency, and its push to include natural capital in national balance sheets as “unapologetically African, innovative, and sovereign” leadership. “Africa holds over 30% of the world’s critical minerals. From lithium to cobalt, we power the world’s batteries, yet all too often, we are still exporting dust while importing debt. That must end,” he emphasized.
Leila Mokaddem, the Bank’s Director General for Southern Africa, highlighted the impact of the Bank’s work in Southern Africa, including the Kazungula Bridge connecting Botswana and Zambia, which she described as “a gateway of integration across SADC.” She also cited the Pandamatenga Agriculture Infrastructure Project that transformed 40,000 hectares of farmland and increased cereal production by 46%.
“As we mark this Diamond Jubilee, we do so to honor the past and embrace the future. Let us build the next decade of partnership with purpose, optimism, and shared commitment,” she said.
Angola’s Ambassador to Botswana and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Beatriz Morais, took the audience on a memory lane to September 1964, when 25 countries converged in Khartoum with a singular vision—to create a financial institution by Africans for Africans. “Today, 61 years later, we take pride in what that vision has become.”
Mothobi Matila, a retiree who joined the Bank from Botswana’s Ministry of Finance in 2005, delivered an emotional speech. He described the Bank as an “equal opportunity place” that became his employer and second home.
Moono Mupotola, the Bank’s Country Manager for Botswana and Deputy Director General for Southern Africa emphasized its five-decade partnership with Botswana, which began in 1972 with the first loan extended in November 1973 to support telecommunications infrastructure.
She outlined the Bank’s 2022-2026 strategy for Botswana, which focuses on building economic resilience through improved economic governance, private sector development, and infrastructure development to enhance competitiveness and productivity.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
PARIS, France, April 23, 2025/APO Group/ —
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Minister of Hydrocarbons, Aimé Sakombi Molendo, is confirmed to speak at Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2025 in Paris next month. His participation underscores the DRC’s commitment to revitalizing its hydrocarbons sector through strategic reforms, regional partnerships and renewed investor engagement, following recent exploration breakthroughs and cross-border agreements.
With an estimated 5 to 22 billion barrels of oil reserves, the DRC is advancing a pro-investment agenda focused on enhancing transparency, improving operational efficiency and accelerating upstream activity – efforts that are already yielding results. In May 2024, Perenco’s subsidiary, Muanda International Oil Company, achieved the DRC’s first offshore oil discovery in nearly three decades with the Moke-East well in the Coastal Basin. To fast-track exploration and strengthen national participation, the government also recently approved a decree granting state-owned Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures du Congo the rights to Blocks 1 and 2 in the Albertine Basin, one of the country’s most promising zones for oil exploration.
IAE 2025 (https://apo-opa.co/4cHC9it)is an exclusive forum designed to facilitate investment between African energy markets and global investors. Taking place May 13-14, 2025 in Paris, the event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, please visitwww.Invest-Africa-Energy.com.To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contactsales@energycapitalpower.com.
In a key regional development, the DRC and Angola signed new terms for the co-development of offshore Block 14 during the Angola Oil & Gas 2024 conference. Straddling the maritime border between the two nations, Block 14 boasts a production capacity of 3.29 million barrels per year and is operated by Chevron’s local subsidiary, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company, alongside partners Eni, etu energias and Sonangol. The agreement, formalizing nearly two decades of negotiations, is poised to encourage further investment and strengthen cross-border petroleum trade.
Minister Molendo’s presence at IAE 2025 will offer delegates valuable insights into the DRC’s evolving energy landscape – spanning hydrocarbons, energy and mining – and the government’s integrated approach to sustainable resource development. As the DRC strengthens linkages across its extractive industries, the Minister is expected to outline emerging opportunities in exploration, infrastructure and local content development. He joins a high-level lineup of African energy leaders, including ministers from Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Mauritania, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau and Liberia, underscoring the summit’s role as a premier platform for pan-African energy dialogue and investment.
Recruitment has started for the appointment of members of Jersey’s newly established Independent Climate Council, which will be funded through the Climate Emergency Fund.
The Independent Climate Council will play a vital role in ensuring oversight and accountability of the Government of Jersey’s climate actions, as outlined in the Carbon Neutral Roadmap, CNR. The Council will report on progress every four years, aligned with the electoral cycle, and provide independent, science-based analysis on greenhouse gas, GHG, emission reductions and the delivery of climate policy initiatives.
Final appointments to the Council will be confirmed jointly by the Minister for the Environment and the Chair of the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure, EHI, Scrutiny Panel, in line with the proposal approved by the States Assembly.
The recruitment process will be overseen by Jersey Appointments Commission.
Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce, said: “Recruitment for the Independent Climate Council comes at a crucial time, when global climate action is under scrutiny. The Council will provide robust scientific analysis and essential transparency. It will review how effectively the Government of Jersey is delivering the measures set out in the Carbon Neutral Roadmap and progress made towards the Island’s emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement. In holding the Government to account, the Council will play a vital role in supporting a renewed focus on delivering Jersey’s net zero commitment.
“Appointment to Jersey’s first Climate Council offers an exceptional opportunity to review our actions and achievements since the Carbon Neutral Roadmap was approved in 2022. The Council’s report and recommendations will be published early next year before final agreement of the priorities for the Roadmap’s second delivery plan running from 2027 to 2030. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and experienced Islanders as well as candidates from further afield. I look forward to supporting the Council’s work when it convenes later this year.”
Deputy Hilary Jeune, Chair of the EHI Scrutiny Panel, said: “This initiative stems from an amendment by the EHI Scrutiny Panel to the Carbon Neutral Roadmap, following the recognition that independent oversight was missing. The establishment of this Council is fundamental to maintaining good governance and ensuring Jersey remains on track to meet its climate goals. The four-yearly reports will offer transparent, evidence-based insight to the public, who are central to our collective progress towards becoming a net-zero Island. I’m proud that Scrutiny will continue its role as a constructive and critical friend to Government throughout this process.”
The States Assembly declared a climate emergency in May 2019, acknowledging its likely profound effects on Jersey. In response, the Carbon Neutral Roadmap was approved on 29 April 2022, setting out the initial policies to reduce GHG emissions during the 2022–2025 Delivery Plan period.
The Council’s primary responsibility will be to produce a comprehensive report at the end of each governmental term, assessing Jersey’s progress on GHG emissions reductions and evaluating how effectively the CNR is being delivered. The first report is due to be presented to the States Assembly by the end of Q1 2026.
The Independent Climate Council will comprise up to five members, including a Chair elected from within the membership. At least one member must be a full-time Jersey resident. Appointed members will serve a single fixed term and will primarily conduct their work during the final quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.
Council members will bring independent expertise and strategic insight to help guide Jersey’s transition to net zero, evaluating implementation of current policies and advising on how best to apply resources to meet climate objectives.
