Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)
June 24, 2025
Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) released the following statement in response to the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran:
“I am hopeful that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran will hold — and lead to lasting diplomacy. The world is safer without a nuclear-armed Iran, and preventing that outcome remains a vital U.S. national security interest.
“I’m deeply grateful to the brave U.S. service members who carried out this mission and to all those serving in the region. Their courage, discipline, and commitment to duty are extraordinary. My prayers are with them and their families.
“However, as of now, Congress has not been briefed on the intelligence that justified this strike. We don’t know whether the threat was truly imminent or how much damage was done to Iran’s nuclear program. Ordering a strike of this magnitude without consulting Congress likely violated Article I of the Constitution, which gives only Congress the power to declare war or authorize the use of military force.
“The administration’s reliance on the 2001 AUMF is shaky at best. That law was passed to authorize military action against those responsible for the 9/11 attacks — specifically al Qaeda and its affiliates. Iran is not al Qaeda. Using that decades-old authorization to justify this strike stretches the law beyond recognition.
“That’s why I’ll support a War Powers Resolution to reassert Congress’s constitutional role. No president, Democrat or Republican, gets to take this country to war alone. We either defend the role of Congress now — or risk losing it permanently.”
A civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) was arrested and made her initial court appearance yesterday to face charges of unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents.
Ewa Maria Ciszak, 64, of Huntsville, Alabama, is charged with knowingly removing and retaining classified documents and materials.
According to court documents unsealed today in the Northern District of Alabama, Ciszak has been employed at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) since January 2023. As part of her duties, she held a security clearance and had access to classified materials related to the national defense of the United States. Beginning in approximately February 2025, and continuing through June 18, 2025, Ciszak allegedly removed classified documents from MDA facilities without authorization and transported them to her personal residence and vehicle, which were not authorized for classified material storage.
On June 18, 2025, pursuant to a search warrant authorized by the U.S. District Court, federal agents executed a search of Ciszak’s home, person, and vehicle. Agents recovered multiple documents bearing classification markings up to the SECRET level. Some of the documents had been placed in her personal backpack that day and transported directly from MDA to her home.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama, and Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division made the announcement.
The FBI’s Birmingham Field Office and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations are investigating the case. Valuable assistant was provided by the FBI Atlanta Field Office’s Savannah Resident Agency and the Missile Defense Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Cornelius for the Northern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Chantelle Dial and Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) was arrested and made her initial court appearance yesterday to face charges of unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents.
Ewa Maria Ciszak, 64, of Huntsville, Alabama, is charged with knowingly removing and retaining classified documents and materials.
According to court documents unsealed today in the Northern District of Alabama, Ciszak has been employed at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) since January 2023. As part of her duties, she held a security clearance and had access to classified materials related to the national defense of the United States. Beginning in approximately February 2025, and continuing through June 18, 2025, Ciszak allegedly removed classified documents from MDA facilities without authorization and transported them to her personal residence and vehicle, which were not authorized for classified material storage.
On June 18, 2025, pursuant to a search warrant authorized by the U.S. District Court, federal agents executed a search of Ciszak’s home, person, and vehicle. Agents recovered multiple documents bearing classification markings up to the SECRET level. Some of the documents had been placed in her personal backpack that day and transported directly from MDA to her home.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama, and Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division made the announcement.
The FBI’s Birmingham Field Office and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations are investigating the case. Valuable assistant was provided by the FBI Atlanta Field Office’s Savannah Resident Agency and the Missile Defense Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Cornelius for the Northern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Chantelle Dial and Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
BILLERICA, Mass., June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — E Ink (8069.TW) the originator, pioneer, and global commercial leader in electronic paper (ePaper) technology, today announced, in collaboration with Oricom Co., Ltd., a vanguard in the Japan ad agency scene, the next-generation advertising medium via the Sustainable Board. Featuring E Ink’s most vivid color ePaper, Spectra TM 6, Oricom will produce the Sustainable Board as a new channel for advertisers, offering an unprecedented, environmentally conscious advertising method. The product is an innovative, sustainability-dedicated medium for companies using Oricom’s brand, Mirapale. While being conscious of energy consumption, it actively communicates sustainable priorities and initiatives.
Sustainable Board is ultra-low-power digital signage that uses E Ink’s ePaper technology. E Ink’s Spectra 6 offers a wide viewing angle similar to paper and enables vivid color expression like a print-quality poster. Because it’s a reflective display that doesn’t use a backlight, it achieves especially high sunlight readability. Additionally, it only requires power when content is updated, and image content remains visible once displayed without consuming any energy. This allows for substantial energy savings compared to conventional displays. Moreover, signage products equipped with E Ink’s ePaper, which boasts these features, can operate on batteries or renewable energy sources like solar. This makes it possible to choose their installation locations with more flexibility and mobility in mind.
“We are very grateful to collaborate with Oricom, a leader in the advertising industry, in the electronic paper signage area,” said JM Hung, Vice President of Business Center at E Ink. “As we enter an era of global environmental preservation and environmentally conscious solutions are increasingly sought, our ePaper is a display technology that aligns with a more environmentally-friendly future. Through our collaboration with Oricom, we are confident we can contribute to advancing SDG activities in society.”
Expected installation sites range from company receptions, lobbies, and showrooms to commercial facilities and tourist destinations. This product is recognized as a novel method that aligns corporate branding with environmental responsiveness by making sustainability tangible. Providing sustainable advertising mediums will generate a new market in the advertising industry. Oricom intends to promote broader Sustainable Development Goals by enabling companies and local governments to leverage this environmentally conscious advertising platform.
“Amidst the expansion of corporate activities with a long-term vision, prioritizing environmental protection and social responsibility, advertising is similarly called upon to contribute from this perspective,” said Akemi Nakajima, President of Oricom. “We developed the Sustainable Board alongside E Ink as a specific method for this. Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen the relationship between both companies, supporting corporate growth while contributing to realizing a sustainable society.”
E Ink’s ePaper draws power only when the screen updates, and no energy-hungry backlight is required. This ultra-efficient, non-emissive design reduces both electricity use and carbon footprint versus paper or LCDs. Guided by its PESG (Product, Environment, Social, and Governance) framework, E Ink delivers low-carbon solutions that speed the world’s sustainable transition. FTSE Russell classifies 99.9 % of the company’s revenue as green, and Moody’s has confirmed E Ink’s loans align with global Green Loan Principles—clear proof of its industry-leading environmental performance.
Installation trials at major stations in Japan are underway for Sustainable Board. The future goal is to expand into places with high advertising needs, such as commercial facilities.
About E Ink E Ink Holdings Inc. (8069.TWO), based on technology from MIT’s Media Lab, provides an ideal display medium for applications spanning eReaders and eNotes, retail, home, hospital, transportation, logistics, and more, enabling customers to put displays in locations previously impossible. E Ink’s electrophoretic display products make it the worldwide leader for ePaper. Its low power displays enable customers to reach their sustainability goals, and E Ink has pledged using 100% renewable energy in 2030 and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040. E Ink has been recognized for their efforts by receiving, validation from Science-Based Targets (SBTi) and is listed in both the DJSI World and DJSI Emerging Indexes. Listed in Taiwan’s Taipei Exchange (TPEx) and the Luxembourg market, E Ink Holdings is now the world’s largest supplier of ePaper displays. For more information please visit www.eink.com. E Ink. We Make Surfaces Smart and Green.
Oricom Co., Ltd. Oricom Co., Ltd. is a general advertising agency with its head office in Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. It was founded in 1922. It has a history of being at the vanguard of the industry in commercializing newspaper insert advertising and transit hanging advertisements. With the mission of creating as many good relationships in society as possible, Oricom is involved in many business activities related to the media, OOH (out-of-home advertising), digital solutions, creative support, promotions, and other domains. The Oricom Group consists of Oricom, which has the functions of a general advertising agency at its core, and three group companies, each with specialized expertise in their respective domains. With Oricom, which is capable of building marketing strategy from a wide perspective, and each group company, a powerful specialist in its domain acting as one, the total force of the Oricom Group will come into play. We aim to propose the best solutions to the various challenges confronting our clients by leveraging the collective strength of the Oricom Group. For more information, please visit https://www.oricom.co.jp/.
Oricom Co., Ltd GX Business Development TEL：03-6733-2000 Email：sustainableboard@oricom.co.jp
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL)
Rep. Balint Announces South Burlington $700,000 Award from Environmental Protection Agency for Bartlett Bay Wastewater Facility Improvements
South Burlington, VT, June 24, 2025
Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) is proud to announce that the City of South Burlington will receive an award of $700,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve the Bartlett Bay wastewater facility. Rep. Balint secured this funding, alongside fourteen other community projects, through the FY2024 appropriations bill.
“By funding improvement projects that will lower costs, ensure safe water, and reduce our carbon footprint, this kind of investment will make a meaningful difference in the daily lives of Vermonters. I’m proud to get this funding over the finish line and to do the real work that will mean cleaner and safer communities for Vermont,” said Rep. Balint.
The funding will be used to reduce the overall carbon footprint as part of the current upgrade of the Bartlett Bay Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) in South Burlington. The facility was last upgraded over 20 years ago and will undergo a refurbishment over the next 1-3 years. This funding will be used to replace existing conventional, fossil-fuel powered systems with efficient heat pump units which can reduce the system’s carbon footprint by 25%. In addition, modern heat pumps can reduce electricity used for heating by approximately 50% compared to electric resistance heating. An energy efficient system will help keep wastewater rates low for rate payers, reduce the plant’s carbon footprint, and support a clean energy future.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL)
Rep. Balint Announces South Burlington $700,000 Award from Environmental Protection Agency for Bartlett Bay Wastewater Facility Improvements
South Burlington, VT, June 24, 2025
Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) is proud to announce that the City of South Burlington will receive an award of $700,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve the Bartlett Bay wastewater facility. Rep. Balint secured this funding, alongside fourteen other community projects, through the FY2024 appropriations bill.
“By funding improvement projects that will lower costs, ensure safe water, and reduce our carbon footprint, this kind of investment will make a meaningful difference in the daily lives of Vermonters. I’m proud to get this funding over the finish line and to do the real work that will mean cleaner and safer communities for Vermont,” said Rep. Balint.
