Latest news with #transparency
Sky News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Son of 1994 Chinook helicopter crash victim 'furious' as documents 'sealed for 100 years'
The son of a victim of the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash has called for "truth and transparency" after the Ministry of Defence dismissed demands for a judge-led public inquiry. Families of the 29 people who died in the disaster have vowed to press on with seeking a judicial review in the High Court over the MoD's decision. RAF Chinook ZD576 crashed on the Mull of Kintyre en-route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George in Scotland, killing all those on board, including 25 British intelligence personnel and four crew. A finding of gross negligence against the Chinook's pilots, Flight Lieutenants Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper, was overturned by the UK government 17 years later following a campaign by the families. The families launched legal action in a "letter before action" to the UK government, sent on 2 June - the 31st anniversary of the crash. They said they will now pursue a judicial review after the MoD rejected their demands for a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Andy Tobias, who was eight when his father Lt Col John Tobias died in the crash, told Sky News he and other relatives of the victims were "absolutely furious" to learn files have been sealed for 100 years. "All it's done is create a huge vacuum of suspicion regarding what's in those documents, and what does it mean about our fathers and our brothers who died in that crash," he said. "It feels very deceitful, it feels very unfair, and you don't lock stuff away unless there's something you really don't want people to know." Mr Tobias said he wants to know why his father boarded an aircraft that was not airworthy, adding: "All we're after is truth and transparency about the circumstances of that crash." He added: "My childhood was stolen from me because someone decided my dad and his colleagues should be put on a helicopter that was not fit for purpose. "The MoD had a duty of care to those on board, and they failed that catastrophically by making them fly in an unairworthy aircraft with well known and documented issues and by doing so they stole their right to life. "My mum, my brother, I and all the families deserve the truth and the MoD must repay the honour and integrity that those on board had shown in their years of service to their country." The families, who have formed the Chinook Justice Campaign, claim failing to order a public inquiry is a breach of the government's human rights obligations. Nicola Rawcliffe, whose brother Major Christopher Dockerty was killed in the crash, said she was "furious and disgusted" with the MoD's decision. "The MoD is continuing to deceive our families and disrespect our loved one's memories by claiming that the many previous inquiries investigated all the facts, but we now know the aircraft was not airworthy." She added: "My brother was only 33 years old. He gave his life in service of his country and all we have had in return is dishonesty, deception and disdain from the Ministry of Defence." An MoD spokesperson said the Mull of Kintyre crash was "a tragic accident" and "we understand that the lack of certainty about the cause of the crash has added to the distress of the families". "We provided a detailed and considered response to the pre-action protocol letter stating the reasons why we cannot accept the demand for establishing a new public inquiry," the spokesperson added. "It's unlikely that a public inquiry would identify any new evidence or reach new conclusions on the basis of existing evidence. "The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review."
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
David Crisafulli found to be ‘careless' in not declaring $200,000 in payments related to company he ran
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, was 'careless' in not declaring $200,000 in payments he made after a company he had run became insolvent, the state's parliamentary ethics committee has found. Crisafulli became sole director and chief executive of Southern Edge Training Solutions after losing his north Queensland seat at the 2015 election. The company had been financially stressed before he took over on 1 December 2015 and went into liquidation months after he left on 1 April 2016. After being re-elected in 2017, Crisafulli made three payments as a result of a claim of insolvent trading by liquidators: $80,000 on 12 March 2020, $60,000 on 30 July 2020 and $60,000 on 19 July 2021. He did not declare them on parliament's register of interests, though parliamentary rules required MPs to declare any liability worth over a threshold of $19,000 at the time. From October 2020 onwards, the threshold for declaration was $19,399. A report by the parliament's ethics committee, which is made up of three Labor and three Liberal National party MPs, was tabled on Friday. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The committee ruled the premier was 'careless in the discharge of his obligations as a member by not including the liability on the register of interests'. But it found that 'on balance, it did not have evidence to meet the threshold required to prove that the premier knowingly did not disclose the liability'. As a result, it found his non-disclosure was not a contempt of parliament. Crisafulli argued to the committee that he did not have a liability because no claim had been litigated, and asked for the complaint to be dismissed. But the committee determined that there was a liability as a result of an agreement 'which created a legally binding obligation to settle a debt'. It noted that he had not approached the clerk of the parliament for clarification of the rules. 'While I did receive legal counsel, in hindsight, it is clear to me I should have consulted with the clerk on this matter,' Crisafulli told the committee. 