FREE group walks and events are taking place throughout May as the Walk Leicester festival returns.
Now in its seventh year, Walk Leicester is a month-long celebration of walking and its benefits for our health, happiness and the environment. It’s a chance to explore and discover the city on foot, with themed walks encompassing local history and archaeology, wildlife and ecology – as well as providing lots of chances to simply walk in a group for pleasure.
The festival kicks off on 1 May with a friendly group walk from the city centre to the café at Gorse Hill City Farm, taking a two-mile scenic route through the pleasant green spaces of the Rally and Stokeswood parks, via the Orchards local nature reserve.
From 6-9 May, De Montfort University will be hosting Medieval Campus walks. Starting at Leicester Castle, these will be packed with fascinating historical facts courtesy of DMU Museum. They will explore the medieval history surrounding the campus, encompassing the castle motte and Great Hall, the exterior of St Mary de Castro, Turret Gate, Trinity Hospital, Chantry House and the Church of the Annunciation, with a chance to enter buildings usually inaccessible to the public.
On 15 May, a wildlife guide will lead a Walk on the Wild Side at Watermead Park to talk about seasonal plants and animals found there, while on 16 and again on 27 May, the Canal & River Trust will host a waterside Dragonfly Safari along the River Soar, with the chance to spot lots of local insect life.
The last journeys of King Richard III will form the basis of two walks hosted by the Council for British Archaeology on 17 May, taking in the routes of the King’s fateful last journeys in and out of central Leicester in 1485. A local historian will also provide an insight into the behind-the-scenes work that went on in preparation for the King’s reinterment in 2015.
And during half term at the end of the month, Funky Feet and Wacky Wheels (pictured) will return to Abbey Park. This fun, free event for families includes lots of activity trails, and the chance to decorate your shoes, bike or scooter. It runs from 11am-2pm on 28 May and there’s no need to book, you can just turn up.
Cllr Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor responsible for public health, parks, trees and woodlands, said: “The Walk Leicester festival offers people the chance to make new friends, discover new routes and learn more about the fascinating history of our city.
“We’re also very lucky in Leicester to have so many parks and open spaces for people to walk through, many of which have tree trails you can follow to find out more about our vast range of specimen trees. Walking in such environments is proven to boost your mood and help with mental wellbeing, so I hope that lots of people will enjoy our tree trails, park routes and wildlife walks as part of the Walk Leicester festival.”
Cllr Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, said: “Leicester is a great place to explore on foot. We’ve invested in dedicated walking and cycling routes that make it safe and easy to get around. The Walk Leicester Festival is the perfect opportunity to try them out.”
May is National Walking Month, aimed at helping people to discover how walking can improve your physical fitness and mental wellbeing. Last year, research conducted by Living Streets, the charity behind National Walking Month, showed that 54% of people in Britain said they walk to improve their mental health and happiness. Other reasons for walking included to get fresh air, move more and connect with nature.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Op-Ed by Ambassador Brian Aggeler on current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (OSCE) Photo details
Today Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing the most serious constitutional crisis since the end of the war nearly thirty years ago. The Dayton Peace Agreement that ended that devastating war entrusted the OSCE with a vital role: to help secure lasting peace, protect human rights, and support building a stable, democratic state.
In fulfilling this mandate the OSCE not only has the responsibility, but the duty to speak up – clearly and consistently – when the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina is at risk.
And that means condemning efforts to undermine the country’s constitutional structures through the establishment of parallel structures and banning of the work of State-level institutions, undermining the territorial integrity of BiH. The legal effect of such laws was temporarily suspended by Constitutional Court of BiH, but these actions are continuing to threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH by undermining State competencies, and diminish the scope of legal protections for individuals and business in Republika Srpska.
Although the Constitutional Court of BiH has temporarily suspended the legal effect of some of these laws, the intent behind them remains deeply troubling. Justifications that invoke a return to the so-called “original” Dayton agreement are misleading. State institutions established with the explicit consent of the Entities – as stipulated by the BiH Constitution – are very much necessary for the functioning of the State. Once these institutions have been established at the State level, their competences cannot be simply revoked or terminated unilaterally. Neither the BiH Constitution nor the transfer agreements include provisions for their expiration or one-sided withdrawal. Under the current constitutional framework, such unilateral moves are simply not legally permissible.
The dedicated public servants who continue to carry out their duties in this difficult environment are helping to keep the State functioning for the benefit of all citizens. Their courage and integrity deserve strong and vocal support from all of us.
Secessionist and anti-Dayton rhetoric and actions strike at the very core of the country’s institutional integrity. They create deepening uncertainty, the consequences of which are hard to predict. In this context, it is not the role of the international community to impose solutions. Responsibility lies with BiH’s political leaders – to uphold the integrity of State institutions, to respect the Constitution, and to support the authority and independence of the judiciary.
The OSCE’s position is clear. During her recent visit to Sarajevo, the OSCE Chair-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, renewed the Organization’s unwavering commitment to the Dayton Peace Agreement, the BiH Constitution, and to State-level institutions, including the judiciary. She also called for a de-escalation of tensions. Her strong message echoed statements made by the OSCE Mission, the Chair-in Office and the Secretary General, jointly and unequivocally condemning secessionist actions, and re-affirming our support for the rule of law.
The people of BiH deserve better. They deserve quality education, a transparent and independent judiciary, reconciliation, and a stable, secure, environment where everyone can thrive. These are the areas the OSCE focuses on, and these should also be the priorities for responsible political leaders.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country of immense potential. Despite the complexity of the current situation, the OSCE remains committed to navigating it together and supporting the country’s success. We will continue to engage with all those working in good faith to help the this wonderfully diverse country move forward.
Following the death of Pope Francis, we’ll soon be seeing a new leader in the Vatican. The conclave – a strictly confidential gathering of Roman Catholic cardinals – is due to meet in a matter of weeks to elect a new earthly head.
The word conclave is derived from the Latin con (together) and clāvis (key). It means “a locked room” or “chamber”, reflecting its historical use to describe the locked gathering of cardinals to elect a pope.
Held in the Sistine Chapel, the meeting follows a centuries-old process designed to ensure secrecy and prayerful deliberation. A two-thirds majority vote will be needed to successfully elect the 267th pope.
History of the conclave
The formalised papal conclave dates back centuries. And various popes have shaped the process in response to the church’s needs.
Pope Gregory X brought in the rules to prevent a repeat of his own experience. The conclave that elected him in September 1271 (following the death of Pope Clement IV in 1268) lasted almost three years.
Further adjustments were made to streamline the process and emphasise secrecy, culminating in Pope John Paul II’s 1996 constitution, Universi Dominici gregis (The Lord’s whole flock). This document set the modern framework for the conclave.