The funding will be used to reduce the overall carbon footprint as part of the current upgrade of the Bartlett Bay Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) in South Burlington. The facility was last upgraded over 20 years ago and will undergo a refurbishment over the next 1-3 years. This funding will be used to replace existing conventional, fossil-fuel powered systems with efficient heat pump units which can reduce the system’s carbon footprint by 25%. In addition, modern heat pumps can reduce electricity used for heating by approximately 50% compared to electric resistance heating. An energy efficient system will help keep wastewater rates low for rate payers, reduce the plant’s carbon footprint, and support a clean energy future.
Families in Princeton will now have access to 80 new child care spaces at the Riverside Learning Centre.
“Access to more high-quality, affordable child care spaces will make a real difference for the women, and working and single parents in the Princeton community,” said Rohini Arora, parliamentary secretary for child care. “We know that having access to high-quality, affordable child care allows parents, especially women, to stay in the workforce or return to school, directly helping families and the local economy thrive, while their children are growing and learning.”
The Province partnered with School District 58 (Nicola-Similkameen) on this project, which was supported by more than $10.2 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. This fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-22 to 2030-31 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. British Columbia and the federal government signed an extension to the agreement for 2026-27 to 2030-31.
This child care centre will provide a total of 122 child care spaces, including 42 existing spaces and 80 new spaces. This includes 24 spaces for infant-toddlers, 50 spaces for children 2.5 years old to kindergarten, and 48 spaces for school-age care. These new child care spaces bring the total number of child care spaces funded through the ChildCareBC space-creation programs in Princeton and surrounding areas to 206.
“As a district, we are exceptionally grateful the ministry has invested in rural British Columbia to provide a state-of-the-art child care centre in Princeton,” said Courtney Lawrance, superintendent of schools, SD58 (Nicola-Similkameen). “Children truly are our future and a solid foundation of early learning supports the long-term vitality of the community. We dreamed big with the vision for the project and with this opening, our dream has come true.”
Since 2018, ChildCareBC’s space-creation programs have helped fund more than 40,900 new licensed child care spaces in B.C. and 24,900 of those are now open. Expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care spaces is part of the Province’s ChildCareBC plan.
Learn More:
For information about ChildCareBC, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund
For information about the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund
For information about how to connect to services and help save money, visit the BC Benefits Connector: https://gov.bc.ca/BCBenefitsConnector
NEWARK, N.J. — Following an ICE Homeland Security Investigations Newark investigation, six people were charged for conspiring to transport stolen property derived from burglarized consignment shops across multiple states.
The subjects were charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to sell and receive stolen property that had crossed state lines. Marco Honesty, 28, Richard Francis, 35, Dominique Hayes, 29, Deandre Dudley, 32, Ilon Coles-Melson, 21, and Marcus Gallmon, 21, residents of Washington, D.C. and Maryland, were charged at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark.
“Our law enforcement partnerships across the East Coast in this investigation led to the successful apprehension of six suspects and dismantled an interstate burglary ring behind a string of consignment store thefts across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania Maryland and Delaware,” said ICE HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “The criminals hoping to line their own pockets by selling millions of dollars in stolen merchandise will now face the consequences of their illicit schemes.”
According to the investigation, the defendants are part of a commercial burglary ring that committed at least 18 burglaries in multiple states between March 2024 and November 2024, including in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. On several dates, the defendants broke into the consignment shops in the middle of the night using sledgehammers and other objects, stole dozens of designer handbags and other items from each shop, and transported the stolen goods across state lines.
HSI Newark led the investigation with the assistance of HSI Baltimore, HSI Malta, HSI Washington D.C. and HSI Wilmington. Many law enforcement partners from five states also supported the investigation.
HSI Newark’s law enforcement partners in New Jersey who assisted in the investigation include the New Jersey State Police, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Cape May Police Department, Cherry Hill Police Department, Colts Neck Police Department, Englewood Police Department, Haddonfield Police Department, Livingston Police Department, Manalapan Police Department, Margate Police Department, Millburn Police Department, Montclair Police Department, Roxbury Township Police Department, Springfield Police Department, Tenafly Police Department, Warren Police Department, and Watchung Police Department for their assistance.
New York partners include Guilderland Police Department, North Castle Police Department and Saratoga Springs Police Department. Pennsylvania partners include Philadelphia Police Department. Delaware partners include Delaware State Police. Maryland partners include Prince George’s County Police Department and Baltimore County Police Department.
Honesty appeared in Newark federal court June 13 and was detained. Hayes appeared in Newark federal court May 22 and was detained. Coles-Melson appeared n Newark federal court April 11 and was detained. Gallmon, Dudley and Francis also appeared in court earlier this year but were later released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. The charge of conspiracy to sell or receive stolen property carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of up to a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of money involved in the offense, whichever is greater.
Anyone who believes they may be a victim, or has information about the theft group or burglaries, is asked to call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE, or call a local field office.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
oday, on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States, Governor Hochul authored an op-ed in Empire Report reaffirming her commitment to keeping abortion safe and accessible in New York. Since taking office, Governor Hochul has made nation-leading investments in expanding reproductive freedom rights for New Yorkers including: increasing funding to support abortion care providers, passing historic legislation protecting both patients and New York doctors and today announced nearly $25 million to organizations in New York that support abortion care. Text of the op-ed can be viewed online and is available below:
Three years ago today was the last day that every woman in the United States had a constitutionally-protected right to access abortion.
With the stroke of a pen the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and our nation erupted in grief, anger and fear. This was a right that my mother’s generation fought for – a right we expected would be here to stay for my daughter and granddaughters’ generations.
Over the past three years, anti-choice politicians have done everything in their power to restrict reproductive freedom. Nineteen states have passed total or near-total abortion bans, and women have literally died because they couldn’t get the care they needed.
But here’s the thing about New Yorkers: when you try to take away our rights, we fight like hell to protect our people. New York will always stand as a safe harbor for women who need abortion care.
So what did New York do when they tried to strip away our freedoms? We got to work.
Immediately following the leaked release of the Dobbs decision, we invested a nation-leading $35 million to support abortion providers statewide. This funding is helping New York doctors address financial challenges and make much-needed investments in security. And in 2022, I signed New York’s “Shield Law” to protect the rights of patients and prevent other states from prosecuting New York’s doctors.
This year, we went a step further by offering additional protections for those prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine by protecting their personal information.
These issues aren’t hypothetical. Consider this: a warrant was issued in Louisiana to arrest a New York-based doctor who, for decades, performed her duties as a health care provider. She assisted women exercising control of their own bodies and helped them access the basic health care they needed. Because of our “Shield Law,” we protected that New York doctor.
Even as other states continue to target, harass and scare doctors and patients, we’ll continue to stand up for what’s right. In this year’s budget, we’ve invested over $60 million to protect New Yorkers’ right to reproductive health care and the brave providers who ensure care is provided to those who need it most. Today, I’m proud to announce nearly $25 million in State grants from the New York State Abortion Access Program, which will go directly to organizations in New York that support abortion care.
People across the nation look to us for leadership. My promise to them – and to all New Yorkers – is that we will continue to stand as a safe harbor for anyone who needs abortion care.
And to anyone who dares threaten these fundamental freedoms, my message is simple: Not here. Not now. Not ever.
WASHINGTON – Jason Hanif Rehman, 40, of Rockville, Md., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 168 months federal in prison in connection with coercing a minor victim to send him sexually explicit images of herself over the internet.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Rehman pleaded guilty on Nov. 21, 2024, to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. In addition to the 14-year prison term, Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Rehman to serve 10 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, in October and November of 2018, Rehman communicated with a 15-year-old girl on Snapchat. Rehman directed her to produce and send him child sexual abuse material. He also sent her explicit photographs of himself. Over the course of five weeks, Rehman continued to coerce the victim into sending him child sexual abuse material and, on at least two separate dates, traveled from Maryland and Washington, D.C. to Virginia where he had sex with her.
A fellow student notified school officials of the minor victim’s communication with an adult male. Investigators identified the male as Rehman. Subsequently, other minors at the school disclosed that Rehman had sent them similarly sexually explicit messages and requests over Snapchat. When investigators located Rehman, he admitted that he had used his Snapchat account to contact the victim and knew she was 15 years old. He also admitted to convincing her to send him explicit photos and admitted to having sexual intercourse with her.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in conjunction with the Fairfax County Police Department. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell for the District of Columbia. and Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
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 CEOS, 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A former employee of Keller Williams Realty River Cities was sentenced to prison after she admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employer to pay off her credit card.
Lauren Williams Eldridge, 38, of Pine Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $453,876.64 in restitution to Keller Williams Realty River Cities by U.S. District Judge Clay Land on June 18 after she previously pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud on Jan. 29, 2025. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The repercussions of employee theft are often felt beyond the prosecution, negatively affecting businesses, their customers and the community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Fraud and theft will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia. Our office will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to hold those who choose to disregard the law accountable.”
“For years, Eldridge used her company’s funds like her personal ATM,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “She will now have more than two years behind bars to consider the impact of her actions.”
According to court documents and other statements made in court, Eldridge was an office manager and bookkeeper for nine years with Keller Williams Realty River Cities (KW). KW representatives noticed some discrepancies in a KW account in Oct. 2022 and that Eldridge had moved money out of that account to other accounts. When Eldridge was initially questioned about the transfer, she did not provide a clear explanation. Eldridge resigned from her position soon afterward.
Law enforcement was notified in Jan. 2023; a review of the KW accounts revealed that a total of $453,876.68 in monthly electronic payments were made to Eldridge’s personal American Express account from KW accounts between Jan. 2017 and Sept. 2022. Eldridge admitted to KW representatives and their legal counsel in Dec. 2022 that she embezzled the money from KW to pay her personal American Express credit card balance every month. She reported that she intended to pay this money back when she first began taking funds after she had charged $30,000 to her American Express for home repairs.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Hostetler prosecuted the case for the Government.
CHICAGO — The owner of a Chicago laboratory was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison for his role in a Covid-19 testing fraud scheme.
ZISHAN ALVI, 46, of Inverness, Ill., owned and operated a laboratory in Chicago that performed testing for Covid-19. In 2021 and 2022, Alvi caused tens of thousands of claims to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for Covid-19 tests that were not performed as billed. As part of the scheme, the laboratory released negative test results to patients, even though the laboratory either had not tested the specimens or the results were inconclusive because Alvi diluted the tests to save on costs while making them unreliable. Alvi knew that the laboratory was releasing negative results for Covid-19 tests that were not performed or were inconclusive, but still caused the laboratory to submit claims to HRSA for those tests. Alvi also lied to laboratory directors to conceal his fraud. HRSA paid the laboratory more than $14 million because of the fraudulent claims that Alvi caused to be submitted.
