Latest news with #Ammon
Ammon
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Ammon
Appeal from IOM employees to Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ammon News - In a decision marked by wisdom and national responsibility, employees of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Jordan have decided to cancel their planned protest scheduled for May 29 near the organization's headquarters in the Shmeisani district of Amman. This thoughtful decision was made in recognition of the sensitive and critical conditions currently facing the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and out of a strong commitment to national security and stability under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II. However, this decision does not imply silence or a relinquishing of rights. The employees have immediately reached out to the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, urging it to fulfill its responsibilities and urgently intervene with the management of IOM to ensure priority is given to the Jordanian employees' financial entitlements, which have been unjustifiably delayed. This delay has left many Jordanian families in dire financial circumstances. Reliable sources speaking to "Ammon" revealed concerning unfair practices by the organization's management, indicating preferential treatment of non-Jordanian employees due to personal or diplomatic ties with the organization's director or certain foreign ambassadors in Jordan. These favored employees received their financial entitlements swiftly, while their Jordanian colleagues continue to wait for months without any response. Moreover, "Ammon" has obtained official documents proving administrative interventions within the organization previously disrupted a vital reconstruction project for Gaza. These documents show that the official communication from the organization was initially rejected by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following direct intervention by "Ammon" to clarify the reasons for the rejection, the Ministry promptly corrected its stance and approved the project. This situation raises serious questions regarding the intentions and objectives of certain officials within the IOM in Jordan. These alarming developments require immediate and decisive action from Jordanian authorities to ensure justice, transparency, and the protection of the rights of Jordanian employees, and to hold accountable all those involved in these unacceptable violations.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Hampshire lawmakers to vote on deregulating cryptocurrency mining
If enacted, House Bill 639 would forbid state agencies and local officials from regulating cryptocurrency mining. (Photo by) A bill that has passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives and is set to be voted on by the state Senate Thursday would tie the hands of anyone trying to regulate cryptocurrency mining — a move heralded by libertarians and the crypto lobby but decried by environmentalists. When introducing the bill, Rep. Keith Ammon, a New Boston Republican and the bill's sponsor, said it would 'give confidence to the industry that we're not going to discriminate against them because it's happened in other states.' Ammon pointed to North Tonawanda, New York, which The Buffalo News reported in 2024 banned crypto mining for energy and noise concerns. If enacted, House Bill 639 would forbid state agencies and local officials from regulating cryptocurrency mining. It enshrines into law a protection for people to conduct in-home cryptocurrency mining. State agencies and local officials would be unable to ban cryptocurrency mining in their city, town, or elsewhere in the state under this bill. They would be unable to place sound limits on cryptocurrency mining, though miners would have to obey other sound ordinances. They also wouldn't be able to charge cryptocurrency miners additional money for any outsized impact they have on the electric grid. Finally, they'd be unable to prevent people from using cryptocurrency to buy or sell things. Cryptocurrency mining is the process of generating cryptocurrencies — which are digital assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin — using high-energy supercomputers. The computers essentially use trial and error until they've guessed the solution to a puzzle that unlocks the cryptocurrency from what is known as a blockchain. These virtual assets are often bought and sold for U.S. dollars or other currencies, making mining lucrative. Proponents of crypto hope it will one day be used as a regular currency, and some buyers and sellers have already adopted it as such. 'The benefit for projecting that we're friendly to mining is that it can help incentivize future generations,' Ammon said at a recent Senate hearing. 'We want to get out of this scarcity mindset that there's only a fixed pie of so much energy to go around.' Ammon — who said he owns digital assets himself and is the chair of the nonprofit New Hampshire Blockchain Council — dismissed environmental concerns about cryptocurrency's effect on the planet and electric grids. 'There's some folks that believe Bitcoin mining is gonna raise the oceans, we're all gonna drown, or we're gonna boil the seas or something like that,' he said. 'All this section does is prevent municipalities from discriminating against the energy use.' Ammon said this bill is based on the work of the Commission on Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets, which was established by former Gov. Chris Sununu to study regulations for these digital assets, as well as model legislation circulating in other states. That model legislation was created by a Mississippi-based industry group called Satoshi Action Fund. The group seeks to promote cryptocurrency nationwide and boasts on its website that its policies have been implemented in four states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, and Oklahoma. The Satoshi Action Fund was also a consultant to the governor's cryptocurrency commission. The bill also specifies that cryptocurrency mining and other operations are not considered securities or investment contracts. This has sparked concerns among regulators, including Katie Taylor, with the state Bureau of Securities Regulation, who said in a Senate hearing, 'It would prohibit the bureau's ability to protect New Hampshire investors.' The bill has also drawn the attention of environmentalists in New Hampshire and elsewhere. 'What this bill says is shocking,' Cathy Corkery, chapter director of the New Hampshire Sierra Club, said. 'It devalues and demotes communities from being able to zone and govern the enterprises within its own borders.' Corkery and her colleagues have several gripes with cryptocurrency mining. First, it's loud and usually runs 24/7, which in other communities has drawn intense ire from neighbors. It's highly energy intensive, so it causes carbon emissions and could become a strain on the electric grid. (Analysis from a Dutch doctoral student found that, as of May 2025, the electrical energy consumption of a single Bitcoin transaction is equivalent to that of an average U.S. household over 45.60 days.) And many operations use lots of water to cool down their equipment. (Another analysis from the same researcher found that an average Bitcoin transaction uses enough water to fill a small backyard swimming pool.) They're afraid this will raise utility bills and the hot water the facilities expel will hurt wildlife. 