In 2007 and 2013, Benedict XVI reiterated that a two-thirds majority of written votes would be required to elect a new pope. He also reaffirmed penalties for breaches of secrecy.
The secrecy surrounding the conclave ensures the casting of ballots remains confidential, and without any external interference.
The last known attempt at external interference in a papal conclave occurred in 1903 when Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria sought to prevent the election of Cardinal Mariano Rampolla. However, the assembled cardinals rejected this intervention, asserting the independence of the electoral process.
How does voting work?
The conclave formally begins between 15 and 20 days after the papal vacancy, but can start earlier if all cardinals eligible to vote have arrived. Logistical details, such as the funeral rites for the deceased pope, can also influence the overall timeline.
Historically, the exact number of votes required to elect a new pope has fluctuated. Under current rules, a minimum two-thirds majority is needed. If multiple rounds of balloting fail to yield a result, the process can continue for days, or even weeks.
After every few inconclusive rounds, cardinals pause for prayer and reflection. This process continues until one candidate receives the two-thirds majority required to win. The final candidates do not vote for themselves in the decisive round.
The ballot paper formerly used in the conclave, with ‘I elect as Supreme Pontiff’ written in Latin. Wikimedia Commons
How is voting kept secret?
The papal conclave is entirely closed to the public. Voting is conducted by secret ballot within the Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence.
During the conclave, the Sistine Chapel is sealed off from outside communication. No cameras are allowed, and there is no live broadcast.
The cardinals involved swear an oath of absolute secrecy, and face the threat of excommunication if it is violated. This ensures all discussions and voting remain strictly confidential.
The iconic white smoke, produced by burning ballots once a pope has been chosen, is the only public signal that the election has concluded.
Who can be elected?
Only cardinals who are under 80 years of age at the time of conclave’s commencement can vote. Older cardinals are free to attend preparatory meetings, but can not cast ballots.
While the total number of electors is intended to not exceed 120, the fluctuating nature of cardinal appointments, as well as age restrictions, make it difficult to predict the exact number of eligible voters at any given conclave.
Technically, any baptised Catholic man can be elected pope. In practice, however, the College of Cardinals traditionally chooses one of its own members. Electing an “outsider” is extremely rare, and has not occurred in modern times.
What makes a good candidate?
When faced with criticism from a member of the public about his weight, John XXIII (who was pope from 1958-1963) retorted the papal conclave was “not a exactly beauty contest”.
Merit, theological understanding, administrative skill and global perspective matter greatly. But there is also a collegial element – something of a “popularity” factor. It is an election, after all.
Cardinals discuss the church’s current priorities – be they evangelisation strategies, administrative reforms or pastoral concerns – before settling on the individual they believe is best suited to lead.
The cardinal electors seek someone who can unify the faithful, navigate modern challenges and maintain doctrinal continuity.
Controversies and criticisms
The conclave process has faced criticism for its strict secrecy, which can foster speculation about potential “politicking”.
Critics argue a tightly controlled environment might not reflect the broader concerns of the global church.
Some have also questioned whether age limits on voting cardinals limit the wisdom and experience found among older members.
Nonetheless, defenders maintain that secrecy encourages free and sincere deliberation, minimising external pressure and allowing cardinals to choose the best leader without fear of reprisal, or of public opinion swaying the vote.
Challenges facing the new pope
The next pope will inherit a mixed situation: a church that has grown stronger in certain areas under Francis, yet which grapples with internal divisions and external challenges.
Like other religions, the church faces secularisation, issues with financial transparency and a waning following in some parts of the globe.
One of the earliest trials faced by the new pope will be unifying the global Catholic community around a shared vision – an obstacle almost every pope has faced. Striking the right balance between doctrine and pastoral sensitivity remains crucial.
Addressing sexual abuse scandals and their aftermath will require decisive action, transparency and continued pastoral care for survivors.
Practical concerns also loom large. The new pope will have to manage the Vatican bureaucracy and interfaith relations, while maintaining the church’s stance on global crises such as migration and poverty – two issues on which Francis insisted mercy could not be optional.
The cardinal electors have a tough decision ahead of them. The Catholic community can only pray that, through their deliberations, they identify a shepherd who can guide the church through the complexities of the modern world.
Darius von Guttner Sporzynski 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.
We badly need to cut the cost of public transport if we are to reduce the number of cars on our roads.
More in Transport
If we are to reduce car use we need to make public transport affordable, accessible and available for all, says Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell.
Mr Ruskell’s comments come as the Scottish government has dropped a nationwide target to cut the number of car journeys taken in Scotland by 20 per cent by 2030.
Transport is Scotland’s largest carbon emitter, accounting for 29% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2022.
Scottish Greens Transport Spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP said:
“The lack of ambition from the Scottish Government is disappointing. Dropping this target won’t change the fact that, since the target was set, there has been a serious lack of action from SNP ministers to meet it.
“Emissions from transport remain the largest source of pollution in Scotland, and private car use makes up a huge share of that. We’ve known for decades that to tackle the climate emergency, we need to cut car use, and while the Scottish Government has been strong with words, their actions have been lacking.
“We are on the road to climate chaos. We need to make public transport affordable, accessible and available to all if we are to start cutting emissions.
“The action we need to be taking is exactly what the Scottish Greens have been pushing to introduce for years: cheaper trains and buses, better connections for rural communities and an end to spending on new unnecessary road building schemes.
“Making public transport cheaper and more accessible makes the choice to leave the car at home easier for many people. Many commuters want to play their part in reducing our carbon emissions but the cost is simply too high for some. It’s time to make trains and buses cheaper across Scotland.”
Mr Ruskell added:
“Whilst in Government, the Scottish Greens introduced the free bus pass for young people, which has been used over 200 million times, we scrapped peak rail fares for a period, which led to 10 million more commuter journeys, and we delivered record investment in active travel infrastructure allowing more people than ever to walk, wheel or cycle.
“This is the kind of ambition needed to reduce carbon emissions in Scotland, but we need to go further. With more Scottish Green MSPs in Holyrood, we can push for real change to tackle the climate emergency and save commuters money, such as a permanent removal of peak rail fares, a nationwide bus fare cap, and radical investment in Scotland’s railways.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
MHRA approves first UK treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia, omaveloxolone
As with all products, we will keep its safety under close review.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has today, 23 April, approved omaveloxolone (Skyclarys), the first treatment for patients aged 16 and over, in the UK for a rare neurodegenerative movement disorder called Friedreich’s ataxia.
Friedreich’s ataxia is the most common type of hereditary ataxia (caused by genes a person has inherited). It is thought to affect at least 1 in every 50,000 people. Symptoms of Friedreich’s ataxia include problems with balance and movement, which get progressively worse over time.
This medicine is taken as an oral capsule.
Julian Beach, MHRA Interim Executive Director of Healthcare Quality and Access, said:
“Patient safety is our top priority. I am pleased to confirm the first UK approval for the treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia, omaveloxolone.
