Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) are reintroducing a slate of Tribal water rights settlement bills they are pushing to pass in this Congress.
The full slate of Tribal water rights settlements legislation includes:
The Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Rights Settlements Act;
The Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act;
The Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act; and
The Navajo Nation Rio San José Water Rights Settlement Act.
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments;
The Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act;
“I’m proud to introduce these bills to finally unlock critical water infrastructure funding from these water rights settlements and ensure Tribes have the resources to use the water they own,” said Heinrich. “These settlements are supported by all parties involved, including Tribal and non-Tribal communities. Congress should pass these urgently needed bills to help communities manage their precious and limited water resources.”
“Water rights are part of the federal trust responsibility for our Tribal communities,” said Luján, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. “I’m proud to reintroduce legislation to allow our Tribal communities to promote water security and complete much-needed water infrastructure projects. I’m especially proud to reintroduce my legislation to amend the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, ensuring it has the resources and time needed to deliver clean drinking water to communities in northwestern New Mexico. These pieces of legislation will help fulfill our trust responsibility and promote water security for Tribes and Pueblos, as well as non-Tribal users, in New Mexico.”
“This legislation upholds our trust responsibility to Tribes and helps bring certainty to disputes about water across the Southwest. The settlements included in these bills secure clean, reliable water for Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache Nation, 11 pueblos, and the rural communities that are their neighbors across New Mexico,” said Leger Fernández. “It is with great expectation that I reintroduce this legislation which reflects decades of negotiation and collaboration. We must pass these bills so the scarce water resources our communities need to thrive for generations to come are available to all.”
“In New Mexico, we know water is life,” said Stansbury. “That’s why these Tribal Water Settlement bills are so important. These pieces of legislation will give water rights back to our Tribes and Pueblos, ensuring the federal government upholds our Trust and Treaty Responsibilities. Indigenous people have been stewards of the land and water since time immemorial, and now is the time for them to lead these efforts.”
“I will always stand with our Tribal communities in Congress,” said Vasquez. “These water rights settlements are a crucial step in fulfilling our delegation’s commitment to ensuring every New Mexican has access to safe, reliable water. By providing our Tribes and Pueblos with the resources they need, we are investing in vital water infrastructure that will serve generations to come.”
The Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Rights Settlements Act is led by Heinrich and Leger Fernández. Luján, Stansbury, and Vasquez are original cosponsors. The bill would implement two fund-based water settlements: one between the Pueblos of Jemez and Zia, the United States, the State of New Mexico, and non-Tribal parties; and another between the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, the United States, the State of New Mexico, and non-Tribal parties. The settlements are strongly supported by all parties involved.
Heinrich and Leger Fernández previously introduced this legislation in March 2023. The bill received a hearing and was reported out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in December 2023. The House version of this bill received a legislative hearing in the House Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee in July 2024.
Read the full bill text here.
The Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act is also led by Heinrich and Leger Fernández. Luján and Stansbury are original cosponsors. The bill establishes a trust fund to implement the negotiated settlement between the United States, the State of New Mexico, the City of Española, the Asociación de Acéquias Norteñas de Rio Arriba, El Rito Ditch Asociación, La Asociación de las Acéquias del Rio Tusas, Vallecitos y Ojo Caliente, the Rio de Chama Acéquia Association, and Ohkay Owingeh to settle the Pueblo’s water claims in the Rio Chama Basin. The funding will be used for Ohkay Owingeh’s development of water resources to ensure the Pueblo has appropriate water infrastructure to use the water that they have claim to in the basin.
Heinrich and Leger Fernández initially introduced the bill in June 2024. The bill then received a key hearing before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in July 2024.
Read the full bill text here.
The Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act is led by Heinrich and Vasquez. Luján, Stansbury, and Leger Fernández are original cosponsors. The bill authorizes $685 million to support a trust for sustainable water management and infrastructure development that upholds the federal government’s trust responsibility while protecting the sacred Zuni Salt Lake. The bill ratifies the settlement between the federal government, State of New Mexico and Zuni Tribe that affirms their water rights for irrigation, livestock, storage, and domestic and other uses.
Heinrich and Vasquez initially introduced the bill in July 2024. The bill received a key hearing before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in September 2024.
Read the full bill text here.
The Navajo Nation Rio San José Water Rights Settlement Act is led by Heinrich and Leger Fernández. Luján, Stansbury, and Vasquez are original cosponsors. This bill would approve the water rights settlement for the Navajo Nation as well as participating non-Tribal parties in the Rio San José watershed.
Heinrich and Leger Fernández initially introduced this bill in September 2024. The bill then received a key hearing before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that same month.
Read the full bill text here.
The Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments is led by Luján and Leger Fernández. Heinrich and Stansbury are original cosponsors. The bill amends the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project to ensure it has the resources and time needed to reach completion to deliver drinking water to northwestern New Mexico communities.
The Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project was first authorized as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which settled the Navajo Nation’s water rights in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and funded the design and construction of the waterline to reach an estimated 250,000 people by the year 2040. Upon completion, the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project will provide a long-term, sustainable water supply from the San Juan River to roughly 43 Chapters on the eastern Navajo Nation, the southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the City of Gallup, which currently rely on a rapidly depleting groundwater supply of poor quality.
Luján, Leger Fernández, and Heinrich initially introduced the bill in June 2023. The bill was passed out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in November 2023.
Read the full bill text here.
The Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act is led by Luján and Leger Fernández. Heinrich and Stansbury are original cosponsors. This bill authorizes the appropriation of $6.3 million for the Navajo Nation Water Resources Development Fund; $7.8 million for the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund; and $4.3 million for the Aamodt Settlement Pueblos’ Fund, which covers Nambé, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, and Tesuque Pueblos. It will support water resources development projects for the Tribes.
Luján and Leger Fernández initially introduced this bill in December 2023.
Read the full bill text here.
Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments Act of 2025. The bipartisan legislation amends the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to ensure it has the resources and time needed to reach completion to deliver drinking water to northwestern New Mexico communities. The House companion legislation was introduced by U.S. Representative Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and is co-sponsored by U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.).
The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project was first authorized as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which settled the Navajo Nation’s water rights in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and funded the design and construction of the waterline to reach an estimated 250,000 people by the year 2040. Upon completion, the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project will provide a long-term, sustainable water supply from the San Juan River to roughly 43 Chapters on the eastern Navajo Nation, the southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the City of Gallup, which currently rely on a rapidly depleting groundwater supply of poor quality. Full project completion is planned for 2029. When complete, it will include approximately 300 miles of pipeline, two water treatment plants, 19 pumping plants and multiple water storage tanks.
“Ensuring that the Navajo Nation, City of Gallup, and Jicarilla Apache Nation have access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water is vital for the health and well-being of rural and Tribal communities,” said Senator Luján, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project will help provide a reliable, sustainable surface water supply to improve the public health and economic opportunities for the region. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan legislation to move this critical project forward and reduce the financial burden on Tribal and local governments. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this much-needed legislation to help meet the water needs in the San Juan Basin for years to come.”
“Since I was elected to Congress, I have prioritized funding for the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project so we can provide clean, reliable, and affordable water to the Navajo people and surrounding communities in New Mexico. We secured $615 million in funding to move the project forward,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández. “The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments Act builds upon this work. We won’t stop until this project is completed because in New Mexico, we know that water sustains us. Sabemos que Agua Es Vida.”
“Communities in northwest New Mexico, the Navajo Nation, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation deserve water security and clean drinking water. Our legislation achieves this by funding the completion of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to deliver clean, reliable water to 43 Tribal communities and the City of Gallup. I call on the Senate to quickly take up this legislation and ensure the project can be completed,” said Senator Heinrich.
“Water is the lifeblood of the West, and Utahns know that securing a reliable water supply is essential for our communities, our economy, and our way of life,” said Senator Curtis. “I’m proud to join my colleagues on this bipartisan legislation to help ensure the Navajo Nation in Utah have the water they need to thrive.”
The amending legislation makes several important changes:
Increases the project funding authorization to match updated construction costs;
Extends the project timeline beyond 2025 to 2029 to provide additional time for completion;
Establishes trust funds for operations and maintenance costs for the Navajo Nation and the Jicarilla Apache Nation once construction is complete; and
Allows the project to expand its service area to reach Navajo communities without running water.
The Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache Nation, State of New Mexico, and the City of Gallup support the legislation.
Senators Luján and Heinrich and Congresswoman Leger Fernández have long supported efforts to fund and complete the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
Senator Luján and Congresswoman Leger Fernández secured $137 million for the project through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law toward the total authorized project cost. In August 2024, Senator Luján and the N.M. Delegation welcomed a $267 million Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project contract to design and build the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant in northwest New Mexico. The plant is the largest and most important feature of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
In January 2025, Senators Luján and Heinrich, and Congresswoman Leger Fernándezannounced $120 millionfor Fiscal Year 2025 for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project using funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Reclamation Water Settlements Fund. The original version of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments Act was passed out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in November 2023. However, new legislation is required to authorize additional time and resources to complete the project and for its long-term, sustainable operations and maintenance.
Additionally, the N.M. Delegation recently reintroduced a slate of Tribal water rights settlement bills they are pushing to pass in this Congress.
For more information about the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, click here.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
On February 24, 2025, the FBI Safe Streets Violent Crime Task Force, with assistance from the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force and the Orem Police Department, arrested 20-year-old Jose Antonio Cedeno-Ponce, wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred on January 10, 2025, in King County, Washington. Law enforcement encountered Cedeno-Ponce at a business in Utah County and took him into custody without incident.
“Task forces allow law enforcement to seamlessly work together with the shared goal of keeping our communities safe,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI. “It’s important that the defendant face the serious charges brought against him.”
Cedeno-Ponce has been charged in the Superior Court of Washington for King County with Murder in the Second Degree. According to the court documents, Cedeno-Ponce drove to a location in Tukwila to engage in a fight with high schoolers and armed himself with a knife before anyone approached him. During the fight, he fatally struck the victim. Cedeno-Ponce subsequently left the state and abandoned his vehicle in Idaho.
Cedeno-Ponce is currently being held at the Utah County Jail where he will await extradition to Washington state. The public should be reminded that the above are merely allegations and that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The FBI Safe Streets Task Force is made up of agents and law enforcement from Salt Lake City, West Valley City, and Springville Police Departments. The Task Force investigates violent crime and gang violence in the greater Salt Lake Metro area.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
ST. LOUIS – A former St. Louis County, Missouri middle school teacher on Wednesday admitted possessing hundreds of images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
Scott R. Ellis, 38, pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of child pornography. Ellis admitted possessing 72 images containing child abuse material on his cell phone and about 700 videos and more than 900 images in his Mega cloud storage account.
The investigation began with two cyber tipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child pornography in Ellis’ Google account.
Ellis is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Special Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
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 Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)
(b)Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.
N/A
(c)Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree
LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC
(d)If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:
N/A
(e)Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure
26 FEBRUARY 2025
(f)In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”
N/A
2.POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.
(a)Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
Class of relevant security:
0.375p ORDINARY
Interests
Short positions
Number
%
Number
%
(1)Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:
9,004,993
1.1363
(2)Cash-settled derivatives:
(3)Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:
9,004,993
1.1363
All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.
Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).
(b)Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)
Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:
3.DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.
The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.
(a)Purchases and sales
Class of relevant security
Purchase/sale
Number of securities
Price per unit
0.375p ORDINARY
SALE
7,275
99.2p
0.375p ORDINARY
PURCHASE
4,100
99.275p
(b)Cash-settled derivative transactions
Class of relevant security
Product description e.g. CFD
Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position
(d)Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)
Class of relevant security
Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion
Details
Price per unit (if applicable)
NONE
4.OTHER INFORMATION
(a)Indemnity and other dealing arrangements
Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
NONE
(b)Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives
Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i)the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii)the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
NONE
(c)Attachments
Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?
NO
Date of disclosure:
27 FEBRUARY 2025
Contact name:
MARK ELLIOTT
Telephone number:
01253 376539
Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.
The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.
PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)
(b)Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.
N/A
(c)Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree
ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC
(d)If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:
N/A
(e)Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure
26 FEBRUARY 2025
(f)In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”
N/A
2.POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.
(a)Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
Class of relevant security:
1p ORDINARY
Interests
Short positions
Number
%
Number
%
(1)Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:
12,156,221
2.2488
(2)Cash-settled derivatives:
(3)Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:
12,156,221
2.2488
All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.
Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).
(b)Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)
Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:
3.DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.
The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.
(a)Purchases and sales
Class of relevant security
Purchase/sale
Number of securities
Price per unit
1p ORDINARY
SALE
18,490
61p
(b)Cash-settled derivative transactions
Class of relevant security
Product description e.g. CFD
Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position
(d)Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)
Class of relevant security
Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion
Details
Price per unit (if applicable)
NONE
4.OTHER INFORMATION
(a)Indemnity and other dealing arrangements
Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
NONE
(b)Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives
Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i)the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii)the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
NONE
(c)Attachments
Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?
NO
Date of disclosure:
27 FEBRUARY 2025
Contact name:
MARK ELLIOTT
Telephone number:
01253 376539
Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.
The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.
Every drug interdiction helps disrupt cartels, keep illegal drugs off our streets, and protect American communities. Having tripled our deployed forces along the southern border and maritime approaches, the Coast Guard continues our counterdrug operations. Since January 21, we’ve seized over 77,000 pounds of illicit drugs. These drugs fuel and enable cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations that produce and traffic illegal fentanyl threatening the U.S.
Watch the men and women of the Coast Guard in action as they keep the American people safe.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Beach recycling underway to strengthen Norfolk flood protection
An expected 14,000 tonnes of sand and shingle will be moved to protect 800 homes and 4,000 caravans.
Work is underway to bolster natural flood defences along the west coast of Norfolk as part of their yearly renewal.
Beach recycling will see an expected 14,000 tonnes of sand and shingle will be moved around the beach from where it’s been deposited by the tidal movement of the sea.
The aggregate is taken north to Heacham and South Hunstanton to restore the shingle ridge along a 5km stretch of coastline.
The shingle ridge is a natural flood defence protecting more than 800 properties and 4,000 caravans. The recycling will be completed in time for ground nesting birds and tourists to arrive.
To move thousands of tonnes of material, the Environment Agency uses three 30-tonne dumper trucks, two bulldozers and an excavator.