Alvi pleaded guilty last year to one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. imposed the prison sentence during a hearing today in federal court in Chicago. Judge Tharp also ordered Alvi to pay more than $14.1 million in restitution and forfeit more than $8 million in cash, a 2021 Range Rover HSE, a 2022 Tesla X, and a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB250W4, all of which were previously seized by law enforcement.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hasten of the Northern District of Illinois, and Claire T. Sobczak, Trial Attorney of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
“At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zishan Alvi disregarded public health concerns in favor of greed and his own financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The government’s pandemic-relief programs were intended to keep people safe, not provide an avenue for fraud and illegal profits. Our Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to root out abuse of these important programs and hold accountable those who seek to fraudulently profit from them.”
“In the midst of economic uncertainty for many Americans, the defendant chose to cash in on a global pandemic by stealing millions of dollars and committing extensive fraud,” said FBI SAC DePodesta. “Further, he placed patients and the public at risk by releasing false Covid-19 test results. The FBI and our dedicated partners are committed to investigating Covid con artists and ensuring they are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
ABERDEEN – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of First Degree Burglary and two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on June 16, 2025.
Francis Lee Dubray, age 35, was sentenced to five years and ten months months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Dubray was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023. He was found guilty on October 24, 2024, following a three-day federal jury trial.
Shortly after nightfall on July 5, 2023, Dubray and two co-defendants went to a woman’s home in McLaughlin, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, to assault a man they believed had inappropriately touched a girl. As the woman yelled at them to go away, one of the co-defendants kicked in her front door. Dubray’s co-defendants rushed into the house while Dubray stood on the stoop, hollering and chastising the woman for allowing the man to stay in her house. Although the man they came to find was passed out, Dubray’s co-defendants repeatedly kicked him in the face and struck him with a bar while the woman pleaded for them to stop. The victim incurred a broken nose and shattered orbital and sinus bones in the assault. He still struggles with his vision and headaches today. As Dubray’s co-defendants left the home, one of them knocked the woman to the floor. As she crawled toward the front door, Dubray kicked her in the face, then fled with his companions.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Dubray was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
New York City, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Snoring impacts millions of people around the globe, often disrupting not only the individual’s sleep but also their partner’s. As more adults seek effective, non-invasive ways to manage snoring, the ZQuiet Mouthpiece has emerged as a popular choice thanks to its comfort-focused design and simple usability. For those looking up ZQuiet or asking, “Does ZQuiet work?” — this article offers a clear, unbiased look at what the ZQuiet Anti Snoring Mouthpiece is, how it works, and where it fits among today’s snoring solutions.
ZQuiet Mouthpiece is a flexible, ready-to-use anti-snoring device designed to be worn comfortably inside the mouth during sleep. Engineered with airflow-friendly features, it promotes ease of breathing and a natural sleeping experience. Unlike bulky snoring aids or complex sleep devices. Its standout feature is the Living Hinge technology, which allows users to open and close their mouth naturally while wearing the device—making it easy to breathe, speak, or even take a sip of water without removing it.
Many users appreciate the ZQuiet Mouthpiece for its straightforward design and user-friendly experience. customers highlight the lightweight feel and quick adaptability of the device. Several users note that the mouthpiece fits securely without feeling bulky or uncomfortable, making it a preferred option among those exploring non-invasive ways to manage snoring. As a low-maintenance anti-snoring solution, the ZQuiet Mouthpiece is ideal for both everyday use at home and easy packing for travel.
Key Features of the ZQuiet Snoring Mouthpiece
No Setup Required: The ZQuiet Mouthpiece is ready to use straight out of the box.
Two Size Options Included: Each purchase comes with two mouthpiece sizes, allowing users to choose the fit that feels most comfortable.
Soft & Flexible Construction: the device is designed for flexibility and comfort during use.
Travel-Friendly Design: Its slim, compact form makes it easy to carry and ideal for travel or overnight stays.
Reusable with Proper Care: The ZQuiet Mouthpiece is built for long-term use and can be cleaned and reused as part of your nightly routine.
Final Thoughts: Is ZQuiet Worth Trying? If you’re considering a non-medicated, easy-to-use solution for snoring reduction, the ZQuiet Anti Snoring Mouthpiece stands out as a compelling option. With its flexible design, ready-to-use format, and a strong base of positive customer feedback, it remains one of the most frequently discussed products in the snoring relief category. For many individuals, the ZQuiet Mouthpiece offers a low-risk, non-invasive option that may help support quieter nights and improved rest for both themselves and their partners. ZQuiet helps with simple snoring and some may still experience snoring or loud breathing due to other conditions. ZQuiet is not intended to treat sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, for which you should consult your physician,Use only as directed .
Due to growing interest, availability may be limited. Visit the official website for the latest pricing and details.
Note : This overview reflects the author’s independent perspective and is based on research and public information. For further details, visit the official website.
Media Contact : Company Name: ZQuiet Website:https://getzquiet.io Email: help@zquiet.com Phone: 1 (800) 281-0543
UConn, consistently one of the top ten most sustainable universities in the United States, will be getting even better at upholding sustainable practices with the help of seven student-led projects this year.
These innovative projects are funded by the Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants (ESSG) Program through the Office of Sustainability. Creative student-faculty teams applied for funding to support campus programs that enhance environmental and social sustainability while engaging students and community members. Applicants shared ideas spanning education, research, authentic community engagement, and campus operations. This is the fourth round of ESSG funding since 2021, which has helped launch the Swap Shop (now Thrift Den), a composting privy at Spring Valley Student Farm, and efforts to combat food insecurity via hydroponic farming.
“The ESSG program is just one of the Office of Sustainability’s growing suite of experiential learning programs available to all UConn students. In alignment with UConn’s strategic goals, we are excited to be able to award these funds to empower students to take action on addressing real-world challenges that impact the wellness of people and the planet. Faculty and staff mentors play an instrumental role in ensuring the success of these projects and we’re also incredibly grateful for their support,” said Patrick McKee, Director of the Office of Sustainability.
Seven projects were awarded funds due to their interdisciplinary nature and ability to advance sustainability and equity.
Harnessing Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a key piece in fertilizing crops and producing food. This project aims to explore sustainable, easy ways of getting phosphorus out of wastewater to make it easier, cheaper, and less climate-intensive for farmers to grow food in underprivileged areas.
Student: Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS)
Staff Mentor: Katie Milardo, Associate Director, Energy & Water Conservation
The Grove of Generosity: Sustainable Food Forest for Students
A food forest to create community for people, plants and wildlife on the Storrs campus. Using native plants, this project will provide habitat, food for all, and space to make connections between people and nature.
Students: Olivia Ballaro ’26 (CAHNR), Ella May ’27 (CAHNR), Howard Truax ’26 (CAHNR)
Faculty Mentor: Phoebe Godfrey, Professor in Residence, Sociology
Sustainability Practicum: Designing a UConn Hartford Service-Learning Course
This project will create materials for a UConn Hartford geography service-learning course titled “Sustainability Practicum,” designed to develop student leaders of environmental & social sustainability in collaboration with & in service of Keney Park Sustainability Project, a nonprofit developing sustainable community-based food systems in urban North Hartford.
Students: Thomas Bonitz, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography
Project Racoon
Project Raccoon is a student-led initiative that collects redeemable bottles and cans to reduce waste, increase recycling, and fund student scholarships. With this grant, the program will expand to over 50+ bins and engage more volunteers.
Student: Abigail Koval ’26 (BUS), Anny Zheng ’26 (COE), Jennifer Weng ’26 (COE), Virginia Weng ’26 (COE)
Staff Mentor: Cody Ryan, Innovation Zone Supervisor
Seeds2Sustain: Hartford & Stamford Campuses
Seeds2Sustain is a program designed to help students address food insecurity on a personal level by using hydroponics. Over 9 weeks, students are taught about the evolution of food production, food insecurity, hydroponics, nutrition, cooking and more to gain a solid foundation of knowledge.
Faculty Mentor: Johnathan Moore, Executive Director, Digital Frontiers Initiative, Director of OPIM Innovate Labs
Disasters in Society: Working Towards Resilient & Sustainable Futures through Experiential Learning & Service
This project captures Asheville’s recovery from Hurricane Helene, highlighting student engagement and hands-on learning in disaster resilience. Through storytelling and service, they aim to expand access to fieldwork and promote support for sustainability-focused education.
Students: Lisel Nee ’26 (COE), Melia Marshall, MPP Candidate, Daniel Kraemer, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography, Brandon Soto, Masters of Energy and Environmental Management Candidate
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography
Sustainable Dairy Wastewater Treatment Using Microalgae at UConn
This project addresses the challenge of dairy wastewater from the UConn barns, which can be a significant source of pollution if not properly managed. By using microalgae to treat wastewater, we can convert it into a sustainable biomass that can be used as poultry feed. This approach not only helps clean and recycle wastewater but also aligns with circular bioeconomy principles, turning waste into valuable resources. This initiative advances UConn’s environmental goals and contributes to a more sustainable campus ecosystem.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Yu Lei, Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Yongku Cho, Associate Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Over $37,000 will be awarded in total to support these student-lead projects.
Thomas Bonitz, a grantee pursuing a Ph.D. in Geography says, “As an aspiring educator, I am thrilled to work on designing a “sustainability practicum” course for the UConn Hartford campus. There is obvious educational and community value getting students out of the traditional classroom setting to learn from and contribute to real-world efforts to practice sustainability.” His project exemplifies UConn’s dedication to promoting student success and providing service to Connecticut communities.
“I look forward to moving onto the next stage for my Harnessing Phosphorus project and being able to work with more resources. I’ve been working on this project independently since my first semester at UConn, so receiving this grant and finding support from new mentors is a reminder of how far I’ve come. It’s great to see the University also believes in my project’s potential,” shares Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS) who will be working on ways to make fertilizer more accessible, less likely to cause algae blooms, and decrease the carbon footprint of a critical agricultural ingredient.
Students will present their project findings and impacts this fall at the Climate Change Cafe poster symposium in December.
For more details on the Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grants Program, please visit: https://sustainability.uconn.edu/environmental-social-sustainability-small-grants-program/
“Congratulation to Dr. Damion Grasso on his election as President of the Society of Clinical Psychology,” shares Department of Psychiatry Professor and Chair Dr. David C. Steffens. “There is little doubt that his term as President will be successful.”
The Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12 of the American Psychological Association) is the professional home of clinical and health service psychologists.
Grasso, an elected fellow of the Division 12 of the APA, has always had a strong, longstanding commitment to the Society of Clinical Psychology. Since graduate school he served as a campus representative for the Society. Over time, he took on several leadership roles – most recently as Secretary on the Board and co-chair of the Committee on Science and Practice. As the Committee’s co-chair, Grasso has played an instrumental role in advancing SCP’s efforts to evaluate and inventory empirically supported psychological treatments (ESTs).
As President, Grasso plans to prioritize these efforts by expanding SCP’s capacity to engage and inform the public with resources designed to promote ESTs, establish an informed consumer-base, and caution against the growing trend for non-efficacious and potentially harmful approaches.
SCP’s mission is to promote the integration of clinical psychological science and practice in education, research, application, advocacy, and public policy. Also, the Society seeks to engage students and clinical and health service psychologists at any stage of their career in support of this mission.
“I am honored to serve as the president-elect of the Society of Clinical Psychology. Since graduate school, the Society has been my professional home, connecting me with mentors and pioneers in our field I wouldn’t have otherwise come to know. This community has truly helped shape my career,” says Grasso. “My intent is to pay it forward and grow our community of students and early career professionals so that we can support the next generation of clinical psychologists – especially during these challenging times.”
Grasso serves UConn Health, Connecticut’s only public academic medical center, caring for patients as a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine with a secondary appointment in its Department of Pediatrics.
Additionally, his research broadly focuses on understanding biobehavioral mechanisms involved in trauma- and stress-related disorders in children and effective strategies for assessing and treating trauma-related impairment. He co-leads the UConn Health Family Adversity and Resilience Research (FARR) Program and provides evidence-based psychotherapy interventions for treating trauma-related disorders in the UConn Health Psychological Trauma Clinic.
Grasso graduated from Skidmore College with his undergraduate degree in psychology, earned his master’s degree in general psychology at Wesleyan University, completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Delaware, and his clinical internship was performed at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
BOSTON – A Haverhill man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for trafficking cocaine and illegal firearms in and around the Boston area.
Cordell Miller, 29, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 42 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In February 2025, Miller pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, aiding and abetting and one count of trafficking in firearms and conspiracy to do so. Miller was arrested and charged in November 2023 along with co-conspirators Malcolm Desir and Alan Robinson.
Miller was identified as a firearms and ammunition trafficker in the metro Boston area. In August 2023, Miller arranged for the sale of distribution weight cocaine and several firearms to a cooperating witness. Prior to his arrest in November 2023, Miller and Robinson facilitated the sale of four separate firearms: an AR-15 “ghost gun” rifle; a Polymer 80 “ghost gun” pistol; a HIPOINT 9mm rifle; and a Ruger .38 caliber pistol.
In April 2025, Robinson was sentenced to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Desir was sentenced on June 18, 2025 to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, with the first year to be served in home detention.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. and EDMONTON, Alberta, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, sonnen, a global leader in energy storage and virtual power plant (VPP) technology, launched its first VPP in Canada at Blatchford Lands, a master planned community designed for net-zero living and a reduced environmental footprint. Landmark Homes, a recognized leader in sustainable and innovative home construction and the builder behind Blatchford Lands, collaborated with sonnen, along with utility provider EPCOR, electric retail provider Solartility and the University of Alberta. Together, these energy leaders developed the VPP that can be considered the vanguard of a newly decentralized and digitalized clean energy system for the future of Canada.
With this inaugural VPP launch into Canada, sonnen once again sets the standard for innovation in solar powered battery storage systems deployed across master planned communities as a virtual power plant. The Blatchford Lands VPP is the first of its kind on scope and scale for Canada. As a primer for broad adoption throughout the EPCOR service territory, this project constitutes the beginning of renewable energy and grid coordination’s evolution. sonnen, with its partners, is providing the community and its residents with emergency back-up power, daily management of peak energy use and demand response, among other grid services, for the overall management of the electric grid.
As a prototype, the Blatchford Lands VPP begins with 100 sonnen batteries deployed throughout the master planned community, representing nearly a half a megawatt (MW) of power and over two megawatt hours (MWh) of storage capacity that will support the Canadian energy grid. Following this initial deployment, sonnen plans to launch VPPs throughout Alberta and into other Canadian regions, with potential to reach over 3,000 individual sites, providing more than18 MW of energy and 60 MWHs of grid support over the next 3 years.
“What has been achieved at Blatchford Lands is extremely special, and even beyond many of the VPP market designs in America,” said Blake Richetta, Chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. USA. “sonnen proudly stands behind our Canadian colleagues and customers, as our sister market, and as the closest of friends to the American people.”
sonnen, Solartility and the University of Alberta envision this highly innovative master planned community VPP project to become a replicable model for communities across the province and throughout Canada. This model can also be replicated in select U.S. markets, like Texas, where sonnen recently announced a Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA) and launched behind-the-meter, battery-enabled VPPs.
“Canada has developed into a rich and innovative VPP market thanks to the pioneering efforts and support from great partners,” said Geoff Ferrell, Senior Vice President – Global C&I and VPP Project Business of sonnen Inc. USA. “The coming together of builders like Landmark Homes, the utility EPCOR, retail providers like Solartility, and academics like those at the University of Alberta, are working together to build this innovative VPP program at Blatchford Lands and beyond.”
With awards from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), the Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), among others, Blatchford Lands has been recognized for its commitment to sustainability and innovative community planning. Residents can enjoy diverse housing options equipped with renewable energy sources for heating and cooling—all in a centrally located neighborhood that once served as Edmonton’s municipal airport, now reimagined as a model for sustainable urban development.
Blatchford Lands is the latest sonnen VPP to launch at a master planned community, following wildly successful deployments at Soleil Lofts and Soleil Tech Park in Utah, Pearl Homes’ nationally renowned Hunters Point in Cortez Florida, and Mandalay Homes in Arizona, among other projects.
ABOUT sonnen sonnen is a global leader in smart energy storage systems for residential use and a pioneer in residential battery-based virtual power plants. The sonnen VPP is recognized as a model for the decentralized, digitalized, and decarbonized energy system of the future. As one of the most experienced and rapidly growing VPP energy storage companies worldwide, sonnen has earned numerous international awards for its technological achievements. The sonnenCommunity, a network of visionaries worldwide, utilizes sonnen’s products and services to promote clean and affordable energy for all. With offices in Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, and the USA, sonnen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell. Learn more at: https://sonnenusa.com
DUBLIN, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via IBN – Fusion Fuel Green PLC (Nasdaq: HTOO) (“Fusion Fuel” or the “Company”), a leading provider of full-service energy engineering, advisory, and utility solutions, today announced that its majority-owned operating subsidiary, Al Shola Al Modea Gas Distribution LLC (“Al Shola Gas”), has secured an additional AED 4.4 million (~$1.2 million USD) in new engineering and utility projects across Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
These latest awards follow the Company’s May 22, 2025, announcement that Al Shola Gas had secured over $2.7 million in engineering contracts and 1,800 new residential service contracts since the beginning of the year. The cumulative project awards reflect continued commercial momentum and strengthening demand for Al Shola Gas’s turnkey solutions in the UAE’s fast-growing energy infrastructure market.
Overview of New Engineering Projects
Dubai Marina Development—DBOM contract for 620 residential apartments and 5 retail outlets. The total contract value is AED 885,000. All units will be serviced under utility agreements.
Business Bay Tower – High-rise with 3 basements, ground floor, 32 residential levels – 242 apartments and 3 retail outlets. Contract value: AED 395,000.
Satwa Mid-Rise Development – 13 floors plus roof access – 240 apartments. The total contract value is AED 2.6 million.
Additional Cluster Projects – Four smaller projects across Dubai, collectively valued at AED 520,000.
All new projects will convert to recurring revenue through Al Shola Gas’s long-term utility service contracts.
“We continue to see strong demand for our end-to-end energy infrastructure solutions, particularly in Dubai’s high-density residential sector,” said Sanjeeb Safir, Managing Director of Al Shola Gas. “These contracts build on the strong base established earlier this year and reinforce our positioning as the partner of choice for developers requiring reliable, compliant, and efficient LPG system delivery and service.”
Update on Utility Business and Bulk LPG Supply
With the addition of these new projects, Al Shola Gas continues to expand its utility billing footprint, which surpassed 12,000 active customers earlier this year. The Company expects continued growth in recurring revenue as contracted assets are commissioned.
Bulk LPG supply remains robust, with current volumes consistently exceeding 600 metric tons per month, supported by organic growth of 10–20 metric tons monthly. With additional delivery capacity expected to come online, Al Shola Gas maintains its target of reaching 800 metric tons monthly by year-end.
“These awards are a clear continuation of the momentum we outlined in our May update,” said John-Paul Backwell, CEO of Fusion Fuel. “The combination of engineering revenue and high-margin recurring utility income represents the execution of our strategy to build durable, cash-generating infrastructure assets in the region.”
About Fusion Fuel Green PLC
Fusion Fuel Green PLC (NASDAQ: HTOO) is an emerging leader in the energy services sector, offering a comprehensive suite of energy supply, distribution, and engineering and advisory solutions through its Al Shola Gas and BrightHy brands. Al Shola Gas provides full-service industrial gas solutions, including the design, supply, and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) systems, as well as the transport and distribution of LPG to a broad range of customers across commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. BrightHy, the Company’s newly launched hydrogen solutions platform, delivers innovative engineering and advisory services enabling decarbonization across hard-to-abate industries.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target”, “may”, “intend”, “predict”, “should”, “would”, “predict”, “potential”, “seem”, “future”, “outlook” or other similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions) that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Fusion Fuel has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations, which are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate, and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, those set forth in Fusion Fuel’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 9, 2025, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements.
Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa as the geopolitical and economic landscape in the region shifts. In Senegal, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation has entered a key partnership in the oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, Karpowership, a company providing electricity via floating power plants, now supplies energy to eight African countries. But Turkey’s not stopping there. As part of its soft power strategy, it is also winning hearts and minds through education and culture while deepening trade and security ties.
Historian Issouf Binaté, who has studied Turkey’s growing presence in west Africa, breaks down how Ankara is positioning itself as an alternative to both former colonial powers and newer global players competing for influence on the continent.
What drives Turkey’s growing influence in west Africa?
Turkey’s foreign policy in west Africa leans on two main pillars.
The other is more grassroots, led by non-state actors such as religious foundations and NGOs.
These groups laid the groundwork for Turkey’s African expansion long before Ankara officially stepped in.
A key player in Turkey’s earlier outreach was the Gülen movement, named after preacher Fethullah Gülen (1941–2024). The Gülen movement pioneered Turkey’s soft power approach with “Turkish schools”, starting with the Yavuz Sultan Selim and Yavuz Selim-Bosphore high schools in Dakar in 1997.
Also at the end of the 1990s a network composed of Turkish business leaders and social activists under the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists, which claimed over 100,000 member companies, expanded Turkey’s influence across Africa. At that time, Turkey had only three diplomatic representations for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
The more recent contact with Africa comes at a time when western hegemony faces growing criticism from a new generation of Africans engaged in decolonial movements. Gülen-affiliated institutions now number 113, alongside religious and secular schools run by other groups like Mahmud Hudayi Vakfi and Hayrat Vakfi. Since the 2016 political rift between Gülen and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, these schools were gradually transferred to Maarif Foundation, Turkey’s state-run overseas education arm.
Back in 2003, Turkey had only 12 diplomatic missions across Africa. Today, that number has grown to 44, bolstered by Turkish religious foundations (like Mahmud Hudayi Vakfi and Hayrat Vakfi), NGOs, and entrepreneurs who have filled the gap left by the Gülen movement.
Another powerful player in Turkey’s Africa strategy is Turkish Airlines, now one of the top carriers on the continent. It is now flying to 62 airports in 41 African countries.
What role do west African students trained in Turkey play?
By investing in education, Turkey didn’t just open its doors to African students. It also planted the seeds for a long-term influence strategy. These students, and more broadly young African migrants trained in Turkey, are now among the key messengers of “Turkishness” back home.
In doing so, Ankara is following a familiar path once used by colonial powers. They used student mobility as a powerful tool for their diplomacy.
Then, in the 1990s, Turkey continued this effort through a scholarship programme for African students, supported by the Islamic Development Bank. During this period, Turkey launched the Büyük Öğrenci Projesi (Great Student Project), which provided scholarships to international students.
Starting in 2012, this programme was re-branded as YTB (Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, or Directorate for Turks Abroad and Related Communities). It introduced reforms, including a digital application process for scholarships via an app on the YTB website. This shift caused a dramatic spike in interest. Applications soared from 10,000 to 155,000 between 2012 and 2020.
For non-scholarship students, Turkey simplified visa processes, reduced tuition fees, and offered other incentives. These measures contributed to a significant increase in the number of applicants to study in Turkey. As the number of universities in Turkey jumped from 76 to 193 between 2003 and 2015, the country became increasingly attractive.
By 2017, Turkey had become the 13th most popular destination for students from sub-Saharan Africa, according to Campus France (a platform that supports international students studying in France). By 2019, there were an estimated 61,000 African students studying in Turkey.
Now, nearly three decades into this strategy, many of these former students are stepping into new roles. They are taking over from Turkish entrepreneurs in fostering socioeconomic ties with Africa. They also act as bridges, promoting Turkish universities and supporting visitors in areas like medical and industrial tourism.
In Istanbul, some run cargo companies – some of them informal – that ship goods to Africa. Others are working to formalise these ventures and build long-term economic bridges. Groups like Bizim Afrika, a network of African Turkish-speakers, and the Federation of African Students in Turkey (founded in 2019), are playing key roles in shaping this next chapter of Turkey–Africa relations.
How is Turkey’s strategy in west Africa different from that of China or France?
In substance, Turkey’s strategy isn’t so different from that of France or China. It also carries traces of colonial thinking, even though its approach leans more on religious soft power like building mosques across Africa. Unlike France, which used force in its colonial past, Turkey is trying to gain influence through other means. It uses familiar tools: embassies, schools, cinema, security services, and development agencies.
While access to Europe, the US and Canada has become more difficult due to stricter visa rules, Turkey has opened its doors. It eased visa procedures for African business people, expanded its universities, and promoted medical tourism.
Turkey has become a hub for several sectors. It’s a major centre for nose surgery (rhinoplasty), hair transplants, and textiles. Its textile industry now supplies traders at Makola Market in Accra, Adjamé’s Forum in Côte d’Ivoire, and the Grand Marché in Bamako.
Turkey’s presence in Africa is now visible in several symbolic ways. You can see it in Maarif schools, murals at Abidjan airport, the “Le Istanbul” restaurant in Niamey’s government district, or the National Mosque in Accra, modelled after Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.
Turkey’s engagement is a work in progress. But its outreach to Africa is already yielding results. Trade volume reached US$40.7 billion in 2022. The return of the first waves of African students trained in Turkey has shifted the dynamic. Cooperation no longer relies solely on Turkish business people and social entrepreneurs.
Even though African elites often speak English, French or Arabic, new voices are emerging. Young people trained in Turkey are beginning to find their place. Many work in import-export, construction, and even Islamic religious leadership. This trend points to promising prospects for long-term ties.
For Turkey, Africa represents a continent with major economic opportunities. Becoming a trusted partner is now a key goal. On the diplomatic level, Turkey gained observer status at the African Union in 2005 and has hosted Turkey-Africa summits in Istanbul since 2008.
This growing involvement suggests that Turkey’s role in Africa is likely to last. It will depend on the continent’s market needs, especially at a time when many African countries are rethinking their relationships with traditional western powers and international institutions.
Issouf Binaté 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.
Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa as the geopolitical and economic landscape in the region shifts. In Senegal, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation has entered a key partnership in the oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, Karpowership, a company providing electricity via floating power plants, now supplies energy to eight African countries. But Turkey’s not stopping there. As part of its soft power strategy, it is also winning hearts and minds through education and culture while deepening trade and security ties.
Historian Issouf Binaté, who has studied Turkey’s growing presence in west Africa, breaks down how Ankara is positioning itself as an alternative to both former colonial powers and newer global players competing for influence on the continent.
What drives Turkey’s growing influence in west Africa?
Turkey’s foreign policy in west Africa leans on two main pillars.
The other is more grassroots, led by non-state actors such as religious foundations and NGOs.
These groups laid the groundwork for Turkey’s African expansion long before Ankara officially stepped in.
A key player in Turkey’s earlier outreach was the Gülen movement, named after preacher Fethullah Gülen (1941–2024). The Gülen movement pioneered Turkey’s soft power approach with “Turkish schools”, starting with the Yavuz Sultan Selim and Yavuz Selim-Bosphore high schools in Dakar in 1997.
Also at the end of the 1990s a network composed of Turkish business leaders and social activists under the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists, which claimed over 100,000 member companies, expanded Turkey’s influence across Africa. At that time, Turkey had only three diplomatic representations for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
The more recent contact with Africa comes at a time when western hegemony faces growing criticism from a new generation of Africans engaged in decolonial movements. Gülen-affiliated institutions now number 113, alongside religious and secular schools run by other groups like Mahmud Hudayi Vakfi and Hayrat Vakfi. Since the 2016 political rift between Gülen and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, these schools were gradually transferred to Maarif Foundation, Turkey’s state-run overseas education arm.
Back in 2003, Turkey had only 12 diplomatic missions across Africa. Today, that number has grown to 44, bolstered by Turkish religious foundations (like Mahmud Hudayi Vakfi and Hayrat Vakfi), NGOs, and entrepreneurs who have filled the gap left by the Gülen movement.
Another powerful player in Turkey’s Africa strategy is Turkish Airlines, now one of the top carriers on the continent. It is now flying to 62 airports in 41 African countries.
What role do west African students trained in Turkey play?
By investing in education, Turkey didn’t just open its doors to African students. It also planted the seeds for a long-term influence strategy. These students, and more broadly young African migrants trained in Turkey, are now among the key messengers of “Turkishness” back home.
In doing so, Ankara is following a familiar path once used by colonial powers. They used student mobility as a powerful tool for their diplomacy.
Then, in the 1990s, Turkey continued this effort through a scholarship programme for African students, supported by the Islamic Development Bank. During this period, Turkey launched the Büyük Öğrenci Projesi (Great Student Project), which provided scholarships to international students.
Starting in 2012, this programme was re-branded as YTB (Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, or Directorate for Turks Abroad and Related Communities). It introduced reforms, including a digital application process for scholarships via an app on the YTB website. This shift caused a dramatic spike in interest. Applications soared from 10,000 to 155,000 between 2012 and 2020.
For non-scholarship students, Turkey simplified visa processes, reduced tuition fees, and offered other incentives. These measures contributed to a significant increase in the number of applicants to study in Turkey. As the number of universities in Turkey jumped from 76 to 193 between 2003 and 2015, the country became increasingly attractive.
By 2017, Turkey had become the 13th most popular destination for students from sub-Saharan Africa, according to Campus France (a platform that supports international students studying in France). By 2019, there were an estimated 61,000 African students studying in Turkey.
Now, nearly three decades into this strategy, many of these former students are stepping into new roles. They are taking over from Turkish entrepreneurs in fostering socioeconomic ties with Africa. They also act as bridges, promoting Turkish universities and supporting visitors in areas like medical and industrial tourism.
In Istanbul, some run cargo companies – some of them informal – that ship goods to Africa. Others are working to formalise these ventures and build long-term economic bridges. Groups like Bizim Afrika, a network of African Turkish-speakers, and the Federation of African Students in Turkey (founded in 2019), are playing key roles in shaping this next chapter of Turkey–Africa relations.
How is Turkey’s strategy in west Africa different from that of China or France?
In substance, Turkey’s strategy isn’t so different from that of France or China. It also carries traces of colonial thinking, even though its approach leans more on religious soft power like building mosques across Africa. Unlike France, which used force in its colonial past, Turkey is trying to gain influence through other means. It uses familiar tools: embassies, schools, cinema, security services, and development agencies.
While access to Europe, the US and Canada has become more difficult due to stricter visa rules, Turkey has opened its doors. It eased visa procedures for African business people, expanded its universities, and promoted medical tourism.
Turkey has become a hub for several sectors. It’s a major centre for nose surgery (rhinoplasty), hair transplants, and textiles. Its textile industry now supplies traders at Makola Market in Accra, Adjamé’s Forum in Côte d’Ivoire, and the Grand Marché in Bamako.
Turkey’s presence in Africa is now visible in several symbolic ways. You can see it in Maarif schools, murals at Abidjan airport, the “Le Istanbul” restaurant in Niamey’s government district, or the National Mosque in Accra, modelled after Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.
Turkey’s engagement is a work in progress. But its outreach to Africa is already yielding results. Trade volume reached US$40.7 billion in 2022. The return of the first waves of African students trained in Turkey has shifted the dynamic. Cooperation no longer relies solely on Turkish business people and social entrepreneurs.
Even though African elites often speak English, French or Arabic, new voices are emerging. Young people trained in Turkey are beginning to find their place. Many work in import-export, construction, and even Islamic religious leadership. This trend points to promising prospects for long-term ties.
For Turkey, Africa represents a continent with major economic opportunities. Becoming a trusted partner is now a key goal. On the diplomatic level, Turkey gained observer status at the African Union in 2005 and has hosted Turkey-Africa summits in Istanbul since 2008.
This growing involvement suggests that Turkey’s role in Africa is likely to last. It will depend on the continent’s market needs, especially at a time when many African countries are rethinking their relationships with traditional western powers and international institutions.
Issouf Binaté 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 Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Adjunct Associate Professor, Departnent of Social Sciences, Pwani University
Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service.
The first was the death in police custody of a teacher and blogger. A few days later a bystander at the scene of a protest in Nairobi was shot and severely injured by police.
The use of excessive force to disperse and arrest peaceful demonstrators has got worse since the nationwide protests by young Kenyans in June 2024. Police have also been behind disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Excesses by the National Police Service have prompted action in the past. Repressive laws have been repealed and mechanisms are in place to identify, report and punish police excesses.
Wide-ranging policing reforms mandated by the 2010 constitution have also been carried out since 2013. As part of these reforms, the Independent Police Oversight Authority was set up to investigate police wrong-doing. The conviction and dismissal rates are low, however, because of defective prosecutions, poor investigations, witnesses fearing retribution or victimisation, lack of evidence, and lengthy court trials.
I am a political scientist with a focus on Kenya’s security sector. It is my view that the quest to change police behaviour in Kenya must go beyond the rule book, recriminations and repeated political proclamations of police reform.
In my view real change will come about only if the state, firstly, puts funds into the recurrent and development expenditures of the police. The aim should be to ensure these institutions are able to enforce compliance and accountability. Secondly, the state needs to strengthen its partnership with local-level civil society organisations affected by policy brutality. And lastly, it must set up digital channels that people can confidently use to lodge their complaints.
Funding gaps
The National Police Service is underfunded. This has constrained its ability to maintain law and order. It has:
inadequate and poorly maintained equipment and gear
insufficient monthly fuel allocations for patrols and other critical functions
poor training and operational physical facilities.
Added to these constraints are dehumanising working conditions and deplorable living conditions. This undermines their morale and ability to deliver quality services.
Another blow to police morale is the entrenched culture of corruption. Corrupt practices skew recruitment, transfers, deployments, promotions and procurement.
At the same time, the police service is expected to deal with a host of domestic and global security challenges. These include cybercrimes, cross-border security, violent extremism and terrorism.
Money needs to be allocated to improve facilities, equipment and gear. This should also enhance its logistical and technological capabilities, and provide affordable and decent housing and medical cover for its officers.
Providing adequate resources can also counter the culture of corruption, which is often driven by poor renumeration and working conditions.
Budget allocations should sustain police reforms. This should include:
Community policing in Kenya makes a significant contribution to local-level security. This form of policing is citizen-centred with an emphasis on addressing crime risk factors by encouraging citizen participation.
Also known by its Kiswahili name, Nyumba Kumi, meaning “Ten Households”, the key strategy is anchoring community policing at the household level. Despite several problems associated with formulation and implementation, community policing in Kenya has improved local-level police-community relations in some areas of the country.
The community policing strategy is aimed at addressing emerging security needs such as infiltration by terrorist groups. It serves the whole of Kenya in terms of local-level security and is viewed as one of the key areas of police reform and a shift to democratic policing.
Community involvement can address the lack of trust between citizens and police officers due to police bias or brutality. But this is a gradual process that happens through daily interactions between communities and the police.
Public participation channels
Public participation is enshrined in Kenya’s constitution as one of the principles and values of good governance. By establishing a complaints and redress mechanism, public participation can become an integral component of promoting effective handling of complaints.
The constitution has created different institutions to address public complaints. These include the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority. Some of these have digital public complaints systems, which provide more confidentiality and better access for people.
Other channels of handling complaints include civil society actors and the media. Civil society organisations provide civic education and mobilise citizens to take part in monitoring and evaluation government’s performance.
Making these channels more effective could help absorb public anger that could turn into violence.
Conclusion
Police brutality in Kenya has arisen through historical, social, economic and political factors. Mitigating it therefore requires a long-term, combined top-down and bottom-up approach.
Genuine political support from the country’s political leaders is essential to instil positive attitudes about Kenya’s political and security institutions. It also requires genuine support from local-level or grassroots communities. This, in turn, entails communities trusting each other and building social cohesion.
Oscar Gakuo Mwangi 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 Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Adjunct Associate Professor, Departnent of Social Sciences, Pwani University
Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service.
The first was the death in police custody of a teacher and blogger. A few days later a bystander at the scene of a protest in Nairobi was shot and severely injured by police.
The use of excessive force to disperse and arrest peaceful demonstrators has got worse since the nationwide protests by young Kenyans in June 2024. Police have also been behind disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Excesses by the National Police Service have prompted action in the past. Repressive laws have been repealed and mechanisms are in place to identify, report and punish police excesses.
Wide-ranging policing reforms mandated by the 2010 constitution have also been carried out since 2013. As part of these reforms, the Independent Police Oversight Authority was set up to investigate police wrong-doing. The conviction and dismissal rates are low, however, because of defective prosecutions, poor investigations, witnesses fearing retribution or victimisation, lack of evidence, and lengthy court trials.
I am a political scientist with a focus on Kenya’s security sector. It is my view that the quest to change police behaviour in Kenya must go beyond the rule book, recriminations and repeated political proclamations of police reform.
In my view real change will come about only if the state, firstly, puts funds into the recurrent and development expenditures of the police. The aim should be to ensure these institutions are able to enforce compliance and accountability. Secondly, the state needs to strengthen its partnership with local-level civil society organisations affected by policy brutality. And lastly, it must set up digital channels that people can confidently use to lodge their complaints.
Funding gaps
The National Police Service is underfunded. This has constrained its ability to maintain law and order. It has:
inadequate and poorly maintained equipment and gear
insufficient monthly fuel allocations for patrols and other critical functions
poor training and operational physical facilities.
Added to these constraints are dehumanising working conditions and deplorable living conditions. This undermines their morale and ability to deliver quality services.
Another blow to police morale is the entrenched culture of corruption. Corrupt practices skew recruitment, transfers, deployments, promotions and procurement.
At the same time, the police service is expected to deal with a host of domestic and global security challenges. These include cybercrimes, cross-border security, violent extremism and terrorism.
Money needs to be allocated to improve facilities, equipment and gear. This should also enhance its logistical and technological capabilities, and provide affordable and decent housing and medical cover for its officers.
Providing adequate resources can also counter the culture of corruption, which is often driven by poor renumeration and working conditions.
Budget allocations should sustain police reforms. This should include:
Community policing in Kenya makes a significant contribution to local-level security. This form of policing is citizen-centred with an emphasis on addressing crime risk factors by encouraging citizen participation.
Also known by its Kiswahili name, Nyumba Kumi, meaning “Ten Households”, the key strategy is anchoring community policing at the household level. Despite several problems associated with formulation and implementation, community policing in Kenya has improved local-level police-community relations in some areas of the country.
The community policing strategy is aimed at addressing emerging security needs such as infiltration by terrorist groups. It serves the whole of Kenya in terms of local-level security and is viewed as one of the key areas of police reform and a shift to democratic policing.
Community involvement can address the lack of trust between citizens and police officers due to police bias or brutality. But this is a gradual process that happens through daily interactions between communities and the police.
Public participation channels
Public participation is enshrined in Kenya’s constitution as one of the principles and values of good governance. By establishing a complaints and redress mechanism, public participation can become an integral component of promoting effective handling of complaints.
The constitution has created different institutions to address public complaints. These include the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority. Some of these have digital public complaints systems, which provide more confidentiality and better access for people.
Other channels of handling complaints include civil society actors and the media. Civil society organisations provide civic education and mobilise citizens to take part in monitoring and evaluation government’s performance.
Making these channels more effective could help absorb public anger that could turn into violence.
Conclusion
Police brutality in Kenya has arisen through historical, social, economic and political factors. Mitigating it therefore requires a long-term, combined top-down and bottom-up approach.
Genuine political support from the country’s political leaders is essential to instil positive attitudes about Kenya’s political and security institutions. It also requires genuine support from local-level or grassroots communities. This, in turn, entails communities trusting each other and building social cohesion.
Oscar Gakuo Mwangi 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: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
Oluchi Nwagboso, a Field Engineer at SLB, is part of a new generation of talent driving innovation and sustainability in Africa’s energy sector, her story is one of curiosity, determination and a deep commitment to making a lasting impact both on the field and in the lives of others.
Oluchi’s passion for energy was sparked at a young age. “It began with a high school project powering a lightbulb with a battery,” she recalls. That simple experiment ignited a desire to understand how the world is powered, setting her on the path to engineering. As she advanced in her studies, Oluchi became increasingly aware of the energy challenges faced by communities across Africa, which inspired her to join the sector with the goal of contributing to a future where energy is reliable, sustainable and affordable for all.