“We’re assured that the appropriate regulatory standards of safety, quality and effectiveness for the approval of this new treatment have been met.
“As with all products, we will keep its safety under close review.”
People with Friedreich’s ataxia appear to have reduced levels and activity of a protein called Nrf2, which helps cells respond to oxidative stress (a condition that may occur when there are too many free radicals in the body and not enough antioxidants to get rid of them, which can lead to cell and tissue damage). Omaveloxolone activates the Nrf2 pathway.
In a clinical trial, patients treated with omaveloxolone scored better on tests of neurological function than patients who were treated with a placebo (a dummy treatment).
In this clinical trial, involving 103 patients with Friedreich’s ataxia aged between 16 and 40 years, omaveloxolone was more effective than placebo at reducing physical impairment after 48 weeks of treatment.
For the full list of all side effects reported with this medicine, see Section 4 of the Patient Information Leaflet or the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) available on the MHRA’s website.
Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from this medicine should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme, either through the website (https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/) or by searching the Google Play or Apple App stores for MHRA Yellow Card.
Notes to editors
The new marketing authorisation was granted on 23 April to Biogen Netherlands B.V.
This product was submitted and approved via a national procedure.
More information can be found in the Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information leaflets which will be published on the MHRA Products website within 7 days of approval.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.
For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.
The ratification of Alberta’s groundbreaking membership places Alberta among leading nations like Austria, Finland and Spain – countries recognized for their commitment to responsible wildlife stewardship. It reflects Alberta’s growing role as a global leader in sustainable hunting practices and practical conservation strategies.
While in Doha, Qatar, the minister will attend the 71st General Assembly of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation and showcase Alberta as a world-class international hunting destination – boosting the province’s outfitting industry, supporting local jobs and connecting with global partners to exchange knowledge on wildlife management and conservation best practices.
“Alberta is world-famous for hunting, fishing and outdoor adventure. Joining this international group shows the strong conservation work happening here and opens new doors to share what we’re doing – and learn from others, too.”
Following the conference, Minister Loewen will travel to the United Kingdom to meet with experts on human-wildlife conflicts and promote Alberta hunting opportunities in Europe.
Minister Loewen will be joined by one government employee. Mission expenses will be posted on the travel and expense disclosure page.
April 24 – 25
Travel to Doha, Qatar.
April 26
Attend the 71st General Assembly of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation.
April 27 – 28
Meetings with Qatari Wildlife Development Department.
April 29
Travel to London.
April 30 – May 1
Meetings with wildlife conflict experts at the University of Surrey and hunting industry stakeholders.
May 2
Travel to Edmonton.
*Subject to change.
Quick facts
The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation is a global authority on biodiversity and hunting that has been uniting responsible hunters and governments from more than 80 countries since 1930.
The Government of Saskatchewan is funding 21 new police officer positions filled over the past year as part of the province’s $11.9 million Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods commitment to hire approximately 100 new municipal police officers.
“Saskatchewan residents expect and deserve to feel safe in their communities and that means having enough police officers on the ground where they are needed the most,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said. “We are proud to support municipal police services in expanding their frontline capacity to prevent and respond to criminal activity in their communities.”
Officers have been hired and are currently training at the Saskatchewan Police College before they begin serving in Saskatchewan municipalities – seven each in Saskatoon and Regina, three in Moose Jaw, and two each in Estevan and Weyburn. Additional officers will enhance policing and law enforcement capabilities to improve overall community safety and wellbeing for Saskatchewan residents.
“This investment under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods initiative is a vital step forward in our ongoing efforts to enhance public safety across all Saskatchewan communities,” Saskatoon Chief of Police Cameron McBride said. “The addition of seven frontline officers will strengthen our ability to proactively address criminal activity and improve quality of life in our communities. We are grateful for the government’s support as we continue working to ensure our neighbourhoods remain safe places to live, work and raise families.”
This marks the first step toward fulfilling Saskatchewan’s commitment to hire approximately 100 new officers across the province.
“The residents of Weyburn and Saskatchewan are very fortunate to have a provincial government that recognizes the current law enforcement needs and takes appropriate action to address those needs, in order to ensure our communities are safe and Saskatchewan continues to remain a great place to live in,” Weyburn Police Service Chief Brent VanDeSype said. “Funding under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods initiative enabled the Weyburn Police Service to hire two new police officers. This is a very welcome and significant boost that enhances our service and our ability to better meet the safety needs of our community.”
In 2024-25 and 2025-26, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested $2 billion in public safety to support policing and community safety in the province and enhance access to justice services.
Premier David Eby has issued the following statement marking Yom HaShoah:
“At sundown tonight, British Columbians join people around the world in observing Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“We stand with Jewish communities everywhere in remembrance and mourning. We honour the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Today we also mourn the lives of millions more who died because of their ethnicity, sexual identity, disability or opposition to the Nazi regime.
“During the Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, Jewish communities across Europe were systematically persecuted, confined to ghettos and sent in cattle cars to concentration camps built solely for the purpose of human extermination.
“We must reject the poison of disinformation and denial and ensure that all future generations know the truth of this dark period in human history. Our government is working with the Jewish community here in B.C. to ensure that all high school students in the province learn about the Holocaust as part of their education about injustices and discriminatory practices in Canada and around the world.
“Our government condemns the rise in antisemitic acts that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel, and we are committed to ensuring that our province is safe and welcoming for people of all faiths and backgrounds.
“Each of us has the right to safety, dignity and a life without fear of unjust persecution. On this solemn day of reflection, we must recommit ourselves to the eternal pledge of ‘Never again.’”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)
Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s move to significantly reorganize the Department of the Interior:
“On Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend, the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittees received a letter from the Department of the Interior related to a Department-wide reorganization to consolidate administrative and support services. The letter does not include any detail about changes to organizational structure, funding flows, staffing, or any other functions, and the Trump Administration has not yet agreed to provide any further information. The letter states that the first phase of the reorganization would start within 48 hours—on Easter Sunday.
“It is unacceptable for the Administration to unilaterally overhaul agency structure and funding through a hasty, mid-year shuffle—especially when the fiscal year 2025 Appropriations bill clearly maintains the Department’s longstanding operations and organization. The services it seeks to move from each individual bureau to the department level—like hiring seasonal park rangers, engaging with communities around specific public lands, conducting fair and cost-effective bidding for major construction projects, and overseeing grants tied to program-specific eligibilities—form the operational backbone of each bureau and reflect their distinct missions and authorities. Making such broad-sweeping changes without conducting detailed organizational research, evaluating consequences, planning a transition, or consulting Congress is reckless.