'The reality is that this isn't just some guy with a computer,' she said. 'These are supercomputers that suck up a lot of energy.' Corkery is concerned how this will impact climate change, the state's electrical grid, and quiet communities unaccustomed to loud industrial noise. Most of all, she dislikes how it hinders local government oversight. 'It takes away a town's sovereignty,' she said. 'And it says you must allow this in your town.' Corkery said she'd heard about this legislation in other states from her national partners and so 'had sort of an understanding of the experiences in other communities that had accepted this bill' before it came to New Hampshire. As such, the Granite State has garnered attention from people who have been fighting Satoshi Action Fund-endorsed legislation elsewhere. Cyndie Roberson, a founding member of the National Coalition Against Cryptomining, called New Hampshire's HB 639 'a boilerplate piece of legislation written by one of crypto mining's biggest lobbying firms' and said Satoshi Action Fund 'shoot(s) this legislation out shotgun approach across states.' She pointed to Arkansas, where Satoshi Action Fund was successful in enacting the policies, as 'a cautionary tale.' When Arkansas enacted the Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023 and a slew of crypto mines came to the state, it was met by intense uproar, Little Rock Public Radio reported. In an interview with CBS News, Gladys Anderson, who lived near a cryptocurrency mine in Bono, Arkansas, described the 24/7 sound of roughly 17,000 computer fans running in the mine 'like a form of military-grade torture.' In 2024, responding to the blowback, a bipartisan group of Arkansas lawmakers approved legislation to reverse the unconditional protections miners had from local government regulation. However, a federal judge ordered the state to pause that legislation because a provision of the bill bans foreign ownership of crypto mines (legislators were also worried about mines' potential ties to China), which may violate the 14th Amendment. 'My cautionary tale to legislators in New Hampshire who feel pressured to do this, it's a very hard bell to unring,' Roberson said. 'Once they pass this and it's a done deal, it's very difficult to get parts of it changed or repealed once it's in place.' Satoshi Action Fund did not respond to the Bulletin's request for comment and an interview. Corkery, with the Sierra Club, called Ammon's worries about cryptocurrency miners being discriminated against 'a farce.' 'He has no examples of it being discriminated against in New Hampshire,' she said. 'He characterizes this bill as a welcome sign for the cryptocurrency industry. This is not a welcome sign. This is a come-plow-through-our-state flag.'
Boston Globe
07-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
New Hampshire enacts law allowing state treasurer to invest in Bitcoin
'The whole point,' Ammon said, 'is the federal government is not managing fiscal policy, monetary policy well, and I don't expect them to do any better. It's going to get worse.' Advertisement This legislation will give the treasurer more options to diversify the state's investment portfolios and pursue returns that beat inflation, Ammon said. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'We'll see what she does with it,' he added. While several other states are New Hampshire is once again First in the Nation! 🎉 Just signed a new law allowing our state to invest in cryptocurrency and precious metals. — Governor Kelly Ayotte (@KellyAyotte) Dennis Porter, co-founder and CEO of Satoshi Action Fund — a Bitcoin policy group that produced model legislation that Ammon used to craft the version that New Hampshire adopted — said in a statement the state had just ' This law authorizes the state treasurer to invest up to 5 percent of public funds in digital assets held by a 'qualified custodian' that meets certain criteria spelled out in the law. Advertisement New Hampshire State Treasurer Monica I. Mezzapelle told The Boston Globe that her office may consider using money from certain state funds that have 'a more aggressive or long-term strategy' to invest in digital assets, but the volatility of such investments makes them unsuitable for funds the state uses to cover its ongoing expenses. Mezzapelle said the funds that might be a good fit for such aggressive investments currently total about $30 million, which means the state could invest up to about $1.5 million in digital assets — that said, there are no plans to buy cryptocurrency immediately. This law just adds digital assets and precious metals to an 'extensive' menu of authorized options, she said. Notably, a digital asset must have a market capitalization that averaged at least $500 billion in the preceding calendar year to qualify for state investment. That means Bitcoin, which has a market cap of roughly While proponents of the legislation cited the market cap threshold as a guardrail to ensure taxpayers won't be suckered by fad-fueled 'memecoins' and other especially risky investments, skeptics like Democratic Senator Cindy Rosenwald said the state was effectively 'picking winners and losers' by selecting the arbitrary threshold. Rosenwald told colleagues last week they shouldn't authorize the state treasurer to 'gamble' taxpayer money on a notoriously volatile digital currency. 'At a time when we're going to be making very difficult budget decisions driven by a shortage of available funds … I do not believe it is prudent to authorize legislation that could expose state and local finances to this level of risk and unpredictability,' she said. Advertisement But a couple of her GOP colleagues said they have full faith in Mezzapelle to consider the available options and make prudent investment decisions. 'I absolutely trust our treasurer … she's done such a great job investing our current funds,' said Senator Timothy P. Lang Sr. Senator Daniel E. Innis — who is also a professor at the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics — said he doesn't personally invest in Bitcoin and wouldn't advise others to do so. 'However, I think we need to trust the treasurer to do the right thing,' he said. 'These are folks who understand markets. They understand assets. They understand how to invest for the best return.' This article first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Steven Porter can be reached at
Ammon
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ammon
PM visits Awqaf Ministry, follows up on Hajj arrangements
Ammon News - Prime Minister Dr. Jafar Hassan is expected to visit the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Holy Places on Tuesday, according to Ammon's his visit, the Prime Minister will follow up on Hajj arrangements for this year.
