Latest news with #BPS
Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sword attack at Brandon school racially motivated, police confirm
BRANDON — Police say a gruesome sword attack on a student at Neelin High School was part of a plot by the 16-year-old accused to target people of colour and immigrants. Brandon police Chief Tyler Bates said there is digital and eyewitness evidence that the accused was 'anti-immigration' and specifically targeted people of colour at the school June 10. A 15-year-old Black student was viciously assaulted. 'When you have an offender that is armed, that is walking past Caucasian students and having no intent to harm those students, but actively pursuing students of colour, you know that certainly speaks to a racialized motive,' Bates said Friday. On June 10, Chinonsu Onuke, 15, was rushed to hospital with stab wounds to his chest, forearms, hands and thighs after a fellow student allegedly stabbed him with a sword. Onuke is recovering with his family at home. Bates said it's still early in the investigation, but investigators have found a significant amount of evidence that the teen's 'racial and political ideologies' were motivating factors behind the attack. 'This is disturbing, and no one should ever fear for their safety because of the colour of their skin, and no child should be made to feel unsafe in a place of learning,' Bates said. 'There is no place in our community for racism, hate, or violence of any kind.' The 16-year-old remains in custody; he has been charged with attempted murder, uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and disguise with intent. Police gave an update on the investigation one day after Premier Wab Kinew went to Brandon to apologize in person to the victim and his family 'on behalf of the Indigenous people.' Multiple sources at Neelin High School have confirmed the accused is Indigenous. TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES Chinonso Onuke is held by close friend Leland Henderson and his twin brother Chiemeka during his first visit back to the school on Friday. TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES Chinonso Onuke is held by close friend Leland Henderson and his twin brother Chiemeka during his first visit back to the school on Friday. Police have said the assault was stopped before more people could be hurt. At the time, the school had gone into lockdown. Police arrived in about three minutes and used a stun gun to arrest the teen. Bates said he understands the community's concern and thanked people for their support. He said BPS is working diligently and making sure no detail is overlooked in the investigation. 'The mortal danger encountered at Neelin High School has affected us all, but has united Brandonites in resilience, kindness and opposition to racism and hatred,' he said. Bates said it's clear there is work to be done to ensure students' safety at school, and BPS will continue to work alongside partners in education, mental health and community organizations to keep schools safe and inclusive. In an interview with the Brandon Sun, Bates said no hate-related charges have been laid against the accused, and if the Crown attorneys decided to add them, it could take months. MATT GOERZEN / THE BRANDON SUN FILES Neelin High School Grade 10 student Chinonso Onuke, right, and his twin brother Chiemeka Onuke watch Premier Wab Kinew handle a Premier's Challenge Coin during a visit to the Onuke family home near Sprucewoods on Thursday. MATT GOERZEN / THE BRANDON SUN FILES Neelin High School Grade 10 student Chinonso Onuke, right, and his twin brother Chiemeka Onuke watch Premier Wab Kinew handle a Premier's Challenge Coin during a visit to the Onuke family home near Sprucewoods on Thursday. Bates said the accused is a 'youth in crisis' and needs help and support to get him into a healthy state of mind. 'There were many that were at risk that day just by virtue of their complexion, and that's a sad statement for that to have transpired in the city of Brandon and one that I think is a sobering reality that we have to be mindful of,' Bates said. In an email sent to parents, the Brandon School Division said it is 'profoundly troubled' by the finding that the attack was racially and politically motivated. 'The intentional targeting of individuals based on race is abhorrent and fundamentally contradicts the values, vision and mission of the division,' the email said. 'The severity and intent of this act will inevitably affect the overall sense of security within our community.' The division said that community and support resources, including school social workers and psychologists, will continue to be provided for students and staff, as well as additional crisis supports from Prairie Mountain Health. — Brandon Sun
Morocco World
2 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
African EnergyTech Company Eyes Expansion Into Moroccan Energy Market