“Given the Administration’s ongoing illegal funding freezes, assault on the federal workforce, haphazard cancellation of building leases, and other efforts to throw agencies into total chaos and paralyze the federal government, we cannot take any such reorganization as a serious attempt to improve efficiency. We demand that the Department of the Interior halt implementation of this large-scale reorganization and propose such changes in the President’s budget request for full examination and final determination by Congress.”
Chief Executive John Lee today met leaders of Zhejiang Province, visited local medical facilities, and engaged in in-depth discussions with representatives of innovation and technology (I&T) companies in Hangzhou.
In the morning, Mr Lee and the delegation visited the headquarters of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine to learn about its operations and the latest developments in applying healthcare technology.
These included the hospital’s achievements in developing a new therapy for malignant haematological diseases, the application of robotic technology in drug preparation and reform of medical logistics models, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for precise clinical diagnosis.
Later, Mr Lee viewed the Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City Urban Exhibition Center to gain insights into Hangzhou’s advancements in areas including smart city development and AI, as well as achievements in developing the Chengxi Sci-tech Innovation Corridor.
He also met representatives of Hangzhou’s “Six Little Dragons” I&T enterprises, namely Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co, Hangzhou Yushu Technology Co (Unitree Robotics), Hangzhou Youke Interactive Technology Co (Game Science), Manycore Tech Inc, Hangzhou Yunshenchu Technology Co, and BrainCo.
Mr Lee toured the special exhibition arranged for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government delegation, and engaged with the representatives to understand the developments and features of the six iconic and influential I&T companies in areas such as large language models, robotics, AI, game development, and Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technologies.
They also discussed the development of a new technology ecosystem, and the relationship and collaboration between enterprises and governments.
Mr Lee also attended a luncheon hosted by CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee Secretary Wang Hao.
The Chief Executive noted that Zhejiang, as a vital province in the Yangtze River Delta, boasts a strong foundation in technological development, private economy, and digital economy, while Hong Kong is a core city of the Greater Bay Area and an international financial, shipping, and trade centre.
The two places play significant roles in driving the country’s high-quality development and have a broad room of collaboration, Mr Lee added.
He also took the opportunity to visit two of the “Six Little Dragons”, BrainCo and Unitree Robotics.
Mr Lee gained a deeper understanding of BrainCo’s achievements in developing non-invasive BCI technology and its applications in fields such as medical rehabilitation and education, as well as Unitree Robotics’ achievements and advancements in developing civilian robots for use in agriculture, industry, power inspection, survey and exploration, and public rescue.
Mr Lee then toured the Black Myth: Wukong Art Exhibition. Based on a game developed by Game Science, one of the “Six Little Dragons”, the exhibition showcased the behind-the-scenes details of game development through recreations of scenes, characters and items from the game.
Noting the rapid development of I&T enterprises represented by the “Six Little Dragons”, Mr Lee said that Hangzhou has been promoting the I&T industry over the years, creating a vibrant industrial ecosystem and a favourable investment environment.
He said Hong Kong is dedicated to developing into an international I&T centre, and that he will strive to promote collaboration and exchanges between I&T enterprises in Hong Kong and Hangzhou, with a view to leveraging their comparative advantages. He also welcomed I&T enterprises in Hangzhou to set up in Hong Kong to pursue development together.
Mr Lee later attended a dinner hosted by Zhejiang Governor Liu Jie, to exchange views on deepening co-operation and exchanges between Hong Kong and Zhejiang, in addition to gaining insights into the development experiences and directions of local cultural performances.
MAHWAH, N.J., April 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR), a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments, today released its “2025 E-commerce Bot Threat Report.” The report found that automated bots—good and bad bots—accounted for 57% of e-commerce website traffic during the 2024 holiday season. It marks the first time that automated, non-DDoS generating bots drove more traffic than human shoppers, signaling a critical shift in the cybersecurity landscape for e-commerce providers and online retailers.
“Bad bots are no longer just based on simple scripts—they’re sophisticated, AI-enhanced agents capable of outsmarting traditional defenses,” said Ron Meyran, vice president of cyber threat intelligence at Radware. “E-commerce providers and online retailers that rely on conventional security measures will find themselves increasingly exposed, not just during the holidays but year-round.”
The report highlights major bot attack trends and real-world attack data observed during the 2024 online holiday shopping season. In addition, it offers insights into the distributed, multi-vector attacks e-commerce providers and retailers can expect to battle this year.
Key findings and insights
AI-generated bots with human-like behavior gain dominance: According to the report, bad bots made up 31% of total internet traffic during the last holiday season. Nearly 60% of the malicious traffic employed advanced behavioral techniques to evade traditional, signature-based detection. Combating these bots requires accurate AI-powered detection of attack patterns, including rotating IPs and identities, distributed attacks, CAPTCHA farm services, and other advanced anomalies, without causing false positives.
Mobile-focused attacks surge: Malicious bot traffic directed at mobile platforms rose 160% between the 2023 and 2024 holiday shopping seasons, representing a fundamental shift in attacker focus. Security strategies need to be shored up and tailored for vulnerable mobile platforms and attackers using more sophisticated techniques, including mobile emulators, mobile-specific proxies, and headless browsers with mobile user-agent strings.
Attacks leveraging distributed infrastructures and residential proxy networks increase: The proportion of holiday attack traffic originating from and blending in with ISP networks increased 32% between 2023 and 2024. Attackers are leveraging wider network and residential proxy services to evade rate-limiting, geo-based, and IP-based blocking mechanisms, creating even greater mitigation challenges for security teams working without advanced, multi-layered protections.
Coordinated multi-vector attack campaigns escalate: To maximize their success, attackers are targeting applications by combining bot attacks with web application vulnerability exploits, business logic attacks, and API-focused attacks. Protecting already burdened security systems requires an integrated application security strategy that uses the latest threat intelligence and cross-correlates security threats across security modules.
Radware will be addressing the new report and advanced protection strategies during the RSA 2025 Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco (booth #S-1227). The event takes place April 28–May 1, 2025.
Radware’s complete bot report can be downloaded here.
About Radware Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR) is a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments. The company’s cloud application, infrastructure, and API security solutions use AI-driven algorithms for precise, hands-free, real-time protection from the most sophisticated web, application, and DDoS attacks, API abuse, and bad bots. Enterprises and carriers worldwide rely on Radware’s solutions to address evolving cybersecurity challenges and protect their brands and business operations while reducing costs. For more information, please visit the Radware website.
THIS PRESS RELEASE AND 2025 E-COMMERCE BOT THREAT REPORT ARE PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE AN INDICATOR OF RADWARE’S BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OR OPERATING RESULTS FOR ANY PRIOR, CURRENT, OR FUTURE PERIOD.
Radware believes the information in this document is accurate in all material respects as of its publication date. However, the information is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties and is subject to change without notice.