Chicago Tribune
17-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Clean energy job program offers career options in Lake County; ‘The program was a blessing for me'
Richard Martinez-Messner of Waukegan concedes he has made some regrettable decisions in the past, but late last year — jobless with little more than some clothes to his name — he decided he was going to make the necessary changes to live a productive life. Walking into the offices of the Job Center of Lake County two weeks after his release from the Lake County jail, his life changed quickly. Martinez-Messner learned of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Waukegan Hub clean energy jobs training program. Completing the initial training as part of the first CEJA cohort of future clean energy workers in January, Martinez-Messner undertook advanced training as a building inspector. As he looked for a permanent job, Lake County Workforce Development offered him one within the CEJA plan. 'I jumped on it,' Martinez-Messner, 37, said. 'The program was a blessing for me. It was a paid training program that really helped. I walked out of jail on Christmas Eve with little more than the clothes on my back.' He was one of 13 members of the first CEJA Waukegan Hub cohort, which started its monthlong training on Jan. 6 in Waukegan, in pursuit of clean energy jobs and who are currently taking advanced courses or are part of the workforce helping the environment. Conceived in 2021 when Gov. JB Pritzker signed CEJA into law, Waukegan was designated one of 13 hubs in the state less than two years ago. Lake County Workforce Development, the College of Lake County and Community Works joined forces in August, receiving $4 million in grants. 'Each of us has our own strengths,' Richard Ammon, the college's executive director of workforce initiatives, said. Ammon said the school's $3.5 million portion of the grant will hopefully be replicated in the next two years. Yvette Ewing, the founder of Community Works, said she uses the resources of her facility for training, but she also recruits people for the program in a variety of ways. Workforce Development trains participants in basic skills of job-hunting and thriving in the workplace. Though some participants have tools to enter the workforce with a green job — some members of the first three cohorts are already in their new careers — Ammon said advanced training comes from the college teaching skills in electric vehicle maintenance, HVAC and home inspection. Designed to last four weeks, Ammon said all participants learn basic employment skills like being part of a team, communicating in the workplace, safety, CPR, basic first aid and a lot of emphasis on green energy workplaces. 'They'll learn basic construction skills, like using power tools and measuring tools, electric wiring like how to run conduit,' he said. 'The Bridge Program lays the foundation for clean energy jobs.' Community Works' responsibility is recruiting participants. Ewing said she is a navigator, working throughout the area at events and by invitation, letting people know about the CEJA Hub and what it offers. It not only puts people in green jobs, but also careers that provide a good lifestyle. Much of the work of the Bridge Program takes place at her facility. 'We help people remove barriers,' Ewing said. 'We help them upskill themselves. We can teach basic construction skills here. The older people teach the younger, and the younger people teach the older people some things, too. They also see people who look like them.' Martinez-Messner said he is working closely with the introductory or Bridge Program. He will teach it to either the May or June cohort. His days of making unwise decisions — often, he said, influenced by alcohol or other substances — are over. 'I'm helping people get jobs, and helping people not be in the place I was in,' he said. 'If you want to keep what you have, you have to give it away (to others). I want to help other people do well.' Though some people like Martinez-Messner are ready for a full-time 'upskilled' job, others like William Gist, 43, of Round Lake, another member of the first cohort, want to learn a new green skill. He is now enrolled in a three-semester program to learn how to work with electric vehicles. Previously a boxing coach, independent personal trainer and taking other jobs to pay his bills, Gist said he was drawn to the CEJA Hub because he wanted a career with a future. He likes working with engines, and was drawn to the electric vehicle program. 'I knew I didn't want a warehouse career,' he said. 'I like working with my hands. I've worked on motorcycles and am pretty good at it. I also knew I didn't want to be on a roof. This will make the world better for my children and grandchildren,' he added, saying he will help reduce the area's carbon footprint. So far, Ammon said 37 people have completed the first three cohorts, and eight more are in the fourth which finishes at the end of April. The other hubs are in Alton, Aurora, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago's South Side, Chicago's Southwest and West sides, Danville, Decatur, East St. Louis, Joliet, Peoria and Rockford.
