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Uniting for Peace: Commonwealth, global partners celebrate International Youth Day 2024

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LONDON, Aug. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On 12 August 2024, representatives from youth, peace-building, community, civil society, faith, and advocacy organisations will participate in a series of events and an online broadcast featuring young people doing extraordinary projects, sharing inspiring stories and opportunities for young people to get involved with transformational initiatives.

The Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with the Khalili Foundation and Peace One Day, will host Youth Live, a five-hour broadcast at Marlborough House in London to celebrate International Youth Day, starting at 1 pm (BST). International Youth Day is a global platform to recognise the vital role young people play in fostering peace, democracy, and sustainable development.

Empowering Youth for a Peaceful and Inclusive Future

The broadcast will be available live on the Commonwealth Secretariat’s website, thecommonwealth.org and YouTube channel, and the Commonwealth Youth Programme’s social media channels on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Peace One Day is also broadcasting the event live at peaceoneday.org and on X, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Acknowledging the challenges young people face in today’s technology-driven world, Commonwealth Secretary-General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC said:

“I am always inspired by the energy, vision and determination of the Commonwealth’s young people. During the Commonwealth Year of Youth, we have found various ways to uplift, amplify and empower them. This broadcast is another way to showcase the work that they are doing, provide them with powerful opportunities to transform their lives and give them avenues to engender meaningful change and promote peace.

“During the broadcast on August 12, we will see the aspirations and shared values outlined in our Charter showcased by our brilliant young people.”

The Commonwealth Youth Programme has supported member countries with youth development work for over 50 years and young people will continue to be a focus leading up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this year.

Celebrating Youth Contributions to Peace and Development

Acknowledging the role young people play in fostering peace, the Executive Director of the Khalili Foundation, Waqas Ahmed, said:

“At the Khalili Foundation, we enable peacebuilding through art, culture and education. Over five decades of working in this area has convinced us that peace is best achieved when driven and sustained by the youth of any given society. So, we are proud to be supporting Youth Live in partnership with the Commonwealth and we use this opportunity to encourage all youth with ideas for sustainable peacebuilding to apply to our Youth PEACE Awards as part of the Commonwealth Faith Festival.

He continued:

The Khalili Foundation supports and drives several internationally recognised projects that promote interfaith and intercultural relations, with a special focus on youth. It has been a partner of the Commonwealth since 2017, funding the successful Faith in the Commonwealth initiative.

From Clicks to Progress: Driving youth development through digital access

The broadcast will leverage digital spaces to engage young people across the Commonwealth in meaningful dialogues and activities. In addition, four youth-focused events that foster in- person connections and showcase youth development and engagement shall take place at Marlborough House simultaneously.

Key highlights include:

The launch of the Commonwealth Virtual Museum – a hybrid digital exhibition space that showcases youth innovations and promotes digital learning and an appreciation of youth heritage.The Commonwealth Music Relay – a celebration of cultural diversity and unity through a music performance with young artists from various Commonwealth countries.A celebration of 10 years of the Commonwealth Youth Council – putting the spotlight on youth leadership in the Commonwealth and its impact over the past decade.The Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development (CRSD) will unveil the final report for the Their Future, Our Action project, titled Their Future, Our Action and the COMPASS Model: A New Approach to Finance in Commonwealth Small Island Developing States.The launch of the Youth PEACE Awards as part of the Commonwealth Faith Festival

The online and in-person events will offer youth organisations, youth networks, youth councils, partners, and global peace ambassadors a way to connect with the 1.5 billion young people across 56 Commonwealth countries. Stakeholders will also send goodwill messages of peace and address complex, multidimensional issues affecting youth.

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uniting-for-peace-commonwealth-global-partners-celebrate-international-youth-day-2024-302218788.html

SOURCE Peace One Day

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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July 23, 2026

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

Published

19 minutes ago

on

July 23, 2026

By

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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Fathom Applauds Introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the First Federal Blueprint for Independent AI Verification

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July 23, 2026

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Reps. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) introduce a bill to build a competitive marketplace of independent verifiers for frontier AI models.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fathom welcomes the introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the most complete federal framework yet for independent, third-party verification of frontier AI. The legislation is built to earn public trust as AI technology continues to accelerate. As frontier systems begin to take autonomous action in the world, the gap between what these models can do and our ability to keep them in check is widening. FRONTIER is the starting point to close that gap.

“AI governance keeps running into the same wall. The technology is hard to measure and it moves faster than any law can keep up with,” said Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Fathom. “Trying to write the perfect rules and freezing them in place won’t work. What will work is a competitive market of independent verifiers who are accountable for real-world outcomes and who the government can actually count on. The FRONTIER Act shows we can move fast and still get this right.”

The bill gets the fundamentals correct. It sets one public standard – the adequate mitigation of catastrophic risk – and holds both the AI companies and their independent verifiers accountable to it. FRONTIER does not freeze a single testing method into statute. Instead, it licenses competing verification organizations, allows them to sharpen their methods, and gives the government the power to revoke a license when a verifier’s work does not hold up in the field. That is how you build a system that keeps pace with the science instead of falling behind it.

Fathom thanks Reps. Trahan and Obernolte for their leadership, and for their courage in releasing a discussion draft, inviting scrutiny, and incorporating substantive improvements from across the field. One priority improvement as the bill advances: giving the government a fuller range of tools to act upstream – for pushing companies to close identified gaps in risk mitigation early, rather than only once a catastrophe is imminent. We are committed to working with these sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, and Congressional leadership to continue refining the bill in the weeks and months ahead.

About Fathom
Fathom is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to build a governance architecture that helps society navigate the transition to a world with AI by fostering trust, safety, and innovation. Fathom has developed and championed the independent verification model for AI and works with policymakers across the country to put it into practice. Learn more at http://fathom.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fathom-applauds-introduction-of-the-frontier-act-the-first-federal-blueprint-for-independent-ai-verification-302833546.html

SOURCE Fathom AI Inc.

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