In her role at SLB, Oluchi has worked on a range of impactful projects that have shaped both her technical expertise and sense of purpose. A standout achievement was introducing a new drilling fluids technology – the Rheoprofiler 200 – to SLB’s clients in Namibia. As the first engineer, and notably the first female engineer, to represent SLB in Namibia since it launched operations there in 2022, Oluchi played a pivotal role in demonstrating how innovation can drive efficiency, reduce waste and support responsible energy development.
Beyond the technical arena, Oluchi has dedicated herself to mentoring young minds. While still a student, she tutored and guided 15 high school students initially in South Africa, and more recently in Namibia, encouraging especially young women to explore science and engineering. “Impact isn’t only measured in technical achievements – it’s also in the lives we uplift and the futures we help shape,” she says.
Oluchi credits SLB’s culture of continuous learning and support for helping her grow from a trainee to a confident field engineer. Through technical schools in the UAE and the U.S., day-to-day mentorship and hands-on experience, she has developed the skills needed to thrive in high-stakes environments. This growth aligns closely with her long-term goal: contributing to the development of a sustainable energy sector in Namibia that fuels economic growth and provides access for all.
A defining moment in her career came during her first offshore rotation as a field engineer. Faced with logistical inefficiencies, Oluchi proposed and implemented a new delivery schedule for essential components, improving both timelines and costs. The experience reinforced her belief in taking initiative, advocating for change, and trusting her judgment – even early in her career.
To young women aspiring to enter the energy industry, Oluchi offers this advice: “Embrace and own your personal narrative. Your background, experiences and unique perspective are what make you stand out. Be confident, stay curious and never stop learning. The energy industry needs more voices like yours – bold, authentic and driven to make a difference.”
Oluchi’s journey is a testament to the power of curiosity, resilience, and the support of an empowering environment and learning communities. Her achievements reflect the impact that driven individuals can make when given the opportunity to grow and lead. While her story is uniquely her own, it resonates with the broader vision shared by many across the continent, including networks like the African Energy Chamber’s AWBEN, that believes in empowering women to innovate, lead, and shape Africa’s energy future. By celebrating stories like Oluchi’s, we highlight the importance of creating inclusive spaces where talent, regardless of background, can thrive and drive meaningful change.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Adjunct Associate Professor, Departnent of Social Sciences, Pwani University
Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service.
The first was the death in police custody of a teacher and blogger. A few days later a bystander at the scene of a protest in Nairobi was shot and severely injured by police.
The use of excessive force to disperse and arrest peaceful demonstrators has got worse since the nationwide protests by young Kenyans in June 2024. Police have also been behind disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Excesses by the National Police Service have prompted action in the past. Repressive laws have been repealed and mechanisms are in place to identify, report and punish police excesses.
Wide-ranging policing reforms mandated by the 2010 constitution have also been carried out since 2013. As part of these reforms, the Independent Police Oversight Authority was set up to investigate police wrong-doing. The conviction and dismissal rates are low, however, because of defective prosecutions, poor investigations, witnesses fearing retribution or victimisation, lack of evidence, and lengthy court trials.
I am a political scientist with a focus on Kenya’s security sector. It is my view that the quest to change police behaviour in Kenya must go beyond the rule book, recriminations and repeated political proclamations of police reform.
In my view real change will come about only if the state, firstly, puts funds into the recurrent and development expenditures of the police. The aim should be to ensure these institutions are able to enforce compliance and accountability. Secondly, the state needs to strengthen its partnership with local-level civil society organisations affected by policy brutality. And lastly, it must set up digital channels that people can confidently use to lodge their complaints.
Funding gaps
The National Police Service is underfunded. This has constrained its ability to maintain law and order. It has:
inadequate and poorly maintained equipment and gear
insufficient monthly fuel allocations for patrols and other critical functions
poor training and operational physical facilities.
Added to these constraints are dehumanising working conditions and deplorable living conditions. This undermines their morale and ability to deliver quality services.
Another blow to police morale is the entrenched culture of corruption. Corrupt practices skew recruitment, transfers, deployments, promotions and procurement.
At the same time, the police service is expected to deal with a host of domestic and global security challenges. These include cybercrimes, cross-border security, violent extremism and terrorism.
Money needs to be allocated to improve facilities, equipment and gear. This should also enhance its logistical and technological capabilities, and provide affordable and decent housing and medical cover for its officers.
Providing adequate resources can also counter the culture of corruption, which is often driven by poor renumeration and working conditions.
Budget allocations should sustain police reforms. This should include:
Partnerships with communities
Community policing in Kenya makes a significant contribution to local-level security. This form of policing is citizen-centred with an emphasis on addressing crime risk factors by encouraging citizen participation.
Also known by its Kiswahili name, Nyumba Kumi, meaning “Ten Households”, the key strategy is anchoring community policing at the household level. Despite several problems associated with formulation and implementation, community policing in Kenya has improved local-level police-community relations in some areas of the country.
The community policing strategy is aimed at addressing emerging security needs such as infiltration by terrorist groups. It serves the whole of Kenya in terms of local-level security and is viewed as one of the key areas of police reform and a shift to democratic policing.
Community involvement can address the lack of trust between citizens and police officers due to police bias or brutality. But this is a gradual process that happens through daily interactions between communities and the police.
Public participation channels
Public participation is enshrined in Kenya’s constitution as one of the principles and values of good governance. By establishing a complaints and redress mechanism, public participation can become an integral component of promoting effective handling of complaints.
The constitution has created different institutions to address public complaints. These include the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority. Some of these have digital public complaints systems, which provide more confidentiality and better access for people.
Other channels of handling complaints include civil society actors and the media. Civil society organisations provide civic education and mobilise citizens to take part in monitoring and evaluation government’s performance.
Making these channels more effective could help absorb public anger that could turn into violence.
Conclusion
Police brutality in Kenya has arisen through historical, social, economic and political factors. Mitigating it therefore requires a long-term, combined top-down and bottom-up approach.
Genuine political support from the country’s political leaders is essential to instil positive attitudes about Kenya’s political and security institutions. It also requires genuine support from local-level or grassroots communities. This, in turn, entails communities trusting each other and building social cohesion.
– Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour – https://theconversation.com/kenya-police-brutality-it-will-take-more-than-laws-and-public-anger-to-change-behaviour-259327
Source: US Whitehouse
THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL DELIVERS FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER: The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers the largest tax cut for working- and middle-class Americans in history. Put simply, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill will unleash our economy and deliver a Blue-Collar BOOM.
Bigger Paychecks: Hardworking Americans and families will see an average increase in take-home pay of OVER $10,000 per year.
Historic Tax Relief for Workers: 15% tax cut for Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 per year.
No Taxes on Overtime or Tips: Saves overtime and tipped workers nearly $2,000 annually.
Historic Tax Breaks for Seniors: Introduces unprecedented financial relief for seniors.
Made-in-America Tax Breaks: Interest deduction for loans on new American-made vehicles.
Large Standard Deduction: Keeps the doubled standard deduction used by 91% of taxpayers, ensuring taxpayers keep more of their money with a simpler tax break.
Provides Historic Relief for Working Families
Bolsters Child Tax Credit: Increases and makes permanent the child tax credit, supporting over 40 million families.
Supports Working Families: Expands childcare access and makes the paid leave tax credit permanent.
Establishes Trump Investment Accounts for Newborns: Creates savings accounts to secure financial futures for every American child from birth.
Improves Housing Affordability: Expands the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to incentivize the construction of affordable homes for American families.
Supports Family Farms: Raises death tax exemption, Increasing the amount family farms can inherit without paying taxes—protecting two million family farms from excessive taxation.
Empowers School Choices: Enhances 529 savings accounts to make education affordable and empower American families and students to choose the education that best fits their needs.
Drives Economic Growth Through America First Tax Policies
Incentivizes Made-in-America Manufacturing: Full expensing for new factories and improvements to unleash domestic production.
Expands Opportunity Zones: Permanently renews program, unlocking $100B+ for rural and distressed communities.
Boosts American Businesses: The bill delivers full 100% expensing for new factories, equipment, and machinery.
Puts Main Street Over Wall Street
Promotes Growth: Helps small businesses keep more money by making permanent—and enhancing—the small business tax deduction, making it easier to grow and hire.
Doubles Small Business Expensing: Raises the limit for small businesses to immediately deduct up to $2.5 million in equipment and property costs, helping them hire more workers and expand.
President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill lowers tax rates to keep more money in Americans’ pockets—PREVENTING THE LARGEST TAX HIKE IN HISTORY.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Issouf Binaté, enseignant-chercheur, Université Alassane Ouattara de Bouaké
Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa as the geopolitical and economic landscape in the region shifts. In Senegal, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation has entered a key partnership in the oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, Karpowership, a company providing electricity via floating power plants, now supplies energy to eight African countries. But Turkey’s not stopping there. As part of its soft power strategy, it is also winning hearts and minds through education and culture while deepening trade and security ties.
Historian Issouf Binaté, who has studied Turkey’s growing presence in west Africa, breaks down how Ankara is positioning itself as an alternative to both former colonial powers and newer global players competing for influence on the continent.
What drives Turkey’s growing influence in west Africa?
Turkey’s foreign policy in west Africa leans on two main pillars.
The other is more grassroots, led by non-state actors such as religious foundations and NGOs.
These groups laid the groundwork for Turkey’s African expansion long before Ankara officially stepped in.
A key player in Turkey’s earlier outreach was the Gülen movement, named after preacher Fethullah Gülen (1941–2024). The Gülen movement pioneered Turkey’s soft power approach with “Turkish schools”, starting with the Yavuz Sultan Selim and Yavuz Selim-Bosphore high schools in Dakar in 1997.
Also at the end of the 1990s a network composed of Turkish business leaders and social activists under the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists, which claimed over 100,000 member companies, expanded Turkey’s influence across Africa. At that time, Turkey had only three diplomatic representations for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
The more recent contact with Africa comes at a time when western hegemony faces growing criticism from a new generation of Africans engaged in decolonial movements. Gülen-affiliated institutions now number 113, alongside religious and secular schools run by other groups like Mahmud Hudayi Vakfi and Hayrat Vakfi. Since the 2016 political rift between Gülen and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, these schools were gradually transferred to Maarif Foundation, Turkey’s state-run overseas education arm.
Back in 2003, Turkey had only 12 diplomatic missions across Africa. Today, that number has grown to 44, bolstered by Turkish religious foundations (like Mahmud Hudayi Vakfi and Hayrat Vakfi), NGOs, and entrepreneurs who have filled the gap left by the Gülen movement.