Cape Town — African EnergyTech company, Beacon Power Services (BPS), is setting its sights on Morocco's evolving energy market, as the firm seeks to expand its grid management solutions across North Africa. Speaking to Morocco World News (MWN) on the sidelines of the Africa Energy Forum, taking place from July 17-20 in Cape Town, BPS founder and CEO Bim Adisa outlined his company's ambitions to enter the Moroccan market, citing recent changes in the North African country's utility sector as a key opportunity. Speaking of markets that the firm is working on getting into, Adisa said that one of the places his company is 'excited about and hopeful to have an opportunity with is Morocco.' 'We know there's been recent changes in Morocco with the utility space. We're excited to be a part of that and excited to have the opportunity to work with the regional utilities.' Strategic timing for Moroccan entry The company's interest in Morocco comes at a time when the North African country is undergoing significant transformations in its energy sector, including increased focus on renewable energy integration and grid modernization initiatives. According to Adisa, BPS's proven ability to help utility clients 'significantly improve their services, improve their customer experiences and ultimately drive revenue and reduce costs' positions the company as a potential partner for Moroccan utilities navigating these changes. Morocco's utility sector in transition With these ongoing developments, opportunities are abundant for technology companies specializing in utility optimization and grid management solutions. BPS's interest comes at a crucial time when Morocco is working to enhance its electrical grid infrastructure to accommodate growing renewable energy capacity and improve service delivery to consumers. The company's CEO believes that its expertise in addressing data reliability issues could prove valuable in Morocco's modernization efforts. Addressing Africa's grid data challenge The Nigerian-founded firm specializes in providing data and software solutions for electricity utilities across Africa, addressing a critical challenge that plagues power sectors continent-wide. 'Unfortunately, a lot of the utilities in Africa have unreliable data,' Adisa explained to MWN, pointing out that this is the core problem his company aims to solve. The company's approach involves comprehensive grid mapping and real-time monitoring systems. 'We basically help the electric utilities to map the grid. We help to clean up the data process, we map the grid, we map grid assets to buildings to create an accurate topology,' Adisa told MWN. Beyond basic mapping, BPS integrates artificial intelligence to provide predictive analytics capabilities. 'We incorporate AI to basically do things like predictive analytics to tell you when there's an outage, to tell you an outage before it occurs,' Adisa noted, focusing on the proactive nature of their solutions. Proven track record across six markets BPS specializes in providing data and software solutions for electricity utilities across Africa, addressing a critical challenge that plagues power sectors continent-wide. Currently operating in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Togo, and Zambia, with additional countries joining their portfolio, BPS has demonstrated measurable impact across diverse African markets. The company provides utilities with real-time visibility into both electricity flow and payment systems while tracking outages as they occur. 'This creates a lot of value for the utilities. It creates a lot of value for the customer base because essentially the utility becomes more efficient and the customer gets better services,' Adisa explained The company's CEO starkly stated the practical benefits of his firm. 'It's good to be able to see an outage and prevent it before it happens, so people don't end up in the dark.' As the Africa Energy Forum continues through June 20, companies like BPS represent the growing ecosystem of African-led technology solutions addressing the continent's energy challenges through innovation rather than traditional infrastructure approaches. Tags: Electric grid infratructureMigerian companyMorocco energy
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Nigerian Tech Company Eyes Expansion Into Moroccan Energy Market
Cape Town — Nigeria-founded tech company Beacon Power Services (BPS) is setting its sights on Morocco's evolving energy market, as the firm seeks to expand its grid management solutions across North Africa. Speaking to Morocco World News (MWN) on the sidelines of the Africa Energy Forum, taking place from July 17-20 in Cape Town, BPS founder and CEO Bim Adisa outlined his company's ambitions to enter the Moroccan market, citing recent changes in the North African country's utility sector as a key opportunity. Speaking of markets that the firm is working on getting into, Adisa said that one of the places his company is 'excited about and hopeful to have an opportunity with is Morocco.' 'We know there's been recent changes in Morocco with the utility space. We're excited to be a part of that and excited to have the opportunity to work with the regional utilities.' Strategic timing for Moroccan entry The company's interest in Morocco comes at a time when the North African country is undergoing significant transformations in its energy sector, including increased focus on renewable energy integration and grid modernization initiatives. According to Adisa, BPS's proven ability to help utility clients 'significantly improve their services, improve their customer experiences and ultimately drive revenue and reduce costs' positions the company as a potential partner for Moroccan utilities navigating these changes. Morocco's utility sector in transition With these ongoing developments, opportunities are abundant for technology companies specializing in utility optimization and grid management solutions. BPS's interest comes at a crucial time when Morocco is working to enhance its electrical grid infrastructure to accommodate growing renewable energy capacity and improve service delivery to consumers. The company's CEO believes that its expertise in addressing data reliability issues could prove valuable in Morocco's modernization efforts. Addressing Africa's grid data challenge The Nigerian-founded firm specializes in providing data and software solutions for electricity utilities across Africa, addressing a critical challenge that plagues power sectors continent-wide. 