'If the committee decides I should have declared a liability, I can only apologise and assure the committee it was an honest mistake and by no means deliberate or knowing.' On Friday, the premier said he had 'acted in good faith'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'The report is very definitive. It has cleared me. There was no further actions,' he said. Crisafulli did not answer a series of questions about how he made the $200,000 payments and whether anyone had assisted him. 'This was subject to this analysis, and I have met my obligations. And a bipartisan committee has shown that,' he said. The deputy Labor leader, Cameron Dick, referred Crisafulli to the ethics committee on 22 October last year, four days before the state election. On Friday, Dick said: 'David Crisafulli has been saying over and over that he has complied with his obligations. Well, he did not, and that is in black and white in this report today.' The report says that the payments did not create any conflict of interest or the perception of any on the part of the premier, and that assessing the matter was a 'novel issue' involving 'ambiguity in the definition of liability'. Crisafulli was the subject of an earlier ethics inquiry, in April 2020, between the first and second payments. He was late to disclose interests as director and secretary of Revalot Pty Ltd. The committee 'determined these failures were not undertaken knowingly'. Southern Edge Training Solutions, which traded as SET Solutions, taught a range of training courses. Based in Melbourne, it went into voluntary liquidation on 30 June 2016. Crisafulli has repeatedly said he only joined the company after being assured that there would be an imminent capital injection to keep it afloat. The committee recommended that no further action be taken.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Morningstar's CEO Kunal Kapoor on Private Assets and ‘Extracting Gold'
Morningstar's CEO Kunal Kapoor has come a long way since he started at the company as a data analyst in 1997, when he compiled data on mutual funds — sometimes with the help of a fax machine. Today, the Chicago-based firm has become one of the premier data providers on the planet and even offers indexed products, technology and robo-advice for retirement savers. 'My job was basically entering data,' he said. 'Believe it or not, at that time, it was like extracting gold.' The problem was a lack of transparency around mutual funds, where even compiling information from public documents, like yields and total net assets from fund companies, was a challenge. 'Today, we sort of take it for granted, which is awesome.' READ ALSO: Succession Planning Vacuum Risks Alienating RIA Clients, Next-Gen Leaders and Family Offices Explore Private Credit as Private Equity Returns Stall Over the past eight years at the helm, Kapoor has helped the company expand its workforce to over 10,000 employees and boost its stock price more than threefold. Next up is tackling the private marketplace and creating a 'common language' for advisors and investors to research both public and private investments using the same yardstick. 'The private equity and private credit industry is not ready for that level of transparency, even as they have an interest in reaching investors' he said. 'Ultimately, they are going to come around to the view that they have to make it simpler.' Kapoor chatted with Advisor Upside during Morningstar's Investment Conference held annually in Chicago. What's your take on the massive public-private market convergence? The public markets will remain the mainstay for most investors. [Private markets] have to adopt a framework that'll allow for easier transactions and for lower costs. Do I think what exists today for advisors is best in class? No. Do I think that because advisors are starting to get more heavily involved in the space, it's going to lead to better products, and lower-cost products, and more transparency? Yes. It's a journey, as with all things. What shouldn't be lost is that there's a really important reason why it's happening: The number of companies that are private has increased. The amount of debt being issued in private markets — outside of the money center banks — is increasing, and so as an investor, you have some clear ability to think about that in terms of how you're building exposure to your portfolio. The truth is more Americans than ever work for companies that are backed by PE. And so, they're partly more familiar, and want to invest in these companies, because they're part of that ecosystem. It used to be that not everybody would get equity and get to participate in its success, but that model has been changing. How should advisors be thinking about deploying these funds in client portfolios? Let's think about it in the context of your 401(k) or mine. Those are elongated assets that are unlikely to get touched for an extended period. So I would say that you could have a higher exposure in that type of vehicle. That's what all the non-profits and universities and endowments do as well, right? Those are long-dated assets. For shorter-term liquidity needs, let's say our emergency six-month fund, it shouldn't have any assets because you should not have any volatile assets in those. So it's thinking about that scale. The other thing I would just point out is this is new and the lack of liquidity is something that investors have to take into consideration. For investors or advisors who've never been in this space, I do think that inching into it is really important, versus kind of plunging. You really need to understand how your clients are going to react to having something that does not have immediate liquidity available to them. What's one issue that's not getting enough attention? One thing that doesn't get talked about enough is that returns have been incredibly strong for the past two to three decades — and that's led to easier conversations with clients. It's also led to easier prospecting and it's largely led to growth in assets. Our data would suggest, and our forecast suggests, that market returns