The recycling follows a report into the shingle ridge which was published in Summer 2024. The Environment Agency is set to begin updating the 2015 Wash East Coast Management Strategy (WECMS) for Hunstanton to Wolferton Creek later this year. The updated strategy will further assess the latest monitoring data and reflect the findings of the Initial Assessment report.
Sadia Moeed, Area Director for the Environment Agency said:
“Beach recycling is an incredibly important part of the work we do on the Norfolk coast. It’s vital the shingle ridge is kept in good condition to help reduce the risk of flooding to the communities behind it.
“It’s also important that property owners continue to refrain from digging into the ridge and approach the us if they wish to carry out works within 16m of it. This will also help preserve the integrity of the ridge and its ability to perform as a natural flood defence.
“People should know their flood risk and sign up for free flood warnings by going to https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188. You can also follow @EnvAgencyAnglia on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”
Both Natural England and the RSPB are consulted on the beach recycling to preserve the coastline’s environmental importance. The work is funded by the East Wash Coastal Management Community Interest Company which raises funds from the local community, caravan park owners and landowners. Anglian Water and the Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk also contribute to the project.
Cllr Sandra Squire, Cabinet Member for Environment at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, said:
“Restoring the shingle ridges between Hunstanton and Snettisham helps to protect people and wildlife living on the coast in west Norfolk.
“This important annual beach recycling programme, which is an effective means of undertaking important flood defence work to maintain the defences along the Snettisham to Hunstanton coastline, makes a real difference to the communities in the area.”
We are teaming up with Sustrans for a third year to encourage people to leave their cars at home for some of their everyday journeys and try cleaner, greener, healthier ways of getting from A to B.
The challenge starts on Saturday (1 March) and encourages people to choose active travel options like walking, cycling, scooting or skating for a month. It’s a great way of staying fit and healthy, saving money and helping to improve our air quality – so get those comfy shoes and bikes out!
As an extra incentive, there are three special prizes – a Raleigh bike worth £475, an adult micro scooter worth £175 and a gold level bike service worth £140 from Bikespace in Devonport – as well as shopping vouchers up for grabs. See the Sustrans website for full prize details.
Everyone who signs up will get online access to plenty of useful hints, tips and support and a personalised dashboard where they can log their progress. They can even set themselves targets, such as miles travelled, calories burned, or carbon emissions cut.
It’s all part of our ‘active travel social prescribing’ programme, funded by Active Travel England, where our transport and public health teams work with partners including Sustrans, as well as health providers, link workers (within GP practices and health and wellbeing hubs) and community groups to get more people enjoying active travel as a form of exercise.
Councillor John Stephens, our walking and cycling champion, said: “We know how important it is to keep active and this is such an easy way to do that. Making just a few of those regular trips – or even part of them – on foot or bike can make a really big difference to our health and wellbeing.
“It also helps to reduce the amount of traffic on our roads, which is good for us all. More than 450 people took part in last year’s challenge, recording over 6,000 trips and avoiding 1,861kg of carbon emissions. This year we hope to do even better.”
Everyone who lives or works in Plymouth is welcome to sign up to the challenge and you can go solo or team up with friends, family or colleagues.
Register now and get ready to start logging your journeys!
ADVISORY – ANNVILLE – Governor Shapiro to Swear-in John R. Pippy as 55th Adjutant General of PA
John. R. Pippy will be sworn in as the 55th adjutant general of Pennsylvania and promoted to Major General. Pippy was unanimously confirmed as adjutant general by the Pennsylvania Senate on Feb. 4, 2025.
In this capacity, Pippy assumes command of the Pennsylvania National Guard, the third largest in the country, and is head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). The DMVA provides programs and services to nearly 700,000 veterans, the fifth largest veteran population in the country.
NOTE: This event is available by stream to the general public at https://pacast.com/live/dmva. Media is invited to attend in person.
WHO: Governor Josh Shapiro Adjutant General John R. Pippy
WHEN: Friday, February 28; 10:15 AM
WHERE: Bldg. 8-80, Bearty Ave., Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA
DIRECTIONS AND DETAILS FOR ACCESS:
All visitors must enter through the main gate. All other entrances and exits to Fort Indiantown Gap are permanently closed.
Take I-81 North and get off at exit 85B Indiantown Gap. This will put you on 934 North to the main gate. You must show a state- or federally-issued identification card to enter the installation. Continue through the access point to the first light, and take a right onto Service Rd. Next, take a right onto Bearty Ave. Then turn right on Bellamy Ave. to Bldg. 8-80. More information here: https://www.ftig.ng.mil/Gate-Construction/.
Detectives who are investigating a fatal collision at 21:19hrs on Monday, 24 February on Bessborough Road in Harrow have named the victim.
Chithra Vanmeeganathan, who was 46 years old and from Wembley, sadly died following a collision involving a car, a bus and pedestrians.
Officers, the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance all attended. Despite the best efforts of emergency services, Chithra sadly died at the scene.
Her next of kin has been informed and is receiving support from officers.
Detective Sergeant Paul Jackson, from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “Our thoughts remain with Chithra’s family at this difficult time.
“The investigation into this tragic incident is ongoing, and we are continuing to appeal for anyone with footage of the incident, including from a doorbell camera or dashcam, or anyone who witnessed the collision to come forward.”
Two other pedestrians, a 12-year-old boy and a woman in her 30s, were taken to hospital for treatment – their conditions are not life changing.
The driver of the car stopped at scene and he was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. They have since been released on bail.
Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with footage of this incident, including drivers with dashcam footage, to contact police on 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC quoting CAD 7193/24Feb.
You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Louisville, KY – On February 19, 2025, a federal grand jury in Louisville charged 13 Kentucky residents in six indictments involving methamphetamine and firearms offenses.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to the first indictment, Johnathan Hankins, 34, and Tremell Smith, 33, both of Louisville, are each charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine between March 11, 2024, and May 22, 2024.
According to the second indictment, Shawn Beason, 35, of Louisville, and Justin Cummins, 28, and William Willis, 54, both of Mount Vernon, Kentucky, are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on April 5, 2024.
According to the third indictment, Ejai Shanklin, 22, of Louisville, is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime between April 6, 2024, and June 6, 2024. Daryl Horton, 22, of Louisville, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on May 20, 2024.
According to the fourth indictment, Jeffrey Bradley, 33, Britney Calloway, 39, and Curtis Wright, 66, all of Louisville, and Jeffrey Holder, 49, of Ferguson, Kentucky, are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Beginning as early as June 26, 2024, and continuing through August 7, 2024, the defendants conspired to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Bradley is also charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Calloway and Wright are also each charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Holder is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On June 26, 2024, Holder possessed an Inter Ordnance, Hellcat, .38 caliber handgun, an Imperial Metal Products, Model IMP .22 caliber revolver, and a Remington Arms Company, Model 1100, 12-gauge shotgun. Holder was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On March 19, 2008, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of flagrant nonsupport.
On March 19, 2008, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree.
On September 8, 2014, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of theft by unlawful taking.
On September 8, 2014, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of theft by unlawful taking.
On December 17, 2014, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree (two counts).
On May 20, 2016, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of flagrant nonsupport.
On March 29, 2017, in Pulaski Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of flagrant nonsupport and bail jumping in the first degree.
On November 27, 2019, in Pulaski Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of fleeing or evading police in the first degree, wanton endangerment in the first degree, trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, and possession of a controlled substance in the first degree.
On January 7, 2021, in Pulaski Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of fleeing or evading police in the first degree (two counts) and wanton endangerment in the first degree.
According to the fifth indictment, Honesty Davis, 35, of Louisville, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on August 26, 2024.
According to the sixth indictment, Jaquan Tooley, 28, of Louisville, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on September 13, 2024.
Eight of the 13 defendants have been arrested and made their initial court appearances this week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. One defendant will make his initial appearance on March 3, 2024. Ejai Shanklin, Daryl Horton, Jeffrey Holder, and William Willis are in state custody and will make initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at a later date.
If convicted, the defendants each face minimum sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years, and all face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The cases are being investigated by the ATF, DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, KSP, and the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts is prosecuting the cases.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Shreveport counseling service, Community Health Care Solutions, LLC (“Community Health”) and the estate of its deceased owner/operator, Yolanda Burnom, have agreed to pay $4,600,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicaid for reimbursement for services that were not rendered.
Through the investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, law enforcement agents determined that Community Health, through Burnom’s operations, created a scheme to defraud the Medicaid program by offering financial incentives to Medicaid recipients to share their patient information. Burnom and her employees would use that patient information to bill Medicaid for crisis intervention services that did not occur. Instead, counselors working for Community Health were instructed to create generic notes that could be cut and pasted onto patient files, in order to bill for crisis intervention, which carried the maximum reimbursement. In many instances, the counselors never met the patients or provided any services at all.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment on September 28, 2022, charging Burnom with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, six counts of healthcare fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. Four months later, Burnom passed away unexpectedly, and civil litigation was the only remaining avenue for the United States to recover its money.
“This type of fraud will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work with our federal and state partners to root out corruption and recover money for the taxpayers,” said Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “Providers who take advantage of the Medicaid program deprive other citizens of needed medical services.”
“The Medicaid program depends on the honesty and integrity of providers, particularly when they submit claims for essential behavioral health services,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This settlement underscores HHS-OIG’s commitment to working with our federal and state partners to safeguard taxpayer-funded benefit programs and investigate health care fraud.”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated, “People who commit Medicaid fraud will be caught, prosecuted, and demanded to pay restitution. We will continue to combat abuse of the system and bring justice for the hard working taxpayers of Louisiana. Great job by my office and all of our federal partners.”
This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, HHS-OIG, and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Theriot handled the civil litigation, along with HHS-OIG Special Agent Steven Cooper. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Reeg handled the criminal investigation.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Following fighting and evacuation orders from the Mouvement du 23 Mars/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) group, hundreds of thousands of people have left the displacement camps around Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In response to this development, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has adapted our approach by sending mobile teams to support people who are, once again, on the move. The many people returning to hometowns they had previously fled face uncertain and perilous conditions.
Julien Binet explains the situation in and around Goma.MSF
The landscape of Goma, the capital city of the North Kivu province, has dramatically changed in just a few weeks. Before the M23/AFC seized the city at the end of January, Goma, hosted around 650,000 displaced people – most of them living in makeshift sites on the city’s outskirts – and was home to two million residents.
Some camps started to empty as fighting escalated in late January, and virtually all were abandoned after the de facto new authorities ordered people to return to their places of origin.
While some displaced people chose to stay near Goma, the majority left north or west toward neighbouring territories, unsure of what awaited them. Within days, endless lines of men, women, and children appeared on the roads, carrying what little they could by foot, motorbike or shared minibus. Some patients told us they sometimes walked for days without food or water.
“Given these massive movements, we deployed teams along the return routes to assess the health facilities that would be overwhelmed by this sudden influx of patients,” says Anthony Kergosien, head of MSF’s mobile activities around Goma. “Everywhere, we found the same reality: health facilities that were already barely functional before the crisis were either abandoned or, at worst, destroyed or looted.
“These facilities are now expected to cope – and there is risk that diseases such as cholera, mpox or measles, which were present in the camps, could spread,” he says.
A mother and her baby at a health consultation in Masisi territory, Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
Based on early assessments, MSF teams began providing equipment, medicines, and staff to more health centres in the territories of Nyiragongo and Masisi. Teams also set up mobile clinics in hard-to-reach areas to provide free medical care to people returning and passing through.
An urgent need to improve conditions for people returning
One of the facilities supported by MSF in this emergency response is the referral health centre in Sake, a small town located 25 kilometres west of Goma.
Sake has seen its share of intense fighting in recent years given its strategic location. The city serves as a critical crossroads for people travelling to Masisi town to the west, Kitchanga to the north, and further south to Minova and South Kivu.
“Residents come back to Sake, and the city is the only junction point for those returning to Masisi territory or South Kivu after leaving the camps in Goma,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we decided to carry out emergency repairs to the health centre, which had been severely damaged during the recent fighting. We also rebuilt the cholera treatment unit, which is currently treating around 20 patients daily.”
“Now, nearly 200 consultations are carried out in the health centre every day, mainly for respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases. But we’re also seeing cases of mpox and patients seeking care after experiencing sexual violence,” he says.
MSF teams move supplies to support the emergency response. Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
From Sake, MSF teams have launched mobile medical services and supported other health facilities along the mountainous roads. Access to free healthcare is crucial for people returning from the camps, now in an extremely vulnerable state, often without money, crops, and in some cases, without even tools to grow them.
“I’ve been back in Kabati for a week now. It’s peaceful, but hunger is a real problem,” says Bigirimana, who spent two years in the Bulengo camp before returning home. “We need medicine. Most of us are ill—there’s a lot of diarrhoea, especially among the children.”
“The risks linked to food insecurity are serious,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we’ve re-established several therapeutic nutrition units. On top of that, we face the threat of epidemics that have been concentrated around Goma. There’s an urgent need to improve living conditions and access to essential services in areas of return. And to ramp up humanitarian support. Sadly, very few organisations are currently operating in these areas.”
As of 26 February, MSF’s emergency mobile teams were supporting health facilities in the remote areas of Buhumba, Kilolirwe, Sake, Kingi, Luhonga and Makombo. Alongside these activities, MSF continues to provide care in several health centres and hospitals across North Kivu, as well as for the wounded at Kyeshero and Virunga hospitals. We are also supporting several facilities in Goma providing basic healthcare, malnutrition and cholera treatment, and care for victims of sexual violence.
You could also be interested in
Democratic Republic of Congo
People are trapped in a climate of insecurity amidst clashes in parts of South Kivu
Project Update23 Feb 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo
DRC: Statement following the passing of our colleague
Statement22 Feb 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: MSF staff member critically injured in Masisi town after shots hit MSF base
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ASUS today announced that the new Zenbook DUO (UX8406CA) and Zenbook 14 (UX3405CA), are now available in Canada. These new additions join the recently launched Zenbook A14, the lightest 14-inch Copilot+ PC on the market, further expanding ASUS’s lineup of AI-powered Zenbook laptops.
Designed for power, portability, and next-level AI capabilities, the latest Zenbook models feature extended battery life, premium designs, and a customizable Copilot key, delivering an effortless blend of speed, creativity, and productivity. With cutting-edge AI tools at their core, these laptops streamline tasks, enhance security, and supercharge performance for work and play.