'Unfortunately, a lot of the utilities in Africa have unreliable data,' Adisa explained to MWN, pointing out that this is the core problem his company aims to solve. The company's approach involves comprehensive grid mapping and real-time monitoring systems. 'We basically help the electric utilities to map the grid. We help to clean up the data process, we map the grid, we map grid assets to buildings to create an accurate topology,' Adisa told MWN. Beyond basic mapping, BPS integrates artificial intelligence to provide predictive analytics capabilities. 'We incorporate AI to basically do things like predictive analytics to tell you when there's an outage, to tell you an outage before it occurs,' Adisa noted, focusing on the proactive nature of their solutions. Proven track record across six markets Currently operating in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Togo, and Zambia, with additional countries joining their portfolio, BPS has demonstrated measurable impact across diverse African markets. The company provides utilities with real-time visibility into both electricity flow and payment systems while tracking outages as they occur. 'This creates a lot of value for the utilities. It creates a lot of value for the customer base because essentially the utility becomes more efficient and the customer gets better services,' Adisa explained The company's CEO starkly stated the practical benefits of his firm. 'It's good to be able to see an outage and prevent it before it happens, so people don't end up in the dark.' As the Africa Energy Forum continues through June 20, companies like BPS represent the growing ecosystem of African-led technology solutions addressing the continent's energy challenges through innovation rather than traditional infrastructure approaches. Tags: Electric grid infratructureMigerian companyMorocco energy
India.com
3 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
8th Pay Commission BIG Update: Pensioners' Federation writes to Modi government, Panel likely to be formed by…, Finance Ministry to…
8th Pay Commission Latest Update New Delhi: In a major development, the Bharat Pensioners Samaj (BPS) has written to the Finance Minister and the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, calling for quick action on the 8th Central Pay Commission. The Bharat Pensioners Samaj (BPS) one of the oldest and largest federations representing pensioners and senior citizens. In the letter, the federation has appealed for early finalization of the Terms of Reference and prompt appointment of the chairman and members of the 8th CPC. Expressing concerns, the federation has said that the delay in fixing the ToR and the appointment of the chairman and members of the 8th CPC is creating an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty among the central government employees and pensioners. The letter written by the BPS reads, '…the lack of further progress — notably the non-finalization of the Terms of Reference and the absence of announcements regarding the Chairman and Members of the Commission- has led to growing unease.' 'The prolonged delay is fuelling rumours, speculations, and misunderstandings, causing anxiety and uncertainty among government pensioners. Unverified information circulating on various media and social platforms is creating confusion and adversely affecting morale.' The federation said, 'Given the criticality of the situation, we humbly request your good offices to kindly expedite the necessary steps.' These steps are as follows: Early finalization of the Terms of Reference (ToR), Prompt appointment of the Chairman and Members of the 8th CPC, and Ensuring representation of pensioners in the Commission. In the letter penned by Secretary General of BPS SC Maheshwari, the federation said that 'Clear and timely communication will not only dispel rumors and reassure stakeholders but will also facilitate the smooth and effective functioning of the Commission to deliver its recommendations on schedule.' Here are some of the important details: More than 1.2 crore central government employees and pensioners are eagerly awaiting the formation of the 8th Pay Commission Despite the government's approval on January 16, 2025, the Pay Commission has not been formally constituted. However, according to the reports, the Modi government is likely to form the panel soon. The ToR and the appointment of the chairman and other important members have also not yet been completed. The government on January 16 announced the approval of the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. The Pay Commission is scheduled to be implemented from January 1, 2026. A look at the process of the 7th commission revealed that it took an average of 2 to 2.5 years to prepare the report and implement it. Given the current circumstances, if the commission is constituted in late 2025 or early 2026, the report will be completed by 2027 or 2028.