in most asset classes will moderate in the years ahead. I think that is a real challenge, and it's partly because the belief has been out there for a while, but the reality is, the markets have continued to fight the odds. So it's easy to take it with a grain of salt, I guess. But it's always good to be thoughtful around: What if returns are not what they were, how would you as an advisor run your business, manage your clients and prospect for new clients in that type of environment? We've just had such a big run, but the long and short of it is, if you believe in long-term market averages, the US has been above those averages for so long. And there have been many reasons for that, including a period of extended low interest rates. Growth and profits in some companies have hit extraordinary levels, and I think there's just a question about whether they will kind of normalize to historical levels. It's our belief that they will. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive financial advisor news, market insights, and practice management essentials, subscribe to our free Advisor Upside newsletter. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lansing City Council At-Large Candidate: Nick Pigeon
Here are the responses from Lansing At-Large Candidate 2025 Nick Pigeon to the 6 News Pre-Primary Candidate Questionnaire. Mr. Pigeon did not provide any social media links or a website, as the questionnaire requested. I am a lifelong Michigander living on Lansing's Eastside. As the son of a separated autoworker and teacher, my family faced housing and food insecurity during the 2008 financial crisis. That experience led me to get involved in my community, volunteering and organizing campaigns to make government more responsive to working families. Organizing and working for change early in life inspired me to return to Michigan State University to study Public Policy so I could make a bigger difference. Time and time again, I saw the political leaders I worked for leaving people like me behind. That realization drove me to become the Executive Director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN), a 28-year-old nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about the influence of money in politics. During my time at MCFN, I served as a watchdog over Michigan's elected officials, testified before the Michigan Legislature in support of stronger ethics and transparency, and routinely collaborated with Michigan's top journalists to help them craft stories about campaign finance. I worked diligently to shine a light on the corruption created by weak campaign finance laws and the lack of accountability among state elected officials in Lansing. When my partner and I decided to buy our first home, we chose Lansing because of the tight-nit community and niche groups we became a part of. We believe Lansing is in the perfect position to be a city where someone can grow a family and/or themselves and flourish. From local arts, businesses, to sports and outdoor recreation, Lansing is a medium sized city with a lot to offer. But we began asking ourselves a question I have heard echoed from many others since I have been knocking door-to-door since January: with the amount of taxes/rent we pay without many of the same services cities around us receive, will we want to stay in the city or be forced to move somewhere else when we grow our family and ourselves? Not being able to answer that question without an unequivocal 'yes' made me want to act. I want Lansing to be a place people move to and stay. That starts with making it easier for citizens to interact with city departments, delivery of city services, and giving back to the neighborhoods. A bustling downtown is an important part of the future of the city, but many who live here value their local neighborhood and feel they haven't seen a return on their investment in a long time. I believe I can be a member of the city council with a different perspective and offer leadership that can't be bought. Unfortunately, the City Council's ability to govern the day-to-day operations of the city is much weaker than I would like it to be. When I, like many others, voted for a City Charter review, we were hoping that there would be a major power shift away from the mayor to council. Even if we didn't move from a strong mayor system to a city manager, I would have hoped for moving some operational roles under the purview of council. That being said, City Council governance starts with amending and passing the mayor's proposed budget. We set the direction of the city and its priorities for the coming year in the budget. It is up to Council to be as restrictive and conditional as it can within the budget, so the mayor keeps in line with its priorities as they execute the city's operations. The City Council then can vote on ordinances that impact many things in the city, including zoning and regulations. Above all, each City Council member must be an advocate for the constituents that they represent. As an At-Large Council member, I will ensure the budget is aligned with what the community needs and not what is politically convenient. I'll advocate for transparency in our decision-making process and be a voice for our underserved communities. City Council has recently expanded what is allowable to be zoned as housing as recent as this month. From co-ops to boarding houses, we are joining other cities who are facing the same shortages in allowing for new and novel ways for people to live in the city. This is a crucial first step, and we need to educate and help residents adopt these new dwellings to help quickly expand the housing stock. I have spoken to many people who would like to build equity in Lansing, especially younger people, but a single-family home is out the question for now. We also must act much quicker to bring our red-tagged properties up to code so that they can become a part of our housing stock. That includes putting pressure on corporations and landlords to keep their properties up to code and face penalties when they