Next-Gen AI Power with Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) Processors
At the heart of these two new 2025 ASUS Zenbook laptops are the new Intel® Core™ Ultra processor (Series 2), featuring integrated AI acceleration, next-gen Intel Arc™ graphics, and an upgraded core architecture. Built for the AI era, this powerhouse processor boosts gaming, content creation, and multitasking to new heights, delivering exceptional speed and efficiency in a slim and stylish package.
ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406CA)
The revolutionary dual-screen Zenbook DUO (2025) features twin 14-inch 16:10 OLED HDR NanoEdge touchscreens with up to 3K 120Hz resolution, seamlessly blending AI-powered performance with versatile multi-mode functionality — Dual Screen, Desktop, Laptop, and Screen Sharing — and superb mobility. Measuring just 14.6mm (0.57″) at its thinnest and weighing only 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs)1, it’s powered by up to the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285H with integrated NPU, unlocking enhanced AI capabilities. It also features a large-capacity 75Wh battery and includes a comprehensive array of I/O ports. The easy-to-use Zenbook DUO maximizes productivity, with zero fuss.
ASUS Zenbook 14 (UX3405CA)
Zenbook 14 (UX3405CA) takes sophistication to a whole new level, with an environmentally-conscious thin-and-light design. It amplifies AI efficiency with its Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285H and Intel Arc graphics, and offers an immersive experience with its vivid 14-inch 16:10 ASUS Lumina OLED touchscreen and powerful super-linear speakers.
Later this year, an AMD-powered variant, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406KA), will join the lineup, featuring the new AI-enabled AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with a 50 TOPS NPU for accelerated AI performance.
AVAILABILITY & PRICING
The Zenbook DUO and Zenbook 14 are now available in Canada. The Zenbook DUO is available at the ASUS Store, Best Buy, Amazon, and Canada Computers, with Costco joining later this year. The Zenbook 14 is available at the ASUS Store, Amazon and Shi, with Canada Computers, Costco, and Staples set to carry it later this year. The Zenbook 14 (UM3406KA) will also be available later this year.
For detailed specifications, availability, pricing, and where to buy links, please see below.
Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.
SPECIFICATIONS2
ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406CA)
Model
UX8406CA-BS91T-CB
UX8406CA-DS91T-CA
UX8406CA-CS71-CB
Marketing Name
ASUS Zenbook DUO (2025)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Color
Inkwell Gray
Weight
1.65 kg (3.64 lbs)
Weight without keyboard: 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs)
Weight of keyboard: 0.30 kg (0.66 lbs)
Dimensions
31.35 x 21.79 x 1.46 ~ 1.99 cm (12.34″ x 8.58″ x 0.57″ ~ 0.78″)
Keyboard Dimensions
31.28 x 20.90 x 0.51 ~ 0.53 cm (12.31″ x 8.23″ x 0.20″ ~ 0.21″)
ASUS is a global technology leader that provides the world’s most innovative and intuitive devices, components, and solutions to deliver incredible experiences that enhance the lives of people everywhere. With its team of 5,000 in-house R&D experts, the company is world-renowned for continuously reimagining today’s technologies. Consistently ranked as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, ASUS is also committed to sustaining an incredible future. The goal is to create a net zero enterprise that helps drive the shift towards a circular economy, with a responsible supply chain creating shared value for every one of us.
1 Without keyboard 2 Price and specifications and subject to change without notice. For the latest information please visit https://www.asus.com/ca-en/
LLOYDS BANK PLC ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
LONDON, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lloyds Bank plc announces that the following document will be submitted today to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection in unedited full text at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism
Annual Report and Accounts 2024
A copy of the document is also available through the ‘Investors’ section of our website www.lloydsbankinggroup.com
This announcement is made in accordance with DTR 4.1.
For further information:
Investor Relations
Douglas Radcliffe
+44 (0)20 7356 1571
Group Investor Relations Director
douglas.radcliffe@lloydsbanking.com
Corporate Affairs
Matt Smith
+44 (0)20 7356 3522
Head of Media Relations
matt.smith@lloydsbanking.com
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and section 27A of the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to the business, strategy, plans and/or results of Lloyds Bank plc together with its subsidiaries (the Lloyds Bank Group) and its current goals and expectations. Statements that are not historical or current facts, including statements about the Lloyds Bank Group’s or its directors’ and/or management’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Words such as, without limitation, ‘believes’, ‘achieves’, ‘anticipates’, ‘estimates’, ‘expects’, ‘targets’, ‘should’, ‘intends’, ‘aims’, ‘projects’, ‘plans’, ‘potential’, ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘considered’, ‘likely’, ‘may’, ‘seek’, ‘estimate’, ‘probability’, ‘goal’, ‘objective’, ‘deliver’, ‘endeavour’, ‘prospects’, ‘optimistic’ and similar expressions or variations on these expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements concern or may affect future matters, including but not limited to: projections or expectations of the Lloyds Bank Group’s future financial position, including profit attributable to shareholders, provisions, economic profit, dividends, capital structure, portfolios, net interest margin, capital ratios, liquidity, risk-weighted assets (RWAs), expenditures or any other financial items or ratios; litigation, regulatory and governmental investigations; the Lloyds Bank Group’s future financial performance; the level and extent of future impairments and write-downs; the Lloyds Bank Group’s ESG targets and/or commitments; statements of plans, objectives or goals of the Lloyds Bank Group or its management and other statements that are not historical fact and statements of assumptions underlying such statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend upon circumstances that will or may occur in the future. Factors that could cause actual business, strategy, targets, plans and/or results (including but not limited to the payment of dividends) to differ materially from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic and business conditions in the UK and internationally (including in relation to tariffs); acts of hostility or terrorism and responses to those acts, or other such events; geopolitical unpredictability; the war between Russia and Ukraine; the conflicts in the Middle East; the tensions between China and Taiwan; political instability including as a result of any UK general election; market related risks, trends and developments; changes in client and consumer behaviour and demand; exposure to counterparty risk; the ability to access sufficient sources of capital, liquidity and funding when required; changes to the Lloyds Bank Group’s or Lloyds Banking Group plc’s credit ratings; fluctuations in interest rates, inflation, exchange rates, stock markets and currencies; volatility in credit markets; volatility in the price of the Lloyds Bank Group’s securities; natural pandemic and other disasters; risks concerning borrower and counterparty credit quality; risks affecting defined benefit pension schemes; changes in laws, regulations, practices and accounting standards or taxation; changes to regulatory capital or liquidity requirements and similar contingencies; the policies and actions of governmental or regulatory authorities or courts together with any resulting impact on the future structure of the Lloyds Bank Group; risks associated with the Lloyds Bank Group’s compliance with a wide range of laws and regulations; assessment related to resolution planning requirements; risks related to regulatory actions which may be taken in the event of a bank or Lloyds Bank Group or Lloyds Banking Group failure; exposure to legal, regulatory or competition proceedings, investigations or complaints; failure to comply with anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing, anti-bribery and sanctions regulations; failure to prevent or detect any illegal or improper activities; operational risks including risks as a result of the failure of third party suppliers; conduct risk; technological changes and risks to the security of IT and operational infrastructure, systems, data and information resulting from increased threat of cyber and other attacks; technological failure; inadequate or failed internal or external processes or systems; risks relating to ESG matters, such as climate change (and achieving climate change ambitions) and decarbonisation, including the Lloyds Bank Group’s or the Lloyds Banking Group’s ability along with the government and other stakeholders to measure, manage and mitigate the impacts of climate change effectively, and human rights issues; the impact of competitive conditions; failure to attract, retain and develop high calibre talent; the ability to achieve strategic objectives; the ability to derive cost savings and other benefits including, but without limitation, as a result of any acquisitions, disposals and other strategic transactions; inability to capture accurately the expected value from acquisitions; and assumptions and estimates that form the basis of the Lloyds Bank Group’s financial statements. A number of these influences and factors are beyond the Lloyds Bank Group’s control. Please refer to the latest Annual Report on Form 20-F filed by Lloyds Bank plc with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), which is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, for a discussion of certain factors and risks. Lloyds Bank plc may also make or disclose written and/or oral forward-looking statements in other written materials and in oral statements made by the directors, officers or employees of Lloyds Bank plc to third parties, including financial analysts. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of today’s date, and the Lloyds Bank Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The information, statements and opinions contained in this document do not constitute a public offer under any applicable law or an offer to sell any securities or financial instruments or any advice or recommendation with respect to such securities or financial instruments.
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
Following fighting and evacuation orders from the Mouvement du 23 Mars/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) group, hundreds of thousands of people have left the displacement camps around Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In response to this development, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has adapted its approach by deploying mobile teams to support people who are, once again, on the move. The many people returning to hometowns they had previously fled face uncertain and perilous conditions.
Julien Binet explains the situation in and around Goma.MSF
The landscape of Goma, the capital city of the North Kivu province, has dramatically changed in just a few weeks. Before the M23/AFC seized the city at the end of January, Goma, hosted around 650,000 displaced people – most of them living in makeshift sites on the city’s outskirts – and was home to two million residents.
Some camps started to empty as fighting escalated in late January, and virtually all were abandoned after the de facto new authorities ordered people to return to their places of origin.
While some displaced people chose to stay near Goma, the majority left north or west toward neighbouring territories, unsure of what awaited them. Within days, endless lines of men, women, and children appeared on the roads, carrying what little they could by foot, motorbike or shared minibus. Some patients told us they sometimes walked for days without food or water.
“Given these massive movements, we deployed teams along the return routes to assess the health facilities that would be overwhelmed by this sudden influx of patients,” says Anthony Kergosien, head of MSF’s mobile activities around Goma. “Everywhere, we found the same reality: health facilities that were already barely functional before the crisis were either abandoned or, at worst, destroyed or looted.
“These facilities are now expected to cope – and there is risk that diseases such as cholera, mpox or measles, which were present in the camps, could spread,” he says.
MSF teams have organised mobile clinics in several remote areas in North Kivu to assess the needs and provide support to displaced people who have returned to their villages of origin from camps in Goma. Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
Based on early assessments, MSF teams began providing equipment, medicines, and staff to more health centres in the territories of Nyiragongo and Masisi. Teams also set up mobile clinics in hard-to-reach areas to provide free medical care to people returning and passing through.
An urgent need to improve conditions for people returning
One of the facilities supported by MSF in this emergency response is the referral health centre in Sake, a small town located 25 kilometres west of Goma.
Sake has seen its share of intense fighting in recent years given its strategic location. The city serves as a critical crossroads for people traveling to Masisi town to the west, Kitchanga to the north, and further south to Minova and South Kivu.
“Residents come back to Sake, and the city is the only junction point for those returning to Masisi territory or South Kivu after leaving the camps in Goma,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we decided to carry out emergency repairs to the health centre, which had been severely damaged during the recent fighting. We also rebuilt the cholera treatment unit, which is currently treating around 20 patients daily.”
“Now, nearly 200 consultations are carried out in the health centre every day, mainly for respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases. But we’re also seeing cases of mpox and patients seeking care after experiencing sexual violence,” he says.
MSF teams have organised mobile clinics in several remote areas in North Kivu to assess the needs and provide support to displaced people who have returned to their villages of origin from camps in Goma. Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 February 2025.Daniel Buuma
From Sake, MSF teams have launched mobile medical services and supported other health facilities along the mountainous roads. Access to free healthcare is crucial for people returning from the camps, now in an extremely vulnerable state, often without money, crops, and in some cases, without even tools to grow them.
“I’ve been back in Kabati for a week now. It’s peaceful, but hunger is a real problem,” says Bigirimana, who spent two years in the Bulengo camp before returning home. “We need medicine. Most of us are ill—there’s a lot of diarrhoea, especially among the children.”
“The risks linked to food insecurity are serious,” says Kergosien. “That’s why we’ve re-established several therapeutic nutrition units. On top of that, we face the threat of epidemics that have been concentrated around Goma. There’s an urgent need to improve living conditions and access to essential services in areas of return. And to ramp up humanitarian support. Sadly, very few organisations are currently operating in these areas.”
As of 26 February, MSF’s emergency mobile teams were supporting health facilities in the remote areas of Buhumba, Kilolirwe, Sake, Kingi, Luhonga and Makombo. Alongside these activities, MSF continues to provide care in several health centres and hospitals across North Kivu, as well as for the wounded at Kyeshero and Virunga hospitals. We are also supporting several facilities in Goma providing basic healthcare, malnutrition and cholera treatment, and care for victims of sexual violence.
You could also be interested in
Democratic Republic of Congo
People are trapped in a climate of insecurity amidst clashes in parts of South Kivu
Project Update23 Feb 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo
DRC: Statement following the passing of our colleague
Statement22 Feb 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: MSF staff member critically injured in Masisi town after shots hit MSF base
Self-employment is often championed as a route out of poverty for the unemployed and those on low incomes, offering independence, flexibility and financial autonomy. However, for informally self-employed women in the UK, the reality is very different to these kinds of entrepreneurial success stories.
These women, working for themselves and “off the books”, can find they are trapped in a grey area – neither fully unemployed nor officially self-employed. And as such, they can struggle against a welfare system that both stigmatises and penalises their efforts to make a living.
My recent research along with my co-researcher Sara Nadin, sheds light on these often overlooked women, who work informally while claiming state benefits. It shows the precarious and gendered nature of informal self-employment and the difficulties of transitioning into formal work.
Informal self-employment is not an entrepreneurial aspiration but a necessity for the women in our study. Domestic responsibilities, a lack of formal qualifications and limited job opportunities can force these women into work that fits around their caregiving roles. From cleaning and childcare to sewing and catering, these women engage in work that remains invisible and unrecognised.
Their earnings – often meagre and inconsistent – help cover basic necessities, yet they live in constant fear of exposure and “getting caught by the taxman”.
The UK’s welfare system, with its strict and punitive conditions, places them in an impossible situation. If they declare their income, they risk losing benefits essential for survival. If they continue working informally, they face criminalisation and stigma as “benefits cheats”.
Angela (not her real name) is an unregistered child minder. She told us she recognises the drawbacks for everyone involved. She said: “I think it’s a shame that people have to go to these lengths to be able to cope financially. There should be better laws regarding employment, pay and conditions, so people choose that option instead of doing it unregistered or make a living on benefits. It is not good for anyone, the person doing it is under stress of being caught and the government and the country lose out on money.”
There is a paradox of visibility here too. On one hand, these women need to remain hidden to avoid welfare sanctions. On the other, they rely on word-of-mouth to attract business. This delicate balancing act forces them into an in-between space, where they can neither fully integrate into the formal economy nor retreat into unemployment.