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Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about Radware’s plans, outlook, beliefs, or opinions, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” and “could.” For example, when we say in this press release that e-commerce providers and online retailers that rely on conventional security measures will find themselves increasingly exposed, not just during the holidays but year-round, we are using forward-looking statements. 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A re-elected Albanese government will take the unprecedented step of buying or obtaining options over key critical minerals to protect Australia’s national interest and boost its economic resilience.
The move follows US President Donald Trump’s ordering a review into American reliance on imported processed critical minerals and Australia’s discussions with the United States about a possible agreement on these minerals as part of negotiations to get a better deal on US tariffs.
Australia has major deposits of critical minerals and rare earths. But almost all the processing of critical minerals is done by China, which uses this as leverage in disputes with other countries. As part of its tariff dispute with the US, China this month suspended exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets.
Critical minerals are vital in the production of many items, including defence equipment, batteries, electronics, fibre optic cables, electric vehicles, magnets and wind turbines.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flagged recently that Australia would establish a critical minerals reserve and the government has now released details of its plan.
The government investment in critical minerals would come through two new mechanisms:
national offtake agreements
selective stockpiling
The government would acquire, through voluntary contracts, agreed volumes of critical minerals from commercial projects, or establish an option to purchase them at a given price.
It would also establish a government stockpile of key minerals produced under offtake agreements.
“The primary consideration for entering into offtake agreements will be securing priority critical minerals for strategic reasons,” the government said in a statement.
Minerals held by the reserve would be made available to domestic industry and key international partners.
This would cover a deal with the US, if that can be reached.
“The Reserve will be focused on a subset of critical minerals that are most important for Australia’s national security and the security of our key partners, including rare earths,” the statement said.
As its holdings matured, the reserve would generate cash-flow from sales of offtake on global markets and to key partners, the statement said.
“The Strategic Reserve will also accumulate stockpiles of priority minerals when warranted by market conditions and strategic considerations, but it is anticipated that these will be modest and time-limited in most cases.”
The government would make an initial investment of $1.2 billion in the reserve, including through a $1 billion increase in the existing Critical Minerals Facility. This would take the government’s investment in the facility to $5 billion.
The facility, established in 2021, provides financing to selected projects that are aligned with the government’s critical minerals strategy.
The government plans to consult with states and companies on the scope and design on the Strategic Reserve, which it would aim to have operating in the second half of next year.
ALbanese said: “In a time of global uncertainty, Australia will be stronger and safer by developing our critical national assets to create economic opportunity and resilience.
“The Strategic Reserve will mean the government has the power to purchase, own and sell critical minerals found here in Australia.
“It will mean we can deal with trade and market disruptions from a position of strength. Because Australia will be able to call on an internationally-significant quantity of resources in global demand.”
Resources Minister Madeleine King said: “Critical minerals and rare earths and essential not only to reducing emissions but also for our security and the security of our key partners.
“While we will continue to supply the world with critical minerals, it’s also important that Australia has access to the critical minerals and rare earths we need for a Future Made in Australia.”
Michelle Grattan 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.
This election has been lacklustre, without the touch of excitement of some past campaigns. Through the decades, campaigning has changed dramatically, adopting new techniques and technologies. This time, we’ve seen politicians try to jump onto viral podcasts.
To discuss old and new campaigning, we’re joined by professor of history at the Australian National University, Frank Bongiorno.
Many decades ago, campaigns were marked by lots of public meetings, and with them came hecklers. Bongiorno says politicians
needed to be able to command an audience and to deal with interjectors in a big public meeting. Radio was really coming into its own.
Very famously – not in a political campaign and not as prime minister – but Menzies made a number of broadcasts that are still remembered. [That was] back in the earlier part of the 1940s, when he was out of government. The most famous of which is the “Forgotten People” broadcast in 1942.
Over time, campaigns have focused more on the leaders, in the style of the United States.
[It’s] another aspect perhaps of the Americanisation and presidentialisation of our political system, that focus on party leaders in that kind of way. The 1984 debate was between Bob Hawke as prime minister and Andrew Peacock. I think many people thought that Peacock actually got the better of Hawke on that occasion and that was really, in some ways, the assessment of the whole campaign.
…That does speak to the American influence in particular. Very famously of course there was the 1960 presidential debate between Nixon and Kennedy, that is such an important part of the collective memory of Kennedy’s success in that election in 1960.
Do debates still have any impact on campaigns? Bongiorno says “they have become something that I think a lot of people shun.”
They do seem rather neutral affairs, in which the pundits’ ideas about who won don’t seem to probably matter very much to most voters.
On the move from traditional media sources to an online campaign, Bongiorno says,
A lot of the campaign now is fought online. And I guess that trend began really as long ago as the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the parties would maintain campaign websites. It seems so long ago and so primitive, compared to where we are now.
And social media took off from about the middle of the first decade of this century. Facebook and YouTube came into their own in 2007. Twitter, now called X, in 2010… The use of memes really took off about 2019. And I think TikTok, which is often particularly used by younger people, from about 2022.
He says scare campaigns have become harder to report on or rebut, due to more targeted online campaigns and advertising.
Everything depends on your algorithm. The election campaign that I’m seeing when I go into my feed for X or for Facebook will be quite different to my next door neighbour’s, for instance, who could have a totally different sense of what’s happening in the campaign, what are the issues that matter, where the sort of balance of public opinion is.
It means that whatever the parties are saying now, whatever candidates are saying and doing in the media over the next little while, is going to have no impact on anyone who’s already voted. So it can only be those who are still to vote.
It probably makes leaving the release of policy – and perhaps even costings as well – to the last minute a riskier venture, because if you do have goodies on offer, they’re going to miss anyone who has already voted.
It does mean that the parties need to be pretty careful in how they’re timing the release of particular aspects of their policy offerings.
Michelle Grattan 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: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Police accountability reforms to enter Parliament
Police officers will be given greater confidence to carry out their roles, with reforms to the systems that hold them to account set to enter Parliament.
Getty Images
The government will table an amendment to the flagship Crime and Policing Bill later this week to provide a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers who are subject to a criminal trial following a shooting.
This will apply during court proceedings and in media reporting up until the point of conviction.
Improving policing systems is a crucial part of making our streets safer under the Plan for Change, and this move addresses specific concerns raised during the accountability review about the risks firearms officers face from criminal gangs and will protect them and their families against any such threat.
Three measures to improve the timeliness and appropriateness of investigations into police use of force and the rights of victims will also be also included in the bill:
Aligning the threshold for referrals by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) of officers to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to that used by police when referring cases involving members of the public. This is to avoid the system being clogged up with cases, allowing greater focus and swifter resolution of those that are referred.
Speeding up processes by allowing the IOPC to send cases to the CPS where there is sufficient evidence, prior to their final investigation report.
Putting the IOPC victims’ right to review policy on a statutory footing to ensure the voices of victims and their families are heard.
This is a crucial step in delivering measures set out by the Home Secretary to parliament in October, in which she set out a package of reforms to rebuild confidence for police officers and communities. The measures are designed to tackle unacceptable delays and confusion in the system, to ensure that the complexity of specialist operations is considered at an early stage, and that the highest standards within policing are upheld and maintained.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
The proud British tradition of policing by consent depends on mutual bonds of trust between the police and the communities they serve. That’s why we have set out an ambitious package of measures to rebuild both public trust in policing and the confidence of police officers in their vital work to keep the public safe.
Police officers in specialist roles who make split-second decisions to keep the public safe must have the confidence to carry out their duties, knowing that the systems which hold them to account for their decisions are fair.
Too often those processes have involved unacceptable delays and confusion, which has been damaging both for the police and the public. These changes will help to boost confidence that the system will work swiftly and effectively for all those involved.
The accountability review found that the current system for holding police officers to account is not commanding the confidence of either the public or the police, with misconduct proceedings too often plagued by delays stretching for years, which is damaging for complainants, police officers and police forces alike.
Alongside the changes being made in the Crime and Policing Bill, the Director for Public Prosecutions has already completed a review of CPS guidance and processes in relation to charging police officers for offences committed in the course of their duties. Revised guidance provides greater clarity for prosecutors, ensuring the dynamic and fast-changing nature of specialist policing decisions are taken into account when charging decisions are made.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said:
The progress that has been made on vital accountability reform should be welcomed. In particular, I am very pleased to see that the previous commitment on anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trials is going to be introduced as an amendment to legislation going through Parliament.
We know further reform is needed if officers are to have full confidence in the system that holds them to account but alongside our policing partners we are working positively and constructively with the government and that work will continue.
Lead of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Operations Coordination Committee and the Senior Responsible Officer for the accountability review, Chief Constable BJ Harrington, said:
We welcome today’s announcement. These are positive changes which will ensure that the public interest is served, and that police officers and staff will have the confidence to protect the public and uphold the law.
Everyone in policing expects to be held to account for their actions and use of powers. However, too often we hear of the devastating, and often disproportionate, impact on officers, staff and their families after they have stepped forward with courage and professionalism on behalf of the public.
Whether it’s an issue concerning use of force, death following contact with the police, police driving or where officers are alleged to have broken the law, it is important that the accountability mechanism is swift, balanced, and fair. This in turn will give our people the confidence to fulfil their duties, and the public confidence in their professionalism and decision making.
We remain determined to get police accountability right and we will support government to improve the current accountability system to ensure community support, and importantly, to give police officers and staff the knowledge that where they act, to do the right things for the right reasons, they have the support to do their job of tackling crime and protecting the public.
This comes as the government has today set out further reforms to rebuild public confidence in policing, including new regulations to ensure police chiefs can automatically sack officers who fail background checks, allowing them to root out those who are unfit to serve.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, may I first express to the Government and people of Türkiye my full solidarity in this difficult moment.
President Lula of Brazil and I just concluded a unique meeting with a cross-section of world leaders focused on climate action and a just transition.
The gathering included 17 participants at level of heads of state and government representing some of the world’s largest economies — including China and the European Union — and some of the world’s most climate vulnerable countries.
We also had leaders currently chairing important regional partnerships — the African Union, ASEAN, and the Alliance of Small Island States and CARICOM, along with many others.
It was among the most diverse meetings of heads of state focused exclusively on climate in some time.
Yet I heard a unifying message.
Yes, our world faces massive headwinds and a multitude of crises.
But we cannot allow climate commitments to be blown off course.
We must keep building momentum for action at COP30 in Brazil — and today was an important part of that effort.
We don’t have a moment to lose.
No region is being spared from the ravages of accelerating climate catastrophes.
And the crisis is deepening poverty, displacing communities, and fuelling conflict and instability.
At the same time, countries are waking up to a clear fact:
Renewables are the economic opportunity of the century.
Dissenters and fossil fuel interests may try to stand in the way.
But as we heard today, the world is moving forward. Full-speed ahead.
No group or government can stop the clean energy revolution.
Science is on our side — and economics have shifted.
Prices for renewables have plummeted and the sector is booming — creating jobs and boosting competitiveness and growth worldwide.
The pathway out of climate hell is paved by renewables.
They offer the surest route to energy sovereignty and security, and ending dependence on volatile and expensive fossil fuel imports.
We also know collective climate action works.
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the projected global warming-curve has been bent down — from over four degrees of temperature rise within this century, to 2.6 degrees if current national climate action plans are fully implemented.
But that is catastrophic so we must go further and faster.
Today, I urged leaders to take action on two fronts.
First — to step up efforts to submit the strongest possible national climate plans well ahead of COP30.
And leaders today committed to put forward ambitious and robust plans as soon as possible what was a strong message of hope.
These new climate plans offer a unique opportunity to lay out a bold vision for a just green transition over the next decade.
They should align with 1.5 degrees and set emissions-reduction targets that cover all greenhouse gases and the whole economy as several today mentioned clearly.
Most importantly, they should help speed-up a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewables…
Link national energy and development strategies with climate goals…
And signal to policymakers and investors alike a total commitment to achieving global net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Second — as leaders turbocharge their own transitions, I urged them to scale-up support for developing countries.
Those least responsible for climate change are suffering from its worst effects.
Africa and other parts of the developing world are experiencing faster warming —and the Pacific islands are seeing faster sea-level rise — even while the global average itself is accelerating.
Meanwhile, despite being home to 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, Africa has only around 1.5 per cent of installed solar capacity – and receives just two per cent of global investment into renewables.
We need to change this — fast.
At COP30, leaders must deliver a credible roadmap to mobilize $1.3 trillion a year for developing countries by 2035.
Developed countries must honour their promise to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion a year, by this year.
And we need significantly increased contributions and innovative sources of finance to support the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage.
Across all these fronts, we will keep up the push — including at a special event in September in the final weeks to COP30.
As today’s meeting made clear, we cannot, must not, and will not let up on climate action.
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has formally demanded that the City of Columbia repeal City Ordinance 2021-021, citing clear conflicts with state law and violations of constitutional rights. In a letter sent to the Columbia City Council today, Wilson urged immediate action to bring the city into compliance with state statutes and the South Carolina Constitution.
The ordinance in question bans licensed counselors from offering any form of so-called “conversion therapy” to minors, a term Wilson notes has been mischaracterized and weaponized by activist groups to restrict religious freedom and professional judgment in counseling.
“Our Office has reviewed the ordinance and determined it directly conflicts with state law, particularly the Medical Ethics and Diversity Act passed by the General Assembly in 2022,” said Wilson. “Municipalities do not have the authority to regulate professions that require statewide uniformity, such as counseling and psychological therapy. This ordinance crosses the line, violates the law, and must be repealed.”