Another powerful player in Turkey’s Africa strategy is Turkish Airlines, now one of the top carriers on the continent. It is now flying to 62 airports in 41 African countries.
What role do west African students trained in Turkey play?
By investing in education, Turkey didn’t just open its doors to African students. It also planted the seeds for a long-term influence strategy. These students, and more broadly young African migrants trained in Turkey, are now among the key messengers of “Turkishness” back home.
In doing so, Ankara is following a familiar path once used by colonial powers. They used student mobility as a powerful tool for their diplomacy.
Then, in the 1990s, Turkey continued this effort through a scholarship programme for African students, supported by the Islamic Development Bank. During this period, Turkey launched the Büyük Öğrenci Projesi (Great Student Project), which provided scholarships to international students.
Starting in 2012, this programme was re-branded as YTB (Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, or Directorate for Turks Abroad and Related Communities). It introduced reforms, including a digital application process for scholarships via an app on the YTB website. This shift caused a dramatic spike in interest. Applications soared from 10,000 to 155,000 between 2012 and 2020.
For non-scholarship students, Turkey simplified visa processes, reduced tuition fees, and offered other incentives. These measures contributed to a significant increase in the number of applicants to study in Turkey. As the number of universities in Turkey jumped from 76 to 193 between 2003 and 2015, the country became increasingly attractive.
By 2017, Turkey had become the 13th most popular destination for students from sub-Saharan Africa, according to Campus France (a platform that supports international students studying in France). By 2019, there were an estimated 61,000 African students studying in Turkey.
Now, nearly three decades into this strategy, many of these former students are stepping into new roles. They are taking over from Turkish entrepreneurs in fostering socioeconomic ties with Africa. They also act as bridges, promoting Turkish universities and supporting visitors in areas like medical and industrial tourism.
In Istanbul, some run cargo companies – some of them informal – that ship goods to Africa. Others are working to formalise these ventures and build long-term economic bridges. Groups like Bizim Afrika, a network of African Turkish-speakers, and the Federation of African Students in Turkey (founded in 2019), are playing key roles in shaping this next chapter of Turkey–Africa relations.
How is Turkey’s strategy in west Africa different from that of China or France?
In substance, Turkey’s strategy isn’t so different from that of France or China. It also carries traces of colonial thinking, even though its approach leans more on religious soft power like building mosques across Africa. Unlike France, which used force in its colonial past, Turkey is trying to gain influence through other means. It uses familiar tools: embassies, schools, cinema, security services, and development agencies.
While access to Europe, the US and Canada has become more difficult due to stricter visa rules, Turkey has opened its doors. It eased visa procedures for African business people, expanded its universities, and promoted medical tourism.
Turkey has become a hub for several sectors. It’s a major centre for nose surgery (rhinoplasty), hair transplants, and textiles. Its textile industry now supplies traders at Makola Market in Accra, Adjamé’s Forum in Côte d’Ivoire, and the Grand Marché in Bamako.
Turkey’s presence in Africa is now visible in several symbolic ways. You can see it in Maarif schools, murals at Abidjan airport, the “Le Istanbul” restaurant in Niamey’s government district, or the National Mosque in Accra, modelled after Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.
The.Amuzujoe
Turkey’s engagement is a work in progress. But its outreach to Africa is already yielding results. Trade volume reached US$40.7 billion in 2022. The return of the first waves of African students trained in Turkey has shifted the dynamic. Cooperation no longer relies solely on Turkish business people and social entrepreneurs.
Even though African elites often speak English, French or Arabic, new voices are emerging. Young people trained in Turkey are beginning to find their place. Many work in import-export, construction, and even Islamic religious leadership. This trend points to promising prospects for long-term ties.
For Turkey, Africa represents a continent with major economic opportunities. Becoming a trusted partner is now a key goal. On the diplomatic level, Turkey gained observer status at the African Union in 2005 and has hosted Turkey-Africa summits in Istanbul since 2008.
This growing involvement suggests that Turkey’s role in Africa is likely to last. It will depend on the continent’s market needs, especially at a time when many African countries are rethinking their relationships with traditional western powers and international institutions.
– Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa – what’s behind its bid for soft power – https://theconversation.com/turkey-is-stepping-up-its-influence-in-west-africa-whats-behind-its-bid-for-soft-power-256929
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that the government has drawn up plans to build tunnel projects worth Rs 2.5–3 lakh crore over the next 10 years as part of the country’s infrastructure development.
Speaking at the inauguration of the International Workshop on ‘Sustainable Tunnelling for Better Life’ at MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU), the minister said, “India is entering a golden era of infrastructure development, with tunnels playing a crucial role in connectivity, safety, and sustainability.”
Gadkari highlighted the need to reduce construction costs without compromising quality. “That means using new technologies and sustainable fuels like CNG, ethanol, hydrogen, and electric alternatives to diesel. We should also refurbish old tunnelling machines, import used ones from European countries like Austria, Norway, and Spain, and eventually manufacture our own,” he explained.
The minister pointed out that India’s geology varies by region, so research and training are essential. Industry experts and experienced engineers should guide students alongside faculty.
“My ministry is ready to support this initiative with equipment and training. Together, with innovation, research, and commitment, we can make India self-reliant in tunnelling technology and infrastructure development,” Gadkari said.
He also lauded MIT-WPU for taking the first step towards research in sustainable tunnelling technology, which is the need of the hour for a developing country like India.
Earlier, Gadkari inaugurated the International Workshop on ‘Sustainable Tunnelling for Better Life’ at MIT-WPU. The two-day event was organised in collaboration with the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association’s Committee on Education and Training (ITA-CET).
The workshop brought together global experts from India, Europe, the UK, and the US.
A key highlight of the event was the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Tunnelling and Underground Construction at MIT-WPU — India’s first-of-its-kind facility featuring a Tunnel Monitoring Laboratory and a Drilling and Blasting Laboratory. The Centre of Excellence, set up in collaboration with Sandvik and Tata Projects Ltd, aims to support advanced research and training in underground construction technologies.
The workshop featured technical sessions, keynote addresses, and panel discussions led by eminent experts such as Arnold Dix (Past President, International Tunnelling Association) and other noted figures in the field.
Dix said, “This Centre of Excellence is of global importance, as it addresses the disconnect between engineering expertise and practical skills. Too often, young workers are placed at risk because they lack the training needed to safely construct what has been so carefully designed.”
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has welcomed today’s announcements regarding the situation in Iran and stressed the need for a resumption of the IAEA’s indispensable safeguards verification work in the country following a 12-day military conflict that severely damaged several of its nuclear sites.
In a letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Abbas Araghchi, Director General Grossi also proposed that they meet soon.
“Resuming cooperation with the IAEA is key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities. I’ve written to Foreign Minister Araghchi stressing the importance of us working together and proposing to meet soon,” he said.
IAEA inspectors have remained in Iran throughout the conflict and are ready to start working as soon as possible, going back to the country’s nuclear sites and verifying the inventories of nuclear material – including more than 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60% – which they last verified a few days before the Israeli air strikes began on 13 June.
Even though the conflict interrupted safeguards inspections in the country, the IAEA has been closely monitoring the impact of the military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Arak, Esfahan, Fordow and Natanz as well as the possible consequences for human health and the environment, based on relevant information received from Iran’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
“As I have repeatedly stated – before and during the conflict – nuclear facilities should never be attacked due to the very real risk of a serious radiological accident,” Director General Grossi said.
“During these attacks, we have seen extensive damage at several nuclear sites in Iran, including its uranium conversion and enrichment facilities. Our assessment is that there has been some localized radioactive as well as chemical release inside the affected facilities that contained nuclear material – mainly uranium enriched to varying degrees – but there has been no report of increased off-site radiation levels,” he said.
Still, the IAEA is aware of concerns in the region regarding any radiological consequences as a result of the strikes on nuclear facilities.
“Based on the data available to us, the IAEA can provide assurances that there has been no radiological impact to the population and the environment in neighbouring countries. Crucially in terms of nuclear safety, Iran’s research and power reactors were not targeted,” Director General Grossi said.
In addition to the detailed assessment that Director General Grossi provided to the IAEA Board of Governors on Monday, the IAEA has identified additional impact points at nuclear sites at Fordow and Natanz as a result of strikes carried out before today’s announcements on the situation in Iran.
Regarding the additional strikes to Fordow that were reported early on Monday – after the U.S. bombing of the facility early on Sunday – the IAEA assesses that access roads close to the underground facility and one of its entrances were hit.
At Natanz, the IAEA has identified two impact holes from the U.S. strikes above the underground halls that had been used for enrichment as well as for storage. Based on its knowledge of what these halls contained, the IAEA assesses that this strike may have caused localized contamination and chemical hazards.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01), Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, released the following statement on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling.
“Three years ago today, the Supreme Court took the unprecedented step of stripping Americans of a constitutional right it had previously guaranteed, ending nearly 50 years of legal precedent by dismantling Roe v. Wade.
“Just last month, under the orders of Donald Trump, House Republicans voted to defund Planned Parenthood. The Big Ugly Bill he’s trying to force through Congress would block Medicaid reimbursements to its health centers and ban abortion coverage on ACA plans—moves that would create chaos in the insurance market. These policies would devastate access to care for over one million Medicaid recipients who rely on Planned Parenthood each year, slashing access to maternity care, birth control, cancer screenings, and more.
“This is only the latest attack. Over the past three years, 20 states have enacted abortion bans, leaving millions of people without access to essential care. And we’ve seen patients forced to travel hundreds of miles across state lines, facing delays and uncertainty. In my home state of Colorado—a critical haven for care in the Mountain West—we’ve seen one of the largest increases in out-of-state patients in the country. Our clinics are strained, providers are overwhelmed, and our constituents are facing longer wait times for basic reproductive care.
“As Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, I refuse to let this extremist vision go unchallenged. I’m proud to lead the fight in Congress to restore the protections of Roe through the Women’s Health Protection Act—a landmark bill that would ensure the right to abortion nationwide, regardless of your ZIP code.
“I stand with the majority of Americans who believe health care decisions should be made by patients and their doctors, not politicians, not judges, and not a radical minority trying to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. We will not stop until every person—no matter who they are or where they live—has the freedom to make their own reproductive health care decisions.”