And this is no short-term situation. The women we interviewed had been informally self-employed for an extended period – one for more than ten years.
While some women did say they wanted to formalise and grow their businesses, they felt the risks were too high. The unpredictability of their earnings, coupled with the loss of benefits, can make it financially unviable.
As one woman put it: “I’d like to make a proper go of it, but it’s really scary. What if I can’t get enough clients?”
A broken system
Successive UK governments have promoted self-employment as a route out of poverty and worklessness, yet welfare policies often work against women trying to become financially independent. The introduction of Universal Credit has exacerbated the issue, imposing strict minimum-income thresholds that self-employed workers can struggle to meet. This primarily affects women, who are less able to work full-time and more likely to be found in low-paid sectors of self-employment.
In fact, it has been argued that the UK’s Universal Credit welfare scheme actively limits claimants’ ability to get into formal self-employment. Instead of supporting entrepreneurship, the system has been found effectively to discourage it.
Policy changes could help break this cycle. Introducing an “earnings disregard”, where informal workers can earn a set amount without affecting their benefits, would provide a crucial safety net. And supporting women transitioning from informal to formal self-employment – through grants, tax breaks and accessible business education – could empower them to grow their businesses formally and sustainably, without fear of financial ruin.
Rather than criminalising those struggling to make ends meet, policymakers should recognise the valuable role these women play in their communities. Whether they’re caring for children, cleaning homes or helping busy families with their ironing, their services provide affordable options for other low-income families. This creates a grassroots support network for the formally employed that is overlooked and undervalued.
For real change to happen, the conversation around informal self-employment must shift. Instead of treating this work as a problem to be eradicated, it should be acknowledged as part of the broader economic fabric – one that deserves protection and support.
The women in this study are not merely informal workers. They are survivors navigating an unforgiving system. Their experiences challenge the simplistic notion that self-employment is a solution to poverty. Without changes to both welfare and self-employment policies, they will remain in the shadows – enterprising but invisible, offering valuable local services but criminalised.
It’s time for a policy rethink that values and supports all workers, regardless of where they fall on the economic spectrum.
Sally Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that New York State has permitted 25 large-scale renewable energy projects over the last four years, representing 3.6 gigawatts of new solar and wind power in the state’s clean energy pipeline. The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) has issued a final siting permit for the White Creek Solar project to develop, construct, and operate a 135-megawatt (MW) solar array in the towns of York and Leicester in Livingston County. This marks the 20th clean energy project approved by ORES since 2021, when it was created to accelerate permitting for renewable energy generation.
“The White Creek solar array in Western New York exemplifies New York State’s progress toward creating a clean energy economy,” Governor Hochul said. “With refined siting protocols through the establishment of ORES four years ago, New York is expediting permitting for clean energy projects to achieve a clean energy economy while creating good-paying jobs that benefit communities throughout the state.”
The new solar facility will consist of the solar array and associated support equipment, along with an interconnection substation, fencing, access roads and an operations and maintenance building. The facility will interconnect to the New York electrical grid via a new point of Interconnection, located on a Rochester Gas & Electric transmission line.
The host community benefits include the creation of permanent jobs during operations, local property tax spending, local and regional spending, and host community agreements with the towns of York and Leicester, all without significantly increasing costs to local authorities, school districts, or emergency services. Benefits will also include public road enhancements, increased tax revenues to fund local infrastructure and public services, schools and other community priorities.
Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission Executive Director Zeryai Hagos said, “With the issuance of the siting permit for White Creek Solar, ORES continues to advance New York’s nation-leading clean energy policies while being responsive to community feedback and protecting the environment.”
The Office’s decision for this facility follows a detailed and transparent review process with robust public participation to ensure the proposed project meets or exceeds the requirements of Article VIII of the New York State Public Service Law and its implementing regulations. The solar facility application was deemed complete on July 21, 2024, with a draft permit issued by the Office on September 13, 2024.
White Creek Solar is the 20th siting permit issued by ORES since 2021, which cumulatively represents over 2.9-gigawatt (GW) of new clean energy. The solar power meaningfully advances New York’s clean energy goals while establishing the State as a paradigm for efficient, transparent, and thorough siting permitting process of major renewable energy facilities.
Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the ORES website at https://ores.ny.gov/permit-applications.
New York State’s Climate Agenda
New York State’s climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.
Thanks to the Alliance for Innovative Regulation for organizing this event and for bringing together banks, fintechs, and regulators to collaborate and foster responsible innovation.1 Innovation, when done responsibly, brings tremendous benefits to consumers, financial institutions, and the economy at large. Innovation can make financial products and services better, cheaper, and safer. It can make banking accessible to more consumers, advancing financial inclusion. It can modernize our financial infrastructures, creating efficiencies and providing new tools for banks to manage risk. Innovation also comes with risks that need to be managed responsibly. Responsible innovation is in everyone’s interest. Consumers want the benefits of innovation through products and services they can trust. Banks have an interest in managing the complexities of innovation responsibly, ensuring that they recognize new and evolving risks to safety and soundness, follow relevant laws, and protect and serve their customers. Fintechs often play a key role in offering products and services that allow banks to meet these needs. And regulators and supervisors should develop regulatory and supervisory frameworks that allow banks to clearly understand and manage the risks associated with innovative activities. To achieve that, regulators should provide ongoing transparency and clarity on our approach. Today, I’d like to share how the Federal Reserve’s Novel Activities Supervision Program, launched in the summer of 2023, plays an important role in supporting responsible innovation at our supervised institutions.2 Prior to this program, the Federal Reserve established temporary working groups and task forces to better understand evolving technologies to inform supervision. Ultimately, though, we determined we needed a dedicated supervisory function for novel activities. There were a number of factors driving that decision that guided how we designed the Program. First, we understood that the pace of innovation was rapid. And we knew there would, of course, be benefits and risks stemming from innovation in the financial system. So we tasked the Novel Program with monitoring and understanding how these innovations and associated novel activities are used in banking and what benefits and risks they would pose. We gave them the mandate to keep up with the expertise related to use of new technologies and to employ new tools and data analytics in supervision. We invested time and research in understanding new technologies and businesses because we understood the importance of allowing innovation in the sector and avoiding excessively rigid stances on risk that don’t take into account the potential to make advancements in the sector and economy that benefit all of society. Second, we recognized that many financial institutions across the country are exploring and using many of the same technologies and similar novel business models. We felt it was important to create a coordinated approach to supervising novel activities across the Federal Reserve System. We initially identified two dozen firms, including firms of all sizes, for supervision by the Novel Activities Program. Firms are added or removed from the Program based on their engagement in novel activities. The supervisory program is designed to build a broad-based perspective of novel activities, the benefits and risks, and how those risks are managed. In this way, the Novel Program helps to enable similar supervision of similar risks, in a manner that reflects our current understanding of those activities in a variety of contexts. Third, while the technologies and products used by banks may be similar, their application and thus the benefits and risks may vary across business models. We understand the importance of tiering supervision to the type, extent, and level of risk posed by the novel activities and varied business models of supervised institutions and not imposing undue burden on firms. The Novel Activities Program employs a risk-based approach to supervision—meaning that the intensity of supervision is commensurate with the risk and scale of the activity. There is no one-size-fits-all model. Experts from the Novel team join the traditional supervisory teams that banks are used to working with on a regular basis, so there is no disruption or change in how we engage with banks. The Program is dynamic. As a bank changes its activities in this space, the rigor of the supervision similarly changes.3 The Novel Activities Program serves as a central point of expertise on new and innovative activities, supporting coordinated and risk-based supervision, and facilitating collaboration and communication between supervisors and stakeholders, all of whom contribute to supporting responsible innovation. Next, let me speak to two important principles in our Novel Program—clarity and collaboration. ClarityStarting with clarity: for banks beginning to explore new technologies, supervisors should engage early in the process to understand the technology and the risks and provide a clear sense of their expectations along the way. Engagement allows for banks and their supervisors to share perspectives on effective risk management practices and the application of new technologies. Early and open dialogue creates opportunities for supervisors to provide feedback to banks on necessary risk management frameworks early on in their innovation process and to have an open dialogue that builds trust as products go to market. As novel activities become more developed, we can issue guidance, resources, and other types of communications to further disseminate information, gather input, and provide clarity on effective risk management for novel activities. For example, in May 2024, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation released a guide to assist community banks in developing and implementing third-party risk management practices, which could be a useful resource for banks seeking to engage in novel, technology-based partnerships.4 A few months later, the agencies issued a joint statement on arrangements with third parties to deliver bank deposit products and services, which discusses the risks these arrangements can present, offers examples of practices to manage those risks, and reminds banks of existing requirements and supervisory expectations.5 There is no-one-size-fits-all approach in how we engage and communicate guidance to our firms, but it is essential that engagement happen to provide clarity to both sides. I have said it before many times and want to reiterate it here: the Federal Reserve neither prohibits nor discourages banking organizations from providing banking services to customers of any specific class or type, as permitted by law or regulation. It is up to banks to choose their own customers, and not supervisors. That has been and will continue to be our practice. In fact, banks supervised by the Federal Reserve provide material and important services to the crypto-industry. For example, banks supervised by the Fed operate real-time, 24/7 payment platforms that serve as a primary mechanism for companies to exchange dollars to settle crypto-asset transactions. We monitor that activity from both a safety and soundness and financial stability lens, but we do not tell banks to serve or not serve those customers. CollaborationTurning to collaboration, the private sector is at the forefront of innovation and that ongoing engagement and collaboration with industry gives supervisors insight into the evolving nature of novel innovations and developments. Insights gathered from supervision, analysis, and monitoring activities, and industry engagement, can identify real improvements to how financial services are delivered to households and businesses and how risks are managed by banks. Collaboration can also reveal areas where we can provide regulatory clarity for banks looking to engage in new activities. I want to emphasize the importance of hearing from the public through tools like requests for information, or RFIs. The bank regulatory agencies published an interagency RFI on bank-fintech arrangements last July.6 The purpose of the RFI was to build on the agencies’ understanding of these arrangements by soliciting updated input on the nature of bank-fintech arrangements. This included effective risk management practices regarding those arrangements, and the implications of such arrangements for bank risk management, safety and soundness, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We were also interested in understanding whether enhancements to existing supervisory guidance would be considered helpful in addressing the risks associated with these types of arrangements. We received over 100 comments. Respondents shared their insights on many topics, including the risks and benefits of these arrangements and how the agencies can bring additional clarity to our supervisory expectations. Some in the banking sector commented that the Novel Activities Program is an example of how cross-team collaboration might deepen an agency’s understanding of technology and innovation. The Federal Reserve and the other agencies are carefully considering the feedback we received as we consider how we can continue to support responsible innovation. We will continue to invest time and resources learning more about innovative technologies such as distributed ledger technology and bank-fintech partnerships to understand how they may benefit the institutions we supervise and their customers. Moreover, interagency coordination and knowledge-sharing with federal and state regulators and the private sector continue to be critical sources of discussion, engagement, and knowledge-building. In ClosingIn closing, thank you for this opportunity to outline the Fed’s Novel Activities Program, which I believe has already improved the clarity and consistency of our supervision related to innovative technologies and fostered collaboration as banks and supervisors seek to better understand the risks associated with these activities. I believe this approach will support innovation that benefits consumers while supporting safety and soundness. Thank you.
1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text 2. See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Creation of Novel Activities Supervision Program,” SR letter 23-7 (August 8, 2023). Return to text 3. As of today, there are 22 Federal Reserve supervised firms in the Novel Activities Supervision Program. Return to text 4. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Third-Party Risk Management: A Guide for Community Banks (PDF),” SR letter 24-2 / CA letter 24-1 (May 7, 2024). Return to text 5. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Joint Statement on Banks’ Arrangements with Third Parties to Deliver Bank Deposit Products and Services,” SR letter 24-5 (July 25, 2024). Return to text 6. Request for Information on Bank-Fintech Arrangements Involving Banking Products and Services Distributed to Consumers and Businesses, 89 Fed. Reg. 61,577 (July 31, 2024). Return to text
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — H2C Safety Pipe, Inc. announces that Peter Miller has joined the company as Environmental Policy Director. In this role, Miller will engage with environmental stakeholders, policymakers, and industry leaders to advance regulatory standards that help ensure hydrogen pipeline safety and integrity, supporting the global transition to clean energy.
Miller brings over 35 years of experience in environmental policy, clean energy advocacy, and regulatory development. Most recently, he served as Director of the Western Region Climate and Clean Energy Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where he played a pivotal role in shaping California’s renewable energy policies, energy efficiency programs, and carbon reduction initiatives. His extensive background includes collaborating with public, private, and nonprofit sectors to develop innovative environmental solutions.
Miller was drawn to H2C Safety Pipe by its mission to address one of the most critical challenges in hydrogen infrastructure: minimizing hydrogen leakage to maximize public safety and environmental benefits. “The transition to a clean energy economy depends not only on expanding hydrogen infrastructure but ensuring that it is deployed responsibly,” said Miller. “H2C Safety Pipe’s innovative technology provides an essential solution to a key problem—controlling hydrogen leakage while keeping costs affordable. I’m excited to bring my expertise to this team and help shape the policies that will make an industry standard a reality.”
Robert Shelton, President of H2C Safety Pipe, said, “We are at a pivotal moment in the clean energy transition, and ensuring that hydrogen pipelines meet the highest safety and environmental standards is critical to long-term success. Millions of miles of natural gas pipelines have taught us that gas pipelines invariably leak, and we know hydrogen poses even greater challenges. Peter will be instrumental in building support for strong, science-backed standards that will ensure future hydrogen pipelines are safe and leak-free. His leadership will help us establish a sustainable framework for the future of hydrogen infrastructure.”
The addition of Miller follows H2C Safety Pipe’s November 2024 announcement that Nick Gaines has joined the company as Director of Legislative Affairs. Gaines brings over a decade of experience at the intersection of technology, policy, and community development. Together, Miller and Gaines will engage with regulators, legislators, and the environmental community to champion a zero-leakage hydrogen standard in California that advances a responsible transition to a clean energy future.
About the H2C Safety Pipe™Technology H2C Safety Pipe, Inc. is revolutionizing hydrogen transport and distribution with its proprietary Safety Pipe™ technology. Designed to address leakage concerns and enhance safety, this technology allows for the cost-effective, scalable and environmentally responsible distribution of hydrogen, particularly in densely populated areas. By retrofitting existing infrastructure, H2C’s pipe-within-a-pipe solution significantly reduces the costs and complexities associated with deploying new hydrogen pipelines, thus accelerating the transition to cleaner energy sources. For more information about H2C Safety Pipe and its groundbreaking hydrogen pipeline technology, visit H2Csafetypipe.com.
Media Contact: Lisa Murray Trevi Communications, Inc. lisa@trevicomm.com
Headline: Microsoft AI ignites telecom innovation and growth
The telecommunications industry is experiencing significant AI advancements, emerging as the leading adopter of generative and agentic AI to drive automation, personalization, and data-driven decisions. According to a recent IDC white paper, telecom and media companies are seeing nearly four times the return on investment (ROI) on every dollar invested in AI. Additionally, by 2027, almost 90% of telecom providers are expected to use generative AI to improve customer experiences, up from 62% today.
96% of our tier-1 telecom customers are already adopting Microsoft AI solutions. Our ecosystem of customers and partners are harnessing the power of AI to reimagine customer experiences, modernize networks, automate business operations, and drive growth.
Ahead of Mobile World Congress 2025 (MWC), we’re sharing new capabilities and customer momentum that show how telecoms are adopting the Microsoft Cloud and AI capabilities to support their AI journey and empower the next generation of telecom solutions.
We invite you to join us next week at MWC to learn more about our new announcements and see firsthand how Microsoft AI is transforming the telecom industry. Experience live demos, attend insightful sessions, and meet our experts to learn how you can drive innovation and growth with Microsoft AI technologies.
Data is the fuel that powers AI: Telco data model
Telecom networks are recognized for their complex, data-rich environments. This data is the fuel that powers AI and forms the foundation upon which next-generation telecom systems are built. To convert this massive potential into actionable intelligence, organizations need a unified platform that can seamlessly connect, manage, and analyze their data. Microsoft Fabric is the end-to-end data platform designed to power customer AI transformation and help organizations reimagine how they unlock value from their data and revolutionize the services they offer.
Today we announce the Telco industry data model in Microsoft Fabric, designed to unify all data—from network performance metrics to customer interactions, within a single analytics environment. As an integral Fabric workload, telecom providers can use the Telco industry data model to manage and streamline how all their data is ingested, modelled, and analyzed through:
Native Fabric integration—a unified pipeline within Fabric’s analytics, governance, and visualization framework means faster time to market, with better insights.
Expanded data model—pre-built telecom-specific schemas covering network data, customer insights, and operational metrics drives operational efficiency.
Developer and visualization tools—simplified, AI-ready solution building that dramatically reduces development and testing time, making networks more resilient.
More than 50% of our telecom customers are leveraging Fabric for real-time business insights to optimize business and network operations. Leading customers like Telefónica, KPN, One NZ, and partners like Accenture, Infosys, and LigaData are using Fabric to achieve business results. The broader customer adoption for Fabric is more than 19,000 customers, including 70% of the Fortune 500. The Telco industry data model in Microsoft Fabric enables telecoms to establish a strong data foundation to unlock AI-powered insights that fuel innovation, operational efficiency, and greater value across the entire organization.
“Microsoft Fabric, powered by Telco data model and AI capabilities, has revolutionized our solutions by providing real-time insights throughout the customer journey, potentially increasing operational efficiency by 40%. Our solution offers preventive insights across the entire order lifecycle and its auto-healing capability for enhanced jeopardy management, significantly improving the management of complex B2B orders and enhancing the customer experience.”
The Telco industry data model in Microsoft Fabric will be available early in April 2025.
Telecom customers around the world are taking advantage of the cloud and AI in new and innovative ways. The collaborations we recently announced with KT Corporation, Lumen, Telstra, and Vodafone demonstrate how telecoms are innovating to elevate customer experiences, streamline business operations, modernize networks, and unlock new revenue streams. Additionally, we’re introducing new collaborations with top telecom providers that exemplify how they’re building the foundation to successfully implement AI, benefiting their organization, employees, and customers.
Spark, New Zealand’s leading telecom provider, is joining forces with Microsoft in the country’s largest Microsoft public cloud partnership, highlighting how AI and the Cloud are helping to transform telecom worldwide. Spark will migrate a portion of its workloads to Microsoft Azure and roll out one of New Zealand’s largest Microsoft 365 Copilot deployments. For more, read the press release.
Microsoft and Telefónica are extending their strategic collaboration to co-develop digital solutions using Open Gateway, a GSMA-led initiative that transforms communication networks into programmable platforms via Telefónica’s AI platform, Kernel. Both companies will work together to migrate Kernel’s capacities to Azure as part of a software as a service (SaaS) offering. The collaboration also encompasses a joint go-to-market strategy, which will bring a suite of digital products and services to other telecoms, developers, and telecom entities—available on Azure Marketplace and integrated into Microsoft’s overall telecom solutions. For more, read the press release.
We are also announcing that Surface for Business with 5G devices and Microsoft 365 Copilot will be available in all Verizon Business channels starting in April 2025. This launch marks a decade of partnership between Microsoft and Verizon Business, offering cellular connected Surface for Business devices and Microsoft services. Customers are choosing Surface Copilot+ PCs today for their exceptional performance, battery life, and security. Now, with the Verizon 5G network, the combination of Surface and Microsoft 365 Copilot offers an unparalleled mobile experience for business customers. For more, read the Surface IT Pro blog.
Telecoms accelerate growth in the next wave of AI: Agentic AI
As the AI platform shift accelerates, it’s inspiring to see customers and partners harness AI, generative AI, and agentic AI to drive transformation—reshaping both their businesses and the industry at large.
Elevating customer experiences
A recent IDC white paper showed AI-powered customer engagement is a top priority for businesses, with 92% of organizations currently using AI for marketing and public relations (PR) and 77% using it for customer service. Telecom providers are delivering frictionless customer experiences with AI-infused customer care at-scale with Dynamics 365. With a comprehensive view of the customer, telecoms obtain real-time insights into accounts and next-best actions to take. They also enable their customers through AI-powered automation for self-service. Additionally, Amdocs has created the Customer Engagement Platform that is fully integrated with Dynamics 365, to reimagine customer experience and identify new revenue opportunities for telecoms.
Since last MWC, we announced Dynamics 365 Contact Center, a powerful solution that works with existing customer relationship management systems (CRMs) and unifies interactions, streamlines support, and boosts customer satisfaction. With this solution, consumers can engage and self-serve in their channel of choice while reps can handle billing and tech issues faster with a single view. Built-in Copilot capabilities and real-time analytics drive improvements and upselling, enhancing loyalty, and revenue.
Leading telecoms are also reimagining how they connect with customers by harnessing Microsoft 365 Copilot to capture real-time transcripts, gain contextual insights, and automate repetitive tasks. This reduces handling times, freeing representatives to tackle more complex customer needs.
Here are some examples of how telecoms customers are using Microsoft AI technologies to transform their business and reimagine customer experiences:
Telkomsel’s AI-powered solution Veronika, built on Azure and introduced at the end of 2023, is delivering impressive results. Telkomsel has increased self-service interactions by 62% and cut escalations to agents by 38%. The average monthly active users of Veronika also grew by 67%, rising from 1.3 million in the first half of 2023 to 2.2 million in the second half. These improvements have boosted agent productivity and service quality, making for a smoother, more efficient customer experience.
Vodafone is harnessing Microsoft 365 Copilot to empower 68,000 employees to boost productivity, innovation, and quality. They are also leveraged Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Studio, Kubernetes Service to develop Tobi and SuperAgent to empower their agents with real-time AI support to improve customer experience, decrease churn, and provide competitive advantage. This improved first-time resolution from 70% to 90%.
Lumen is leveraging Microsoft AI solutions to empower their employees and improve customer service.
“Lumen is building the trusted network for AI. By scaling our AI capabilities with tools like Copilot, Azure AI, and Azure ML, we’re empowering our employees to tackle complex challenges and prioritize high-impact activities that enhance customer experiences and satisfaction. As we navigate our transformation, Microsoft’s AI tools are essential in supporting our objectives and sustaining our competitive advantage.”
Ryan Asdourian, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Lumen Technologies
Optimizing operations and modernizing networks
To keep pace with increasing business demands, leading telecoms are optimizing business operations and modernizing their networks with AI and an integrated data backbone.
Here are examples of how customers are using Microsoft AI capabilities to drive operational efficiency, innovation and growth:
AT&T automates code conversion and human resources (HR) inquiries with Azure OpenAI Service, improving employee experience, cutting costs and boosting customer service.
KT Corporation is leveraging Microsoft AI to drive efficiency and innovation.
“The Microsoft AI-driven solutions have enabled KT Corporation to improve its work efficiency and drive significant work innovation. By introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot, KT Corporation empowered over 11,000 employees with the latest AI solutions. Additionally, by developing AI agents built on solutions such as Microsoft Sustainability Manager and Copilot, KT reduced task completion time by 50% and improved infrastructure efficiency by 20%.”Phil Oh, CTO, KT Corporation
Proximus and TCS’s GitHub Copilot journey showcases how Microsoft generative AI accelerates IT delivery in telecom, improving productivity, code quality, and developer experience.
“In terms of developer experience, that’s where we got phenomenal, satisfactory feedback from developers—about 90% plus positive feedback from all categories of developers.”
Muralidharan Murugesan, Head – AI, Telco, Media & Information Services Industry, TCS
NTT DATA is leveraging Microsoft AI to build agentic AI workloads.
“NTT DATA leverages Microsoft Copilot Studio to deliver agentic AI advisory, implementation, managed services, and connectivity. By providing industry-specific automation and utilizing our integrated managed services platform, we support clients throughout their agents’ lifecycle. This collaboration is pivotal in achieving our clients’ outcomes, enabling us to deliver tailored, efficient, and innovative solutions that drive business success and enhance decision-making processes.”
Aishwarya Sing, SVP, Global Head of Digital Collaboration, NTT
One NZ is using Microsoft Fabric for real-time analytics from unified data sources. With the integration of multiple systems and visualizing insights on a single pane, One NZ has rapidly streamlined processes and proactively addressed growth opportunities:
“Previously, you needed to be a data engineer or scientist to access and understand customer information. Now we’re making it user-friendly, so anyone can easily make data-driven decisions.”
Strathan Campbell, Channel Environment Technology Lead, One NZ
Telstra scales in-house generative AI tools, saving 90% of employees’ time and reducing follow-up contacts by 20%.
Unlocking new revenue streams in the enterprise
A recent IDC white paper reports that 63% of telco and media companies say they are currently monetizing or using AI to boost revenue. As a trusted partner, beyond supporting their own transformation, we equip telecom providers with comprehensive business-to-business (B2B) offerings to drive topline growth and better serve their enterprise customers.
For example, AT&T’s collaboration with Microsoft is reimagining enterprise connectivity. AI applications and AT&T’s connectivity are tackling the USD112 billion annual retail shrinkage issue head-on. By integrating Azure IoT with AT&T’s 5G network and leveraging Teams Phone Mobile for notifications, retailers receive alerts that minimize loss and ensure safer shopping experience. AT&T’s move into AI-powered connectivity has created new revenue streams, spanning cost savings, compliance, and collaboration.
“AT&T is a leader in enabling innovative AI solutions and continues to expand capabilities through our relationship with Microsoft. We’re excited to integrate Microsoft’s AI capabilities into our retail crime intelligence platform, which utilizes near real-time notifications via Teams Phone Mobile. This collaboration underscores the commitment of both companies to enhance retail security and contribute to a safer shopping environment for both employees and customers.”
Another partner, Norwood Systems, is extending traditional voice services with Voice AI, opening up a new revenue stream for telecoms. Its OpenSpan solution, built on Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Speech, enables telecoms to bridge public switched telephone network (PSTN) and mobile services, to deliver advanced features like real-time recording, transcription, and summarization. This provides seamless call management for users and deeper insights for the telecom providers:
“By integrating Norwood’s OpenSpan with our mobile and voice networks, BT is unlocking new possibilities in voice technology. This innovation bridges our award-winning networks with AI, creating opportunities to enhance customer experiences, drive new efficiencies, and shape the future of voice communications.”
Jon Martin, Senior Director, Unified Communications, BT
To continue our mission to help telecoms succeed in this era of AI platform shift, Microsoft is enabling telecoms to further capitalize on AI by offering generative AI-powered managed security services. This allows tier-1 telecoms to generate new revenue from reselling, implementation, and managed services, while also reducing security operations center (SOC) costs and accelerating threat responses.
AI-powered Microsoft platforms and capabilities for co-innovation
Microsoft offers arguably the most comprehensive AI solutions. As a platform-first company, we also provide extensive tools to empower partners, developers and customers to build innovative cloud and AI solutions that meet the needs of telecom businesses.
Our adaptive cloud approach unifies hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge infrastructure through a single Azure Arc platform. We enable customers to build distributed, low-latency, high-performance applications and establish a common data foundation for current and future AI investments. For ultra-low latency or regulatory scenarios, we’re expanding Azure withAzure Local—cloud-connected infrastructure deployable at edge locations like retail sites and central offices. We continue to support existing Azure Operator Nexus customers as the solution evolves as part of our overall approach for Azure at the edge.
Accenture is spearheading an enterprise-ready private multi-access edge compute (MEC) solution built on Azure Local to deliver low latency, localized data processing, and meet regulatory requirements. Tejas Rao, Accenture, Managing Director, Accenture says, “Private 5G and edge computing are no longer experimental technologies, they are catalysts for enterprise transformation. By leveraging Azure Local, we help organizations harness ultra-low latency and localized data processing to unlock real-time insights, automate critical operations, and meet industry-specific compliance needs.”
Another partner,
Microsoft has also performed an initial integration of Project Janus into Academic institutions, such as the To learn more about how telecoms can modernize their networks with Project Janus, read this blog.
Vice President WW Telecommunications, Media and Gaming, Microsoft
Silvia Candiani leads Microsoft’s Worldwide Telecommunications, Media and Gaming Industry, overseeing industry strategy, go-to-market plan, ecosystem growth, and solution development. Silvia was formerly CEO of Microsoft Italy, focused on accelerating digital transformation. Prior to Microsoft, Silvia led Consumer Marketing for Vodafone in Italy and was previously a consultant at McKinsey in the Media and Telecommunication industries. She has a BA from Bocconi University and an MBA from INSEAD. Silvia is also a member of the Bocconi University Alumni Advisory Board and Lavazza Group.