The 2022 Medical Ethics and Diversity Act explicitly prohibits local governments from interfering with a healthcare provider’s professional judgment, including in the realm of psychological counseling. It affirms the rights of patients and families to choose counseling that aligns with their values, including religious beliefs.
Attorney General Wilson further emphasized the legal precedent supporting his Office’s position, citing federal rulings such as Otto v. City of Boca Raton and King v. Governor of New Jersey, which found similar bans on counseling practices unconstitutional under free speech and religious liberty protections.
“The ordinance prioritizes ideology over individuals, silencing faith-based counselors and denying families the freedom to choose the care that reflects their deeply held beliefs,” Wilson stated. “We are committed to defending South Carolinians’ right to religious liberty and protecting counselors from unconstitutional mandates.”
The Attorney General has requested a formal response from the City by May 5, 2025, and expressed willingness to meet with city officials to resolve the matter.
WISeKey Expands Implementation of Digital Identity Solutions from Seychelles to Africa: Empowering Nations with Secure National ID Systems
Geneva, Switzerland – April 23, 2025 — WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”) (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading global cybersecurity, blockchain, and IoT company, today announces that following the successful implementation of “SeyID” in the Seychelles, it is extending proven digital identity solutions to other African nations to help them modernize and secure their national identification systems.
Since 2022, WISeKey has collaborated with the government of Seychelles to launch SeyID, a comprehensive, secure, and user-friendly digital ID platform. Designed to integrate seamlessly with both public and private sector services, SeyID is now serving as a model for other African nations looking to establish or upgrade their national identity infrastructure.
A Blueprint for Digital Transformation
The SeyID platform leverages WISeKey’s trusted WISeID digital identity technology, which provides citizens with a mobile-accessible, secure virtual ID linked to key public services. These include healthcare, government portals, and the tourism industry, vital economic pillars for Seychelles.
Through SeyID, citizens are able to complement their traditional physical ID cards with a virtual identity stored securely on their smartphones, making authentication easier and services more accessible. Tourists visiting Seychelles can also generate a digital Tourist ID using SeyID, which offers a frictionless digital experience while allowing visitors to access local services. This innovation has positioned Seychelles as a digital pioneer in the African region, providing a strong example of how national digital identity platforms can support economic growth and government efficiency.
Scaling the Model Across Africa
WISeKey is now in discussions with several African governments to replicate the SeyID model, tailoring it to meet local needs and regulatory frameworks. These next-generation digital ID solutions aim to:
Promote Financial Inclusion by enabling secure digital onboarding and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance for banking services;
Streamline Public Administration by digitizing identity verification for social programs, healthcare, and education;
Enhance Tourism and Cross-Border Travel with digital tourist ID systems similar to that of Seychelles; and,
Protect Citizen Data with robust Swiss-grade cybersecurity and encryption.
Use Cases: National Digital IDs as Catalysts for Economic Growth
Digital Financial Services: A national digital ID allows unbanked populations to open bank accounts, access credit, and use mobile payment platforms securely, boosting participation in the formal economy and reducing reliance on cash.
e-Government Services: Digital IDs facilitate efficient delivery of public services such as tax filing, business registration, land ownership verification, and social welfare programs, increasing transparency and reducing corruption.
Agricultural Supply Chains: Farmers can register digitally to receive subsidies, track inputs, and access markets. This fosters trust, increases productivity, and reduces fraud in government support schemes.
Healthcare Access: Verified digital IDs help in creating unified health records, ensuring that citizens receive timely, targeted, and secure healthcare, even across borders through regional interoperability.
Job Market Activation: With a verifiable identity, citizens can access vocational training, apply for jobs online, and participate in gig economy platforms, driving workforce participation and economic inclusion.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Startups and SMEs can benefit from streamlined licensing and easier access to investment through identity-based digital platforms, reducing bureaucratic delays and stimulating innovation.
Tourism Growth: Digital tourist IDs simplify visa issuance, hotel check-ins, and tourist service access, creating a smoother visitor experience and increasing tourism revenues.
Education & Youth Empowerment: Digital IDs allow students to enroll in programs, access e-learning platforms, and validate academic credentials, enhancing skills development for the digital economy.
A Human-Centered, Privacy-First Approach
WISeKey’s approach is grounded in respecting human dignity and data privacy. All identities created under its platforms are anchored in the OISTE.ORG Root of Trust, a globally recognized cryptographic trust model that guarantees sovereign control over digital identities.
With the support of international development agencies and local governments, WISeKey is set to deliver customized digital ID solutions that are interoperable, future-proof, and aligned with international standards for data protection and digital governance.
As Africa accelerates its digital transformation, WISeKey’s expansion beyond Seychelles marks a critical step in ensuring that secure, inclusive, and innovative identity solutions are at the heart of the continent’s technological and economic future.
WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”, SIX: WIHN; Nasdaq: WKEY) is a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity, and IoT solutions platform. It operates as a Swiss-based holding company through several operational subsidiaries, each dedicated to specific aspects of its technology portfolio. The subsidiaries include (i) SEALSQ Corp (Nasdaq: LAES), which focuses on semiconductors, PKI, and post-quantum technology products, (ii) WISeKey SA which specializes in RoT and PKI solutions for secure authentication and identification in IoT, Blockchain, and AI, (iii) WISeSat AG which focuses on space technology for secure satellite communication, specifically for IoT applications, (iv) WISe.ART Corp which focuses on trusted blockchain NFTs and operates the WISe.ART marketplace for secure NFT transactions, and (v) SEALCOIN AG which focuses on decentralized physical internet with DePIN technology and house the development of the SEALCOIN platform.
Each subsidiary contributes to WISeKey’s mission of securing the internet while focusing on their respective areas of research and expertise. Their technologies seamlessly integrate into the comprehensive WISeKey platform. WISeKey secures digital identity ecosystems for individuals and objects using Blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies. With over 1.6 billion microchips deployed across various IoT sectors, WISeKey plays a vital role in securing the Internet of Everything. The company’s semiconductors generate valuable Big Data that, when analyzed with AI, enable predictive equipment failure prevention. Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey cryptographic Root of Trust, WISeKey provides secure authentication and identification for IoT, Blockchain, and AI applications. The WISeKey Root of Trust ensures the integrity of online transactions between objects and people. For more information on WISeKey’s strategic direction and its subsidiary companies, please visit www.wisekey.com.
Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”), the FinSa’s predecessor legislation or advertising within the meaning of the FinSA. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.
Press and InvestorContacts
WISeKey International Holding Ltd Company Contact: Carlos Moreira Chairman & CEO Tel: +41 22 594 3000 info@wisekey.com
WISeKey Investor Relations (US) The Equity Group Inc. Lena Cati Tel: +1 212 836-9611 lcati@equityny.com