Beyond the Balance Sheet: How Data is Rewriting the Investment Playbook | Blog

For years, there has been some hope that inclusive credit fintechs—those targeting micro and small enterprises (MSEs) with responsible digital credit—would narrow the financial inclusion gap. The expectation was that they could outperform traditional microfinance institutions (MFIs) by being faster, cheaper, more scalable, and better equipped to serve hard-to-reach clients. While some success stories have […]

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Grove Woman Sentenced for Voluntary Manslaughter in Strangled Neighbor’s Death

Kellie Lee Crawford, 57, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for the voluntary manslaughter of her 70-year-old neighbor, Richard Strade, in Grove, Oklahoma. U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell imposed the sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2021, Crawford, under the influence of methamphetamine, struck Strade […]

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International observers to Romania’s repeat presidential election to hold press conference on Monday

BUCHAREST, 2 May 2025 – International election observers will hold a press conference to present their findings following the repeat presidential election in Romania. What: Who: When: Where: Registration: The international election observation is a joint mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA). […]

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AI and Media Freedom: OSCE Leaders Call for Vigilance on World Press Freedom Day

On May 2, 2025, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) marked World Press Freedom Day by highlighting the dual-edged impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on journalism and media freedom. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Braathu, issued a joint statement emphasizing […]

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Israel’s 77th Independence Day: A Nation in Mourning

On May 1, 2025, Israel marked its 77th Independence Day under a cloud of grief and uncertainty. While the blue and white flags fluttered across Tel Aviv and the familiar scent of barbecues filled the air, the celebrations were markedly subdued. The nation, still reeling from the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that resulted in […]

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Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Strikes Southern Chile and Argentina, Prompting Evacuations

A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 08:58 local time (12:58 GMT). The epicenter was located approximately 218 kilometers (135 miles) south of Puerto Williams, Chile, in the Drake Passage, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Despite its strength, […]

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WHO chief laments most disruptive cuts to global health funding ‘in living memory’

“We are living through the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He cautioned that abrupt withdrawals of funding are jeopardising hard-won medical progress, including efforts to combat tropical diseases, which are now re-emerging in some regions. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he told […]

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President Trump Cuts Federal Funding for NPR and PBS, Citing Bias

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on May 1, 2025, directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to eliminate all federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) by June 30. The order accuses both broadcasters of producing biased and partisan news coverage and mandates that affiliated stations cease […]

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Illinois Man Pleads Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Scheme

Ben Patrick Mullavey, a 66-year-old resident of Mechanicsburg, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to attempting to arrange the murder of a business associate in Florida. On April 30, 2025, Mullavey admitted to using interstate commerce facilities to commission a murder-for-hire, offering up to $10,000 for the killing. The plot was foiled when the intended hitman cooperated […]

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Afghanistan: Taliban restrictions on women’s rights intensify

The mission continued to receive reports that Afghan women are being denied the opportunity to join the workforce, are unable to access services without a male relative while girls are still deprived of their right to education. Since the Taliban took over the country from the democratically-elected Government in August 2021, women and girls have […]

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