remain red-tagged and they do not make tenants aware. Landlords must bear the burden for when a property becomes unsuitable for a tenant living there. In speaking to people across the community, I have heard much better rental stories from small landlords who own a few properties in the city, usually right on their own street. We need to incentivize residents with a dwelling in Lansing to buy property before large corporations and landlords buy them all up. That's just it—communicate your perspective to the public. We haven't seen some members At-Large be very communicative to the public, either through constituent relations or through the media. It is healthy to have public discourse in local government, so people understand the different perspectives in an issue. Many issues that City Council faces are not black and white, they are nuanced and hard to understand. When we allow citizens to understand the negotiation before the vote takes place, it gives them a better understanding. It is also important to allow for disagreements to be made without criticizing colleagues' character or then opposing them on other unrelated issues. Much of Lansing's City Council is controlled by a strong power center of campaign donors and power players. We should allow other perspectives to be represented on the council, too, and I will be the transparent advocate for the people of Lansing, not the special interests and politically connected. I have worked to make our state legislature more transparent and helped explain complicated issues to the public during my former role, and I will continue to do that work for the people of Lansing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
National Post
20 hours ago
- Business
- National Post
Meadowbank Strategic Partners Inc. Launches Refreshed Website and Introduces Answir™ the AI-Powered Investor Chatbot Agent for IR
Article content CALGARY, Alberta — Meadowbank Strategic Partners Inc. ('Meadowbank'), a Calgary-based consultancy providing scalable investor relations ('IR') solutions to an international client roster, is pleased to announce the launch of its refreshed website at Featuring Meadowbank's classic green, white and black colour scheme and other brand elements, the redesigned platform offers an intuitive, user-friendly experience tailored to the needs of its current and prospective clients, strategic partners, media, and other visitors. Article content The Meadowbank Method TM Article content The updated website showcases Meadowbank's unique approach to serving companies and is highlighted by The Meadowbank Method TM – a systematic, research-driven framework developed by the consultancy – to strengthen credibility, increase transparency, and create long-term value. This is complemented by The Meadowbank Matrix TM, which is an analytical diagnostic tool used to assess a company's current IR capabilities and pinpoint opportunities for improvement. These tools work in tandem to create a plan for each corporate client, offering both strategic direction and operational insight for Meadowbank's scope of direct and indirect IR services. Article content Management Commentary 'Our website redesign is more than an aesthetic upgrade,' said Nick Kuzyk, Principal & Owner of Meadowbank. 'It reflects how we empower publicly traded companies to communicate more clearly and confidently with their investors by using frameworks like The Meadowbank Method TM and The Meadowbank Matrix TM. Our unique tools help unlock IR potential in a way that builds trust and drives strategic value.' 'Our new online presence also provides more fulsome information regarding the firm's eight total practice areas — IR, Business Development, Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, Due Diligence, Governance, M&A, and Strategy,' added Mr. Kuzyk. Article content Introducing Answir TM – the AI-Powered Investor Chatbot Agent for the IR Industry Article content Another recent innovation from Meadowbank is the development of Answir TM – an AI-powered agent and dashboard purpose-built to support investors and companies alike – and the associated launch of Leveraging current conversational AI technology, Answir TM aims to help corporate clients provide investors, lenders, media, employees and other stakeholders with timely responses to inquiries regarding its previous public disclosures, on a 24/7 basis. By analyzing a broad set of information including, but not limited to, company website information, presentations, financial statements, press releases, stock data and regulatory disclosures, Answir TM is continuously evolving to provide users with more accurate responses on-demand. Article content The Answir TM platform is currently being tested by multiple third-party companies with commercialization expected in the near future. The AI-powered agent and associated client dashboard are poised to transform traditional IR workflows by reducing manual responses, reviving historical content, and ultimately improving investor engagement and satisfaction with a company's IR function. Interested parties can keep up with our progress by subscribing to the Answir TM mailing list. Article content People are also welcome to join Meadowbank's mailing list in order to receive ongoing updates featuring IR insights, industry developments, helpful tools and firm announcements. Article content About Meadowbank Article content Meadowbank Strategic Partners Inc. is a Calgary-based consultancy providing scalable investor relations ('IR') solutions to an international roster of clients. Founded in 2006 and re-launched in 2020 in its current form, the firm supports public and private companies across eight total practice areas – IR, Business Development, Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, Due Diligence, Governance, M&A, and Strategy. Meadowbank is committed to delivering high-impact services in alignment with its five core values. For more information, please visit or follow Meadowbank on social media via LinkedIn or X. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts
