Latest news with #FFG
Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Forbes Family Group wants to give everyone a leg-up
'I have such impostor syndrome sitting at those tables,' Danielle Forbes says, putting a hand to her chest. 'The other day we were leaving Soho House after an event and I saw [the comedian] Judi Love. I couldn't believe she was there. I'm such a massive fan. And then she said, 'Oh my God, it's Danielle from FFG!', and I couldn't believe she knew who I was. I nearly passed out.' You might not know who Danielle Forbes is, but plenty of others do. The joint chief executive of the Forbes Family Group (FFG) is perhaps better known as the wife of Dean Forbes, a multimillionaire recently named the most influential black person in the UK, knocking the former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful off the top of the Powerlist 2025. 'I feel that a lot. I think, how do you know me?' she says. 'But it's those rooms we are creating, it's becoming so much bigger, and people are watching and wanting to be in those rooms.' Those rooms are the events that Danielle creates with her co-chief executive, Davina Forbes-Williamson, Dean's cousin. Danielle, who is softly spoken, perhaps a bit shy, is behind FFG's charitable giving — more than £1.7 million since 2020 — while Davina, the co-founder of a talent search agency, is eloquent and punchy, an obvious businesswoman to spear their networking events. Together, FFG covers donations, business events for underrepresented communities and glitzy fundraising galas with Idris Elba and Rio Ferdinand as guests. FFG was sparked by lockdown. 'We were queueing up to get necessities and we thought how difficult this must be for single mums, for those without much money,' Danielle says. Dean had worked his way out of poverty, making his fortune in private equity. They were doing very well, so decided they wanted to give back. 'Growing up in single-parent households,' she continues, 'that was something that was dear to our hearts.' Dean was raised on a housing estate in Catford, southeast London, caring for his siblings and mother, who has muscular dystrophy, while Danielle's mother was also on her own, looking after three daughters on a council estate in Battersea. 'We didn't have much money. I felt I didn't have what other kids have.' That's very much not the case for their three children. Danielle met Dean when they were 18, when he was trying (and failing) to make a career as a footballer. Danielle owned her own flat and car, and had a job as an executive assistant. 'I didn't mind, but he felt insecure about it. But it worked. We fell in love very young and we didn't have very much, which is why it's so important to give back now that we can.' Giving back tends to focus on personal causes such as raising awareness around leukaemia, which one of their twin daughters was diagnosed with when she was two. 'It was a horrible time: she was in hospital for a year, and had chemo and many blood transfusions.' The experience showed Danielle that there is a particular lack of awareness around blood donations among the Afro-Caribbean community. 'We donated to the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust for years, but starting FFG was a game-changer.' Last year's FFG gala raised £435,000 for it in one night. Other charities they support include Power the Fight, a community programme to end youth violence (a particular problem where Dean grew up), and Mentivity, which provides mentoring and holiday clubs for underprivileged children. • How more of us are leaving £1m gifts to charity Davina is passionate about the business side of things; she has acted as an unofficial career coach to Dean over the years. 'When football wasn't working out I told him to get a job,' she says cheerfully. She now focuses on FFG's investment and connection programmes, aimed at underrepresented entrepreneurs, mostly people of colour. 'It's about socioeconomic disparity and lack of access,' she says. 'We'd spent years acting as mentors to family friends needing advice. We wanted to do that for more people and provide wider access to our networks.' They started organising Radar events, inviting prominent people such as the technology millionaire Duane Jackson and the software chief executive Elona Mortimer-Zhika to speak on stage and then network with the audience for two hours afterwards. They have also launched a pitching programme, where applicants are guided by industry bigwigs and the winners are awarded £45,000 investment between them for their fledgling businesses — a sort of kinder version of The Apprentice. Really it's about connecting people, facilitating the kind of advice and mentorship that's usually the reserve of the privileged. 'We know the value of having people around who can support you, inspire you, give you a kick up the bum,' Davina says. 'At the core we are family, and we know how much that support means.'
Egypt Independent
14-04-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
North Korea is making what could be its largest, most advanced warship ever, new satellite photos show
Seoul, South Korea CNN — New satellite images show what could be North Korea's biggest warship ever – possibly more than double the size of anything in leader Kim Jong Un's naval fleet. Images taken by independent satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction in the water at the Nampo shipyard on North Korea's west coast, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the capital Pyongyang. Analysts say the pictures show ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is likely a guided-missile frigate (FFG) designed to carry missiles in vertical launch tubes for use against targets on land and sea. 'The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,' an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. For comparison, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are about 505 feet long and its under-construction Constellation-class frigates will be 496 feet long. The existence of the warship is not a surprise. The Kim regime has been engaged in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States. It's done that despite United Nations sanctions that have puts strict limits on its access to the materials and technology to develop those weapons. But the closer ties with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war could be helping North Korea overcome the UN sanctions, analysts say. Kim Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral, said he thinks Moscow may be providing the technology for the frigate's missile systems. Pictures of the vessel appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year on the ruling Workers' Party's end-of-year plenary session. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship's construction. An image from Korean Central Television shows leader Kim Jong Un checking the work on a new warship late last year. Korean Central TV The images in the KCTV video show the warship could have the kind of weaponry possessed by modern navies, including vertical launch cells that could be used to fire a variety of missiles. Analysts also noted the ship seems to be set up to have phased-array radar, which can track threats and targets more quickly and accurately than previously displayed North Korean capabilities. Despite those indications of advanced warfighting abilities, analysts urged caution in making assumptions. The challenge of building warships Almost any shipbuilder can get the hull and propulsion systems right, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst. 'However, modern warships represent an integration challenge of communications, electronics, weapons, and both electronic and acoustic sensor technologies' that is not so easily achieved, he said. In an interview with CNN in March, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to build an advanced warship, or the infrastructure to support it. 'Operating such a big military warship takes significant amount of budget. They not only have to build a warship, but make a team that would operate it, and it costs to operate it including the equipment and fuel. Also, one huge warship cannot go out on its own. So the question is, can North Korea afford the cost?' he said. Kim, the retired South Korean admiral, was cautious on not underestimating what the final product may look like, especially its lethality. 'If North Korea equips the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile it claimed to have successfully tested in January, that will cause a game changing impact in the regional security,' the former naval officer said. After reviewing the satellite images for CNN, Schuster said it's likely a year or more of work remains before the new North Korean warship can begin sea trials. 'This ship's construction is being delayed by the lack of the superstructure, sensor and weapons systems intended for installation,' he said. North Korea's aged fleet North Korea's navy has about 400 patrol combatants and 70 submarines, according to the most recent estimate from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a 2021 report. Though that's a large number of vessels, most of them are old and small. Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a January blog post that Pyongyang has only two principal surface combatants. Those Najin-class frigates – 1,600-ton warships dating to the early 1970s – are obsolete, he wrote. The DIA report said the North Korean navy would largely be reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both of which have vastly superior naval forces. But North Korean leader Kim has been pushing to modernize his naval fleet. It is also developing submarine-launched missiles and the subs to carry them. In September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port. 'Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored at the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,' he said at the time. Yu Yong-won, a South Korean lawmaker, said the ship under construction at the Nampo yard is only one example of Kim trying to modernize his navy. A nuclear-powered submarine is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or destroyer is in the works in Chongjin, Yu said.
Saudi Gazette
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
North Korea is making what could be its largest, most advanced warship ever
SEOUL — New satellite images show what could be North Korea's biggest warship ever – possibly more than double the size of anything in leader Kim Jong Un's naval fleet. Images taken by independent satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction in the water at the Nampo shipyard on North Korea's west coast, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the capital Pyongyang. Analysts say the pictures show ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is likely a guided-missile frigate (FFG) designed to carry missiles in vertical launch tubes for use against targets on land and sea. 'The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,' an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. For comparison, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are about 505 feet long and its under-construction Constellation-class frigates will be 496 feet long. The existence of the warship is not a Kim regime has been engaged in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United done that despite United Nations sanctions that have puts strict limits on its access to the materials and technology to develop those the closer ties with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war could be helping North Korea overcome that sanctions, analysts Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral, said he thinks Moscow may be providing the technology for the frigate's missile of the vessel appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year on the ruling Workers' Party's end-of-year plenary session. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship's images shown in the KCTV video show the warship could have the kind of weaponry possessed by modern navies, including vertical launch cells that could be used to fire a variety of also noted the ship seems to be set up to have phased-array radar, which can track threats and targets more quickly and accurately than previously displayed North Korean those indications of advanced warfighting abilities, analysts urged caution in making any shipbuilder can get the hull and propulsion systems right, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst.'However, modern warships represent an integration challenge of communications, electronics, weapons, and both electronic and acoustic sensor technologies' that is not so easily achieved, he an interview with CNN in March, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to build an advanced warship, or the infrastructure to support it.'Operating such a big military warship takes significant amount of budget. They not only have to build a warship, but make a team that would operate it, and it costs to operate it including the equipment and fuel. Also, one huge warship cannot go out on its own. So the question is, can North Korea afford the cost?' he the retired South Korean admiral, was cautious on not underestimating what the final product may look like, especially its lethality.'If North Korea equips the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile it claimed to have successfully tested in January, that will cause a game changing impact in the regional security,' the former naval officer reviewing the satellite images for CNN, Schuster said it's likely a year or more of work remains before the new North Korean warship can begin sea trials.'This ship's construction is being delayed by the lack of the superstructure, sensor and weapons systems intended for installation,' he Korea's navy has about 400 patrol combatants and 70 submarines, according to the most recent estimate from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a 2021 that's a large number of vessels, most of them are old and Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a January blog post that Pyongyang has only two principal surface combatants. Those Najin-class frigates – 1,600-ton warships dating to the early 1970s – are obsolete, he DIA report said the North Korean navy would largely be reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both of which have vastly superior naval North Korean leader Kim has been pushing to modernize his naval fleet. It is also developing submarine-launched missiles and the subs to carry September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port.'Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored at the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,' he said at the Yong-won, a South Korean lawmaker, said the ship under construction at the Nampo yard is only one example of Kim trying to modernize his navy.A nuclear-powered submarine is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or destroyer is in the works in Chongjin, Yu said. — CNN
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea is making what could be its largest, most advanced warship ever, new satellite photos show
New satellite images show what could be North Korea's biggest warship ever – possibly more than double the size of anything in leader Kim Jong Un's naval fleet. Images taken by independent satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction in the water at the Nampo shipyard on North Korea's west coast, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the capital Pyongyang. Analysts say the pictures show ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is likely a guided-missile frigate (FFG) designed to carry missiles in vertical launch tubes for use against targets on land and sea. 'The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,' an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. For comparison, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are about 505 feet long and its under-construction Constellation-class frigates will be 496 feet long. The existence of the warship is not a surprise. The Kim regime has been engaged in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States. It's done that despite United Nations sanctions that have puts strict limits on its access to the materials and technology to develop those weapons. But the closer ties with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war could be helping North Korea overcome that sanctions, analysts say. Kim Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral, said he thinks Moscow may be providing the technology for the frigate's missile systems. Pictures of the vessel appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year on the ruling Workers' Party's end-of-year plenary session. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship's construction. The images shown in the KCTV video show the warship could have the kind of weaponry possessed by modern navies, including vertical launch cells that could be used to fire a variety of missiles. Analysts also noted the ship seems to be set up to have phased-array radar, which can track threats and targets more quickly and accurately than previously displayed North Korean capabilities. Despite those indications of advanced warfighting abilities, analysts urged caution in making assumptions. Almost any shipbuilder can get the hull and propulsion systems right, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst. 'However, modern warships represent an integration challenge of communications, electronics, weapons, and both electronic and acoustic sensor technologies' that is not so easily achieved, he said. In an interview with CNN in March, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to build an advanced warship, or the infrastructure to support it. 'Operating such a big military warship takes significant amount of budget. They not only have to build a warship, but make a team that would operate it, and it costs to operate it including the equipment and fuel. Also, one huge warship cannot go out on its own. So the question is, can North Korea afford the cost?' he said. Kim, the retired South Korean admiral, was cautious on not underestimating what the final product may look like, especially its lethality. 'If North Korea equips the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile it claimed to have successfully tested in January, that will cause a game changing impact in the regional security,' the former naval officer said. After reviewing the satellite images for CNN, Schuster said it's likely a year or more of work remains before the new North Korean warship can begin sea trials. 'This ship's construction is being delayed by the lack of the superstructure, sensor and weapons systems intended for installation,' he said. North Korea's navy has about 400 patrol combatants and 70 submarines, according to the most recent estimate from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a 2021 report. Though that's a large number of vessels, most of them are old and small. Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a January blog post that Pyongyang has only two principal surface combatants. Those Najin-class frigates – 1,600-ton warships dating to the early 1970s – are obsolete, he wrote. The DIA report said the North Korean navy would largely be reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both of which have vastly superior naval forces. But North Korean leader Kim has been pushing to modernize his naval fleet. It is also developing submarine-launched missiles and the subs to carry them. In September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port. 'Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored at the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,' he said at the time. Yu Yong-won, a South Korean lawmaker, said the ship under construction at the Nampo yard is only one example of Kim trying to modernize his navy. A nuclear-powered submarine is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or destroyer is in the works in Chongjin, Yu said.