Source: The Conversation – France – By Vivien Parmentier, Professeur junior spécialiste des atmosphères d’exoplanètes au laboratoire LAGRANGE, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Université Côte d’Azur
The largest telescopes in the world are used to look at the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars and located at astronomical distances.Y. Beletsky(LCO)/ESO, CC BY
The planet WASP-121b is extreme. It’s a gas giant almost twice as big as Jupiter orbiting extremely close to its star–50 times closer than the Earth does around the Sun. WASP-121b is so close to its star that tidal forces have locked its rotation in a “resonance”: the planet always shows the same face to its star, like the Moon to the Earth. Therefore, one side of WASP-121b constantly bakes in light whereas the other is in perpetual night. This difference causes huge variations in temperature across the planet. It can be more than 3,000°C on one side and drop 1,500°C on the other.
This huge temperature contrast is the source of violent winds, blowing several kilometres per second, which try to redistribute the energy from day to night. Until now, we had to guess the strength and direction of the winds with indirect measurements, such as measurements of the planet’s temperature. In recent years, with the arrival of new instruments on giant telescopes, we’ve been able to directly measure the wind speed of certain exoplanets, including WASP-121b.
In our study published in the journal Nature that was conducted by my colleague, Julia Seidel, we not only looked at wind speed on an exoplanet, but also at how these winds vary with altitude. We were able to measure for the first time that winds in the deepest layers of the atmosphere are very different from those at higher altitudes. Put it this way: on Earth, winds blowing a few dozen kilometres per hour already make it hard to ride a bike; on WASP-121b, pedalling would be impossible, because the winds are a hundred times faster.
Our measurements reveal the behaviour of a pivotal zone of the atmosphere that forms the link between the deep atmosphere–usually surveyed by telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope–and the outer zones where the atmosphere escapes into space, blown by the wind coming from its star.
How did we measure the atmosphere of a planet millions of billions of kilometres away?
To make our measurements, we used one of the most precise spectrographs on Earth, mounted on the largest telescope available to us: ESPRESSO at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT), located in the Atacama desert in Chile. To collect as much light as possible, we combined the light from the VLT’s four 8-metre diameter telescopes. Thanks to this combination, which is still being tested, we collected as much light as would a 16-metre diameter telescope–which would be larger than any optical telescope on Earth.
The ultra-precise ESPRESSO spectrograph then enabled us to separate the light from the planet into 1.3 million wavelengths. This allows us to observe as many colours in the visible spectrum. This precision is necessary to detect different types of atoms in the planet’s atmosphere. This time, we studied how three different types of atoms–absorb light from the star: hydrogen, sodium and iron (all in a gaseous state, given the very high temperatures).
By measuring the position of these spectral lines very precisely, we were able to directly measure the speed of these atoms. The Doppler effect tells us that an atom coming toward us will absorb more blue light, while an atom moving away from us will absorb more red light. By measuring the absorption wavelength of each of these atoms, we have as many different measurements of the wind speed on this planet.
We found that the lines of the different atoms tell different stories. Iron moves at 5 kilometres per second from the substellar point (the region of the planet closest to its host star) to the anti-stellar point (the most distant) in a very symmetrical way. Sodium, on the other hand, splits in two: some of the atoms move like iron, while the others move at the equator directly from east to west four times faster, at the staggering speed of 20 kilometres per second. Finally, hydrogen seems to move with the east-west current of sodium but, also, vertically, no doubt allowing it to escape from the planet.
To reconcile all this, we calculated that these three different atoms are, in fact, in different parts of the atmosphere. While iron atoms lie at the deeper layers, where symmetrical circulation is expected, sodium and hydrogen let us probe much higher layers, where the planet’s atmosphere is blown by the wind coming from its host star. This stellar wind, combined with the rotation of the planet, probably carries the material asymmetrically, with a preferential direction given by the rotation of the planet.
There are violent winds in the atmosphere of WASP-121b. The three types of atoms travel at different speeds, helping to reconstruct the structure of the atmosphere, even though the planet is millions of billions of kilometres away from Earth. ESO/M. Kornmesser, CC BY
Why study the atmospheres of exoplanets?
WASP-121b is one of those giant gaseous planets with temperatures of over 1,000°C that are known as “hot Jupiters”. The first observation of these planets by Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz (which later earned them a Nobel Prize in Physics) came as a surprise in 1995, particularly because planetary formation models predicted that these giant planets could not form so close to their star. Mayor and Queloz’s observation made us realise that planets do not necessarily form where they are currently located. Instead, they can migrate, i.e., move around in their youth.
How far from their star do “hot Jupiters” form? Over what distances do these objects migrate in their infancy? Why did the Jupiter in our solar system not migrate toward the Sun? (We’re lucky it didn’t, because it would have sent Earth into our star at the same time.)
Some answers to these questions may lie in the atmosphere of exoplanets, which exhibit traces of the conditions of their formation. However, variations in temperature or chemical composition within each atmosphere can radically skew the abundance measurements that we are trying to take with large telescopes such as the James Webb. In order to exploit our measurements, we first need to grasp how complex these atmospheres are.
To do this, we need to understand the fundamental mechanisms that govern the atmosphere of these planets. In the solar system, winds can be measured directly by, for example, looking at how fast clouds move. On exoplanets, we cannot see any details directly.
In particular, “hot Jupiters” orbit so close to their stars that we cannot separate them spatially and take photos of the exoplanets. Instead, from among the thousands of known exoplanets, we select those that have the good taste to periodically pass between their star and us. During this “transit”, light from the star is filtered by the planet’s atmosphere, which allows us to measure the signs of absorption by different atoms or molecules. In general, the data we obtain are not good enough to separate the light that passes on one side of the planet from the other, and we end up with an average of what the atmosphere has absorbed. As conditions along the atmospheric limb (i.e., the slice of atmosphere surrounding a planet as observed from space) can vary drastically, interpreting the final average is often a headache.
This time, by using a telescope that, in effect, is larger than any other optical telescope on Earth, and combining it with an extremely precise spectrograph, we were able to separate the signal absorbed by the eastern side of the planet’s limb from the signal absorbed by the western side. This allowed us to measure the spatial variation of the winds in the planet.
The future of atmospheric study of exoplanets
Europe is currently building the next generation of telescopes, led by the ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, which is scheduled for 2030. The ELT will have a mirror 30 metres in diameter, twice the size of the telescope we obtained by combining the light from the four 8-metre telescopes of the VLT.
This giant telescope will gather even more precise details about the atmospheres of exoplanets. In particular, it will measure the winds in exoplanets both smaller and colder than “hot Jupiters”.
But what we are all really waiting for is the ELT’s ability to measure the presence of molecules in the atmosphere of rocky planets orbiting in the habitable zone of their star, where water may be present in a liquid state.
The EXOWINDS project is supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR), which funds project-based research in France. Its mission is to support and promote the development of fundamental and applied research in all disciplines, and to strengthen the dialogue between science and society. For more information, visit the ANR website.
Vivien Parmentier received funding from the French National Research Agency (exowinds, ANR-23-CE31-0001-01).
Julia Victoria Seidel is an ESO (European Southern Observatory) Research Fellow.
Mati Diop has cinema in her blood. The 42-year-old Senegalese-French actress launched her feature film directing career in spectacular fashion with Atlantics, which took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and won a string of awards.
Her documentary Dahomey has made similar waves and was longlisted for the 2025 Oscars. We asked Senegalese film scholar David Murphy to tell us more.
Who is Mati Diop?
Mati Diop is a hugely talented and innovative film director. She is also an accomplished actor who has starred in a number of French films, in particular Claire Denis’s 35 Shots of Rum.
She was born in Paris in 1982 and was raised in France, but frequently visited Senegal during her childhood, as she comes from a Senegalese cultural dynasty.
Her father is Wasis Diop, an inventive and experimental musician who fuses Senegalese folk music with western pop and jazz. Her uncle was the maverick Senegalese filmmaker, Djibril Diop Mambéty. He directed classics like Touki Bouki and Hyenas. For good measure, her mother, Christine Brossard, is involved in the French art world and is a photographer.
Although she had previously made short films, Diop gained global attention in 2019 when she won a prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival for her first feature-length fiction film, Atlantics.
Her documentary Dahomey won the top award at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. Over the past few years, Diop has become established as one of the most creative artistic voices making films about contemporary Africa.
What’s Dahomey about?
Dahomey is a documentary about a contentious issue, the repatriation of looted African art works from western museums.
The objects – 26 royal treasures – were taken from the pre-colonial kingdom of Dahomey (in today’s Benin). President Emmanuel Macron of France has voiced his support for the return of such objects and a slow, piecemeal process of repatriation has now begun.
On the surface, the story of Dahomey might not seem to be particularly dramatic. Taking objects from a museum in Paris and sending them to a museum in Benin might be politically important and symbolic. But how do you make a creative, insightful and entertaining film about it that also appeals to a wide audience? Well, essentially, Diop weaves a tale that seeks to explore what it means for Africans that this heritage is being returned. To do that, she gives voice to Africans, whether heritage professionals, students or the general public.
In her most daring creative gesture, she also gives voice to one of the objects being returned, a magnificent, life-sized wooden statue of King Ghézo (who ruled Dahomey in the 1800s), depicted as half-man, half-bird. Many of the items that are displayed in European museums as beautiful but inanimate objects in fact played a highly significant spiritual role in precolonial societies. Essentially, they formed a bridge between the living and the spirit world, and Diop is interested in exploring what it might mean to these spirits to return to an Africa that has been transformed in their absence.
So, Dahomey is not your average documentary. There’s no narrative voiceover that explains the context of the journey home for these objects. Apart from a few on-screen captions explaining the big picture, viewers must piece together the story and decipher its meaning by themselves.
In the first half of the film, we see the curators from Benin and French workmen moving through the Quai Branly Museum in Paris. They assess the condition of the fragile objects as they make an inventory of them and box them safely for the trip. At first, theirs are the only voices we hear.
But then we begin to hear the deep, electronically distorted voice of the statue of King Ghézo who awakens from a long slumber. In this voiceover (written by the Haitian author Makenzy Orcel), Ghézo reflects on the sense of dislocation and confusion at being taken from Africa, his journey over the sea to be exhibited in a museum in Paris, his memories of the continent he left behind.
Once the objects arrive in Benin, the film follows a reverse process. The camera dwells on the African workmen overseeing their installation, interspersed with the voice of the statue trying to make sense of the Africa to which he has returned.
The longest section of the film gives voice to local university students debating what it means to return this heritage. While some view the process as vital, others see it as a distraction from the major issues facing the continent. The film does not seek to nudge the viewer to take sides. What is important is that different African voices are heard so that Africans can reach their own informed decisions.
What’s Atlantics about?
Atlantics is a film about the migration crisis that sees many young Senegalese men (and some women) set off from the coast on dangerous journeys in small fishing boats to try and reach the economic promised land of Europe (in this instance, the Canary Islands). But the film is also a love story about a young couple, Ada and Souleiman.
With a group of young men, many cheated of their wages by a corrupt local businessman, Souleiman embarks on the dangerous journey. The bereft girlfriends and sisters wait for news of their boyfriends and brothers and ultimately take revenge on the businessman. I can’t tell you precisely how this is done without spoiling the plot but let’s just say that the film is a striking mix of social drama and supernatural thriller.
Why is her contribution to film important?
Above all else, Mati Diop is a great storyteller. Atlantics and Dahomey are films that take important current affairs as their starting point, and they weave passionate, complex and strange stories around them.
They’re strange not because Diop is trying to be artistically eccentric, but because life is fundamentally strange and defies easy explanation. This is an artistic standpoint that her uncle would have understood.
Like his work, Diop’s fiction films contain long sections dwelling obsessively on the detail of “real” life while her documentaries contain many fictional elements. In fact, her short 2013 documentary A Thousand Suns is a wonderful homage to the beautiful strangeness of Mambety’s work. In a remarkable blend of fact and fiction, she traces the story of the actors who played the young couple in his avant-garde masterpiece, Touki Bouki.
In the work of both uncle and niece, the real and the fictional, the strange and the mundane are mixed together to make a mysterious and strikingly original body of work that defies categorisation.
David Murphy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Pope Francis remains in a critical condition and hospitalised as he battles pneumonia in both lungs. The first pope from the Americas and also the first to come from outside the west in the modern era, the Argentinian was elected leader of the Catholic church on 13 March 2013. At the time, the church was beset by crises, from corruption to clerical sexual abuse. Stan Chu Ilo, a Catholic priest and a research professor of African studies and world Catholicism, examines the milestones in the life, work and legacy of Pope Francis.
What did Pope Francis inherit when he took over in 2013?
By the time the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013 there was a general feeling that the Catholic church was reaching the end of an era.
By the end of 2012 what was in the news about the church included the revelation of papal secrets by the papal butler. These details were published in a book by the Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, titled His Holiness: The Secret Files of Pope Benedict. The book portrayed the Vatican as a corrupt hotbed of jealousy, intrigue and underhanded factional fighting.
The revelations caused the church a great deal of embarrassment.
Some of the challenges facing the church which the ageing Pope Benedict XVI could no longer handle included:
the confusion created in the English-speaking world with the translation of the New Roman missal into English.
Cardinal Bergoglio was elected by the Catholic cardinals with a mandate to clean up the church and reform the Vatican and its bureaucracy. He was to institute processes and procedures for transparency, accountability and renewal of the church and its structures, and address the lingering scandals of clerical abuse.
What is his global papal role and legacy?
Three key things have defined his papal role and legacy.
First is concentrating on the core competence of the church: serving the poor and the marginalised. This is what the founder of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ, did.
Francis has focused the Catholic church and the entire world on one mission: helping the poor, addressing global inequalities, speaking for the voiceless, and placing the attention of the world on those on the periphery.
He also chose to live simply, forsaking the pomp and pageantry of the papacy.
Secondly, he changed the way the Catholic church’s message is communicated. In his programmatic document, Evangelii Gaudium, he called the church to what he calls “missionary conversion”. His thinking is that everything that is done in the church must be about proclaiming the good news to a wounded and broken world.
His central message has been that of mercy towards all, an end to wars, our common humanity and the closeness of God to those who suffer. The suffering in the world continues to grow because of injustice, greed, selfishness and pride. He has also focused on symbols and simple style to press home his message, like celebrating mass at a wall that divides the United States and Mexico.