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘Equitable and fair': BPS leaders weigh significant changes to exam school admissions policy
Related : Any change would require a vote by the board and would come about five years after the district completely overhauled admissions to the three schools: Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John D. O'Bryant School of Math and Science. Tuesday's presentation will lay out a timeline of community engagement throughout the summer followed by a potential superintendent recommendation and committee vote in the fall. The current policy was intended to make the exam schools more demographically similar to the city's schools as a whole. The three schools had long enrolled larger proportions of white, Asian, and non-low income students than the rest of the district. Advertisement 'The exam school admissions policies have been largely successful at making the student body at the exam schools more representative of our communities geographically, [in] racial and ethnic diversity and [in] socioeconomic background,' Mayor Michelle Wu said in an interview Tuesday, prior to the meeting. Advertisement But the policy has also resulted in large disparities in admission rate based on where students live in the city, she said. Some years, there were 100 percent admission rates in certain neighborhoods and less than 50 percent admission rates in others. The simulations outline potential policies that would preserve the socioeconomic tiers but ensure all students have a chance at an exam school seat, regardless of where they live or go to elementary school, Wu said. 'Every policy within BPS, we have to look at to make sure it's equitable and it's fair,' Superintendent Mary Skipper said. 'We want all students to see themselves in the exam schools.' The review of the exam school admissions policy comes a month after the Trump administration Related : 'We're aware of many lawsuits at this point that are happening around selective schools and in process,' Skipper said. 'This was in the courts [and] it came out that the process we've used at the time was considered valid.' The Supreme Court last year Under the district's current policy, Advertisement Applicants receive a composite score out of 100 based on their grades and entrance exam scores. Students can get 15 bonus points if they live in public housing, are homeless, or are in foster care, or a varying number of points if they attend schools where at least 40 percent of students are low-income. The school-based bonus points vary by tier from two points to 10. As part of the review, the district found bonus points have not had a significant impact on invitations, Skipper said, as most applicants attend BPS schools that get bonus points. All the simulations prepared for Tuesday's meeting eliminated the bonus points. Skipper said district staff would analyze versions with the bonus points in the future if the School Committee requests it, but they found the points make the policy more confusing, create a sense of competition between schools. They also have even created unattainable admissions cutoffs in some cases for students without bonus points. The idea of scaling the tiers by number of applicants, rather than the number of eligible students, is a frequent demand from some parents. The most affluent tiers have historically had the most applicants, but since all tiers get the same number of seats, admission is particularly competitive in those areas. New data released Tuesday show that distinction has faded somewhat, with application rates falling in Tier 4 (the wealthiest area), and rising in Tier 1 (the least affluent area). Still, the admission rate ranged from 59 percent in Tier 4 to 77 percent in Tier 1, and the minimum scores for Grade 7 admission remained significantly higher in Tier 4. Advertisement The latest year's data also showed fewer Black students earning admission than in the prior years. Skipper said district staff are still exploring the data for explanations. Related : Under the simulated policy that equalizes tiers based on applicant numbers, the admission rate would have been about two-thirds in each tier. Two simulations with different versions of a citywide pool of seats each result in the wealthier areas having the highest admission rate, around 70 percent. On the other hand, district leaders again rejected a different frequent request in Tuesday's presentation. School Committee member Brandon Cardet-Hernandez has repeatedly called on the district to abandon school-based bonus points and instead award bonus points based on individual students' socioeconomic status. In a memo for the committee, Skipper said individual bonus points are not feasible due to operational challenges and because some low-income students do not participate in programs used to determine eligibility for immigration status reasons. Wu and Skipper underscored in the interview that while the exam schools are highly-sought after and serve a large and growing proportion of the district's teenagers, they cannot be the only focus. 'The driving goal is for BPS to be the first choice for every family in the city of Boston, and that means making sure we have high quality student experience at seats in every high school,' Wu said. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at