CNN
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
North Korea is making what could be its largest, most advanced warship ever, new satellite photos show
New satellite images show what could be North Korea's biggest warship ever – possibly more than double the size of anything in leader Kim Jong Un's naval fleet. Images taken by independent satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction in the water at the Nampo shipyard on North Korea's west coast, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the capital Pyongyang. Analysts say the pictures show ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is likely a guided-missile frigate (FFG) designed to carry missiles in vertical launch tubes for use against targets on land and sea. 'The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,' an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. For comparison, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are about 505 feet long and its under-construction Constellation-class frigates will be 496 feet long. The existence of the warship is not a surprise. The Kim regime has been engaged in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States. It's done that despite United Nations sanctions that have puts strict limits on its access to the materials and technology to develop those weapons. But the closer ties with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war could be helping North Korea overcome that sanctions, analysts say. Kim Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral, said he thinks Moscow may be providing the technology for the frigate's missile systems. Pictures of the vessel appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year on the ruling Workers' Party's end-of-year plenary session. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship's construction. The images shown in the KCTV video show the warship could have the kind of weaponry possessed by modern navies, including vertical launch cells that could be used to fire a variety of missiles. Analysts also noted the ship seems to be set up to have phased-array radar, which can track threats and targets more quickly and accurately than previously displayed North Korean capabilities. Despite those indications of advanced warfighting abilities, analysts urged caution in making assumptions. Almost any shipbuilder can get the hull and propulsion systems right, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst. 'However, modern warships represent an integration challenge of communications, electronics, weapons, and both electronic and acoustic sensor technologies' that is not so easily achieved, he said. In an interview with CNN in March, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to build an advanced warship, or the infrastructure to support it. 'Operating such a big military warship takes significant amount of budget. They not only have to build a warship, but make a team that would operate it, and it costs to operate it including the equipment and fuel. Also, one huge warship cannot go out on its own. So the question is, can North Korea afford the cost?' he said. Kim, the retired South Korean admiral, was cautious on not underestimating what the final product may look like, especially its lethality. 'If North Korea equips the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile it claimed to have successfully tested in January, that will cause a game changing impact in the regional security,' the former naval officer said. After reviewing the satellite images for CNN, Schuster said it's likely a year or more of work remains before the new North Korean warship can begin sea trials. 'This ship's construction is being delayed by the lack of the superstructure, sensor and weapons systems intended for installation,' he said. North Korea's navy has about 400 patrol combatants and 70 submarines, according to the most recent estimate from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a 2021 report. Though that's a large number of vessels, most of them are old and small. Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a January blog post that Pyongyang has only two principal surface combatants. Those Najin-class frigates – 1,600-ton warships dating to the early 1970s – are obsolete, he wrote. The DIA report said the North Korean navy would largely be reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both of which have vastly superior naval forces. But North Korean leader Kim has been pushing to modernize his naval fleet. It is also developing submarine-launched missiles and the subs to carry them. In September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port. 'Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored at the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,' he said at the time. Yu Yong-won, a South Korean lawmaker, said the ship under construction at the Nampo yard is only one example of Kim trying to modernize his navy. A nuclear-powered submarine is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or destroyer is in the works in Chongjin, Yu said.