In 2015 he made a risky trip to Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, during a time of war and tension between the fighting factions of the Muslim Seleka and the Christian anti-balaka. He drove on the Popemobile with both the highest ranking Muslim cleric in the country and his Christian counterpart and visited both a Christian church and a mosque to press home the message of peace.
The third strategy is restructuring the church and reforming the Vatican bank.
He created the G8 (a representative council of cardinals from every part of the world) to advise him, calling the Catholic church to a synod for dialogue on every aspect of the life of the church. This effort was unprecedented.
He also overhauled the procedures for the synod of bishops, making it more participatory, and gave women and the non-ordained voting rights. He has also shaken up the membership of the Vatican department that picks bishops to include women. He appointed the first woman (Sr Simone Brambilla) to lead a major Vatican department and to have a cardinal as her deputy. Another woman (Sr Raffaella Petrini) was named the first woman governor of the Vatican City State.
What has he done to strengthen the Catholic church in Africa?
Three things stand out.
First, he reflected the concerns of people on the continent with his message against imperialism, colonialism, exploitation of the poor by the rich, global inequality, neo-liberal capitalism and ecological injustice. Pope Francis became a voice for Africa. When he visited Kenya in 2015, he chose to visit the slums of Nairobi to proclaim the gospel of liberation to the forsaken of society. He called on African governments to guarantee for the poor and all citizens access to land, lodging and labour.
In a sense, Pope Francis embodies the message of decolonisation and is driven in part by the liberation theology that developed in Latin America. This theology tied religious faith with liberation of the people from structures of injustice and structural violence.
Secondly, he has encouraged African Catholics to develop Africa’s own unique approach to pastoral life and addressing social issues in Africa. Particularly, Pope Francis believes in decentralisation and local processes in meeting local challenges. He has said many times that it is not necessary that all problems in the church be solved by the pope at the Roman centre of the church.
In this way, he has encouraged the growth and development of African priorities and cultural adaptation to the Catholic faith. He has also encouraged greater transparency and accountability among African bishops and given African Catholic universities and seminaries greater autonomy to develop their own educational priorities and programmes.
Thirdly, Pope Francis has a very deep connection to Africa’s young people. He has encouraged and supported initiatives and programmes to strengthen the agency of young people, to give them hope and support their personal, spiritual and professional development. For the first time in history, on 1 November 2022, Pope Francis met virtually with more than 1,000 young Africans for an hour. I helped organise this meeting. He answered their questions and encouraged them to fight for what they believe.
What’s gone wrong, what’s gone well under his watch?
Pope Francis’s reform could be termed a movement from a church of a few where priests and bishops and the pope call the shots to a church of the people of God where everyone’s voice matters and where everyone’s concerns and needs are catered to.
He has quietly changed the tone of the message and the style of the leadership at the Vatican.
Granted, he has not substantially altered the content of that message, which is often seen as conservative, Eurocentric, and resistant to cultural pluralism and social change. But he is chipping away at its foundations through inclusion and an openness to hearing the voices of everyone, including those who do not agree with the church’s position. In doing this, he has shifted the priorities and practices of the Catholic church regarding such core issues as power and authority.
He has opened the doors to the voices of the marginalised in the church — women, the poor, the LGBTQi+ community, and those who have disaffiliated from the church. Many African Catholics would love to see more African representation at the Vatican, and many of them also worry about the widening division in the church, particularly driven by cultural and ideological battles in the west that have nothing to do with the social and ecclesial context of Africa.
Why does his papacy matter?
Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, the first to choose the name Francis and the first to come from outside the west in the modern era. He chose the name Francis because he wanted to focus his papacy on the poor, emulating St Francis of Assisi.
In a sense, Pope Francis has redefined what religion and spirituality mean for Catholicism. It’s not laying down and enforcing the law without mercy, it is caring for our neighbours and the Earth. This is the kind of religion the world needs today.
Stan Chu Ilo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Several weeks ago, I visited a local NHS urgent care centre with my toddler on what might be called a semi-annual pilgrimage related to having a child in nursery. Owing to what is now a typical three- or four-hour wait, during which he made a recovery, I had the time to notice the hospital’s waiting room cleaning practices. They amounted to someone pushing a mop around the floor and in the process moving, rather than removing, various fluids and items that had probably amassed over the preceding several hours.
About 36 hours later, our toddler woke up with a stomach bug. The cleaning practices I saw – coupled with my inability to keep him from touching a lot of surfaces in the hospital, including the floor – suggested to me that this was not a coincidence.
Individual behaviour and practices play a role in the spread of disease. And many times it is our collective actions that lead to contagion, even if our goal is to prevent it.
Given the NHS has recently recorded its highest ever rate of norovirus cases – with the bug making up more than one in 100 hospitalisations in the country – we are due for a rethink about how we understand the social elements of illness.
As a social scientist working in public health, I’ve learned that diseases conform to our behaviour, which can keep us one step ahead – or leave us one behind.
How we develop policy around contagion is one example. Recently, NHS England published new national standards of cleanliness for NHS Trusts – the most recent update since 2021. These standards define cleanliness, what materials should be used and the frequencies necessary for adequate cleaning.
The guidelines are, unsurprisingly, very boring, but what stands out to me is the emphasis on which spaces and surfaces are the most likely to be contaminated, rather than taking a contextual approach to the relationship between people, germs and spaces.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by contrast, uses a more complex function. Risk is evaluated by combining the probability of contamination of an item or surface, the vulnerability of patients and the potential for exposure within the space.
A waiting room where people have been vomiting, for example, would be taken more seriously as a risky area using these guidelines than the brute force approach taken by the NHS.
Another important element of risk, though one not evaluated explicitly in any policy guideline, is how germs evolve in response to our efforts against them.
Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, for example, are typically treated by antibiotics, though the rise of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) subtype has complicated patient care around the world.
More recently, bacteria called carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales (CPEs) have started spreading in hospitals, and are both highly contagious and difficult to treat.
Both MRSA and CPEs are, however, direct results of our efforts to combat bacteria: our use of antibiotics selects, evolutionarily speaking, for resistance to our treatments.
Imperial College London’s Fleming Initiative, named after the discoverer of the first antibiotic, penicillin, is an international effort that aims to stymie the spread of these germs, but they nonetheless present a real and serious risk to patients everywhere.
Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium linked with painful stomach bugs, has also shown increasing resistance to antibiotics, particularly strains found in hospitals. What’s worse, evidence from 2023 suggestsC difficile may even be resistant to bleach, which is typically successful at killing almost all germs and was found, in the past, to work against this bacterium, too.
Everyone plays a role
Blunt policies specifying cleaning schedules without reference to context are unlikely to be effective in a world of fast-evolving germs. What’s needed, instead, is a population-level understanding about how everyone plays a role in contagion and in its containment. We’re part of a broader ecosystem that bacteria and viruses live within, and which evolve to thrive when we become complacent in our behaviour.
The CDC’s guidelines embrace context, but the work doesn’t stop with hospital cleaning staff – who in the UK, by the way, earn an average of £21,000 a year for the critical work they do. Anyone who works in or visits a healthcare space has a responsibility to those nearby, whether that involves maintaining distance between people or shielding others from their own illness.
We can’t expect stretched systems and overworked employees to prevent the spread of germs. And the UK’s massive norovirus outbreak is a symptom itself of how bad we are at preventing viral contagion.
Yet people – including patients and their carers like me – can do a lot more than just idly watch dirty mops float by in waiting areas. We can educate ourselves about current risks, avoid where possible spaces with a high risk of contamination, and stay home to prevent infecting others, for example in the workplace.
Social approaches should be built into any framework that aims to combat disease. Knowledge, unlike antibiotics and bleach, is free – and the spread of information about how to help prevent contagion can only be good for healthcare systems and society more broadly.
Jonathan R. Goodman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
When Donald Trump called Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” for his failure to hold elections, it was a shocking moment. Even by the topsy-turvy standards of the current US administration, this looked like deliberate ignorance of the facts. Ukrainian law and the electoral code state that elections cannot be held while martial law is in place. That leaves aside the practical impossibility of ensuring fair, free and secure elections during war on the scale Russia is inflicting on Ukraine.
In making this dangerous intervention, the US president was simply repeating a well-established trope of Russian propaganda. For some time, the Kremlin has been casting aspersions on the legitimacy of Zelensky. Vladimir Putin has been using this as a pretext to allow him to sidestep any direct contact with the (legitimately elected) Ukrainian president.
It is not the first time that Russia has cited a concern for constitutional propriety in its Ukraine policy. The Kremlin condemned both the orange revolution of 2004 (which forced a rerun of a rigged presidential election) and the Euromaidan protests of 2013-14 (which chased out the Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych) as cases of anti-constitutional mob rule ousting a legitimately elected leader.
Russia’s defence of constitutional legitimacy has been selective and self-interested. For two decades, it has energetically – and often unconstitutionally – meddled in the political processes of Ukraine and other neighbouring states. Electoral outcomes are sacrosanct only when they confirm pro-Russian candidates in power. No matter if these results were secured by massive fraud and intimidation.
Meanwhile, when Putin found his own constitution an inconvenience, he had it changed in a referendum which handed him the opportunity to retain power until 2036.
Making things ‘legal’
But there is more than pure cynicism to the Russian government’s embrace of constitutional rhetoric. This belief in the need for power to have a legal framework has a long tradition behind it. Russia imposed rapid-fire referendums in Crimea in 2014 and then in four regions of occupied Ukraine in 2022 in an attempt to give a legal basis to its military occupation of these territories.
There were echoes of the shotgun plebiscites conducted in 1939-41 in eastern Poland, Bessarabia and the Baltic states. Almost immediately after it annexed these territories, the Soviet state forced the population into participating in the Stalinist version of democracy. These were votes with only one candidate on the ballot paper. The Soviet Union was desperately poor, its state apparatus was overstretched and underresourced – but money and personnel were found for these choreographed elections.
The same logic applied in the Soviet Union “proper”. In 1918, at the very start of the civil war that followed the October revolution, the Bolsheviks adopted a constitution for the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. This was amplified by a Soviet constitution in 1924 that established the elected Congress of Soviets as the supreme organ of state power (even if the Communist Party really pulled the strings).
Just over a decade later, Stalin found it necessary to update the constitution. He wanted it reflect what he saw as the progress made towards socialism in the first two decades after the revolution. The result, after extensive if largely orchestrated public discussion, was the 1936 constitution. This, among other things, enshrined universal suffrage elections to a national representative body: the Supreme Soviet.
This was not to be the end of the Soviet constitutional road. A generation later, in the early 1960s, the post-Stalin leadership felt the need to refresh and amplify the 1936 document. It took until 1977 for a new constitution finally to be agreed and adopted, but it was clear that this authoritarian state took “socialist legality” very seriously indeed. Constitutional law might have been considered malleable by the Communist party, but it was important for it to exist and to withstand challenge, whether from internal dissidents or from cold war adversaries.
Why have a constitution?
To understand the significance of constitutions and political institutions in the USSR and post-Soviet Russia, it’s worth considering what function constitutions actually perform. Western nations tend to think of them as documents setting out the relationship between different branches of government: executive, legislative, judicial. They contain some limitation on the powers of the executive. Certainly, this is how the US constitution – which is often seen as the archetype of a western state constitution – is most commonly viewed.
Defining a new country: the US constitution. https://pixy.org/1262083/
But there has long been another way of viewing constitutions: as a symbol of the integrity and robustness of the state. As British historian Linda Colley has shown, between the mid-18th and the early 20th centuries, constitutions became perhaps the main currency of legitimacy for a nation state. To have a constitution was, above all, a way to stake a claim to exist in a dangerous world inhabited by predatory empires.
For some of those empires, constitutions served as a way of holding together their own large and disparate territories. This tended to work by, for example, conceding a degree of representation to minority groups in the hope of preempting separatist movements. On close inspection, this was also true of the US constitution. It was a document designed to bring and hold the original 13 states together and establish the US as an international power.
Constitutions and elections have always been as much about power, legitimacy and state integrity as about representation – democratic or otherwise – or limitations on government. For states that are not major powers, the legitimacy needs to be projected externally as much as internally.
Ukraine now finds the legitimacy of its constitution under threat from both the dominant regional power – Russia – and the world power of the US. It falls on Europe – a region almost defined by its commitment to constitutional democracy – to articulate and defend an alternative vision.
European leaders – and their electorates – need to act on the belief that democracy and sovereignty are not on separate tracks but belong together. Ukraine deserves to retain its free elections, but it also deserves a state.
Stephen Lovell is currently at work on a project on the history of voting in the Russian Empire and USSR funded by a Major Research Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust.
James Howells is considering buying a council dump in south Wales after his former partner accidentally threw away a hard drive containing his bitcoin wallet. Howells has already lost a high court case to allow him to search the tip for the hard drive, which he believes contains bitcoin worth £600 million.
But would it even be possible to find it? Let’s do the maths.
Howells, a Welsh IT engineer, was an early adopter of the cryptocurrency bitcoin in December 2008. By February 2009, he had started mining the coins on his laptop – a process which involves using your computer to carry out complex mathematical processes in exchange for the coins.
At the time, he was one of just five people mining the currency, and he eventually accrued a fortune of around 8,000 bitcoin. Initially, these were basically worthless – the first real-world transaction involving the currency was in 2010, when a man in Florida bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins.
However, in the 15 years since, the value of the currency has grown dramatically, with a single bitcoin passing the US$100,000 mark in December 2024 – a value which would mean those two pizzas are now worth US$1 billion (£790 million).
Doing the calculations
No wonder Howells wants to find his hard drive. But what are the chances of finding a tiny 10cm hard drive in a site containing 1.4 billion kg of waste? Is it literally like finding a needle in a haystack?
At first, this seems like a simple calculation. If we randomly select a single location within the landfill, the probability that the hard drive will be there is simply the size of the object divided by the total size of the landfill.
A Google maps estimate of the area of the Docksway landfill site suggests it is roughly 500,000 square metres (or 5 billion square centimetres), which is approximately the size of 70 football pitches.
Docksway landfill in Newport, Wales, in 2007. wikipedia, CC BY-SA
However, we also have to account for the depth of the landfill, with years of rubbish piled on top of each other. Even a conservative estimate of 20 metres would give a total volume of 10 million cubic metres (or 10 trillion cubic centimetres). This is roughly 3,600 times the volume of the swimming pool used at last summer’s Paris Olympic Games.
Howells says the bitcoin are on a 2.5-inch hard drive, which has a volume of around 70 cubic centimetres (7cm x 10cm x 1cm). Therefore, the odds of finding the bitcoin at a single randomly selected location are 70/10,000,000,000,000 = 0.000000000007 – approximately a one in 143 billion chance.
This is over 3,000 times less likely than winning the jackpot on the UK’s National Lottery. However, with £600 million on the line, it seems unlikely anyone would just turn up and search one single location.
So, the real question here is about time and money. If we know that the hard drive is located somewhere within the landfill site, how long would it take to find it, and how much would it cost?
If we focus on time to begin with, this is really just an extension of our first calculation. Suppose it takes 1 second to search each 1,000 cubic centimetre section of the landfill (an incomplete estimate since my experience of hunting landfill for hard drives is limited), then it would take us 10 billion seconds (or 316 years) of continuous searching to cover the entire site. But of course, this could be significantly reduced by having an entire team searching at the same time.
Is it financially worth it?
Clearly, Howells does not have 316 years available to complete his search, but what if he was given the resources for one full year of non-stop searching? The odds of finding the hard drive in this year would be 1 in 316, and while the chances remain slim, this might start to sound tempting given the potential reward.
That is where the aspect of cost comes in. How much would you be willing to pay in order to have a 1 in 316 chance of winning £600m? The answer lies in the statistical concept of “expected value”“, which is the expected long-term outcome of a scenario if you were able to repeat it over and over again.
For example, suppose you were rolling a die, and you were told that you would be given £2 if you rolled a six but would have to pay £1 if you rolled any other value. You can work out the expected value of this game to see if it is worth playing. The odds of rolling a 6 are 1/6, and the odds of rolling any other value are 5/6. We can therefore compute the expected value as:
In other words, you would expect to lose half of £1 (or 50p), on average, every time you played this game.
In the case of our bitcoins, we can think about the expected value as being the amount of money you would expect to make on average if you searched the landfill for a whole year. We would expect that, on average, we would find the hard drive (and the £600 million) 1 time out of 316, and would fail to find it 315 times out of 316 and get absolutely nothing. Therefore, we can compute the expected value as:
This means that on average, by searching the site for a year, you would expect to find £1.9 million. So, if the searching costs were less than this amount, you would expect to make a profit on average, and it may be considered a worthwhile investment. However, if the search cost more than £1.9 million, you would expect to lose money on average, and it would not be considered worthwhile.
These calculations can be easily adjusted to account for different lengths of search time, number of people searching, or indeed different sizes of landfill site or search area.
If Howell ever gets access to the dump, it might be worth having a statistician on hand to help guide the search (and of course, I would be happy to offer my services for a small fee…).
Craig Anderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David Murphy, Professor of French and Postcolonial Studies, University of Strathclyde
Mati Diop has cinema in her blood. The 42-year-old Senegalese-French actress launched her feature film directing career in spectacular fashion with Atlantics, which took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and won a string of awards.
Her documentary Dahomey has made similar waves and was longlisted for the 2025 Oscars. We asked Senegalese film scholar David Murphy to tell us more.
Who is Mati Diop?
Mati Diop is a hugely talented and innovative film director. She is also an accomplished actor who has starred in a number of French films, in particular Claire Denis’s 35 Shots of Rum.
She was born in Paris in 1982 and was raised in France, but frequently visited Senegal during her childhood, as she comes from a Senegalese cultural dynasty.
Her father is Wasis Diop, an inventive and experimental musician who fuses Senegalese folk music with western pop and jazz. Her uncle was the maverick Senegalese filmmaker, Djibril Diop Mambéty. He directed classics like Touki Bouki and Hyenas. For good measure, her mother, Christine Brossard, is involved in the French art world and is a photographer.
Diop poses with her Golden Bear for Best Film for Dahomey on the red carpet at the Berlinale International Film Festival.Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Although she had previously made short films, Diop gained global attention in 2019 when she won a prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival for her first feature-length fiction film, Atlantics.
Her documentary Dahomey won the top award at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. Over the past few years, Diop has become established as one of the most creative artistic voices making films about contemporary Africa.
What’s Dahomey about?
Dahomey is a documentary about a contentious issue, the repatriation of looted African art works from western museums.
The objects – 26 royal treasures – were taken from the pre-colonial kingdom of Dahomey (in today’s Benin). President Emmanuel Macron of France has voiced his support for the return of such objects and a slow, piecemeal process of repatriation has now begun.
On the surface, the story of Dahomey might not seem to be particularly dramatic. Taking objects from a museum in Paris and sending them to a museum in Benin might be politically important and symbolic. But how do you make a creative, insightful and entertaining film about it that also appeals to a wide audience? Well, essentially, Diop weaves a tale that seeks to explore what it means for Africans that this heritage is being returned. To do that, she gives voice to Africans, whether heritage professionals, students or the general public.
In her most daring creative gesture, she also gives voice to one of the objects being returned, a magnificent, life-sized wooden statue of King Ghézo (who ruled Dahomey in the 1800s), depicted as half-man, half-bird. Many of the items that are displayed in European museums as beautiful but inanimate objects in fact played a highly significant spiritual role in precolonial societies. Essentially, they formed a bridge between the living and the spirit world, and Diop is interested in exploring what it might mean to these spirits to return to an Africa that has been transformed in their absence.
So, Dahomey is not your average documentary. There’s no narrative voiceover that explains the context of the journey home for these objects. Apart from a few on-screen captions explaining the big picture, viewers must piece together the story and decipher its meaning by themselves.
In the first half of the film, we see the curators from Benin and French workmen moving through the Quai Branly Museum in Paris. They assess the condition of the fragile objects as they make an inventory of them and box them safely for the trip. At first, theirs are the only voices we hear.
But then we begin to hear the deep, electronically distorted voice of the statue of King Ghézo who awakens from a long slumber. In this voiceover (written by the Haitian author Makenzy Orcel), Ghézo reflects on the sense of dislocation and confusion at being taken from Africa, his journey over the sea to be exhibited in a museum in Paris, his memories of the continent he left behind.
Once the objects arrive in Benin, the film follows a reverse process. The camera dwells on the African workmen overseeing their installation, interspersed with the voice of the statue trying to make sense of the Africa to which he has returned.
The longest section of the film gives voice to local university students debating what it means to return this heritage. While some view the process as vital, others see it as a distraction from the major issues facing the continent. The film does not seek to nudge the viewer to take sides. What is important is that different African voices are heard so that Africans can reach their own informed decisions.
What’s Atlantics about?
Atlantics is a film about the migration crisis that sees many young Senegalese men (and some women) set off from the coast on dangerous journeys in small fishing boats to try and reach the economic promised land of Europe (in this instance, the Canary Islands). But the film is also a love story about a young couple, Ada and Souleiman.
With a group of young men, many cheated of their wages by a corrupt local businessman, Souleiman embarks on the dangerous journey. The bereft girlfriends and sisters wait for news of their boyfriends and brothers and ultimately take revenge on the businessman. I can’t tell you precisely how this is done without spoiling the plot but let’s just say that the film is a striking mix of social drama and supernatural thriller.
Why is her contribution to film important?
Above all else, Mati Diop is a great storyteller. Atlantics and Dahomey are films that take important current affairs as their starting point, and they weave passionate, complex and strange stories around them.
They’re strange not because Diop is trying to be artistically eccentric, but because life is fundamentally strange and defies easy explanation. This is an artistic standpoint that her uncle would have understood.
Like his work, Diop’s fiction films contain long sections dwelling obsessively on the detail of “real” life while her documentaries contain many fictional elements. In fact, her short 2013 documentary A Thousand Suns is a wonderful homage to the beautiful strangeness of Mambety’s work. In a remarkable blend of fact and fiction, she traces the story of the actors who played the young couple in his avant-garde masterpiece, Touki Bouki.
In the work of both uncle and niece, the real and the fictional, the strange and the mundane are mixed together to make a mysterious and strikingly original body of work that defies categorisation.
– Mati Diop is a new star of African cinema – what her award-winning movies are about – https://theconversation.com/mati-diop-is-a-new-star-of-african-cinema-what-her-award-winning-movies-are-about-250417
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stan Chu Ilo, Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University
Pope Francis remains in a critical condition and hospitalised as he battles pneumonia in both lungs. The first pope from the Americas and also the first to come from outside the west in the modern era, the Argentinian was elected leader of the Catholic church on 13 March 2013. At the time, the church was beset by crises, from corruption to clerical sexual abuse. Stan Chu Ilo, a Catholic priest and a research professor of African studies and world Catholicism, examines the milestones in the life, work and legacy of Pope Francis.
What did Pope Francis inherit when he took over in 2013?
By the time the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013 there was a general feeling that the Catholic church was reaching the end of an era.
By the end of 2012 what was in the news about the church included the revelation of papal secrets by the papal butler. These details were published in a book by the Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, titled His Holiness: The Secret Files of Pope Benedict. The book portrayed the Vatican as a corrupt hotbed of jealousy, intrigue and underhanded factional fighting.
The revelations caused the church a great deal of embarrassment.
Some of the challenges facing the church which the ageing Pope Benedict XVI could no longer handle included:
Cardinal Bergoglio was elected by the Catholic cardinals with a mandate to clean up the church and reform the Vatican and its bureaucracy. He was to institute processes and procedures for transparency, accountability and renewal of the church and its structures, and address the lingering scandals of clerical abuse.
What is his global papal role and legacy?
Three key things have defined his papal role and legacy.
First is concentrating on the core competence of the church: serving the poor and the marginalised. This is what the founder of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ, did.
Francis has focused the Catholic church and the entire world on one mission: helping the poor, addressing global inequalities, speaking for the voiceless, and placing the attention of the world on those on the periphery.
He also chose to live simply, forsaking the pomp and pageantry of the papacy.
Secondly, he changed the way the Catholic church’s message is communicated. In his programmatic document, Evangelii Gaudium, he called the church to what he calls “missionary conversion”. His thinking is that everything that is done in the church must be about proclaiming the good news to a wounded and broken world.
His central message has been that of mercy towards all, an end to wars, our common humanity and the closeness of God to those who suffer. The suffering in the world continues to grow because of injustice, greed, selfishness and pride. He has also focused on symbols and simple style to press home his message, like celebrating mass at a wall that divides the United States and Mexico.
In 2015 he made a risky trip to Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, during a time of war and tension between the fighting factions of the Muslim Seleka and the Christian anti-balaka. He drove on the Popemobile with both the highest ranking Muslim cleric in the country and his Christian counterpart and visited both a Christian church and a mosque to press home the message of peace.
The third strategy is restructuring the church and reforming the Vatican bank.
He created the G8 (a representative council of cardinals from every part of the world) to advise him, calling the Catholic church to a synod for dialogue on every aspect of the life of the church. This effort was unprecedented.
He also overhauled the procedures for the synod of bishops, making it more participatory, and gave women and the non-ordained voting rights. He has also shaken up the membership of the Vatican department that picks bishops to include women. He appointed the first woman (Sr Simone Brambilla) to lead a major Vatican department and to have a cardinal as her deputy. Another woman (Sr Raffaella Petrini) was named the first woman governor of the Vatican City State.
What has he done to strengthen the Catholic church in Africa?
Three things stand out.
First, he reflected the concerns of people on the continent with his message against imperialism, colonialism, exploitation of the poor by the rich, global inequality, neo-liberal capitalism and ecological injustice. Pope Francis became a voice for Africa. When he visited Kenya in 2015, he chose to visit the slums of Nairobi to proclaim the gospel of liberation to the forsaken of society. He called on African governments to guarantee for the poor and all citizens access to land, lodging and labour.
In a sense, Pope Francis embodies the message of decolonisation and is driven in part by the liberation theology that developed in Latin America. This theology tied religious faith with liberation of the people from structures of injustice and structural violence.
Secondly, he has encouraged African Catholics to develop Africa’s own unique approach to pastoral life and addressing social issues in Africa. Particularly, Pope Francis believes in decentralisation and local processes in meeting local challenges. He has said many times that it is not necessary that all problems in the church be solved by the pope at the Roman centre of the church.
In this way, he has encouraged the growth and development of African priorities and cultural adaptation to the Catholic faith. He has also encouraged greater transparency and accountability among African bishops and given African Catholic universities and seminaries greater autonomy to develop their own educational priorities and programmes.
Thirdly, Pope Francis has a very deep connection to Africa’s young people. He has encouraged and supported initiatives and programmes to strengthen the agency of young people, to give them hope and support their personal, spiritual and professional development. For the first time in history, on 1 November 2022, Pope Francis met virtually with more than 1,000 young Africans for an hour. I helped organise this meeting. He answered their questions and encouraged them to fight for what they believe.
What’s gone wrong, what’s gone well under his watch?
Pope Francis’s reform could be termed a movement from a church of a few where priests and bishops and the pope call the shots to a church of the people of God where everyone’s voice matters and where everyone’s concerns and needs are catered to.
He has quietly changed the tone of the message and the style of the leadership at the Vatican.
Granted, he has not substantially altered the content of that message, which is often seen as conservative, Eurocentric, and resistant to cultural pluralism and social change. But he is chipping away at its foundations through inclusion and an openness to hearing the voices of everyone, including those who do not agree with the church’s position. In doing this, he has shifted the priorities and practices of the Catholic church regarding such core issues as power and authority.
He has opened the doors to the voices of the marginalised in the church — women, the poor, the LGBTQi+ community, and those who have disaffiliated from the church. Many African Catholics would love to see more African representation at the Vatican, and many of them also worry about the widening division in the church, particularly driven by cultural and ideological battles in the west that have nothing to do with the social and ecclesial context of Africa.
Why does his papacy matter?
Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, the first to choose the name Francis and the first to come from outside the west in the modern era. He chose the name Francis because he wanted to focus his papacy on the poor, emulating St Francis of Assisi.
In a sense, Pope Francis has redefined what religion and spirituality mean for Catholicism. It’s not laying down and enforcing the law without mercy, it is caring for our neighbours and the Earth. This is the kind of religion the world needs today.
– Pope Francis: why his papacy matters for Africa – and for the world’s poor and marginalised – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-why-his-papacy-matters-for-africa-and-for-the-worlds-poor-and-marginalised-251059
